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Budget soundbar: what each step up in price adds, and what you can skip

By the Electronik Deals editorial team · November 12, 2026

Almost any soundbar sounds better than the speakers inside a flat TV, which is why the cheapest models sell so well. Above that first step, though, prices climb quickly, and the features that push them up are not all useful in every room. This guide goes through what each step adds, and how to tell a good price from a “deal” that is just the usual price with a crossed-out number next to it.

First, two things the price tag does not tell you

Wattage figures are not comparable

Soundbar boxes quote total watts, often “peak” watts, added up across every driver. Brands do not measure them the same way, so a 600 W bar is not twice as loud as a 300 W one. Compare channels and drivers (how many, what size, whether there is a separate subwoofer) instead.

ARC or eARC decides which formats reach the bar

If the bar connects to the TV through HDMI, the TV sends it the sound of everything you watch on the TV. With plain HDMI ARC, streaming Dolby Atmos (which travels inside Dolby Digital Plus) gets through, but the lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio do not, and some TVs only pass stereo. eARC carries uncompressed multichannel audio and the lossless formats, but only if both the TV and the bar have it. A bar with eARC is worth more to you only if your TV has eARC too.

Step 1: a two-channel bar

What you get: left and right channels, sometimes with a “virtual surround” mode, Bluetooth, optical and often HDMI ARC.

Good for: small rooms, bedrooms, anyone whose main complaint is “I can’t hear the dialogue”.

What to check: a dialogue or voice mode, and that the remote can control it (or that the TV remote can, through HDMI-CEC). Make sure the bar will fit under the TV without blocking the TV’s infrared sensor.

Step 2: adding a subwoofer (2.1)

What you get: a separate subwoofer, usually wireless, for the low bass that a slim bar cannot produce.

Good for: films and music in a living room. This is the step where the difference is most obvious.

What to check: in a flat with neighbours below, a subwoofer is the part they will hear. Look for a subwoofer level control and a night mode that reduces the dynamic range at low volume.

Step 3: a dedicated center channel (3.1)

What you get: a separate channel for the center, where films put almost all the dialogue.

Good for: wide rooms where people sit off to the side, and anyone who turns the volume up to follow speech and down again for the action.

What the money buys over step 2: clearer voices across a wider area. If you sit in the middle and already hear speech well, this step is worth less to you.

Step 4: Dolby Atmos with up-firing drivers

What you get: drivers on top of the bar that aim sound at the ceiling so it reflects down to you, giving height effects.

Good for: rooms with the right ceiling. Dolby’s installation guidelines give an ideal ceiling height of 2.3 to 3.66 m (7.5 to 12 ft), a maximum of 4.27 m (14 ft), and ask for a flat, acoustically reflective ceiling.

What to skip: if your ceiling is sloped, very high, or has a beam or a soft material above the bar, you are paying for drivers that will have little effect. A bar with a better center and subwoofer is the better buy for that room.

Step 5: rear speakers

What you get: two small wireless speakers behind or beside the seats for real surround effects.

Good for: a sofa a little in front of the back wall, with power sockets where the rears will go (wireless rears still need mains power).

What to check: whether the rears are included or an extra purchase, and whether they can be added later. Some systems let you start with the bar and add a subwoofer and rears over time, which spreads the cost.

How to tell a real deal

  1. Compare like with like: the same channel count (2.1 vs 2.1, 3.1 vs 3.1), with or without subwoofer and rears.
  2. Check the usual price on a price tracker you trust over the last two or three months, not the single highest point.
  3. Check which year the model is. Soundbars are often replaced each year with small changes; last year’s model at a lower price can be the better buy if the changes do not matter to you.
  4. Bundles: a “bar + subwoofer + rears” bundle is only a deal if you would have bought all three.

The short version

  • Ignore wattage; compare channels, drivers and the subwoofer.
  • eARC only helps if your TV has it too.
  • The subwoofer (2.1) is the biggest single improvement; the center (3.1) is for dialogue across a wide room.
  • Atmos up-firing drivers need a flat ceiling of roughly 2.3–3.7 m.

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