Top Soundbars 2023

The Samsung HW-Q60C is good for mixed usage. It's a simple bar with a good sound suitable for many different types of audio content, especially more dialogue-focused TV shows and podcasts. Voices and clear and easy to follow, and it reproduces instruments with detail in your favorite songs, too. While it supports many different audio formats, it has to downmix more immersive formats into stereo sound, which doesn't sound as clear or real as more premium setups.

The Samsung HW-Q900C is great for mixed usage. This 7.1.2 soundbar is a great pick for those who don't have space behind their couch for dedicated satellites in their living room. With a clear and detailed sound out-of-the-box, you can enjoy everything from music to movies to TV shows. The sub also brings all the rumble in the low-bass for genres like EDM and hip-hop. Without satellites, you don't get the same life-like feel as with more premium bars when listening to Dolby Atmos and other height content.

The JBL Bar 500 is very good for mixed usage. This versatile soundbar brings a clean, clear sound ideal for everything from dialogue-heavy sitcoms to bass-centric music like EDM. With a room correction tool on hand, its sound is optimized to the unique acoustic characteristics of your living room. It also supports most common audio formats, though it has to downmix height content like Dolby Atmos.

The LG S75QR is satisfactory for mixed usage. This 5.1.2 bar is a mid-range offering with versatile overall performance, though its sound quality isn't quite as impressive as more premium models. Voices and lead instruments are clear and present in the mix, and the added satellites bring a more immersive feel to surround sound formats like Dolby Digital. Atmos support is great if you like to watch a lot of content on streaming platforms, though the bar doesn't bring the same immersive feel as higher-end bars.

The LG SC9 is very good for mixed usage. This 3.1.3 bar has two center channels to ensure that dialogue is clear in the mix with both movies and TV shows. A dedicated subwoofer brings the thump and rumble in action-packed scenes as well as bass-heavy music. With lots of customization options, you're able to switch up the sound to your liking, too. That said, the bar has to downmix surround sound formats like Dolby Digital into stereo, resulting in a less immersive experience. You'll have to add on a separate rear speaker kit to improve its surround sound.

The Bose Solo Soundbar Series II is fair for dialogue-heavy TV shows and podcasts. Though it lacks a discrete center channel, you won't have issues following the conversation in your TV shows. There's even a dialogue enhancement mode to improve vocal clarity, which is a nice touch. Unfortunately, sound enhancement features are otherwise limited, so you don't have an auto-volume feature to balance the volume between different programs and commercials, for example.

The Samsung HW-Q60B is good for mixed usage. It's a simple 3.1 bar that has a pretty neutral sound out-of-the-box, so voices and lead instruments are clear and present in the mix. Like most Samsung models, it offers lots of customization tools, too, including a graphic EQ as well as lots of presets. While there's support for surround sound and Dolby Atmos, unfortunately, it has to downmix this content into stereo to play it. There's a lack of low-bass, too, that's noticeable with action-packed movies and bass-heavy music.

The Samsung B450 is decent for mixed usage. It's a simple bar that's best suited for listening to dialogue-heavy content like TV shows or music. Its neutral sound profile reproduces dialogue with clarity and accuracy, and there's a little extra boom in the bass. You can customize its sound with its bass and treble adjustments. However, its surround sound performance is poor, and there's no Dolby Atmos support.

The LG S75Q is decent for mixed usage. It's a pretty versatile bar with Dolby Atmos support, though its height performance is just okay overall. Out-of-the-box, it reproduces pretty clear and accurate dialogue, and its discrete center channel enhances the quality of voices in TV shows. It lacks low bass, though, so you don't feel the rumble in bass-heavy music or action-heavy movies. Surround sound isn't the best, either.

The LG S65Q is decent for mixed usage. Out-of-the-box, dialogue is clear and present in the mix thanks to its balanced mids, and higher-pitched sounds are bright and sparkling. There's a little extra boom in the high-bass, and bass and treble adjustments to customize its sound. Unfortunately, you don't get the deep rumble in the low-bass with action-packed scenes and bass-heavy music. Its surround performance isn't very impressive, either, and there's no support for height content.