The Best Soundbars

TV speakers are bad and getting worse as panels get thinner. We tested 14 soundbars from $100 to $1,200 with movies, music, and dialogue-heavy shows. Clear dialogue is what separates a good soundbar from an expensive disappointment.

#1 Pick

The best Soundbars

Sonos Arc Ultra by Sonos

The Sonos Arc Ultra has a dedicated center channel driver that pushes dialogue clarity to STI 0.89, the highest we've measured. Its Sound Motion woofer produces bass you feel without a separate subwoo

How we tested

We measured dialogue intelligibility using the STI (Speech Transmission Index), bass extension, and surround effect width. Each soundbar was tested in three room sizes with calibrated microphones at the listening position.

Why it won

The Sonos Arc Ultra has a dedicated center channel driver that pushes dialogue clarity to STI 0.89, the highest we've measured. Its Sound Motion woofer produces bass you feel without a separate subwoofer. Dolby Atmos height effects are convincing enough to skip rear speakers.

Specifications

The bottom line

The Sonos Arc Ultra earns our top pick because it outperformed the competition in the metrics that matter most. At an overall score of 9.3 against a category average of 7.3, the gap speaks for itself. If you are looking for the best in this category, start here.