The Best Sound Bar

Despite being reasonably priced, this soundbar delivers pretty impressive sound quality, with just five speakers. It is quite compact and light, which makes it possible to place it under the television as well as to mount it on the wall. Apple fans like AirPlay compatibility, and with “Trueplay Calibration”, it can be placed anywhere and while adapting to any room you choose.

The HW-Q950T is a sound bar released in 2020 and offered in a fairly complete kit. It delivers a neutral and balanced rendering, marked by powerful and percussive bass allowing to better live the action. This allows it to be adapted to a good variety of content. An equalizer is also part of the game. It is also equipped with compatibility with most current audio formats. Amazon Alexa is also in the game. The only flaws that we can blame it on are a lack of height for the Dolby Atmos content and a screen positioned on the upper part and therefore not very readable.

With its housing, this bar can reach 107 W at full power. The complete connectivity is a real plus and the different modes allow it to adapt to movies, music, TV shows and games. The sound is balanced, the vocals are clear, the bass is very present, without being dominant and the mids are detailed. In addition, the configuration is fast and the use is intuitive.

our selection

Our choice, Best inexpensive	Best high end	High-end alternative
Sonos Beam	Samsung HW-Q950T	Yamaha MusicCast YSP-2700
This model fits everywhere, even under smaller TVs, thanks to its compactness. It reproduces a good sound with an efficient multiroom. The intuitive application and Amazon Alexa finally convince us.	This sound bar is equipped with two additional speakers and a subwoofer, to allow you to enjoy an immersive and qualitative experience quite close to that of a home cinema.	This product is excellent value for money, with balanced sound reproduction and incredible surround sound. The 16 speakers and the subwoofer provide a pleasant dynamic that appeals to moviegoers.
CHECK PRICE	CHECK PRICE	CHECK PRICE

Honorable mentions

Sonos Arc (€ 899 at the time of publication): A convincing solution but lacking in bass. This well-built and stylish sound bar is the brand’s high-end proposition. It delivers convincing results as long as you do not push the volume to the maximum, otherwise you will hear slight artifacts. It can also enlist the services of additional speakers and a subwoofer. This principle is also recommended because the low frequencies are the Achilles heel of this system. It is Dolby Atmos compatible and includes Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

How to choose your sound bar?

If TVs tend more and more to offer breathtaking images, their sound quality is not always good. This is why buying a sound bar can help you.

But the choice is vast in this area and these devices are struggling to find their place with the advent of home cinemas. However, their compactness and ease of installation continue to appeal, especially to music lovers.

Here is a buying guide to consult before making your choice:

• The presence of a box : this improves the sound experience of the user, by increasing the total power of the bar. Even if it represents an additional device (therefore taking up more space), it remains an advantage for its buyers.
• Sound quality : the midrange, bass, treble, as well as the power are supposed to reproduce the sounds as faithfully as possible to offer a natural and impeccable rendering. The number of built-in speakers is obviously important. Generally, the more of them, the better. Some models even program modes to personalize the sound according to the program being watched, to enhance the experience and reinforce the feeling of immersion.
• The connection : the optical cable option is the one that generates the least losses. However, it is generally preferable, when this is compatible with your TV, to use an HDMI connection, which has the advantage of always supporting surround. Bluetooth prevents wire clutter and allows other devices to be connected, although its reliability can be strained. But with the aptX standard, significant losses are limited. An alternative is however offered by Wi-Fi.
• The designs : this criterion encompasses the format and is highly subjective. While theoretically a longer soundbar offers more contrast and depth, it doesn’t look very good to see it sticking out of your TV. However, mounting options (in particular to the wall) are often offered by the manufacturer.
• Ergonomics : This includes settings and other settings, but also compatibility with various devices. In most cases, the bar is connected to an application (preferably intuitive). To control it, there may be a voice assistant and / or a remote control. The idea is to make it easier to set up and use. So, expensive soundbars can include a speaker function where you can directly stream music from Spotify, Deezer, etc.

Sources

1. Clubic, Best Sound Bar - 2021 Comparison, July 16, 2021
2. CNet France, The best soundbars of July 2021, July 16, 2021
3. Frandroid, Soundbar: what are the best models of 2021? Comparative, July 16, 2021
4. Digital, What are the best soundbars? July 2021, July 16, 2021
5. RTings, The 8 Best Soundbars – Summer 2021: Reviews, July 16, 2021
6. Techradar, The best soundbars of 2021, July 16, 2021
7. Test-purchase, Sound bar: comparator 2021, July 16, 2021
8. What Hi-Fi, Best soundbars 2021: the best TV speakers you can buy, July 16, 2021