7 Wireless Soundbars for Immersing Yourself in Entertainment

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You dropped all that money on a fancy new TV just to realize TVs—no matter their price—all have pretty horrible sound systems. To be fair, speakers are big and bulky, and you can only fit so much innovation into these inches-thick LED rectangles. So, how are you meant to enjoy crisp dialogue and deep surround sound during your weekly viewing of Emily in Paris? (Season Four, when??) A soundbar, that's how.

Soundbars, especially when paired with additional surround speakers and subwoofers, are the standard for home audio, these days. They almost all come outfitted with Dolby Atmos, the top-of-the-line spatial audio tech that adapts sound to your specific space. That means that your speakers know where your luxury furniture is, and they adapt accordingly. These speaker systems immerse you in your viewing. Whether you're watching Emily in Paris from a cozy sofa or sectional (or a luxe accent chair, like an Eames or Wassily chair), it's not the TV that makes you feel like you're in a Montmartre jazz cafe. It's the soundbar. So, these are the best options for immersive viewing.

M-Series All-in-One 2.1

For anyone that just wants an audio upgrade and isn't incredibly worried about cinema-level sound, we'd just suggest a standalone sound bar. Most people in big city apartments don't even have enough space to warrant additional speakers and subwoofers.

As far as standalone soundbars go, VIZIO makes the best affordable option. For under $200, you get that industry standard Dolby Atmos, as well as great high to low performance with some decent built in subwoofers.

Smart Soundbar 600

For a step up from that VIZIO, Bose makes an incredible standalone soundbar. Dolby Atmos, as well as Bose's proprietary TrueSpace tech, make this soundbar really good at filling a room with sound. There are two upward facing transducers, which create an incredibly realistic immersive sound.

Add to that the sleek Bose design, consistent voice assistant monitoring, and the option to add surround speakers and subwoofer, and you've got a winning design.

Arc

For a top of the line standalone soundbar, we've got to hand it to Sonos. The sound quality is not miles better than the Bose option, but this soundbar definitely handles larger rooms with more ease.

Sonos really wins on design, though. This thing looks great, with understated branding and a handsome cylindrical shape. It can be placed on a TV stand, but it looks really luxe when mounted on the wall. And as you upgrade to larger spaces, just add on additional Sonos surround speakers and subwoofers.

Streambar

Truthfully, there's no such thing as a "wireless" soundbar. They all require some sort of power input. But that doesn't mean there aren't clever solutions to decrease the amount of wires running into and out of your TV.

Our favorite way to do so is with Roku's combo soundbar and streaming video player. By combining the two, you just get one HDMI wire running to your TV. And while Roku's Streambar is by no means the best looking option out there, we found the sound to be pretty respectable, especially considering the price.

Streambar with Surround and Bass

If you want that same ease of use with a full setup, the Streambar comes with a full surround speaker and subwoofer setup.

Same as the standalone Streambar, the additional speakers are perfectly capable, but a little ugly. The only reservation we have about this set is specific to the audiophiles or those who have used a Dolby Atmos product in the past. Roku's system doesn't support Dolby Atmos (duh, look at the price). For many listeners, that's fine! You probably won't know the difference. But for the audiophiles and cinema freaks out there (us included), springing for a higher-tier model might be the right long-term decision.

Q990C

And boy howdy! Are there some higher tier models. Of the expensive wireless systems, we love Samsung's Q990C.

Firstly, as with all Samsung products, the look is really well considered. None of the components will stand out in your home. Secondly, we just found the sound to be really, really good, and that's what all this testing is about. Dialogue was clear, and the bass brought everything to life.

Soundbar 900, Bass Module 500, Surround Speakers 700

But for truly incredible sound, it's got to be the Boss 900 with accompanying surround speakers and subwoofer. After all these years, Bose is still the top name in home audio, and this $2,000 top-of-the-line system proves that. The look is lowkey, and the sound is anything but.

As we mentioned on the standalone Soundbar 600, the Soundbar 900 has those upward facing speakers. That in addition with the full surround system really makes this Bose system standout. The soundbar and speakers are clear from high to low, and the subwoofer brings in an incredibly rich bass. It's the ultimate home-audio experience.

How We Chose The Best Wireless Soundbars

A word on "wireless" soundbars: They don't really exist! Every one of these soundbars will have to be connected to a power source. The "wireless" aspect is that it can connect to your TV and any additional speakers wirelessly, almost always via Bluetooth. That said, a lot of audiophiles still prefer connecting a soundbar to a TV via a wired HDMI connection: It's more reliable and the audio quality is better.

Our selection criteria

• Sound performance: This is what it's all about. Though better sound has a direct correlation to higher price tag, this is what we considered most closely.

• Looks: Second was how good a soundbar, or sound system, looks. This stuff is going to be on display in your home, make sure it doesn't stand out.

• Price: Lastly, we look at price. It's the biggest determining factor when buying, but we didn't award anything based on price alone. If the value is there though, we made sure to award it.

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