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- Best budget soundbar deals in the Amazon Spring Sale
- How we test the best budget soundbars
- The best budget soundbars you can buy in 2026
- 1. Hisense AX5125H: Best budget soundbar for true surround sound
- 2. Denon DHT-S216: Best budget soundbar for virtual surround sound
- 3. Sonos Ray: Best compact budget soundbar
- 4. Sharp HTB-SB110: Best standalone budget soundbar
- 5. Creative Stage 360: Best budget 2.1 soundbar with Dolby Atmos
- 6. Creative Sound Blaster Katana SE: Best budget single-unit soundbar for gaming
- 7. Groov-e Soundbar 75: Best budget soundbar under £50
- 8. Razer Leviathan V2: Best budget soundbar and subwoofer for gaming
- How to choose the best budget soundbar for you
If you’re searching for a cost-effective way of improving your television’s audio, our advice is simple: buy the best budget soundbar you can afford.
A soundbar will elevate the quality of your telly’s sound significantly, and you can pick up a very capable one for a fraction of the cost of your fancy 4K TV.
We’ve tested and reviewed options from all the big-name brands and compiled a list of our favourites, which you can read below. They may lack some of the bells and whistles offered by pricier models, but all the options on this list deliver solid sound quality at an affordable price.
If you want to learn more about how to choose the perfect soundbar, our buying guide at the bottom of the page has you covered. Otherwise, read on for our pick of the best budget soundbars available.
Best budget soundbar deals in the Amazon Spring Sale
Amazon’s first sales event of the year runs from Tuesday, 10 March, to Monday, 16 March, and there are some enticing offers available on budget soundbars.
Save on a soundbar and subwoofer from Creative this Spring Sale
The original Creative Stage soundbar and subwoofer featured on this list for a long time, before being replaced by more advanced Creative options, but this 2.1 system remains a great budget choice. The saving here isn't massive, but for £70, you can't go wrong.
£70 180-day average price: £81
Amazon
Amazon's Fire TV Soundbar Plus hits its lowest price since Black Friday
With a 3.1-channel driver arrangement and support for Dolby Atmos, the Fire TV Soundbar Plus is better-equipped than many standalone options when it comes to delivering affordable virtual surround sound. Its price has been slashed in Amazon's Spring Sale, though it was even cheaper (£150) during Black Friday 2025.
£170 180-day average price: £227
Amazon
How we test the best budget soundbars
When testing a soundbar, we first focus on the process of setting it up. We unbox it, place it in front of a TV (or monitor), and connect it using the included cabling – or our own cables if none are provided in the box – to see how easy it is to get started.
We then work through all of the bar’s connectivity options – HDMI, stereo, optical, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and so forth – and assess the sound quality with each, across whatever channel configurations are possible, from a range of audio sources.
We also dive into a soundbar’s settings and controls, including EQ presets where available, to thoroughly explore the complete feature set and ease of use. We check out the usability of the remote control too, and any other accessories supplied. Our most important assessment, though, is audio quality – when you’re looking for a budget soundbar, sound per pound is king.
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The best budget soundbars you can buy in 2026
1. Hisense AX5125H: Best budget soundbar for true surround sound
Price when reviewed: £249 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… immersion, clear dialogue
- Not so great for… sound calibration options, Wi-Fi connectivity
Don’t let the picture above fool you; the Hisense AX5125H is not a standalone soundbar but a package comprising a bar, subwoofer and two rear speakers. That’s a lot of drivers, and together they deliver the most immersive home audio experience available for under £300.
The 5.1.2-channel system excelled at reproducing the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-based audio formats during testing. The front soundstage demonstrated commendable width and height, and the rear satellites did an impressive job enveloping our reviewer in sound. A dedicated centre channel helped the AX512H communicate dialogue clearly and confidently, while mid-range and treble reproduction were handled nicely, too.
The subwoofer lacked a little depth for our tastes and occasionally stood on the toes of the mid-range during beefier low-end soundtracks, but you won’t find a more complete and capable surround-sound soundbar setup for the money.
Read our full Hisense AX5125H review
Key specs – Channels: 5.1.2; Total power output: 500W; Dimensions (WDH): Soundbar – 920 x 90 x 60mm, subwoofer – 214 x 294 x 304mm, rear satellites – 91 x 109 x 144mm each; Weight: 9.5kg (total); Connectivity: Bluetooth, 1 x HDMI input, 1 x HDMI eARC output, optical, 3.5mm
2. Denon DHT-S216: Best budget soundbar for virtual surround sound
Price when reviewed: £175 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… virtual surround sound, easy setup
- Not so great for… wireless connectivity, EQ modes
The Denon DHT-S216’s big selling point is its support for DTS Virtual:X, an audio format that simulates surround sound without additional speakers. It’s available in two of the soundbar’s four sound modes – Movies and Music – and we found it worked extremely well, adding height and scale to audio to increase your immersion in the onscreen action.
The other two sound modes are less fancy, but useful nonetheless: the processing-free Pure setting delivers audio as intended by its creator, while Night mode decreases the dynamic range for more comfortable listening at low volumes. There are also three dialogue enhancement options available, all of which successfully accentuate speech.
Read our full Denon DHT-S216 review
Key specs – Channels: 2.1; Total power output: 120W; Dimensions (WDH): 890 x 120 x 66mm; Weight: 3.4kg; Connectivity: Bluetooth, 1 x HDMI, 1 x HDMI ARC, optical, 3.5mm, subwoofer out
3. Sonos Ray: Best compact budget soundbar
Price when reviewed: £199 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… sound and build quality
- Not so great for… voice and remote controls
Sonos is a leading manufacturer of soundbars, and the Ray is its most affordable option yet. It’s also the smallest, weighing under 2kg and measuring just 60cm across. That diminutive stature means the Ray will fit neatly into just about any TV setup, yet the sound it delivers is guaranteed to be a marked step up from your telly’s in-built audio.
Audio quality is nothing short of phenomenal: in our tests, we were delighted by the Ray’s fleshed-out mids and crisp, clean treble. The soundstage is broader than you would expect, too, thanks to the incorporation of two waveguides in front of the forward-firing tweeters.
Connection options are limited – you can connect via an optical cable or Wi-Fi, but there’s no HDMI port or Bluetooth connectivity – and the lack of a remote means you’ll be using the Sonos app or your TV’s infrared remote to control the bar. But if you have limited space and want high-quality sound for a brilliant price, this is the bar for you.
Read our full Sonos Ray review
Key specs – Channels: 2.0; Total power output: Not disclosed; Dimensions (WDH): 559 x 95 x 71mm; Weight: 2kg; Connectivity: 1 x optical, Wi-Fi
4. Sharp HTB-SB110: Best standalone budget soundbar
Price when reviewed: £60 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… powerful performance when watching films
- Not so great for… musical reproduction
If you’re on a tight budget and don’t have space for a subwoofer, this is the soundbar for you. Its sound quality isn’t up there with the most expensive options – for the price, that’s hardly surprising. But it does offer a decent range of connection options, with Bluetooth, HDMI and optical all supported, and three sound modes designed for different content types.
In our tests, we found Movie mode was best for pretty much everything, as it delivers the best-balanced audio and widest soundstage, with cleanly articulated mid-range frequencies. By comparison, the News mode sounded stuffy and did little to enhance dialogue, while the bass reproduction of the Music mode was a little woolly.
With a maximum output of 90W, the HTB-SB110 goes pretty loud for a soundbar of its price and size – it had no problem filling the room when we cranked the volume up. That power, combined with a slim, lightweight design and affordable price tag, makes it one of the top cheap bars on the market today.
Key specs – Channels: 2.0; Total power output: 90W; Dimensions (WDH): 800 x 62 x 62mm; Weight: 1.35kg; Connectivity: Bluetooth, 1 x HDMI ARC, 1 x optical
5. Creative Stage 360: Best budget 2.1 soundbar with Dolby Atmos
Price when reviewed: £140 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… Dolby Atmos support, HDMI connectivity
- Not so great for… analogue input options
The Creative Stage 360 looks and feels similar to the cheaper Stage V2, but it brings one key upgrade – Dolby Atmos. Although it’s physically only a 2.1-channel system, we found the soundbar and subwoofer worked together effectively to create an engaging spatial audio experience; height effects are a little vague, but there’s great width and immersion to the overall Stage 360 sound.
The bar itself is also more compact than the V2, and offers twin HDMI inputs in place of the V2’s AUX-in and USB port, which will probably prove more useful for most people. There’s a range of sound modes tailored for different types of content, plus an option to optimise the soundstage according to whether you’re sitting near the bar (such as when it’s connected to your PC) or further away in a living room setup.
Atmos content is steadily becoming more widespread, making this bar a great budget choice if you want to enjoy the latest and greatest surround-sound audio format.
Read our full Creative Stage 360 review
Key specs – Channels: 2.1; Total power output: 120W; Dimensions (WDH): Soundbar – 566 x 88 x 75mm, subwoofer – 115 x 250 x 422mm; Weight: Soundbar – 1.7kg, subwoofer – 3.4kg; Connectivity: Bluetooth, 1 x HDMI ARC, 2 x HDMI input, 1 x optical
6. Creative Sound Blaster Katana SE: Best budget single-unit soundbar for gaming
Price when reviewed: £260 | Check price at Creative
- Great for… connectivity options, customisable RGB lighting
- Not so great for… bass lovers, Bluetooth streaming
Compact, colourful and capable of crisp, well-balanced audio, the Katana SE is our favourite compact gaming soundbar. It’s small enough to slip under most monitors, and since there’s no separate subwoofer, you don’t have to tuck a chunky unit away under your desk. It’s also very well connected, with optical, HDMI and USB Type-C inputs allowing you to hook it up to a TV, PC, laptop or console with minimal fuss.
Sound quality is impressive. We found the virtual surround sound worked pretty well, considering the limitations of a 2.0-channel setup, and there are plenty of ways to customise your audio experience. That customisation extends to the Katana SE’s RGB LED lighting too – this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it may well seal the deal for die-hard gamers.
Read our Creative Sound Blaster Katana SE review
Key specs – Channels: 2.0; Total power output: 90W RMS, 180W peak; Dimensions (WDH): 650 x 109 x 78mm; Weight: Soundbar – 2.67kg; Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, 1 x HDMI ARC, 1 x optical, 1 x 3.5mm, 1 x USB Type-C input, SXFI-out
7. Groov-e Soundbar 75: Best budget soundbar under £50
Price when reviewed: £45 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… affordability, EQ options
- Not so great for… HDMI connectivity, raw power
While you can’t expect miracles for under £50, the Groov-e Soundbar 75 delivers a marked upgrade on the sound quality of a typical TV.
Its maximum power output of 75W is more than loud enough to fill reasonably sized rooms, and the three EQ modes – Music, Movie and Voice – let you tune the sound to your preference. In our tests, we felt Movie was the best balanced for most content, but if you don’t find it to your taste, you can tweak bass and treble as you see fit using the included remote.
Unlike most of the options on this list, the Groov-e Soundbar 75 doesn’t have an HDMI port, so you’ll have to hook it up to your TV using the supplied optical cable. Bluetooth is supported too, allowing you to stream audio to the bar from your phone, while RCA, USB Type-A and 3.5mm ports provide further connectivity options.
There’s no denying that bigger, pricier bars can deliver a cleaner, more powerful sound, but if you’re looking for a low-cost audio boost, the Groov-e 75 is a bargain.
Key specs – Channels: 2.0; Total power output: 75W; Dimensions (WDH): 500 x 65 x 103mm; Weight: 1.68kg; Connectivity: Bluetooth, 1 x optical, 1 x RCA, 1 x Aux (3.5mm), 1 x USB Type-A
8. Razer Leviathan V2: Best budget soundbar and subwoofer for gaming
Price when reviewed: £190 | Check price at Currys
- Great for… gamers wanting highly customisable sound
- Not so great for… those focused on TV and movies
The Razer Leviathan V2 is the best way to level up your gaming audio on a budget. It supports THX Spatial Audio when connected via USB, to enhance your immersion when playing compatible games, while the tasteful RGB lighting on the underside of the bar is highly customisable. 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.
It’s important to note that the USB Type-C port is the only physical method of connection, which means this bar won’t integrate neatly into home entertainment systems. There is Bluetooth connectivity, however, and both the soundbar and accompanying subwoofer are compact enough to fit comfortably in your games room or office. If you’re willing to sacrifice some audio oomph, the V2 X model is even smaller and ditches the sub to hit a price point of just £100 – but we recommend getting the V2 if you can, as the subwoofer brings out the best in the system.
Read our full Razer Leviathan V2 review
Key specs – Channels: 2.1 stereo; Total power output: 65W; Dimensions (WDH): Soundbar – 500 x 91 x 84mm, subwoofer – 220 x 220 x 242mm; Weight: Soundbar – 1.4kg, subwoofer – 3kg; Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2, USB Type-C
How to choose the best budget soundbar for you
There are several things to consider when shopping for the best budget soundbar. The first is sound quality: if a bar doesn’t significantly improve on your TV’s built-in speakers, there’s no point in spending your hard-earned cash on it.
Audio quality is, however, affected by several factors, including the size and type of speaker drivers used, the audio formats supported and the number of audio channels a soundbar incorporates.
How many channels should a budget soundbar have?
The number of channels supported by a soundbar is shown by a two-digit specification, such as 2.0 or 2.1. The first digit indicates the number of primary channels, while the second reflects whether it has a dedicated subwoofer to handle low-end frequencies. So, a 2.0 soundbar has two audio channels – left and right – while a 2.1 bar adds an external subwoofer.
There are also soundbars with three or five primary audio channels, but you won’t normally find these in the budget category. A 3.0 or 3.1 soundbar features a central dialogue channel in addition to left and right speakers, while 5.0 and 5.1 devices add two channels to create a surround-sound effect and really ramp up the immersion.
Those additional channels are commonly implemented as rear speakers, which connect to the main soundbar wirelessly or with cables. You do sometimes find “all-in-one” 5.0 and 5.1 soundbars where everything is housed within a single bar, but you can expect to pay a premium for one of those.
READ NEXT: Best soundbar deals
How important is power output for a budget soundbar?
Most manufacturers advertise both peak and average (RMS) output figures in watts for their soundbars. Larger soundbars with more speaker drivers are capable of outputting a bigger sound than their compact competitors, but don’t worry too much about finding a bar with massive audio output. Even the least powerful bar on this list (the Roku Streambar) can fill a reasonably sized room with sound.
What’s the best way to connect a soundbar?
Soundbars offer a range of connectivity options and, generally speaking, the more ports the better.
The easiest way to hook up a soundbar to your TV is by using an HDMI cable. Ideally, both your TV and soundbar will have HDMI ARC (audio return channel) ports; if they do, you can connect a single HDMI cable between the two to enable your bar to play audio from your TV and any devices connected to it. Some soundbars feature additional HDMI inputs, which can be used for connecting external devices such as games consoles or a Sky TV box if all of the ports on your TV are already in use.
Many budget soundbars also give you the choice of connecting via an optical digital cable (also referred to as Toslink or S/PDIF) – a simple way of receiving audio from a TV that doesn’t support ARC. Analogue 3.5mm inputs are less common than they once were, but you’ll still find plenty of soundbars incorporating these.
We’re increasingly seeing soundbars with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity too. Bluetooth is great for playing music and podcasts directly from your phone, laptop or tablet if you’re in the mood for a casual listening session. If you try to use it for TV audio, however, you’re likely to hit synchronisation issues, as the audio will be slightly behind the picture.
Wi-Fi-enabled bars such as the Polk React allow for the use of voice assistants – in the React’s case, Amazon Alexa – and can be incorporated into multiroom wireless speaker systems.
Other things to consider before buying a budget soundbar
Think about what size soundbar suits your television setup best. You’ll want to make sure it fits in your AV cabinet and slots neatly in front of or under your TV without obstructing your view or getting in the way of the TV’s infrared sensor.
If you plan on wall-mounting your soundbar, ensure that your chosen device is designed to support mounting and comes with the necessary accessories to facilitate this – many do, but not all.
EQ options and different audio modes are also worth keeping an eye out for. Many soundbars let you freely tweak the bass and treble, while others offer audio presets for watching specific types of content, such as music, films or sports. If you watch a lot of TV in the evening and don’t want to disturb the neighbours, a Night mode designed for low-volume viewing is particularly handy.
More upmarket soundbars support advanced audio formats such as Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. These multidimensional codecs add surround-sound and height effects to an audio soundtrack, but how well the effect works in practice depends on the design of the soundbar; for the very best experience, you’ll typically require additional speakers.
You may also come across DTS Virtual:X, which simulates a surround-sound experience without additional speakers, making it a great inclusion in budget soundbars.
