Best Soundbars Under $300 (2026)

What are the best soundbars under $300 in 2026?

Background, first written February 2026. The current picks, with dated prices, are in the table above.

Summary

This revision re-checked every product on the card against the outlets that test soundbars, and the picks changed. The Sonos Ray becomes the top pick: CNET, Consumer Reports, What Hi-Fi? and TechRadar each recommend it in their best-soundbar and budget guides, and RTINGS names it as the alternative to its best small soundbar [src4, src6, src2, src7, src1]. The Sony HT-S100F becomes the budget pick: Tom's Guide, What Hi-Fi?, RTINGS and TechRadar each name it among the best cheap bars [src3, src5, src10, src14]. The Hisense AX3120Q, the former best value, stays as the Dolby Atmos pick [src6, src11], the Bose TV Speaker stays as the compact bar with HDMI [src1, src17], and the Majority Naga 60 is added as the cheapest bar that two outlets recommend [src3, src7].

The former top pick moves to the alternatives. RTINGS' best soundbar under $300 is still the Samsung HW-B750D, and its budget guide names the near-identical HW-B750F [src1, src9]. We found no other outlet that tested either model, and this card ranks a pick only on two independent reviews. Both stay on the card for buyers who want a separate subwoofer and side-firing surround without Dolby Atmos.

Removed. The Vizio V21-H8R, the former budget pick: Tom's Guide still lists the V21-H8 as its best value cheap soundbar [src3] and TechGearLab gives it its "Best Cinematic Experience On a Tight Budget" award [src17], but none of the guides we read from RTINGS, What Hi-Fi?, TechRadar, CNET or Consumer Reports recommends it, while four of the outlets we read recommend the Sony HT-S100F for the budget role; the Vizio's Amazon listing also had no purchasable offer in three consecutive checker runs as of 2026-10-12. The Yamaha SR-C30A, which none of the guides we read recommends. The Hisense AX5125H: What Hi-Fi? still names it the best budget soundbar system, but tested it at £249 / $350, over this card's cap [src2, src5]; the Amazon listing we linked also had no purchasable offer in our 2026-10-12 price check. And six bars over this card's $300 cap, in our 2026-10-12 price check or at the prices the outlets recommending them give: the Sonos Beam Gen 2, What Hi-Fi?'s best budget soundbar and RTINGS' best budget standalone bar, which a marketplace seller listed at $468.23, out of stock, in our 2026-10-12 check [src2, src9]; the Sony HT-S2000, TechRadar's best cheap soundbar and What Hi-Fi?'s best step-up soundbar, which TechRadar lists at around $349 in a cheap-soundbar guide that runs up to $400, though it says the bar can be found for under $300, and which What Hi-Fi?'s budget guide puts among alternatives "a bit pricier than some models in the main list" [src7, src5, src2] (the Amazon listing we linked also had no purchasable offer in our 2026-10-12 price check); the Polk Signa S4, Tom's Guide's pick under $500, at $449.00 in that check [src8]; and the JBL Bar 300MK2, Polk MagniFi Mini AX and Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6, all prices from the same 2026-10-12 check. For bars over $300, see our soundbars-under-$1000 card.

The testers split on what a cheap soundbar is for. RTINGS ranks a 5.1 bar with a subwoofer, the Samsung HW-B750D, first [src1]; CNET, What Hi-Fi? and TechRadar each recommend the compact Sonos Ray, which has no subwoofer, for its value, its dialogue and its music respectively [src4, src2, src7]. We rank the Sonos Ray first because four outlets recommend it, against one for the Samsung. If film bass matters more to you than speech, CNET itself points to bars with a separate subwoofer [src4]; on this card that means the Hisense AX3120Q or one of the Samsungs [src11, src9].

Top 7 Models Compared

Price is the last price our checker recorded for the Amazon listing we link, on 2026-10-12; the picks table above has today's price, seller and stock.

Best for Each Use Case

Top Pick: Sonos Ray — Check price

CNET names the Ray its best value soundbar and rates it 8.3 out of 10: "the closest thing yet to a Sonos One speaker in soundbar form", with vocals that "sound super crisp" from two midwoofers and two tweeters in a bar 22 inches wide [src4]. What Hi-Fi? makes it the best budget soundbar for dialogue, for "competently addressing the biggest concern most users have: dialogue intelligibility", and raised its verdict from three stars to four after a July 2022 update largely fixed a low-frequency buzz [src2]. TechRadar calls it the best cheap soundbar to double as a music speaker, and its review says that "for those who just want clearer speech and more thrilling soundtracks for little money, it's ideal" [src7, src12]. Consumer Reports includes it among its best budget soundbars of 2026 [src6]. It streams over Wi-Fi with AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect and joins a Sonos multiroom system; Trueplay room tuning works only from an iPhone [src2, src4, src12]. The limits: it connects to the TV by optical only, with no HDMI; it has no Dolby Atmos; and with no subwoofer CNET says it "sounds positively anemic compared to speaker systems" [src4, src12, src2]. RTINGS found it gives less bass than the Bose TV Speaker but more ways to tune the sound, including room correction [src1]. TechRadar gives a $279 launch price; Amazon.com sold it at $219.00 in our 2026-10-12 price check [src12].

Best Budget: Sony HT-S100F — Check price

Tom's Guide's best cheap soundbar: its review calls it "a great basic soundbar" that "brings life and immersion to TV shows and movies way more than built-in TV speakers", and its guide finds its main strength is clearer dialogue, with bass "a little anemic" [src13, src3]. What Hi-Fi? tested it as the HT-SF150, its UK name, and makes it the best cheap soundbar, with "almost no other competition worth considering for under £100 / $100", though its dialogue "can be a smidge muffled at times" [src5]. RTINGS names it the best standalone soundbar under $200: superb latency over HDMI ARC, no DTS support, and treble short of detail, "so voices sound muffled" [src10]. TechRadar puts it first among four affordable picks: "the ideal affordable audio upgrade for anyone frustrated by unpleasant TV sound" [src14]. It is a one-box 2.0 bar with a built-in bass reflex speaker, Sony's S-Force Front Surround processing, HDMI ARC, USB and Bluetooth, and no subwoofer or Dolby Atmos [src13, src5, src14]. Tom's Guide gives a $159 list price [src8]. The Amazon listing we link had no purchasable offer in our 2026-10-12 price check; if it is still unavailable when you look, the Majority Naga 60 below is the other cheap bar that two outlets recommend.

Best for Dolby Atmos: Hisense AX3120Q — Check price

Consumer Reports lists it among its best budget soundbars of 2026, all of which cost under $300 [src6]. It is a 3.1.2-channel bar with two up-firing drivers and a separate subwoofer, rated at 440 watts with 240 of them for the subwoofer; it decodes Dolby Atmos and DTS:X and has an HDMI eARC connection, an HDMI input for passing through a console or disc player, optical, USB, a 3.5mm input and Bluetooth 5.3, but no Wi-Fi [src11, src6]. Trusted Reviews gave it 4 out of 5: "The Dolby Atmos and DTS:X presentations can be thrilling but things get a bit awkward when the subwoofer fails to keep up with the tempo", most of all with music [src11]. Trusted Reviews also found it "£100 too dear" at its £450 UK price [src11]; Amazon.com sold it at $279.99 in our 2026-10-12 price check. It is the only bar on this card with up-firing height drivers.

Best Compact Bar with HDMI: Bose TV Speaker — Check price

RTINGS' best small soundbar under $300: at less than 24 inches wide it fits on a TV stand or beside a computer monitor, and it "gets loud enough to fill your living room with sound", but as a 2.0 bar with no subwoofer "It lacks some low bass" [src1]. TechGearLab found "solid sonic performance in a small package", measured 91 decibels at full volume, and scored it 61 out of 100, seventh of the ten soundbars it ranks, with sound "eclipsed by several more expensive models" [src17]. It connects by HDMI or optical and has Bluetooth 4.2; it decodes Dolby Digital but no other surround format, so no Dolby Atmos or DTS:X [src17]. Unlike the Sonos Ray, it has an HDMI connection [src17]; RTINGS found the Ray has more tuning tools and the Bose more bass [src1]. Amazon.com sold it at $279.00 in our 2026-10-12 price check.

Best Super-Cheap Soundbar: Majority Naga 60 — Check price

Tom's Guide's best cheap soundbar under $100 and TechRadar's best super-cheap soundbar in the US [src3, src7]. Tom's Guide's reviewer calls it "incredible value, and one of the top bang-for-buck soundbars out there", though "not as impressive as some $99 soundbars", and found that it vibrates with loud bass, pinches with loud treble and is baffling to set up [src15]. TechRadar's reviewer, a different writer, found that it "sounds good and has plenty of volume" but distorts near maximum volume [src16]. It is a 24-inch 2.1 bar with a built-in subwoofer, HDMI ARC (not eARC, and no HDMI passthrough), optical, a 3.5mm input, USB and Bluetooth [src15, src16, src7]. TechRadar gives an official price of $65 and says it is often on sale for less than $50, and suggests it for a second or bedroom TV [src7]. It is new to this card, so our price check has not covered it yet; the picks table above will show its price once it does.

Alternative — RTINGS' 5.1 Pick with a Subwoofer: Samsung HW-B750F — Check price

RTINGS' best budget soundbar without satellites: a 5.1 bar with a dedicated subwoofer and side-firing drivers that bounce sound off your walls, with "a balanced sound with a touch of extra warmth and punch" out of the box [src9]. It does not support Dolby Atmos; with Atmos content it plays the simpler audio carried inside the format [src9]. RTINGS says the B750F and its predecessor, the HW-B750D, are "almost identical", and advises buying whichever of the two is cheaper [src1]. We found no other outlet that tested it, so it is not ranked. Amazon.com sold it at $297.99 in our 2026-10-12 price check.

Alternative — RTINGS' Top Pick Under $300: Samsung HW-B750D — Check price

"If you're looking to spend no more than $300, the best soundbar we've tested is the Samsung HW-B750D," RTINGS writes [src1]. RTINGS likes its balanced frequency response and the dedicated center channel that keeps speech clear, and it has a 7-band EQ and a Voice Enhance mode; it has no Dolby Atmos and no up-firing drivers, and for wireless playback only Bluetooth, with no Wi-Fi, Chromecast or AirPlay [src1]. RTINGS picked it over the HW-B750F because it is more often available under $300 [src1]. In our 2026-10-12 price check a marketplace seller offered it at $307.95 with low stock, while Amazon.com sold the B750F at $297.99; when we checked on 2026-10-13, the B750D's Amazon listing had an offer at $277.95. Buy whichever is cheaper when you look. We found no other outlet that tested it, so it is not ranked.

Key Market Trends (2026)

• Under $300, Dolby Atmos is the exception. RTINGS says most bars in this price range do not support Dolby Atmos [src1]. TechRadar's favourite cheap soundbar, the Sony HT-S2000, is a Dolby Atmos bar that TechRadar lists at around $349, though it says the bar can be found for under $300 [src7]; the Amazon listing we linked had no purchasable offer in our 2026-10-12 price check. What Hi-Fi?'s best budget soundbar, the Sonos Beam Gen 2, was listed at $468.23 by a marketplace seller, out of stock, in that check [src2]. Under $300, Consumer Reports' budget list includes the Hisense AX3120Q, a 3.1.2 bar with up-firing drivers, which Amazon.com sold at $279.99 in our 2026-10-12 price check [src6, src11].
• The testers disagree about what a cheap soundbar is for. RTINGS ranks a 5.1 bar with a subwoofer, the Samsung HW-B750D, first [src1]; CNET, What Hi-Fi? and TechRadar all recommend the compact Sonos Ray, which has none [src4, src2, src7], and What Hi-Fi?, TechRadar and Tom's Guide the one-box Sony HT-S100F [src5, src14, src3].
• Older budget bars are leaving the shelves. What Hi-Fi? removed the Sony HT-G700 from its budget guide in February 2026 for lack of availability [src2], and CNET removed the discontinued Vizio SV210 in July 2026 [src4]. Four Amazon listings this card has linked, for the Vizio V21-H8R, Sony HT-S100F, Sony HT-S2000 and Hisense AX5125H, had no purchasable offer in our 2026-10-12 check.
• UK and US names differ. The Sony HT-S100F is sold as the HT-SF150 in the UK, and What Hi-Fi? tested it under that name [src5, src14].
• The connection limits the formats. What Hi-Fi? explains that optical carries at most compressed Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1, HDMI ARC carries Dolby Atmos in lossy Dolby Digital Plus, and HDMI eARC carries lossless Dolby TrueHD Atmos [src2].

Important Caveats

• Prices on this card come from our 2026-10-12 price check; the picks table at the top of the page has the current price, seller and stock.
• What Hi-Fi? and Trusted Reviews test UK units at UK prices: What Hi-Fi?'s review of the Sony is of the UK HT-SF150, and Trusted Reviews' price for the Hisense AX3120Q is £450 [src5, src11].
• The testers disagree about the Sony HT-S100F's dialogue: Tom's Guide found speech clearer than through TV speakers, while RTINGS and What Hi-Fi? found voices somewhat muffled [src3, src10, src5].
• The Sonos Ray connects by optical only. Check that your TV has an optical output, and note that optical cannot carry Dolby Atmos or DTS:X [src4, src2].
• The Sonos Ray, Sony HT-S100F and Bose TV Speaker have no subwoofer [src4, src13, src1]; for powerful bass, CNET advises considering an alternative to the Ray with a separate subwoofer [src4].
• RTINGS is the only outlet we found that tested the Samsung HW-B750F and HW-B750D [src1, src9].