If you watch a lot of movies and TV shows at home, a soundbar is an essential part of your home entertainment system. A soundbar help you feel more immersed in what you’re watching, and it doesn’t take up any more room than your existing television does.
While it’s possible to spend as little as $80 on a soundbar for your TV, the sweet spot for this kind of speaker is around $300. For this price, you can expect features such as Bluetooth connectivity, HDMI and a wireless subwoofer. Most bars include a voice-boosting mode, and TV dialogue can sound so much clearer than you’ve ever heard before. Also, if you’re a music fan you can extract more from your favorite tunes than with any Bluetooth speaker you could name. You could likewise pick a model with Amazon Alexa onboard.
As I write this the Klipsch Cinema 400 is $50 off, making it currently the best soundbar for under $300, but if you want to see what else is available check out our list of best soundbars overall.
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Ty Pendlebury/CNET
It may not have the whizz-bang features of some of its competition, but if you’re looking for superlative performance this is where you should start. As the best soundbar under $300, it offers head-turning looks with those exposed tweeters and a big subwoofer. And the included remote control offers independent control of the sub. Get quality sound with both music and an episode or two of Obi-Wan Kenobi. The built-in Bluetooth, wireless connectivity allows for music streaming from compatible devices. Virtual surround sound mode provides a more immersive listening experience along with Dolby Digital decoding.
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Ty Pendlebury/CNET
At its current sale price of $200, the Polk React is pulling multiple duties: it’s affordable and it’s a smart speaker with Amazon Alexa — and it offers an excellent dialogue enhancement mode. It offers more than that, including crystal clear sound quality and HDMI for easy connection to your TV.
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Ty Pendlebury/CNET
The Zvox AV357 is a great way to upgrade a terrible-sounding TV. It’s stylish too, with a wood-grain veneer, and the remote control is user-friendly. If you want to connect more than just a TV — like, say, a phone for music via Bluetooth — try one of the other options here, but this is nonetheless a fantastic TV speaker.
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Sarah Tew/CNET
The problem with most soundbars is that they’re ginormous — if you have a small TV or accompanying stand they may dangle off of it. The MagniFi Mini’s main speaker is barely a foot across and yet it’s able to offer an ultra-wide sound with clever use of technology. Sounds good, and you’ll barely know it’s there. The only potential downside is that you will have to hide the subwoofer, but as it’s wireless you can stash it behind the couch
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While the V21 with Wireless Subwoofer is outclassed by the others on this list and may not be the best soundbar under $300, it is one of the best under $200. If you only have a limited budget it offers excellent value. It has the all-important HDMI connection, Bluetooth and a separate sub. The Vizio delivers great sound and costs around half the price of these competitors.
