Television display technology has developed by leaps and bounds over the past decade or so, with technologies like Mini LED and OLED bringing new levels of visual quality to the home viewing experience. But one aspect of the TV experience has remained broadly the same (or even gotten worse): the speakers.
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It’s not hard to see why, either: Slim TVs necessitate tiny speakers, while the lack of bezels also means that built-in speakers have to fire rearward or downward instead of directly at the viewer. They’re fine in a pinch, but anyone who wants great audio quality will find built-in TV speakers woefully inadequate.
The solution for many is soundbars. The best ones on the market offer great sound quality and surround sound capabilities, with some even capable of presenting genuine surround sound via rear satellite speakers. They’re not always cheap, but investing in a good-quality soundbar is worth it for significantly better sound quality for TV and movies. To help you level up your movie-watching experience, we’ve compiled a list of the best soundbars you can buy, ranked according to Consumer Reports’ ratings.
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