The Multibeam 1100 looks as good as it sounds, too, with an attractive and relatively compact design that houses a beautifully detailed LED display. Sadly, that display is positioned on top of the bar rather than on the front of it, meaning you can’t see it when watching TV. That minor gripe aside, there’s very little not to like about the Multibeam 1100. The absence of DTS:X support will be an issue for those with large Blu-ray collections, and adding rear speakers and a subwoofer for true sonic envelopment is costly, but neither issue prevents the Multibeam 1100 from rising above almost all of the single-speaker solutions on the market. In addition to testing out a soundbar’s ability to deliver sound to accompany onscreen action, we take time to try out any wireless streaming capabilities it may have, be that via Tidal over Bluetooth or Spotify Connect over a Wi-Fi network. Content is also streamed via features such as Chromecast built-in and AirPlay 2 to ensure they work as intended. Having a wide array of connection options is always a bonus as you will never know what you might want to connect to your soundbar in the future. The most convenient is HDMI: this is the connection favoured by most modern soundbars, even cheap ones. You will most often see an HDMI input (or maybe even two or three), which you connect your sources to (games console, Sky box etc) and an HDMI output, which passes the video signal to your TV. As ever, the more connections, the better, as it gives you more flexibility in the future. The good news to all of this is that you can do some tweaking of the sound through the remote. There’s only so much you can do with satellite speakers and a subwoofer of that size, but it’s nice having the option to turn them up or tweak them how you like and you can turn off the DTS Virtual:X if you find it distracting. Ideally, we would recommend going all in on an AV amplifier and matching home theatre speaker system, but in reality, we understand that not everyone has the space and/or the budget for something like this. That's why we recommend a soundbar as a great alternative.

Dolby Atmos is a relatively new surround-sound standard that expands upon the 5.1- and 7.1-channel setups previously offered by soundbars and other surround-sound systems. The main thing that Atmos adds is audio height: where other systems aim to surround you with audio to the side and rear, horizontally, Atmos extends that to sounds that come from above you. Close attention is paid to sound reproduction across the frequency spectrum, with a focus on the three cornerstones of soundbar performance: bass response, dialogue clarity and crispness of treble. If there are different EQ presets available, we’ll try these out with appropriate content and all tests are run at a variety of volume levels, including maximum volume to push the product to its limits. The SF150 also features Sony's S-Force Front Surround technology, which applies processing to give the acoustic impression of a more encompassing sound stage. While there is no replacement for surround sound,it adds a dramatic sense of weight and separation. Soundbars are slim, often rectangular, speaker systems with drivers positioned side by side that are designed to slot underneath your TV or to be fitted neatly to the wall. With front-facing drivers, even basic, budget soundbars typically offer more direct and clear audio than a TV.

The best soundbars you can buy in 2023

It’s worth keeping in mind, also, that 5.1 is no longer the pinnacle of sound quality – that title belongs to spatial audio formats like Dolby Atmos. While 5.1 can give you a plane of sound, Dolby Atmos immerses you in a sound field with top-firing speakers that provide a height channel to the mix. Those bars are more expensive than what Vizio is offering here, obviously, but they’re worth investigating if you feel like you might be interested in having a larger sphere of sound. Best of all, a decent soundbar doesn’t need to cost a fortune and, unlike stereo speakers, soundbars blend much more discreetly into your living room decor, resulting in a cleaner, more minimalist look. The soundbar itself has five drivers in total, each measuring 1.89 x 2.99in: there are forward-firing drivers for each of the left, centre and right channels, with an additional two upward-firing drivers for the left and right height channels. There is little more frustrating than not being able to hear dialogue when watching a TV show or movie, but inevitably, varying levels of speech clarity combined with how busy the soundscape is and the overall style of the mix can mean that whispery, mumbly vocals hinder even a top-quality, room-tuned soundbar. Physical buttons, a remote, a companion app and voice assistant support mean you’re spoilt for choice in terms of control, while Chromecast built-in, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect provide wireless streaming options to complement the numerous physical ports. Sennheiser’s Ambeo feature is the Plus’ only real weakness, with its more spacious presentation detracting from the bar’s otherwise laser-focused and detailed delivery. But even with this shortcoming, there’s no price-comparable alternative that performs as well as the Ambeo Soundbar Plus.

The Sony HT-A7000 is an outstanding, future-proofed, all-in-one performer with excellent integration if you have a newer Sony Bravia TV. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Vizio SB36512-F6, however, is the wide array of audio formats it supports, including (impressively at this price) both Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD Master Audio. Something to bear in mind, however, is that to experience overhead Atmos audio effects at their best, Vizio’s recommendation is that your ceiling is between 2.2m and 3.6m high. Vizio SB36512-F6E 36” Soundbar Review: Sound quality At more reasonable volume levels, however, the SB36512-F6E sounds great and it delivers Atmos height effects with surprising authority. I used the official Dolby Atmos test disc to put it through its paces to start with and was immediately impressed with how convincing the various clips sounded, in particular the 747 takeoff, which sounded – as it should do – as if the plane was roaring immediately overhead rather past at ear level. Delivering Dolby Atmos from a small chassis is no mean feat, but the 2023 What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Sonos Beam Gen 2 achieves a convincing, immersive performance without so much as a vertical speaker in sight. Instead, when watching Atmos content, two of the soundbar's five front-facing arrays are dedicated to reproducing overhead and surround sounds. With its hefty processing power, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 uses psychoacoustic HRTF (head-related transfer function) technology to give the impression of height without needing to get vertical. There are a few options to improve your TV sound that range from the budget to the expensive, but a soundbar is one of the simplest ways as they are typically compact and require minimal cabling. They often also have added benefits, such as wireless streaming over Bluetooth or WiFi.For those who want compelling 3D sound without all the speakers, this is the best soundbar with a premium price tag that we've ever tested, which is why it retained its title once again at the 2023 What Hi-Fi? Awards. The key thing to know about optical is that it's restricted in bandwidth compared to ARC/eARC. So if you have the choice between the two and opt for optical, you might not be making the most of the audio decoding built into your soundbar. The most advanced immersive formats optical can handle are compressed Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 surround sound, so that means no Dolby Atmos or DTS:X.