11 Best Soundbar Under 1000 for Your Own Home
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With regards to best soundbar under 1000, Setting up a home theater can be quite costly and will take up a lot of space, especially for those big speakers. But if you are working on a limited space and budget but still want to have that theater sound quality, then soundbars are what you need.
This list will help you find the best-suited soundbar for you without breaking the bank because these are all below $1000. We will be exploring its features, the pros, and the cons. Let’s get started.
The Best Soundbar Under $1000
Like what we’ve mentioned earlier, this list is for people who want theater-like sound quality without having to compromise space and money.
You might be skeptical if soundbars can really produce theater sound quality in such a small form factor but, it’s the real deal. It even gained a huge following in big forums upon release and demos. But if you’re really skeptical and really want to try it out, audio shops normally have theater rooms where you can audition different soundbars.
To further attest to what soundbars can do, some companies took it to the next level, like Sennheiser and Sony. For example, the Ambeo soundbar has the combined power of Sennheiser’s 13 drivers with Sony’s 360 Software that generates crystal clear sounds and can adjust the sound projected depending on the room size and shape. Sadly, it’s priced at $2500, which is way above our target $1000 amount.
Anyway, the list below will explore three important capabilities that a soundbar should have: the number of channels, surround sound capabilities, drivers, and connectivity.
#1: Samsung HW-Q900T – best soundbar under 1000
- 3D TRUE SURROUND SOUND (DOLBY ATMOS AND DTS: X): Explore the depths of sound with Dolby Atmos and DTS: X. Dual technology that captures each distinct sound as it flows above and around you
- TRUE 7.1.2CH SOUND: Soundbar Q900T consists of 7 channels, 1 subwoofer channel, and 2 up-firing channels for enveloping sound, powered by 16 speakers. Wide range speakers are positioned at both corner of the soundbar to produce an expanded sound stage delivering audio from all angles
Number 1 on the list is the HW-Q900T, priced at almost $1000. It offers a true 7.1.2 sound which means it has 7 channels, 1 active subwoofer channel, and 2 up-firing channels. For home theaters, this would mean a wider sound stage and more immersive surround sounds that will improve the overall movie experience.
When it comes to its drivers, the soundbar is powered by 16 speakers from Samsung Audio Labs that utilize 406 watts of power. It also supports the audio codecs of ATMOS, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby True HD, which will let you experience true high audio fidelity.
When it comes to connectivity, the HW-Q900T has 2 HDMI input channels and 1 HDMI output channel. This can come in handy if you want to connect two audio sources at the same time without having to plug and unplug every time. It also has 1 HDMI eARC port, great for syncing with ARC-compatible television sets, and will greatly reduce the cable clutter for your home theater.
For smart TV capabilities, it can be enabled by using Samsung’s Smart Things Mobile App. Other connectivity features are Bluetooth (SBC), Wi-Fi, Spotify Connect, and a built-in Alexa program.
#2: Polk Audio MagniFi Max – best soundbar under 1000
- BIGGER, MORE DYNAMIC SOUND - Packed inside this slim and sleek sound bar 7 powerful drivers and tweeters produce exceptionally clear sound, more superior than any traditional sound bar
- EXPERIENCE IMMERSIVE SURROUND SOUND WITH POLK's PATENTED SDA AUDIO TECHNOLOGY and 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS decoding that creates an expansive surroundstage and detailed stereo image delivering an incredible room-filling listening experience, which is comparable to what you would experience in a concert or theater
Priced at $500, the Polk Audio MagniFi Max Home Theater Soundbar an excellent choice for home theaters. This soundbar is capable of producing true surround sound with its 5.1 sound channels through Dolby Digital, DTS, and the patented Polk Audio SDA surround technology.
The package includes one soundbar and one separate subwoofer capable of producing 340W of sound, it’s compact yet powerful. Inside the soundbar, you’ll find 1 mid-range driver, 2 tweeters, and 4 mid-range woofers. While in the subwoofer, you’ll find 1 eight-inch driver that is connected to the soundbar wirelessly.
Connectivity is what Polk Audio MagniFi Max shines. It has 3 built-in 4K HDMI inputs, 1 HDMI ARC output, 1 optical input, 1 auxiliary 3.5 mm input, and 1 Ethernet port. For wireless connections, it supports Bluetooth and WiFi, both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bandwidth with 802.11 a/b/g/n/AC. It also supports Google Home and Chromecast.
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#3: Bose Smart Soundbar 700 – best soundbar under 1000
- Designed slim and engineered powerful for a better sound experience that won't get in the way of your TV screen
- Built in voice assistants, like Alexa and the Google Assistant, with superior voice pickup from a noise rejecting eight microphone Array
The Smart Soundbar 700 of Bose is another great choice for your compact home theater-compact, great-sounding, and affordable.
But if you’re looking for surround sound capabilities, then the Soundbar 700’s stereo output might be a deal-breaker. For it to have surround sound, the Soundbar 700 needs to be paired with other Bose products using the Bose mobile app. So, if you want to go ahead the prepare to have your wallet ready to incur additional costs.
Inside the soundbar, there are four custom-designed proprietary mid-range speakers and a central tweeter that drives clear and crisp sounds from your movie. Bose has combined these powerful drivers with its propriety PhaseGuide technology that guides the soundwaves to different directions that creates the illusion of a wide soundstage.
Another feature that gives it a competitive edge is the ADAPTiQ input. What it does is: it uses its built-in microphones to sense the acoustics of your room and optimizes the output audio accordingly. This technology is similar to Sony’s 360 software, and they are both proprietaries to their respective companies.
Connectivity-wise, the Bose Soundbar 700 supports Bluetooth 4.2, HDMI ARC, ethernet connection, and optical connection.
#4: Sonos Beam – best soundbar under 1000
- The Smart compact soundbar for your TV, music, and more.
- Play everything that matters to you with Beam. Control it with your voice, remote, the Sonos app, and more.
Although lacking in the surround sound capability because it only has stereo output, the Beam is still an excellent soundbar choice due to its affordable price and great sound quality.
The great audio quality of the soundbar comes from its four full-range woofers and one tweeter powered by class D amplifiers. People who are knowledgeable in audio electronics might worry about the overheating issues with class D amplifiers, and that’s why the Beam has three passive radiators to keep the soundbar cool.
Surround sound is a must in home theaters, so if you want to build it with the Beam, you’ll need to set it up using the Sonos app. Aside from the app, you’ll also need the same Sonos product to enable it. So, for example, if you want to use the Sonos Beam as surround speakers, you’ll need to buy another Beam to make it work.
For physical connection, it has a single HDMI ARC port, a single ethernet port, and an optical audio port. But if you want a wireless connection, the Beam supports both 2.4GHz 802.11 b/g/n wifi connection or through Apple AirPlay 2.
#5: Samsung HW-S60T – best soundbar under 1000
- SIDE HORN SPEAKER WITH SAMSUNG ACOUSTIC BEAM - Experience a panoramic and room-filling sound with dual-sided horn speakers and Samsung Acoustic Beam Technology
- KVADRAT DESIGN - Elegant design refined by Kvadrat. The perfect accent for any interior.
From Samsung’s soundbar lineup, the HW-S60T is another exceptional choice. Though slim-looking, it can support 4 sound channels, a good feature if you’re looking for surround sound capabilities.
Sound is driven by 4 front speakers and 2 side-firing speakers that utilize Samsung’s Acoustic Beam which can give the illusion of sound coming from above. Although it has a built-in subwoofer for your low-frequency needs, it may feel lacking at times, so you might need to buy a dedicated subwoofer.
The HW-S60T lacks an HDMI eARC. Thus, it only supports Dolby Audio and DTS audio codecs. This can be a deal-breaker, especially if you want to try out Blu-ray movies or streaming services that support Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Atmos, and DTS:X.
Connectivity-wise, it only has 1 HDMI that supports ARC and 1 optical input. A bit lacking, but for the price it has, it’s understandable. For wireless connections, it supports Bluetooth SBC and WiFi. When connected to your wireless network, it can support playback from streaming services and can be controlled seamlessly through Samsung’s SmartThings Mobile App.
#6: Razer Leviathan Soundbar System – best soundbar under 1000
When we think of Razer, we think of gaming and flashy RGB lights. And that’s right, the Razer Leviathan was made for gaming, but it’s also surprisingly good for home theaters. If we think about it, both movies and games require immersive sounds to fully engross their audience. So, it’s not really surprising that the Leviathan can also deliver captivating movie sounds.
The Leviathan Soundbar System supports a 5.1 type of channel which means it can fully provide playback for movies having surround sound. For audio codecs, it can fully support Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic, and Dolby Virtual Speaker. Truly lacking but considering its price point and being catered for gamers, it’s understandable. In its arsenal of sound drivers, it has 2 full-range drivers, 2 tweeter drivers, and 1 dedicated passive subwoofer.
Connectivity is its major downsides. For physical connections, the Razer Leviathan has no HDMI ports and only has two inputs: a 3.5 mm auxiliary input and optical input. And for wireless connectivity, it only supports Bluetooth aptX. Very lacking, but again considering that this product only has a $200 price tag, it’s understandable.
#7: Yamaha SR-B20A Soundbar – best soundbar under 1000
- Built-in subwoofers for deep bass in one slim sound bar.Waterproof : No
- Clear Voice for enhanced dialogue clarity
Yamaha is well known for producing musical instruments, but they also produce good audio equipment such as studio monitors, amplifiers, and components. And, the SR-B20A is an attempt to enter the growing market demand for soundbars.
The sound capabilities of the SR-B20A can be considered decent considering it only has a price of $200. It has a 2.1 type of sound channel. So, if you’re looking for true surround sound capabilities, then this soundbar is not for you.
Audio codecs that it supports are DTS:X and Dolby Digital Audio. But like we’ve mentioned, this is not true surround capability, it only tries to imitate surround sound purely through digital sound processing.
For its sound drivers, it has two 1.8 inch, cone-shaped speakers, two 1 inch dome tweeters, and two built-in cone subwoofers. All of these drivers only have an output of 100W so don’t expect too much from it, especially if you place it in a large room.
When it comes to connectivity, it has 1 HDMI arc port and 2 optical inputs. And for wireless options, it only has Bluetooth capability. These options are already decent when considering its $200 price tag.
#8: Sony HT-S350 – best soundbar under 1000
- Ultimate Home Theater Upgrade: Sony 2.1 Channel Sound Bar System With Wireless Subwoofer for Optimized Audio.Waterproof : No
- Audio Comes Alive:320W total power output brings content to life with incredible volume and clarity
Priced at $280, the Sony HT-S350 is a great soundbar choice for those who are on a tight budget. This soundbar operates on a 2.1 sound channel-stereo output plus a dedicated wireless subwoofer.
Inside the soundbar, you’ll find two main drivers that generate the left and right audio. It also has a specially designed chamber that improves the overall sound delivered by the drivers. In the subwoofer, you’ll find a large 16 cm driver and a 28-liter chamber that delivers rich and deep low-end frequency. All of these drivers are powered by an S-Master digital amplifier, made and designed by Sony, that produces a total of 320W power output.
Although the Sony HT-S350 is compatible with Dolby audio, it mostly utilizes Sony’s own audio codec and the S-Force PRO, a virtual surround processing technology like DTS:X.
For connections, it has 1 HDMI ARC output and 1 optical input. And for wireless connections, it has no WiFi capabilities but supports Bluetooth 5.0.
#9: Samsung Soundbar HW-T550 – best soundbar under 1000
- 3D SURROUND SOUND - The captivating experience of DTS Virtual: X turns your living room into a theater. Powerful 3D surround sound comes to life by recreating sound that makes you feel like you're in the scene
- BLUETOOTH MULTI CONNECTION - Seamlessly switch between two different connected smart devices
The HW-T550 is a decent soundbar option in the $200 price range. It has a 2.1 sound channel-the soundbar for the stereo and one dedicated passive subwoofer.
Although it may seem to be advertised on the Samsung website as having surround capabilities, it’s not true surround sound. Because like the Yamaha SR-B20A, the Samsung Soundbar T550 takes advantage of DTS:X to reproduce surround sounds even if the device only has stereo channels.
The Samsung HW-T550 has a total of 5 speakers, which is capable of producing 320W of power. Audio codecs supported are Dolby Digital and DTS Virtual:X.
For wired connections, it has 2 HDMI ports, 1 in and 1 out, and both are compatible with ARC and CEC. It also has 1 optical input. And for its wireless connectivity, it doesn’t have WiFi capabilities, only Bluetooth.
#10: Sony S100F – best soundbar under 1000
- Straight from the theater to your home: easy set-up, built-in tweeter, 2-ch speaker with simple Bluetooth connection
- Deep sound with Bass Reflex speaker
Having a price tag of $98, this affordable Sony soundbar is the best option you’ve got if you’re on a very tight budget. The soundbar only operates on a stereo channel, so it has no true surround sound capability.
Inside the soundbar, you’ll find two main drivers, one for the left channel and one for the right channel, that is driven by Sony’s S-Master digital amplifier.
The soundbar is compatible with audio codecs such as Dolby Digital, Dolby Dual Mono, and LPCM. Although it only has stereo capabilities, it tries to imitate surround sound through Sony’s S-Force, a technology similar to DTS:X, which generates surround-like sounds through digital sound processing.
For connectivity, it has 1 HDMI ARC output and 1 optical input. This has no WiFi connective and only supports wireless connection through Bluetooth 4.2.
#11: BYL Bestisan 2.1 Channel Soundbar – best soundbar under 1000
- New Arrival: Slim and understated Design, Wired Subwoofer for Deep Bass, High-Performance Connectivity, Big Power(Max up to 120 watt). Sound bar original advanced bass extension processing and Noise-free technology delivers powerful bass for enhanced performance.
- 2.1 channel 120 Watt: The sound bar houses a digital amp and four cone speakers with large magnets to deliver booming sound with crystal-clear audio quality. Less than 1% total harmonic distortion ensures enhanced clarity and fidelity.
In this list, the BYL Bestisan Soundbar is the cheapest option, you can get one for a price below $90, that still delivers decent audio quality for a home theater. So, this audio equipment is for those who are on a very tight budget.
As its product name implies, the BYL Bestisan doesn’t have surround sound capability-only stereo sound capabilities. Inside the equipment, you’ll find 4 full-range sound drivers with a dedicated passive subwoofer. Pretty good for its price tag.
For wired connections, it has 1 optical input, 1 coaxial input, a 3.5 mm input jack, a 3.5 mm output jack, and a USB port. And for wireless connectivity, the BYL Bestisan supports Bluetooth 5.0 connection but doesn’t have WiFi capabilities. It’s definitely lacking, but again considering the price point, it’s understandable.
Final Thoughts
Soundbars are great options if you want to experience theater-like sound quality in your home for a lesser cost. Aside from using the list above to select the best soundbar for a home theater, you’ll need to consider your budget, room size, and connectivity.
Per price point, there are a lot of available soundbars. After considering your budget, list down the possible product and brand options. If possible, try them out in the nearest audio shop in your area to check which sounds good for you.
The bigger the room, the larger sound output you’ll need. You can look it up on the product sheet under the specification total sound output in watts and decibel.
Buying a soundbar only to find out it’s not compatible with your home theater can be a headache. So, be sure to check if your system supports connections such as HDMI, optical output, WiFi, or auxiliary.
Related Questions
Is any soundbar better than TV speakers?
Yes, is the simple answer to this question. But if we consider the prices of the televisions, then the answer might be different.
For example, let’s say we bought a television with a built-in speaker having a price of $600, then a regular soundbar will definitely sound better. But let’s say the television is Sony’s top-of-the-line Z8H. A regular soundbar might not be able to compete with the sound it produces. So you’ll need to buy a pricier soundbar worthy of competing with it.
What is the best soundbar under $100?
Hands down, the best soundbar under $100 to this is Sony’s S100F. You won’t find any soundbar that produces exceptional sounds under $100 with an HDMI ARC port and a codec that imitates surround sound through digital processing.