While flagship sets with discrete speaker systems will sound even better, for a step-down model the A80L sounds very impressive. This should be a strong consideration for anyone with this sort of budget who is determined not to combine their new TV with a dedicated sound system.

In action, the 48-inch C3 delivers precisely the sort of bold and brassy picture presentation we’ve come to expect from this year’s C-series models. Brilliantly bright and punchy one second, subtle and considered the next, the C3 delivers precisely what's required at all times.The Samsung S95C is not just beautiful in picture but also in design. A sleek, stylish frame and ultra-slim trim means the S95C looks fantastic, especially when hung on the wall thanks to its razor thin depth. It also comes with a separate box called the One Connect for connections so there's one cable running to the TV. You like the look of Ambilight: It makes the picture feel even bigger and more immersive. No other TV brand has this tech built in. We first reviewed the 65-inch version of its Omni QLED range and discovered a TV with a surprisingly sophisticated performance to go with its surprisingly comprehensive feature set. It just missed out on five stars, but knowing how much variation there can be between different-sized versions of the ‘same’ TV, we decided to take a separate look at this 50-inch model – and we're glad we did. So which is better? Opinion is divided. DTS:X is encoded in a higher bitrate so should technically be better quality audio. But Atmos claims to be more advanced, and capable of producing a higher quality sound at a lower bitrate. As is often the case, it comes down to personal taste.

Shows, movies and games we played on the TV all sounded crisp and clear with easy-to-understand dialogue and solid simulated 3D sound. While the simulated 3D audio is never quite as good as a full Dolby Atmos setup—it’s not even close, really—it is a nice feature to have while you’re waiting to install a more fully featured AV solution. You own a dedicated Dolby Atmos sound system: You’ll be wasting your money if you already have a full-blown Dolby Atmos home cinema system. But behind the screen is Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio+ tech, which uses three actuators behind the panel to create sound by vibrating the screen itself, creating a big open sound. There are two more actuators at the side to add width, while two woofer drivers add bass. If you're looking for the best TV for sound, first consider whether you need one. There are many more options available if you're willing to get a great-looking TV with mediocre sound and pair it with a soundbar or sound system instead. This offers the best image quality you can get for such an affordable price. It's Samsung's highest-end non-QLED TV from its 2022 range – simple, but high quality.You’re want QD-OLED for relatively cheap: The Samsung S90C gives you a brighter OLED screen than the LG C3, and fantastic picture quality, for the same price as C3. There is a slightly cloudy look that can sometimes appear with shots and scenes that contain a bold mixture of very bright and very dark content, as the local light controls wrestle with achieving the best balance of local contrast and HDR brightness, but this is fairly rare and subtle enough to not be a major distraction.

We're also looking for what kind of features you're getting in a set, such as connectivity options and gaming tech, including HDMI 2.1 support for new-gen consoles. We measure gaming input lag ourselves, so we have a fair and comparative measurement of this between TVs. While TVs aren't known for their sound quality, the Panasonic LZ2000's 360° Soundscape Pro audio performance is on par with an upper mid-range Dolby Atmos soundbar. As we said in our review: "The soundstage is wide and high, and front articulation from the Technics-tuned LCR soundbar array is outstanding." Currently, three HDMI connections is standard on budget and mid-range TVs, while four is the norm for premium models.TVs come in various sizes, but we recommend selecting the largest size for a truly immersive viewing experience. All TVs have a recommended distance and angle that you will want to consider when setting it up in your home.

The Samsung S95C is Samsung's flagship QD-OLED for 2023 and offers everything you'd look for in a TV; exceptional picture quality, extensive gaming features, beautiful design and great built-in sound. It's no surprise that QD-OLED is becoming more popular with TVs like the S95C around. Of these two 'dynamic' HDR formats, Dolby Vision is by far the most prevalent, both in terms of TVs and content, and if you have to choose between one and the other, that's the one we'd recommend. That said, you can now buy TVs from the likes of Philips and Panasonic that support both Dolby Vision and HDR10+. This OLED TV houses a 2.2-channel system with 40W of power. Granted, that's not as powerful as a separate soundbar, nor as immersive as a true surround sound system. However, in our review of the LG C2 OLED we wrote: "the LG C2 OLED does a good job of providing a clear and fairly spacious listening experience." Especially for a slim TV. The 48-inch version of the LG C3 OLED is every bit as capable as its smaller sibling and has a nicer design. It's usually better value, too, costing only a little more.A unique feature of the LZ2000 is that it has beam-steering technology, which means that you can choose which direction sound is emitted from the front sound system. By using an onscreen graphic, you can steer the noise output to your preferred direction, allowing for a tailored listening experience – some people can hear things louder than others, for example. We gave its audio performance five out of five.