We have experience in reviewing TVs for more than a decade now, and we came to a conclusion that, no matter how good they are, or how high is the picture quality, they have one thing that usually ruins the whole experience. That thing is sound quality. The only time we stumbled across a TV with a good sound system is when they have bigger speakers, which is the case with the TVs of the new generation like OLED TVs and modern LED. However, even they are too thin to have good speakers inside them. Just compare TV`s speakers with smartphones. Smartphones have a power of 1.2 watts, and TV speakers usually have the power of 20 watts. We think that the situation is pretty clear here.
With the deliverance of bigger and bigger TVs every year, most of the households need to buy an additional sound system if they want a high-quality sound. So, the need for bigger and better speakers has only increased. So, this is where soundbars enter the stage. Soundbars are compact sound devices that will help you TV`s sound by delivering additional, literally, hundreds of watts of sound. Doesn’t that sound good? Well, you can rest assured that it does. However, the price of the soundbars is higher than you might expect, so turning to the cheaper solution should be a priority number one for those who have a limited budget. We are going to provide you with a list of soundbars under the price of $500.
Sonos Beam – $400
The Sonos Beam is one of the most popular soundbars you can find on the US market. They are not cheap, with their $400, but they are way cheaper than some of the soundbars you have probably seen on commercials. The first thing that anybody notices about Sonos Beam is that they have a totally different approach than a majority of soundbars. For example, Sonos Beam doesn’t have an external subwoofer, which is, you will agree, pretty strange. Also, there is no Bluetooth, so, in order to cast movie or music wirelessly, you will need to use WiFi or Sonos app. For the sake of sound quality, this soundbar withdraws some avenues of accessibility.
You cannot help but feeling like this soundbar is a part of the philosophical difference between Windows and Apple. Besides being well made, good design, providing a feeling of somewhat closed atmosphere, we love this device, because it has a spectacular sound quality. It doesn’t matter if you are listening to music or watching a movie, it sounds great at all times. It delivers a high-quality sound from treble to bass. Even though it doesn’t have any subwoofer, you will have plenty of basses to go around, it doesn’t matter if you want to listen to modern music genres as electronic music or old school sounds like jazz, funk, or soul. There is something for everybody with this one.
Features
- One tweeter
- Four woofers
- Optical audio
- HDMI
Where You Can Buy it?
- Abt – $399.99
- Amazon – $399.99
- Best Buy – $399.99
- Walmart – $399.99
JBL Bar 2.1
JBL bar 2.1 costs $300, but when looking online, you are surely going to find it for $250 or less. When it comes to the price, our conclusion is that it’s not overpriced. On first glance, this soundbar doesn’t stand out from the crowd in any way. But when we plugged it in and started using it, we discovered that we have a hidden gem in our hands. Even though it’s small like these ones, this is probably the best soundbar we have tested in ages, literally ages, of course within the range price of $500. Firstly, the form of this device is not something you would call innovative or modern, but it has a more functional and traditional look. With that in mind, you know that this device will have all the function you need from a soundbar, but it will not take too much of your home space.
When it comes to design, it is pretty minimalistic and it has a charcoal/black chassis. Plus, it has an external subwoofer, different from many soundbars within this price range. This soundbar features a small array of buttons on the top, but you are most definitely going to use remote from the moment you install it in your house, so they are not so important, but nonetheless, functional. When we talk about the remote, we can say that it is not as compact as the rest of the package that will arrive at your home. It’s somewhat bigger and not as handy as you would think it is. In the end, we feel like it is important to point out that this soundbar is not as fancy or quirky as you might want it to be, but it is highly functional.
Features
- External subwoofer
- 300 wats
- USB
- Analog cable
- Optical audio
- HDMI
Where You Can Buy it?
- Abt – $229.95
- Amazon – $229.95
- Best buy – $229.95
- Walmart – $249.95
What is Important to Know about Soundbars?
We are going to be blunt with this one. The whole point of soundbars is to replace built-in TV speakers and make the sound much better than it is. Naturally, the sound relies heavily on the surrounding, and that is the reason most modern TVs don’t have good speakers inside them. You probably think that you have good speakers on your TV, but, when you hear their sound with the additional soundbars, you will utterly change your mind, that is for sure.
If you leave in a small house or an apartment, having additional soundbar will improve your music or movie watching experience totally. This is the easiest way of increasing the sound quality of your TV. There are a few things that you should look for when buying soundbar are audio output, connectivity, and, of course, price. The first two are usually related to the third one. So, the price is probably the most important element you should look for. And if that price is still too much, we recommend you look at the best soundbars under $200 at pinnaclespeakers.com
