Advertisement


The Best Soundbar In Australia for 2024: Sonos, Bose

The Best Soundbar In Australia for 2024: Sonos, Bose

We use affiliate links and may receive a commission on purchases. Read more here.

A soundbar is a simple way to dramatically improve your TV’s audio quality. They are easy to set up so you can be enjoying your favourite films with impressive sound in no time.

There is a soundbar for every room size and budget, the hard part is identifying which is the best option for you.

One soundbar can produce audio that sounds incredible in one room but feels lacking in another.

This is why selecting the best soundbar for your individual requirements is essential. Use the reviews and buyer’s guide below to narrow down the options.


1. Sonos Beam Compact Soundbar (Top Pick)

Sonos Beam - The Smart, Compact soundbar for TV, Music, and More, Black, (Beam)

The Smart Compact Soundbar from Sonos is small in size and big in innovation, features and sound quality.

If you are looking for an affordable option that doesn’t take too much space but offers excellent quality and features, the Sonos Beam is one of the best.

The soundbar can be controlled through the Sonos app, using the remote, with your voice via the built-in Alexa, and through the touch controls on the soundbar itself.

You connect it to your TV via HDMI and the Beam also uses wifi so you can stream audio and even connect it with other Sonos speakers.

The sound is rich, balanced and can be turned up loud enough to fill the room. Setting the Beam up is simple and takes just a couple of minutes.

The inclusion of the Sonos multi-room audio tech makes this a well-connected and user-friendly option.


What We Like:

  • Easy setup
  • Voice Control
  • Rich sound 

What We Don’t Like:

  • No Bluetooth option


2. Sonos Arc Soundbar




If you’re looking for an all-in-one surround sound system to transform your movie nights, the Sonos Arc Soundbar is an excellent option.

The Arc is a sleek design that features Dolby Atmos and delivers rich audio with excellent clarity. It is long but discreet so will fit well with the design and decor of most living rooms.

In addition to enjoying TV and film, you can use this soundbar to stream music and podcasts by using the Sonos app or Apple AirPlay 2. Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are built-in so you can voice-control this smart speaker too.

The Arc has 11 high-performance drivers to deliver impressive audio that is crisp and dynamic.

The included Trueplay technology can be used to analyse the room to tailor the sound output and create a 3D surround sound effect.

For best listening, this soundbar should be wall-mounted or positioned on top of furniture below your TV.


What We Like:

  • Dynamic
  • Excellent surround sound
  • Lots of control options 

What We Don’t Like:

  • Trueplay is only compatible with iOS devices

3. Bose Soundbar 700

Bose Soundbar 700, White

The Soundbar 700 from Bose is one of the best soundbars in the Bose range, it offers high-quality sound in a stylish package.

This soundbar has Alexa built-in, has wifi connection so you can enjoy online music services and offers Bluetooth so you can link up your phone or tablet and play music and podcasts from your own collection.

The Bose SimpleSync technology makes it easy to link up with other Bose soundbars to create a multiroom listening experience.

The customised drivers produce spacious sound and rich bass and the ADAPTiQ room calibration optimises the acoustic performance to your room to provide the best listening experience.

The soundbar comes with a remote control and you can also use the Bose Music app to help with setting up and controlling your music.


What We Like:

  • Multiple connection options
  • Voice control
  • Stylish design

What We Don’t Like:

  • Soundbar has limitations in delivering impactful bass

4. Sonos Playbar Wireless Soundbar

Sonos PLAYBAR Wireless Soundbar for Home Cinema and Music Streaming, Black, (PLAYBAR)

The Sonos Playbar is a fantastic option if you are looking to improve your TV’s sound with a stand-alone speaker.

It offers all the features you need and is a great starting point that you can add to as you see necessary if you want to create a multi-room audio system.

The Playbar features nine speakers that deliver a more immersive, surround sound experience. It offers a night sound function so you can enjoy your favourite content without waking the whole house.

You can connect this soundbar with your other Sonos speakers to create a home sound system and you can connect it to any Amazon Echo or Dot to enable voice control.

Setting up the Playbar is simple as it has only two cords and the remote is automatically detected. Out of the box, you can control the bar with the Sonos app or the remote control.

The Playbar has a higher price tag but it automatically tunes itself to deliver the best sound possible and it has been created to emphasise the sound of voices so you don’t miss any crucial dialogue in films and TV shows.


What We Like:

  • Great sound
  • Simple setup
  • Multi-room integration with other Sonos speakers

What We Don’t Like:

  • No HDMI port

5. JBL Bar All-in-One Soundbar




The JBL Bar 2.0 is a great option if you want something low-cost that will improve your TV sound experience. It is compact, powerful and easy to use.

You can connect your phone or tablet to the soundbar via Bluetooth and the HDMI and optical cable options make connecting it to your TV effortless.

The small size of the JBL Bar 2.0 means it is easy to accommodate in any room and the stylish design ensures it will fit in well with the room’s decor.

This is a stand-alone speaker that is basic but effective. The sound performance is powerful; it provides noticeable bass, crisp high frequencies and clean dialogue.

The Bar 2.0 opts for simplicity, it has a low price but does not offer some common features such as wifi connection or a smartphone app.


What We Like:

  • Affordable option
  • Offers good detail
  • User-friendly 

What We Don’t Like:

  • Volume does not go very loud (well suited to small-medium room sizes)

6. Yamaha 7.1Ch Surround Soundbar




The Yamaha Surround Soundbar uses just 2 sources to produce room-filling sound. This speaker offers an impressive surround sound experience and it is easy to set up and use.

The separate wireless subwoofer gives this system a powerful bass response and brings an added layer of amplification and quality to your cinematic experiences.

In total, this soundbar has 16 dedicated speakers and amps which is what gives the convincing surround sound effect.

Setting the soundbar up is straightforward and there are many connection options with 3 HDMI inputs, optical and coaxial digital inputs and an analogue phono input too.

This soundbar offers 2 main modes; surround sound and stereo. The IntelliBeam technology ensures optimum set-up by monitoring and analysing the sound output.

You can adjust the settings to tailor the sound to your requirements and preferences.

With built-in Apple Airplay, you can wirelessly stream music from your Apple devices and the unit is also compatible with MusicCast.


What We Like:

  • Great sound quality
  • Comes with a wireless subwoofer
  • Built-in Apple Airplay 

What We Don’t Like:

  • Needs to be carefully placed in order to get the best quality sound experience

7. Samsung HW-Q60T 5.1ch Soundbar




The Samsung HW-Q60T is a beautiful soundbar that creates a high-quality immersive sound experience.

The bar is slim and easy to install, it comes with a wireless subwoofer to ensure you can feel the bass of your favourite songs and films.

The acoustic beam technology projects sound around the room using the ceiling and walls to bounce the sound.

The HW-Q60T also uses adaptive sound technology that optimizes the audio to give you crystal clear sound whatever you are watching.

You can use Q-Symphony to sync the soundbar with your Samsung QLED TV speakers to produce audio that puts you in the middle of the action.

The soundbar can be conveniently controlled with your Samsung TV remote. There are a few modes offered including Game Mode Pro for optimising your gaming experience.

You can also connect your smart devices via Bluetooth and you can easily switch between two different connected devices.


What We Like:

  • Immersive sound experience
  • Great bass
  • High build quality

What We Don’t Like:

  • There is a bit of bass distortion when at max volume

Soundbar Buyer’s Guide


A soundbar is a cost-effective, stylish and simple way to transform your home entertainment system.

If you’re looking for high-quality audio without the need for lots of separate speakers and lots of setting up and calibration time, a soundbar is an ideal solution.

This buyer’s guide will help you find the best soundbar for your home.

Active vs Passive

  • Active means the soundbar has built-in amplifiers making it an all-in-one solution that requires no other components to work.
  • Passive means the soundbar does not have amplifiers built-in so it needs an amplifier or receiver to work. The speakers are usually better quality but you will need to connect more components together for it to deliver quality sound as needed.

Connectivity Options

Most soundbars come with wireless capabilities and/ or Bluetooth which makes it easy to connect your devices and connect speakers for multi-room audio.

Most soundbars can connect to your TV via optical cable or HDMI. Newer soundbars use HDMI ARC which sends video and sound to the TV while also sending audio from the TV to the soundbar using just the HDMI ARC cable.

RELATED:

Number of Channels

Channels refer to how many individual speakers or audio sources there are inside the bar.

The higher the number of channels, the more immersive the audio experience is going to be.

To enjoy high-quality immersive sound, it is best to go for a soundbar with 5+ channels and keep in mind that more usually results in a better performance. When you are comparing soundbars you may see numbers such as 2:0, 5:1 etc.

The first number is referring to the number of channels and the second is referring to whether or not it has a subwoofer.

Some of the best soundbars come with an included wireless subwoofer to deliver quality bass frequencies.

Control Options

There are a few ways most soundbars can be controlled including:

  • Remote control (soundbar control or/and TV remote)
  • Voice control
  • On-device buttons
  • Smartphone App

RELATED:

Other Features

  • Design – the shape, size and design vary greatly between options. It is best to consider the size of your TV as it can be a good rule of thumb to match the soundbar size with the TV length. Think about where you will be positioning the bar (wall-mounted, on a TV stand etc.) to help you choose the best style for the room and space. Many bars are slim, sleek and low profile. If you plan on positioning the soundbar in front of the TV make sure it will not block the IR signal for the remote control.
  • LED light indicators – light indicators are very useful as they can let you know what audio source you are connected to and the volume level.
  • Multi-room options – if you want to connect multiple speakers check this is a possibility as some products do not offer any connection options while others will only connect with other sound bars or speakers of the same brand.
  • Ease of use – the soundbar should be quick to set up and simple to use. The design should be both stylish and practical – if the sounding bar has any buttons they should be well-positioned and easy to access.
  • Voice assist – a lot of newer soundbars are offering Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant which some users may find useful. It can help to have these features all in one device and will certainly save space in the living room but whether or not this is considered an essential feature comes down to personal preference.
  • USB – occasionally there may be an option that includes a USB port, this can be handy if you have a music playlist saved on a USB drive as then you can leave it plugged in and it saves having to use your other devices.
  • Warranty – the soundbar you select should come with a warranty so you can return it or send it to be fixed if for some reason it is not working as it should be.



This article was written by Home Muse

If you have any questions or comments regarding this article, you can get in touch with us using our contact form.