As nice as your television’s built-in speakers may seem, they often can’t compete with dedicated soundbars. It’s well worth your money to invest in a proper soundbar if you watch a lot of TV shows and movies at home. While you can certainly spend less, the sweat spot for a soundbar is between $200 to $300. The best soundbars under $300 deliver high-quality audio and an immersive experience for everyone to enjoy.
For this price, you can expect features such as Bluetooth connectivity, HDMI and a wireless subwoofer. Most bars include a voice-boosting mode, so TV dialogue can sound clearer than you’ve ever heard it 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 more than $100 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.
Ty Pendlebury/CNET
Klipsch Cinema 400
Best soundbar under $300
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 Andor. 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.
Read our Klipsch Cinema 400 review.
$244 at Best Buy$229 at AmazonGet Price AlertsYou’re receiving price alerts for Klipsch Cinema 400
Sonos
Sonos Ray
Best for music streamers
The Sonos Ray is an entry-level soundbar featuring the company’s excellent multiroom music system and a surprisingly wide soundstage through the use of proprietary waveguides.
While it doesn’t support Dolby Atmos surround sound or have an HDMI port to connect to your TV (you connect it to your TV with an included optical cable), we were impressed with the sound quality for music and movies. You can pair it with a couple of other Sonos speakers like Sonos Ones to create a surround sound system.
$279 at Sonos
Ty Pendlebury/CNET
Polk React
Best for voice control
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.
Read our Polk React review.
$270 at Best Buy$269 at Target$269 at CrutchfieldYou’re receiving price alerts for Polk React
Ty Pendlebury/CNET
Zvox 357
Best for boosting dialogue
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.
Read our Zvox AV357 review.
$250 at AmazonGet Price AlertsYou’re receiving price alerts for Zvox AV357
Sarah Tew/CNET
Polk MagniFi Mini
Best for tight spaces
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
Read our Polk MagniFi Mini review.
$200 at Best Buy$199 at Crutchfield$180 at AmazonYou’re receiving price alerts for Polk MagniFi Mini
Vizio V21
Best under $200
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.
$120 at Walmart$130 at AmazonGet Price AlertsYou’re receiving price alerts for Vizio V21
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