Compare the Best SoundbarsMarch 2020

Soundbar Buying Guide

Subwoofer

While most soundbars comprise of just the bar itself, others come packaged with a separate subwoofer unit. This is a loudspeaker designed specifically for bass frequencies, meaning it will augment the standard soundbar and provide substantially more powerful bass notes. This boosts the overall sound quality of the TV, and is especially good if you watch a lot of action-heavy blockbusters, since the explosions and gunshots will have a lot more presence.

Wireless Streaming

The majority of soundbars are designed to be plugged in directly to the TV, rather than using a wireless connection. This is minimise any delay in the audio - wireless connections can generate a very slight delay while the data is sent from the TV to the soundbar, meaning that the video and audio signals the TV could drop out of sync. Wired connections have no such delay, meaning the video and audio will always be perfectly in sync.

Many soundbars do have wireless capabilities, but they are instead used for streaming audio from your phone/tablet/etc. Because there is no video signal, the small delay doesn’t really matter. This means that as well as TV audio, soundbars can also be used for music on demand, making them great for parties or just relaxing with your favourite music!

Soundbar Prices

In total we found 196 soundbars ranging from £14 to £3,478. The average price of a new soundbar is £286 and 80% of soundbars are priced between £62 and £549. The most expensive soundbar that we found is the NEC SP-ASCM at £3,478, and the cheapest is the DELL AX510 at only £15.

Soundbar Brands - Price Range

The highest average soundbar price out of all brands is NEC soundbars with an average price of £3,478. NEC soundbars range in price from £3,478 to £3,478.

The second highest average soundbar price out of all brands is Bang & Olufsen soundbars with an average price of £1,250. Bang & Olufsen soundbars range in price from £1,250 to £1,250.

The third highest average soundbar price out of all brands is M&K soundbars with an average price of £750. M&K soundbars range in price from £750 to £750.

Soundbar Brands - Average Ratings

We have checked 1,448 expert reviews and 461 user reviews for soundbars and used this information to calculate the average rating for each brand of soundbar. The top rated soundbar brand is LG with an average rating of 71%. The second best brand is Yamaha with 71% and the third best brand is Sony with 68%.

Biggest Soundbar Retailers

The biggest soundbar retailer by number of products currently for sale is eBay. We found 129 current soundbar offers from eBay. The second biggest retailer is Currys with 75 offers. That means eBay is much bigger than Currys when it comes to soundbars. Amazon UK is the third biggest retailer with 67 current offers.

When Are Most New Soundbars Released?

The most common period for new soundbars to be released in is between March and May. That means that most of the latest soundbar technology was released in within the last 3 months, and now is good time to buy. In March 2019, nine new soundbars were released making it the biggest month that year for new soundbar releases. The biggest month in 2018 for new soundbar releases was November, with 17 new soundbars released that month. In 2017 most new soundbars were released in May, with 42 new soundbars released that month.

How Fast Do Soundbar Prices Drop After Release?

On average soundbars drop in price by 13% in the first 6 months after release.

If you are prepared to wait then you could save an average of £37 on a typical £286 new soundbar by waiting 6 months before buying.

Audio Output

'Audio Output' denotes the number of individual channels for the soundbar to use. Specific sounds and parts of the screen are assigned to individual channels, allowing the soundbar to simulate surround sound and create a deeper audio depth.

2.1 channels is the most popular audio output amongst new soundbars. We found 175 soundbars that are 2.1 channels soundbars. The second most frequently found audio output amongst new soundbars is 2 channels. We found 67 soundbars that are 2 channels soundbars.

Bluetooth

Whether the sounder has support for wireless Bluetooth connections or not.

The vast majority of the 391 new soundbars currently listed on Kagoo are soundbars which support Bluetooth. 364 out of 391 soundbars are soundbars which support Bluetooth.

Subwoofer Included

Whether the soundbar includes a subwoofer, which is a loudspeaker for low frequencies (bass sounds).

Most new soundbars are soundbars with a subwoofer included. 260 out of 391 soundbars on Kagoo are soundbars with a subwoofer included.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for Soundbars?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying soundbars. For each retailer it shows the total number of soundbars where they currently have a market leading price. The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying soundbars. For each retailer we took all of their prices and looked at what proportion of those prices where the cheapest on the market. The cheapest retailer that we found was eBay. 88 of their soundbar prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of Soundbars for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

Assessing how cheap each retailer is for soundbars by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of soundbar prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's soundbar prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 68.2% of their soundbar prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.