The 5 Must-Have Sound Bars for Immersive Movie Nights At Home

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When you're looking to improve the sound quality within your home, getting yourself a good sound bar should be step one. Because of the immersive quality they can bring to a room, sound bars can truly make all the difference in the audio from your new favorite TV show or whatever action-packed movie was just listed on Hulu. 

Sound bars can work all on their own (just them and the TV), but they can also work in sync with other speakers and a subwoofer, if you're looking to get fancy schmancy. Either way, you're going to need a great sound bar and we've rounded up our top picks no matter if you have limited space, budget, or want something you can easily set up.   

See below for some of the best options that'll get that sound booming.

Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

Best Entry-Level

$495 $529

The second generation Sonos Beam is a great sound bar that allows you to enjoy Dolby Atmos (a surround sound system that allows sound to become a three-dimensional object) in a compact space. The sound bar provides impressive audio immersion and lets users experience wall-to-wall sound quality in full detail. Users can also stream music, audio, podcasts, and audiobooks via Wi-Fi without even needing to turn on the TV.

This sound bar can be controlled through four different mediums — the Sonos app, the TV remote, Apple AirPlay 2, or the user's voice. One downside to this sound bar is that it does not support Bluetooth, so you won't be able to use it as a Bluetooth speaker.

Samsung HW-Q990C Sound Bar

Best Overall Sound Bar

$1,398 $1,898

Next up, the Samsung HW-Q990C. This is the best overall sound bar you can get for a rich, 360-degree sound experience through wireless Dolby audio. This sound bar is also built with Q-Symphony, allowing your Samsung TV speakers to operate as one with the sound bars when paired. It analyzes your home's environment and optimizes audio to ensure a room-filling sound that suits your unique space.

The built-in Alexa voice assistant lets you easily control your sound bar with your voice. When you activate the Game Mode, you get to enjoy 3D-optimized surround sound that lets you enjoy an immersive gaming experience.

Sennheiser Ambeo Sound Bar Max

Best High-End Sound Bar

$1,588 $2,500

The Sennheiser Ambeo Sound Bar Max is a quality option if you have the cash to spare. While it has a premium price compared to many other sound bars, this sound bar holds a fully immersive sound quality experience with tons of other features. Thanks to its Bluetooth connectivity, you can listen to audio from your TV or other Bluetooth-enabled devices. Its bass boost is ideal for high resolution audio, and supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and MPEG-H.

Built in Wi-Fi also means you can listen to audio via wireless streaming from compatible devices in your home.

Bose Smart Ultra Sound Bar

Best Sound Bar with Voice Control

$899

If audio quality and the ability to control your sound bar with your voice are your primary concerns when choosing a sound bar, then go for the Bose Smart Ultra Sound Bar. You can control this sound bar with your voice, your smartphone, or the remote that comes with it. You can also use it to access information with Alexa as your voice assistant. It has other features, such as the Dolby Atmos and Bose TrueSpace technology, which helps you enjoy the separate sounds and places them in separate parts of your room when you use it in tandem with other speakers. These let you have an immersive spatial audio experience.

Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos Sound Bar

Best Sound Bar for Gamers

$998 $1,400

The Sony HT-A7000 is the perfect sound bar for gamers that don't want to limit themselves to headphones. The 360 spatial Sound adapts to your environment, and you can combine the sound bar with rear speakers. The Sound Field Optimization also makes it easy to set up as it calibrates your environment. HDMI 2.1 Passthrough lets you enjoy the vivid visuals from your fast-paced gameplay all the more as you get your audio in real time. You can connect to it via Bluetooth, thanks to Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, and enjoy your favorite music from your mobile devices. It also supports Wi-Fi streaming and has Chromecast built in. You can also use Spotify Connect and Apple Airplay 2 with it.

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