The best soundbars money can buy today

Ultra-thin TVs may look stunning, but their audio often disappoints. Here's your guide to the best soundbars that will fix this problem

- Sahil Bhalla

The Samsung HW-Q990F soundbar: (below) the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

You're sitting on your couch with some popcorn and a drink of your choice, and all you want to do is switch off the lights and crank that volume up.

Essentially, you're craving a big-screen experience in the comfort of your own home. In 2025, it’s totally possible. All you need is a big-screen TV (preferably an OLED or Mini-LED) and a soundbar—the latter will do all the heavy lifting and turn your ordinary movie nights into something special.

While TVs are impressively slim these days, they have to skimp on sound quality to be eye-catching. Many televisions prioritize visuals, with sound as an afterthought, and investing in a good soundbar makes sense. Just turn on your television, open YouTube, and play the Mission: Impossible theme song—if your floor isn’t shaking, you're doing it all wrong.

In most setups, you have to buy the subwoofer and rear speakers separately, which can add to the overall cost. Nonetheless, there are some very good options across budgets today. Here’s a handy list:

Samsung’s “Dolby Atmos-in-a-box system” soundbar is our top pick across budgets and the easiest to recommend. For under ₹1,00,000, you're getting a soundbar with thumping bass (thanks to the subwoofer) and a wireless surround sound system. With 23 speakers, your floor will quite literally be shaking at all times.

It’s easy to set up and doesn’t require any fancy calibration. The subwoofer has slimmed down to a rounded cube and now packs dual 8-inch drivers. The soundbar utilizes its four upfiring drivers to create an immersive soundscape, something that rivals can only do at double the price.