Best budget sound bars for 2025
Our top picks for under $400
In this article: our top sound bar picks if you're hunting for a bargain...
- Best standalone bar — Yamaha SR-B30A
- Best for dialogue — Bose TV Speaker
- Best for bass — JBL Bar 2.1 Deep Bass MK2
- Best for music — Sonos Ray
- Best TV integration — Samsung HW-B750F
...plus some quick shopping tips along the way.
A powered sound bar is one of the fastest (and easiest) ways to give your TV sound a serious boost. They they fit snugly under most TVs and they're a breeze to set up. And best of all, they tend to cost much less than a traditional component home theater system.
Our top picks
There's no better place to start your search than a list of some of the best. Each of our picks for this article packs a ton of value for their price.
Best standalone bar — Yamaha SR-B30A
The SR-B30A features a set of eight drivers including two built-in ported subwoofers for powerful full-range sound. This slim two-channel bar is packed with value, providing immersive home theater sound with Dolby Atmos® processing. This technology simulates surround and height channel speakers to create a surprisingly spacious, lively soundstage.
The SR-B30A also comes with built-in Bluetooth®, which lets you control the bar with a free downloadable app and easily stream music from your phone.
Details
- two-channel sound bar with simulated 3D surround sound
- Dolby Atmos digital sound processing simulates surround and height-channel speakers
- Yamaha True Sound engineering for dynamic, accurate sound reproduction
- built-in Bluetooth for wireless music streaming from compatible devices
Best for dialogue — Bose TV Speaker
The Bose TV Speaker keeps things nice and simple with a space-efficient design and simple one-cable connection to your TV. This bar features both a dedicated center channel and a special "Dialogue" mode. These combine to bring voices to the forefront, making them easier to hear clearly.
You can also give your sound more impact with by hitting the "bass boost" button on the remote. And if you need even more bass, the bar is also compatible with Bose's Bass Module 500 and 700.
Details
- slim sound bar fits easily into your TV setup
- dedicated center-channel for clear voices
- Dialogue mode makes speech even easier to hear
- Bluetooth connectivity allows you to stream audio from compatible devices
Best for bass — JBL 2.1 Deep Bass MK2
The JBL Bar 2.1 Deep Bass MK2 delivers plenty of bang for your buck, with surprisingly spacious sound. There's no better way to get strong bass than a dedicated subwoofer and this system's powerful sub delivers plenty of low-end impact without bumping up the price in the process.
Setup is a breeze, too. The sub pairs with the bar wirelessly with the press of a button, so you can place it anywhere within range of a power outlet. From there you can control the bar with a set of simple top-panel buttons or the included remote.
Details
- compact sound bar and subwoofer system with virtual surround sound
- two-channel bar with four racetrack-shaped drivers and two 1" tweeters
- bass reflex (ported) subwoofer with 6-1/2" down-firing cone
- built-in Bluetooth for wireless music streaming from compatible devices
Best for music — Sonos Ray
The Sonos Ray is the most compact and affordable sound bar that Sonos offers. It offers surprisingly powerful sound in a small package. Each of its built-in speakers is driven by a matching amplifier and expertly tuned by Sonos's award-winning engineers for rich, balanced audio.
The Ray is part of the Sonos wireless multi-room ecosystem, which means you can group it with other Sonos speakers to stream music, podcasts, or audiobooks throughout your home. The Sonos app has an intuitive interface that makes it easy to play whatever you want, wherever you want.
Details
- compact powered sound bar with built-in Wi-Fi
- 4 built-in speakers, each with a matching Class D digital amplifier
- stream music from online services such as Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, Qobuz and more
- play the same song on multiple Sonos speakers, or have different music playing on each one
- quick, easy setup and control with free Sonos app
Best TV integration — Samsung HW-B750F
The HW-B750F offers spacious home theater sound with DTS Virtual:X sound processing. The bar's five built-in speakers include a pair of side-firing drivers that widen the soundstage and a dedicated center-channel to help voices come through clearly. The included subwoofer also adds punchy bass to match the on-screen action.
This sound bar system is also a perfect match for Samsung's sharp-looking TVs. The Q-Symphony feature lets the bar and your compatible TV's speakers play together for even bigger sound. Plus, it can benefit from the AI processing power of select Samsung TVs for enhanced audio clarity.
Details
- sound bar and wireless subwoofer
- 5.1-channel system delivers engaging home theater sound with DTS Virtual:X and Dolby Audio™
- Q-Symphony feature allows bar to synchronize with select Samsung TVs to create a fuller soundstage
- improved audio clarity with AI processing from compatible Samsung TVs
- built-in Bluetooth 4.2 for wireless music streaming from compatible devices
Sound bar shopping tips
We carry lots of sound bars and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. There's something to fit almost any space and budget. To find the one that will fit your needs best, you can start by asking yourself a few questions.
Are you having trouble hearing dialogue?
Look for models that have a dedicated center channel and/or dialogue enhancement features. These two features will help you hear those hard-to-catch lines above anything else.
How "home theater" are you looking to go?
Are you looking for a theater-like experience or just trying to hear your TV a little better? If it's the latter, a simple two-channel or three-channel sound bar will be more than enough in all likelihood. You can boost your immersion and get suprisingly big sound when that bar is also matched with a subwoofer
If you have a large room or are looking for even bigger sound, you may want to consider a bar that comes with rear-channel surround speakers. The sound bars with the biggest sound are the ones that come with a sub and support both height and surround channels.
Where's the sound bar being placed?
Lots of sound bars will fit right under your TV. This is probably the easiest way to install a sound bar, but you need to double check the bar's height to make sure it will fit under your TV.
If you prefer a clean setup, you might consider a sound bar that can be wall-mounted. Fortunately, this is pretty much standard these days.
Are you trying to connect several components?
The more A/V equipment you've got in your setup, the more you might need a few extra connections on the back of your sound bar. If you're connecting a source like a Blu-ray player or gaming console straight to the sound bar, you'll also want to make sure the bar supports video passthrough.
Check out our sound bar connection and setup guide for more information.
Get started today!
There are tons of great sound bar systems to choose from, and we're here to help. We have even more tips in our full sound bar buying guide. And if you need a little guidance finding exactly what you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our friendly Advisors.
Free lifetime tech support is included with your Crutchfield purchase.
Popular questions customers ask
Not aways. Self-powered sound bars are more common than passive sound bars. You don't need a receiver or amplifier of any kind to drive a self-powered sound bar. The amplification is built into the bar itself.
We carry over 50 sound bars that can learn your remote’s commands. This helps keep the number of control devices to a minimum. From your TV’s remote, you can adjust the volume, switch sources, and more.
Yes. While your TV’s speakers might have had you saying, “Huh?” a lot, sound bars are great for making dialog discernible. Some have a dedicated center channel for dialogue, and many even have dialog enhancement modes that add even more emphasis to voices.
If you already have a self-powered subwoofer you'd like to use alongside your sound bar, you're in luck! We carry a handful of models that have a dedicated mono subwoofer output. All you need to connect the two is a standard subwoofer cable.
Most of the sound bars we carry have Bluetooth built in for streaming your favorite tunes. Some models only support basic Bluetooth, while others support higher resolution codecs like aptX and LDAC. There are also a few models that support Bluetooth transmission, which lets you send audio wirelessly to headphones and compatible Bluetooth speakers.
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