These Soundbars Under $200 Sound Way More Expensive Than They Are – BGR

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Soundbars are heroes, at least when it comes to rescuing us from lackluster TV audio. The bite-sized speakers included on most LED-LCDs and OLED sets are simply not big or powerful enough to bring true gusto to our favorite movies, shows, playlists, and video games. But not everyone has more than $300 hanging around to put toward an expert-tested soundbar. Fortunately, soundbar manufacturers have gotten pretty clever at building systems for less than $200 that deliver the decibels in premium fashion. And the best news is that you don’t even have to look past Amazon.

These soundbars are not just affordable, they are also of top-notch quality. There are several companies that have gone above and beyond to provide you with a next-level audio experience. We’ve curated a list of five soundbars under $200 that sound way more expensive than they are, featuring gear from the likes of Samsung, Sony, and a few other noteworthy names.

One thing you’ll notice about the Yamaha SR-C20A Compact Soundbar is that it doesn’t come with a wireless subwoofer. That’s because this smaller bar has a built-in woofer and up to 100 watts to lean on for all things thump and rumble. Perfect for a bedroom TV that struggles with dialogue and vocals, and a solid choice for most small to medium-sized rooms, the SR-C20A features Yamaha’s Clear Voice technology, which amplifies the onscreen spoken word. This means no more missing crucial lines from your favorite characters.

The Yamaha SR-C20A also features a Bass Extension preset for harder-hitting low-end, as well as Standard, Stereo, Movie, and Game presets to dial in the perfect sound for you and yours. We were thrilled to discover the range of connections the bar has to work with, too, including HDMI ARC, digital optical, 3.5mm auxiliary, and a Bluetooth input for streaming audio wirelessly from a phone, tablet, or other device.

The Yamaha SR-C20A is even wall-mountable should you want to hang it below a TV. While the Virtual Surround feature only does an okay job at emulating a larger speaker system, the SR-C20A is still a big step-up from TV speakers.

How about investing in a great soundbar for less than $200 that also has built-in entertainment apps and smart home compatibility? Look no further than the Roku Streambar SE, a 2-in-1 soundbar and streaming device. The compact size and low cost of entry make the Streambar SE a great choice for college students and apartment living, but we also recommend it for any small to medium-sized space.

Classed as a 2.0 system, the Streambar SE won’t blow the doors off your house, but it will hone in on dialogue and vocals like a champ. You’ll also be able to customize your audio experience with the bar’s built-in presets, including Dialogue, Movie, and Music. There’s also an auto-volume toggle that helps to balance the decibel difference between advertisements and the show or movie you’re watching.

On top of its Bluetooth input for wireless audio streaming, the Streambar SE has Roku TV OS built in, which gives you access to numerous Wi-Fi-powered platforms, including Apple AirPlay, Spotify, Netflix, YouTube, and countless other apps. For less than $100, the Roku Streambar SE is one of the cheapest gateways you’ll find into the world of soundbars, and that’s also not a bad price for a better-than-average streaming device.

Here’s another solid compact soundbar from a brand we’re all familiar with. The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar may look small, but at 24 inches wide and 2.5 inches tall, this bite-sized bar is a great way to improve your TV audio. Amazon incorporated some clever virtualization tech (DTS:Virtual X) to aid the Fire TV Soundbar in sounding like a larger audio system, and the results are pretty solid. When you’re talking $120 or less for a soundbar, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a reliable product with a wireless subwoofer, though the Fire TV Soundbar does include built-in woofers for enhanced bass. 

Connection options for this Amazon soundbar include HDMI ARC, digital optical, USB, and Bluetooth. Even though this product carries the Fire TV label, unfortunately, it doesn’t connect to the Internet, which means no streaming apps. Still, you’ll be able to switch over to Bluetooth when you want to enjoy music or a podcast. That said, the soundbar is Fire TV ready, so if you own a Fire TV streaming device or smart TV, you’ll be able to control your streamer and soundbar with one remote. It’s not the fanciest soundbar by any means, but if you’re looking for a budget-friendly TV speaker upgrade, the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar should definitely be considered. 

Sony has been a leading force in the world of consumer audio for decades, so it’s a fair bet that any Sony soundbar is a good soundbar. But if you’re looking to keep the spending below $200, you’ll want to go for the Sony HTS100F 2.0ch Soundbar. Delivering up to 120 watts at max power, Sony’s S-Force Pro Front Surround Sound technology lets the S100F punch well above its weight class, at least in terms of surround sound virtualization. In a small to medium-sized room, you’d swear you had rear speakers and a subwoofer set up.

Speaking of which, Sony opted to include a Bass Reflex speaker on this model. It doesn’t exactly bring the same low-end performance as a separate sub, but it definitely helps the S100F hone in on those bass frequencies. You’ll also have your choice of Standard, Music, Cinema, and Auto Sound for audio presets, as well as a Voice Mode for improved dialogue and vocals.

Connectivity-wise, the S100F includes HDMI ARC and digital optical for your main A to B hookups to a TV. The bar also has a USB port for playing media off an external flash drive, as well as a Bluetooth input for streaming audio wirelessly from a phone or tablet.

No, your eyes do not deceive you: The Samsung HW-B550F 2.1ch Soundbar does indeed come with a wireless subwoofer. Right off the bat, this puts it above all our other entries in terms of low-end performance. It also allows the soundbar itself to focus more on highs and mids, delivering a more balanced audio experience overall. And like some of the other bars on our list, the B550F supports Dolby Audio and DTS Virtual:X, so you’ll be able to emulate a surround sound in a small to medium-sized room.

The B550F includes Samsung’s Adaptive Sound feature, too, which optimizes audio in real-time based on the content you’re watching or listening to. At 33.81 inches wide, this is also the longest soundbar of our roundup, which translates to bigger left-right-center imaging for the B550F.

Connections include HDMI ARC, digital optical, USB, and Bluetooth, and the bar comes with everything you need to wall-mount if you plan on doing so. It’s the most expensive pick of the bunch, folks, but it’s hard to deny how good this Samsung system sounds, and just how easy it is to use.