A soundbar as small as this has no right to sound as big as it does. Measuring just 34cm wide, it features three drivers. The left and right channels get a small 19mm speaker, while the centre, mid-range driver is 51mm, and there’s a separate 37cm tall subwoofer. There are no upfiring speakers here, but clever Dolby Atmos software processing means the speakers do a great job of spreading audio to all corners of the room with “virtual” Atmos, without losing focus. If you have other speakers that use the same voice assistant or are from the same brand, you can connect them together through your wifi to play audio at the same time. There’s wifi and Bluetooth streaming and Alexa voice control built-in, as well as Apple AirPlay 2, so it is easy to integrate into your existing setup. It also features “SpaceFit” sound, which like TruePlay with Sonos, uses microphones to tune the soundbar to the shape of the room. And if you are connecting to a new Samsung TV, you can take advantage of “Q Symphony”, which synchronises the TV's speakers and the soundbar to create a bigger, more immersive soundstage.

One of the more important features if you care about surround sound, Dolby Atmos is a cinematic audio format that ensures sound bounces around the room to give you a truly cinema-like, immersive experience. But that’s not all. When you want to really immerse yourself in the on-screen action, you can detach two battery-powered wireless surround sound speakers and position them behind you for a realistic 3D listening experience. It’s the ideal compromise for anyone who wants a proper surround sound system but can’t stand the idea of all that clutter. At 115cm wide and 8.5cm tall, it is big. But, it is also sleek and looks superb under our TV, and all that width makes room for 11 speakers, two directed upwards, to create an immersive experience, especially if you’re playing films with Dolby Atmos, which puts you right in the heart of the action. If you thought Disney’s Coco was a tearjerker before, try watching it with the Sonos Arc, and be prepared to sing and sob in equal measure.

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Sound effects in films – bullets, rain, a speeding car, for instance – feel fantastically real, and put most other soundbars to shame. The size and power mean it feels more like a dedicated surround sound system, all squished into one box, and even films you’ve seen countless times - in our case, the Bond movie No Time To Die - are given a new cinematic lease of life. Before you hit the buy button, it’s worth understanding a little bit of the jargon used and the features available on the latest soundbars. We’ve outlined the most important factors below to help you make the right decision. Connectivity This is measured in wattage. The bigger the wattage number, the more powerful the sound (anything above 250W will be loud enough to wake the neighbours). However, not all brands provide sound output information, as it can easily be confused with sound quality. Dolby Atmos

The subwoofer will take some hiding at home, but it’s a payoff you’ll probably accept given how small the soundbar is. In fact, it looks more like a speaker than a traditional soundbar, and with Bluetooth and wifi streaming, Apple Airplay 2 and Spotify Connect built-in, it happily doubles up as a music system. Sennheiser makes some very impressive soundbars, but not everyone has the space for its larger Ambeo Max paired to its subwoofer. That’s why we adore the Ambeo Mini: it’s a fraction of the size when compared to the brand’s full-size models but still gives you punchy sound quality, with a premium build, responsive touch controls and solid, booming bass. This is a soundbar that’s perfect for a main bedroom or a smaller living room. Soundbars with this capability will often have upwards-facing (upfiring) speakers to help noise to rebound off the ceiling, as well as ingenious software that splits sounds between different speakers making it feel incredibly real – very clever considering it’s all coming from one box.This means you can buy multiple speakers for a surround-sound setup or use the soundbar as a regular speaker and have music playing out into multiple rooms. Sonos speakers are particularly good at this, and if you already have one of their speakers for music, you won’t be disappointed if you add one of their soundbars too.