The bar is small but perfectly formed and a big step up from your TV’s audio output when it comes to detail, mid-range positivity and crisp articulation of higher frequencies. The accompanying subwoofer, which can be positioned vertically or horizontally, delivers a hearty low-end punch while remaining controlled and rhythmically astute. Dialogue is particularly well-handled, with voices proving characterful and nuanced even during the most hectic on-screen action. Connectivity is decent too, with Bluetooth support in addition to a pleasing number of physical options, including HDMI (ARC). So, if you don’t mind a bit of audio DIY, the Sharp HT-SBW460 is an attractive choice, but if you’d rather not tinker, you’re better off losing the extra audio channel and buying the Creative Stage 360 instead. The Razer Leviathan V2 is the best way to level up your gaming audio on a budget and provides a tasteful splash of colour to your gaming setup, too. Support for THX Spatial Audio when connected via USB-C helps enhances your immersion when playing compatible games, while RGB lighting on the underside of the bar is pleasingly understated and highly customisable. In fact, just about every aspect of the V2 can be tweaked using either the Razer Synapse desktop software or the Razer Audio and Chroma RGB mobile apps. Now, using your soundbar’s remote (or on the soundbar itself), find the ‘Source’ or ‘Input’ button. Look at the display on your soundbar to adjust the input to ‘OPTICAL’ or an abbreviated version – i.e. ‘OPT’. Adjust and Optimize Your Sound

If you need help setting up your soundbar to work properly with your TV, read our guide on how to set up a soundbar with your TV My soundbar or subwoofer is quiet or sounds unnatural The number of channels present in a soundbar is represented by two digits separated by a full stop. The first digit reflects the number of primary channels, while the second indicates the presence of a subwoofer to handle low-end frequencies. So, a 2.0 soundbar possesses two audio channels – left and right – while 2.1 bars add a third via a subwoofer.

The best budget soundbars to buy in 2023

Hitachi is known for its low-priced smart TVs, which often come with Roku TV built-in. Connecting your soundbar to a Hitachi Roku TV is the same as if you use your Roku remote (no matter your TV brand) to control all of your TV and media. When it comes to LG TVs, there are a few different ways of connecting to soundbars, and LG TVs come with the LG Magic Remote. You can connect your soundbar to your LG TV through Sound Sync via Bluetooth, a digital optical connection, or an HDMI ARC connection. Try to keep the cable clear of other connectors (especially power) in the tangle of wires behind your TV. Simply moving the 3.5mm cable can sometimes solve this issue. When utilizing HDMI ARC to connect to your Hitachi Roku TV remote, you’ll want to head to TV settings > Audio > Audio Preferences. Then, set the ‘Audio Mode’ to ‘Auto (DTS)’ to connect to your soundbar automatically. Also, select ‘Auto-detect’ in the S/PDIF and ARC settings.

The Stage V2 is also one of the best-connected cheap soundbars around, offering optical, HDMI ARC, AUX and USB-C connections along with wireless streaming over Bluetooth 5.0. If you’re after a cheap soundbar with a discrete subwoofer, this is the bar to buy.

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With a digital optical connection to the soundbar from your Samsung TV, hold the left direction on the Samsung TV remote’s direction pad to activate or deactivate Auto Power Link, which only works with an optical connection. Be sure to also change the TV’s audio output settings, so the soundbar will be controlled by your TV remote. Although it’s a 2.0 bar, Roku says it performs like one with a central channel thanks to “multi-channel decoding capabilities”. We were certainly impressed by how it sounds. For its size, the Streambar gets very loud and is able to deliver a wide soundstage that’s full-bodied and rich in detail. And if the default sound profile isn’t to your liking, the Roku OS offers a few different presets to play around with. The least powerful bar on this list, the Roku Streambar, is able to fill a reasonably sized room with sound. What’s the best way to connect a soundbar? Most manufacturers state the peak and average (Root Mean Squared or RMS) output of their soundbars in watts (W). Larger soundbars with more speaker drivers are capable of outputting bigger sound than their compact competitors but don’t worry too much about finding a bar with massive audio output.