For a brand with such a strong reputation for market-leading products, the R10 Pro feels like a chink in Dreame's armor.

When it comes to design, maneuverability, and dust, it's a capable machine with glimpses of greatness as one of the best vacuums. It's one of the lightest and easiest-to-use stick vacuums I've tested, effortlessly gliding across floors. And for such an affordable device, smart features, such as LED lights and a handy lock button that keeps the vacuum running without you having to press the trigger, elevate it closer to more expensive models.

However, when it comes to providing a thorough deep clean, I was disappointed with this cordless vacuum's battery life and ability to tackle large messes. To find out if the Dreame R10 Pro could be the right vacuum model for your home, read on to explore my in-depth review.

My One Minute Verdict

Dreame products so often punch above their weight in terms of price and value, but with the R10 Pro you sadly get what you pay for.

If you have a smaller home or are looking for one of the best vacuums for pet hair that's light and easy to manage day to day, it's not a bad price to pay. Even on the super-quiet, less-powerful Eco mode, it clears fine debris in a single pass, and its Turbo mode is great for getting pet hair out of carpet fibers.

Beyond those everyday tasks, however, its limitations become difficult to ignore. Although Dreame claims up to 65 minutes of runtime, I managed just 25 minutes during mixed-mode testing, and even the brief use of Turbo mode drains the battery quickly. Large debris pickup is inconsistent, often requiring multiple passes and further extending cleaning time.

The vacuum won't stand securely without its wall mount, the modest 0.6L dust cup fills quickly, and debris repeatedly became trapped between the tube and dust cup, occasionally blocking suction. During one test, the dust cup even released unexpectedly, emptying its contents back onto the floor.

For those looking for a cordless vacuum for a larger home and to be able to tackle big cleans, I would recommend exploring options like the Dreame R20, which pairs a 90-minute runtime with a touchscreen display that takes the guesswork out of battery and suction mode, or the Shark Stratos cordless, which handles mixed debris smarter and more consistently.

Dreame R10 Pro: Specifications

Dreame R10 Pro: Design and Features

The Dreame R10 Pro doesn't veer too far from what you'd expect from a standard cordless stick vacuum. Its main unit sits on the top of a metal tube that connects to one of the vacuum's floorheads and attachments, and a transparent dust cup runs down the body of the handheld unit, so you can see how full it is.

You power the vacuum on and off using the trigger button on the underside of the main unit, and switch between the Eco, Med and Turbo modes using a slider switch on the top. A lock button keeps the vacuum running continuously without having to press the trigger, which makes a real difference during longer cleaning sessions, and there's a small LED dot alongside this button that lets you see how much battery life you have at a glance. It's lacking a more detailed display, but at this price point, that's not a surprise.

What was a pleasant surprise, however, was how much the R10 Pro's matte black design with gold accents elevates it well above its price, making it look more expensive than it is. At 3.64 lbs (1.65 kg) for the main unit, it's also on the lighter side for a cordless vacuum without sacrificing too much power.

Rather than a single multi-surface head, the R10 Pro comes with two interchangeable floorheads. The multi-surface brush uses V-shaped bristles and a comb design to grab hair and direct it up the tube rather than letting it tangle around the roller. The soft roller floorhead is added as a dedicated hard floor option, with a roller that picks up fine dust without scattering it across the room. Both floorheads have built-in LED lights at the front to help you see dust and debris, especially under furniture and in darker corners.

Beyond the floorheads, the kit includes a motorized mini-brush for upholstery and furnishings, a wide combination tool that acts as both a dusting brush and a crevice tool, a bendable crevice nozzle for tight and hard-to-reach spaces, and a short extension tube – all of which click on and off at the center of the tube with a button press.

Filtration is then managed by a five-layer washable filter system that Dreame claims captures 99.9% of particles down to 0.3 microns. It's not officially certified as HEPA-grade, but it comes close.

Inside the box is a wall-mounted bracket that stores the vacuum in an upright position. This is a necessity because the vacuum can't free-stand on its own; the floorhead doesn't lock into position and has a tendency to roll away or fall over. You'll also need to install this bracket near a plug as the charging cable doesn't stretch very far. Once plugged in, it takes around 3.5 hours to charge, but you only get up to 65 minutes of battery life on Eco mode (and less than 15 minutes on Turbo).

What Is the Dreame R10 Pro Like to Use?

The R10 Pro is easy to pick up and get going – there's no complicated setup and swapping between attachments is quick enough. The lack of dedicated storage for these attachments is disappointing but expected at this price.

In general cleaning terms, the R10 Pro handled day-to-day messes well, picking up pet hair from hard floors and low-pile carpet without fuss. The soft roller floorhead is quiet and smooth on hard floors, with no sense that it's going to scratch or drag across anything delicate, and it handles everyday debris – crumbs, dust, the odd bit of dried mud – without much effort.

On carpet, the vacuum works harder, and you feel a bit more resistance in the push, but it picks up well, and the suction is good. The anti-tangle design of the multi-surface floorhead largely holds up in everyday use too.

I liked having the option of the two floorheads, but storing the spare is a pain, and I almost exclusively ended up using the multi-surface head because it did the job well enough to not have to switch.

In use, the vacuum is light enough to carry upstairs or use for long periods. It can feel a little unbalanced when you're pushing it round the home because it's quite top-heavy, but this isn't a dealbreaker, and you soon get used to it.

The lock button is also a benefit for long cleans. Taking away the need to keep your finger on the trigger makes it maneuverable enough to get into corners and along baseboards without constantly repositioning yourself, plus the low-profile floorhead gets under most furniture without having to tilt the vacuum at an awkward angle.

What's not a benefit for long cleans is the poor battery life. For a vacuum this affordable, I didn't expect industry-leading runtimes, but I do think being able to do a full pass of my house in one run shouldn't be too much to ask. Dreame claims Eco mode lasts 65 minutes, and that holds true; however, in reality, Eco mode isn't strong enough to make a dent in pet hair or deeply clean. This means you have to ramp the vacuum up to Turbo periodically, and in my tests, I got (at most) 25 minutes switching between the two. For most everyday tasks and quick cleans, this will be ample, but for anything deeper or longer, you'll need to revert to a wired vacuum alternative or wait for the R10 Pro to charge.

The LED lights in the floorheads turned out to be more useful than I thought. They pick out dust along baseboards and under the sofa that I would have otherwise missed, and I found myself cleaning more thoroughly because of them – going over areas I would have assumed were fine and finding they weren't.

On noise, the R10 Pro is quiet enough on Eco, at 62dB, for someone to work comfortably in the next room. Turbo steps up the noise to 71dB on average, but the pitch is low, which makes it more gentle on the ears than I'd expected.

Compared to other cordless sticks I've tested at this price, the R10 Pro is impressive on pet hair in Turbo mode; the quality of the LED lighting stands out.

Where it falls is the lack of a freestanding dock, disappointing runtime, and mixed results between Eco and Turbo modes. Also, during one clean, the dust cup just opened by itself, pouring 10 minutes of dust and dirt back onto my floor.

Test 1: Flour and Sugar

To test how the R10 Pro handles fine debris, I scattered half a cup of flour and sugar in roughly a 50/50 split across carpet, hardwood, and laminate, spreading it over a wide enough area to clearly see the vacuum's path with each pass.

Flour and sugar work well because they mimic the kind of fine debris that builds up on floors between cleans and is often harder to shift than larger pieces.

On carpet, the R10 Pro performed well, pulling the flour and sugar out of the pile without spreading it around. Most of the debris was gone in a single pass, with only a very light dusting of flour remaining in the deeper parts of the pile on the first run. A second pass cleared it completely.

Flour did tend to gather at the edges of the brushroll, but this can be easily cleared away, and it doesn't transfer back onto the floor as you move the vacuum around.

On hardwood, the flour, at times, had a tendency to get pushed slightly ahead of the floorhead on the first pass, but it was quickly cleared on a second pass.

The sugar cleared more cleanly, but getting into the cracks between floorboards took an extra pass with the floorhead angled slightly, and some flour settled into the joins and needed the crevice nozzle to finish the job properly.

On laminate, the results were similar to hardwood, though the smoother surface meant slightly less scattering on contact and the flour cleared more easily across open areas. The edges of the room and the join between the floor and baseboard needed a second pass, but the overall result was clean without needing to change suction mode or switch attachments for the bulk of the test.

Test 2: Pantry

For the pantry test, I scattered half a cup of cereal and red lentils across carpet, hardwood, and laminate. Cereal and lentils represent the kind of debris that ends up on floors every day. For the cereal, we use off-brand Cheerios – which stand in for larger pieces of debris like crumbs and dry food, while the lentils are smaller and have a slightly tacky texture.

On carpet, the R10 Pro picked up the lentils confidently and without flinging pieces around, clearing most of it in a single pass. The cereal took a lot more work. The floorhead largely pushed them or sent them flying around rather than sucking them up. I had to physically lift the floorhead and make multiple passes over each one to remove them, or I had to resort to an attachment.

On hardwood, there was some scattering of the lentils on the first pass, but a second pass over the same area dealt with them, and on laminate, performance was similar to hardwood. The lentils again needed two passes in places, and there was a little scattering on contact, but nothing that required lifting and dropping the vacuum to dislodge pieces or any heavy-handed maneuvering.

The cereal performance proved even worse on hard floors. I was left with just piles of cereal in corners or along the edges, and those that did get sucked in ended up clogging the unit. I had to use water to soften the blockage and then clear it with the end of a spoon, which is less than ideal.

Test 3: Pet Hair

To test the R10 Pro on pet (and human) hair, I ran it across both carpet and hard floors after a typical day with my dog Maisie, without pre-cleaning either surface first.

On hard floors, the R10 Pro handled Maisie's hair well, pulling it in cleanly without spreading it around or leaving trails at the edges of the floorhead. The comb teeth design came into its own here – hair moved through the roller and into the dust cup without bunching. After a full pass, there was little left behind, and what remained was easy enough to catch on a second run. On carpet, the vacuum lifted most of the surface hair well, but the deeper the pile, the more effort was needed.

I did notice on one of Maisie's heavy shedding days, which are common when the weather is hot, that some of her hairs caught at the edges of the roller and had to be removed by hand, so you'll want to check it periodically rather than assuming it's clear.

My hair told a similar story. Longer strands cleared well on hard floors and low-pile carpet, though on thicker carpet strands occasionally needed a second pass to come up fully. The dust cup filled noticeably faster on heavy hair days, which is worth bearing in mind if you have multiple pets or a large home – the 0.6L capacity is on the smaller side, and you may find yourself emptying it mid-clean.

Test 4: Attachments

Swapping between attachments is easy on the R10 Pro. The button release at the collar joint is easy to find and operate with one hand, and nothing feels flimsy or loose once clicked into place.

The motorized mini-brush got the most use outside of the main floorheads. On the sofa, it lifted Maisie's hair from the fabric better than the main floorhead, and on cushions and upholstered chairs it did a thorough job without being rough on the material. The wide combination tool – which flips between a dusting brush and a crevice mode – is versatile enough for lots of different tasks and I used it regularly on baseboards, shelves and around the edges of radiators. It isn't as precise as a dedicated crevice tool, but it covers a lot of ground without needing to swap again.

For the crevice attachment, I sprinkled flour and sugar along the base of a wall, pressing some of it into the join between the floor and the skirting board. The nozzle cleared both the flour and the sugar cleanly in a single pass without spreading the debris outward.

The extension tube adds useful reach for high shelves and ceiling corners but feels unnecessary. The existing tube length covers most situations without it. Of all the attachments, it was the one I put back in the box most quickly and didn't miss.

Dreame R10 Pro Name: Setup and Maintenance

The R10 Pro arrives in a large, fairly hefty box, but unboxing it is straightforward.

The packaging is mostly cardboard with some paper wrapping around the individual components, and little unnecessary plastic. Everything is organized into separate cardboard compartments inside, so nothing is loose or rattling around, and the user manual sits on top so it's the first thing you see when you open it.

The box contains:

• Main handheld unit
• Metal wand
• Multi-surface floorhead
• Soft roller floorhead
• Motorized mini-brush
• Wide combination tool
• Bendable crevice nozzle
• Extension tube
• Wall-mounted storage bracket
• Charging cable and adapter
• User manual

That's a generous kit for this price.

Before you can use the R10 Pro, you'll need to charge it fully, but to do so you'll likely have to install the wall bracket first. This isn't 100% necessary, but the vacuum won't stand by itself, and you'll have to do it eventually anyway. Slotting it into the wall bracket and plugging in the cable takes seconds, and from flat it took around 3 hours to reach full charge – roughly in line with the 3.5 hours quoted by Dreame. There's no assembly required beyond attaching your chosen floorhead, which clicks into place with a single push.

Day-to-day vacuum maintenance is simple too (as long as you don't vacuum up lots of large debris that can block the unit). The dust cup empties with a single button press and the bin itself is easy to rinse out when needed. I didn't think having such an easy release system would impress me so much, but seeing as I always struggle with the systems on Dyson vacuums, this mattered more than I thought. The filter is removable and fully washable – Dreame recommends cleaning it every month or so depending on use – and it's a simple process of rinsing it under cold water, leaving it to dry for 24 hours, and clicking it back in.

The brushroll on the multi-surface floorhead can be removed for cleaning too, and the soft roller floorhead pulls apart easily enough to clear any debris that's worked its way inside. None of it requires tools or any particular effort, and keeping on top of it takes only a few minutes.

How Does the Dreame R10 Compare?

The R10 Pro sits in the middle of Dreame's R-series lineup, above the Dreame R10 and the Dreame R20. If you mainly clean hard floors and don't need the soft roller, the R10 undercuts the Pro on price and covers the basics, but given that the battery life complaints that dog the R10 Pro apply here too, and you lose the soft roller in the bargain, the Pro is the better buy if the price gap is small.

Dreame R20 is $50 / £50 more, but for that extra money you get 190 AW of suction, intelligent dirt detection that automatically adjusts power based on the floor type and debris, a touch screen display, and 90 minutes of runtime.

Against the competition, the Shark Stratos cordless ($499.99 / £399.99) is a significant step up in price but brings Clean Sense IQ technology that senses dirt and adjusts suction automatically, more reliable large debris pickup, and a MultiFLEX wand that folds flat for freestanding storage. It also often sells for much less than its RRP, and if you can get it on sale, it's a much stronger investment. At the other end, the Bissell CleanView XR Pet ($119.99 / £99.99) is cheaper than the R10 Pro and covers the essentials for pet owners and smaller homes, even if it lacks the LED lighting and the soft roller floorhead.

How We Test Vacuums

At Homes & Gardens, we take a detailed and standardized approach to how we test vacuums.

This includes vacuuming set amounts of fine and large debris on carpet, linoleum and hardwood floors to check cleaning performance across different types and surfaces. We test the anti-tangle performance and pet hair pickup as well as using each vacuum around the home to check weight, maneuverability, battery life, dustbin emptying, noise levels, and anything else you might need to consider before buying. Every factor is then weighed against the price when we give it our final mark.

I tested the Dreame R10 Pro for four weeks in my home, where I have two children and a dog. I ran it across carpet, laminate and hardwood floors, tested its noise levels using the DecibelX app and checked how easy it was to use and how well it fit into my life.

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In cases where a second vacuum cleaner is required for more robust cleaning (que tidying up after some DIY or sweeping up patio debris), a wet and dry vacuum cleaner will give you the versatility you're after since, after all, you should already have one of the best vacuums to use day to day.

I've tested the Karcher WD5 P Wet & Dry Vacuum to see if it can fulfil its mission of providing a 'powerful, convenient cleaning performance'. For one week, every other day, I have challenged it with: removing debris from the patio, blowing leaves out from underneath a table on the patio (using the blower function), lifting cereal and flour from hard flooring, and even removing water from the kids' sandpit.

The WD5 P has a 1100-watt motor to deliver superior air flow, and a 6.6-gallon container capacity for wet or dry debris. It'll remove the debris that you do not want your household vacuum to tackle, and I've found that it's a good appliance to have before pressure washing the patio (for example).

My One Minute Verdict

Easy to set up and simple to use with brilliant results, the Karcher WD5 P wet & dry vacuum cleaner is certainly one of the better wet & dry vacuums that I have used in a long time.

The 1100-watt motor delivers powerful suction to clear fine dust and heavy debris, and the built-in blower will quickly move dirt and debris from hard-to-reach places. It is a top-mounted design, which means that it is suitable for dry and wet debris, indoors and outdoors, but you'll need to swap out the fleece filter bag for any liquid pick-up.

It's one of six wet and dry vacuum cleaners by Karcher, with the WD5 P positioned toward the higher end. For example, it'll dent the wallet by $249, whereas the Karcher WD4 is $199, and the WD3 is $99.99. It is, however, robust. I've also tested the Karcher WD4, and I found that it is overall more powerful (despite having the same 1100-watt motor), more robust, and much easier to move around.

Throughout testing, though, the 26ft/5m power cable came up short. The 11.5ft suction hose is also gangly. And the 84dB noise level causes a stir.

A wet and dry vacuum cleaner that more closely resembles a cordless vacuum, such as the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua Wet-to-Dry Vacuum, may be the better option if this noise and practicalities are likely to bother you. Alternatively, the Shark Messmaster Portable Wet/Dry Vacuum is compact enough to take outside to the car and leave it there to clear up after any little accidents, like spilled coffee or chip crumbs.

Karcher WD5 P Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner: Specifications

Karcher WD5 P Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner: Design and Features

The Karcher WD5 P Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner is designed to be used on dirt created by home projects outside of the home, which your standard vacuum simply can not handle.

It has a large 6.6-gallon (25L) container, which is suitable for holding wet and dry debris. The top-mounted filter allows for quick and easy removal from the filter box – without coming into contact with dirt. This means that there is no need to remove the filter as you switch between wet and dry cleaning, but you will need to remove the fleece bag to remove any wet stuff.

The top-mount can be released to access the fleece bag by folding down the handle and lifting to remove.

The WD5 P is packed with a 1100-watt motor, which can either clean up or blow away debris. To alternate between the two functions, attach the 11.5 ft. (3.5m) suction hose to either one of the outlets. You do only have the one power setting to use either function, but I found this ample enough for lifting dry or wet debris – and blowing it too.

It has a 26ft power cable and, unless you have a power outlet outside, you may benefit from an extension cord like this 10ft Amazon Basics cord ($6.99, Amazon). And while the 11.5ft suction hose with bent handle provides some extra length during cleaning, it can make it a difficult appliance to store because it doesn't like being wrapped around the container, and it increases the height required in the shed to house it.

At the base of the container are five wheels that help to maneuver the WD5 P. These are installed as part of the setup. You can either wheel it around by the fixed handle or lift it with this handle when taking it to another space to clean.

What Is the Karcher WD5 P Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner Like to Use?

The Karcher WD5 P wet and dry vacuum cleaner is a large appliance that'll need to be stored in the utility room or, better yet, in an outbuilding. It measures 25.7(H) x 15(W) x 16.5(L)in and weighs 19.2lbs, and when it's in use, it will get dirty.

It's designed to be used with either the floorhead or crevice tool attached to the suction tubes while removing debris off the floor, or while using the blower function. I found it easy to switch between the two different functions – blower and suction – by removing the suction tubes and tools, and turning the appliance with the one-speed dial.

The WD5 P is noticeably louder than a standard vacuum cleaner and is more in line with a pressure washer. I recorded a noise level reading of 84dB using the decibel meter reader app on my smartphone. This noise level is the same as that of the Karcher WD4, and it's equivalent to that of a passing vehicle.

Test 1: Flour and Sugar

In instances when you'll be wanting to clean up dust and dead skin, I wanted to see if the Karcher WD5 P could handle it by sprinkling half a cup of flour and half a cup of sugar on our tiled floor in the utility room. The flour is also an excellent visual test, as we can spot when it's left on the floor or stuck in any of the vacuum's parts.

With the floorhead attached to the suction hose and powered by the 1100-watt motor, the WD5 P effortlessly cleared a pathway through the flour and sugar in one clear pass. All the debris made it into the fleece bag; no clouds of 'dust' escaped before, during, and after the removal, either.

Test 2: Pantry

For my next test, I spilled cereal and rice on the tiled floor in our utility room. This was to replicate a scenario where the WD5 P could face larger debris, indoors and outdoors, such as small stones, sawdust, and wood chippings.

The floorhead made a clear pathway through the rice with no grains getting stuck or blown off course. However, the cereal got pushed along by the floorhead unless I lifted and dropped the floorhead on it so that it could be vacuumed. No cereal became stuck or lodged in the hose.

Test 3: Water

As a wet and dry vacuum, I wanted to demonstrate how the WD5 P removed liquid. To do this, I used it in the yard and challenged it with the removal of rainwater from my kids' sandpit after a deluge of rain over the past few days. I figured that it would be a big help to remove and contain the rainwater prior to emptying, rather than to flood the patio and make it wet for play.

When removing liquids, you'll need to remove the bag by lifting off the top of the canister. This will prevent the fleece bag from getting weighed down by liquid and avoid frequent replacement in case the fleece starts to degrade.

For the purpose of the test, I also removed the floorhead to get a clear visual, although it is suitable for use on liquids when the bristles are raised by flipping the switch on the floorhead.

All the liquid was quickly removed from the sandpit and deposited in the container. When I turned off the appliance, water ran back down the suction tubes that were being held in by the strong suction. This is something to be aware of, especially if you're removing floodwater or spilt liquids from washing machine leaks or gas can drops.

Test 4: Attachments

The Karcher WD5 P only comes with one attachment other than the floorhead, and that is the crevice tool. This tool is suitable for targeting the suction and blower delivered by the 1100-watt motor air flow. However, over time, I wouldn't expect this attachment to get much use because you can just use the handle to the same effect.

Throughout the week-long tests, I also used the Karcher WD5 P to clear up the patio in the yard. It was littered with sand from the kids' sandpit, leaves from fall, moss from the roof, and rotting vegetation.

I stretched the 5m-long cable and reached as far round as I could before pulling the plug out of the outlet, and my toddler son wanted to take over.

The WD5 P did a great job at removing everything within its path, with all debris contained in the container. However, some debris did become lodged in the floorhead and suction hose, which limited the suction power. I noticed a shift in gears when this occurred, so I switched off the power to dislodge the tissue and twigs.

Karcher WD5 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner: Setup and Maintenance

The Karcher WD5 P wet and dry vacuum cleaner is a large appliance, so it arrives in a large delivery box. This big, branded yellow box doesn't have any handles, which makes it difficult to move into a space to set up, so I recommend having an extra pair of hands to help out.

A combination of cardboard and plastic packaging secures the parts inside the box. Inside the box are all the parts required to start using the WD5 P from the get-go. This includes: an 11.5 ft. (3.5m) suction hose, (2x) 1.8 ft. (0.5m) suction tubes, hand nozzle, crevice nozzle, a switchable wet/dry floor nozzle, automotive-style pleated filter, and a fleece filter bag. If you're buying the WD5 P in the States, you'll also receive a power tool adapter for attaching to an industrial DN 35 suction hose.

It also comes with the addition of a clip-on storage belt for securing the crevice nozzle and floor nozzle, which, although it isn't classed as an 'accessory' per se, it is a part that doesn't come with the Karcher WD4.

Upon opening, you'll find that the suction hose and five castor wheels are located inside the 6.6-gallon container. It also comes with instructions to "help" with setup, but, as with all Karcher instructions, I found these difficult to interpret and follow because there are no words to support the minuscule diagrams.

Fortunately, I could figure out what goes where using no fewer than some essential DIY skills, such as clipping and slotting together, and some thought.

To set it up, I clipped on the storage belt; attached the suction hose to the container; connected the suction tubes to the hose and hand nozzle; installed the fleece filter bag and popped on the five castor wheels. The pleated filter was already in place. This took no longer than five minutes.

All these parts will need some level of maintenance.

The fleece filter bags will need replacing when they get full, or if they get too damp from removing wet debris. How often you replace it will depend on the type of dry debris that you're removing. Replacement bags can be bought from Amazon for $16.19 (pack of 4), which can be attached by simply opening the bag and placing it inside the vacuum.

The filter bags will need to be removed when vacuuming wet debris or liquids. When this type of debris is being removed, the container will need to be wheeled over to a drain for emptying, which is OK in itself, but the container is large, so it's a bit cumbersome to lift or tip. The liquid will also be filthy dirty, and you won't want that being taken into your home.

In use, I found that the switchable wet/dry floor nozzle and suction tubes became lodged with larger debris, which stopped me in my tracks. I removed the blockage by unclipping the floor nozzle or suction tube (depending on the blockage location).

Over time, a cleaning tip that I would recommend is to wipe each part of the WD4 to keep it in a good working order. The top-mounted filter may also begin to perish and become damaged, so you'll need to replace it with a new one ($22.99, Karcher.com).

How Does the Karcher WD5 P Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner Compare?

The Karcher WD5 P is one of eight wet and dry vacuum cleaners from the German brand, which is available in the United States and the UK. As with half of the category, it's mains powered, whereas the other four wet and dry vacuum cleaners by the brand are battery-powered.

It's priced at $249.99 and is available to buy directly from Karcher or resellers such as Amazon (where you might find it a little cheaper). It is one of the more expensive wet and dry vacuums from the brand, with the more expensive tagged at $349.99 (Karcher WD6 PS) and the more affordable at $99.99 (Karcher WD3).

I've also reviewed the Karcher WD4 wet and dry vacuum cleaner and, after comparing the two, note that the WD5 P is generally more robust with sturdier onboard storage; one button to remove the top mount (rather than two clips at the side) and a stronger, fold-down handle. While it has the same 1100W motor as the WD4, it has a greater suction power (260 watts) and can pack away more debris into its 6.6-gallon container.

The wet and dry vacuum cleaners with a plug do fall short on what it can reach to clean because of the length of the power cable – it's just 5m in length, which can be restrictive when working on different jobs around the home. Karcher also has battery-powered wet and dry vacuums, like the WD2-18 Cordless Wet and Dry Vacuum, which is powered by an 18V / 2.5 Ah Karcher battery and has the largest container capacity (3.17 gallons) in the battery-powered category.

Alternatively, I appreciate that not everyone would be looking to have a wet and dry vacuum quiet as big as these Karchers (including the battery-powered), so, if you're after a second vacuum of this nature that is perhaps even more portable, then I'd be looking at the Shark Messmaster Portable Wet/Dry Vacuum.

This option retails for around $100, and our reviewer, Camryn Rabideau, found that it’s a powerful and versatile cleaning tool that can be used all around your home. On test, Camryn found that it had no problem sucking up spider webs, debris under car seats, and even spilled milk, and unlike a full-size shop vac, this model is quick and easy to clean. Plus, it’s compact enough to tuck into a closet when it’s not in use, so it’s ideal for anyone who has limited storage space in their home.

A wet and dry vacuum that more closely resembles a cordless vacuum is the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua Wet-to-Dry Vacuum. As a stick vacuum, it is a lot lighter to use, and it'll do a great job of removing pet hair from hard flooring and carpets. Our reviewer, Victoria Woollaston, found that 'it's an impressive multitasker that delivers on its core promise of being a full-power cordless vacuum and floor washer in one.' The Z30 also has a self-cleaning station. However, it is almost double the price of the Karcher wet and dry vacuums, which isn't a drawback, just something to think about.

How We Test Vacuums

At Homes & Gardens, we have a dedicated and thorough procedure for how we test vacuums so we can get a like-for-like comparison between models, and to make sure we're recreating real-life circumstances.

I tested the Karcher WD5 P Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner as and when it was required over a two-week period. It was used on hard flooring (laminate and tiles), liquids and solids, indoors and outdoors. In addition to running all three standardized tests – flour and sugar; rice and cereal – I used it to clean the moss-heavy patio, and to remove water from the kids' sandpit. This included removing leaves, small stones, and moss fallen from the roof. I then recorded how noisy it was using the DecibelX app.

This gave me the complete picture of how this wet dry vacuum would perform in real conditions, rather than a single test session, including the practicalities of cleaning and storage, and its overall condition after the two weeks of testing.

If you're sold on getting the Karcher WD5 P Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner, then it would be wise to know about the things that you can clean with a wet-dry vacuum. However, if you only need a vacuum cleaner for removing dry debris, then check out these vacuum cleaners for pet hair, which are equally as good; just a different spec.

The Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra carries only a modest premium over the standard S20, with a price tag that comes in just shy of $1000.

And while that seems like a steep price to pay, it’s competitive in the world of the best robot vacuums. For this price, you're getting a machine that vacuums and mops effectively, delivers strong suction performance, independently navigates around the home, and incorporates several genuinely advanced features.

Like the non-Ultra Yeedi S20 Infinity version that I also reviewed, this robot vacuum also uses two cleaning solutions for cleaner floors – something I appreciate when testing for the best vacuum. Read on to discover how the new Ultra model (currently discounted to $849.99 at Amazon) compares to its predecessor and if it's truly worth the premium price tag.

The One-Minute Summary

When I reviewed the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra’s non-Ultra predecessor, I was impressed, if not quite blown away. While this upgraded version is not perfect, it gets much closer. It’s quieter in operation. Its vacuuming is just as good. Its mopping seems even better. And it’s easier to maintain.

It also keeps the things that I liked about the previous version, including the two cleaning solutions and the Matter-certified smart home support. It adds a few new features like an AI Agent Mode, though the touted 'Jet Spray' addition doesn't feel like a worthwhile addition.

I also think that, despite the price, it’s competitive with other models that offer the same type of cleaning experience. Just be prepared to spend close to a thousand dollars for it. Of course, that’s typically the case with the vacuums of this variety. You’re paying for the convenience and hands-free operation. A typical vacuum offers a deeper clean, but requires some elbow grease, and the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra allows you to postpone those deep cleans and keep up regular cleans with ease.

Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra: Specifications

Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra: Setup

For a product that’s mostly already assembled and arrives in just a few pieces, the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra does take a little while to set up. Now, it’s not complicated. The base station is intact except that the extended base plate needs to be attached (and it just drops in), and the robot vacuum itself already has all the brushes installed. Opening and adding the two different included cleaning solutions is not difficult.

Really, what takes so long is removing the various sheets of plastic and smaller pieces of styrofoam used to keep the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra safe during transport. It’s a little annoying and feels a bit wasteful, but it does at least keep everything extra safe until fully set up, even if it takes five minutes to remove everything.

The physical assembly is otherwise straightforward and takes about three minutes of work. Plug the base station in, add the extended base plate, put the robot vacuum all the way back in the base station, and then just power on both the base station and robot vacuum. At that point, the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra just needs to map your space before cleaning.

To fully finish setting up the robot vacuum, you will want to go through the app setup as well to get access to all the functionality of this vacuum. I did have some initial trouble connecting the robot vacuum to my phone (the whole process starts with a Bluetooth connection between a smartphone and the S20 Infinity Ultra), but I do have some wonky internet. Once connected, I had to just go through the prompts to finish setup. I would say the app setup process, not including my technical WiFi difficulties, probably took ten to twenty minutes.

Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra: Design and Features

One thing, among many, that I’ve noticed about expensive robot vacuums is that they all talk to you. They talk when they start up. They talk when they’re done. They talk when something’s in the way. But not all of the vacuums let you talk to them. The Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra, with its Matter Ecosystem support, lets you do so via voice assistant (as long as you’ve set up the robot through the Yeedi app already). I was able to connect through Alexa.

And like most expensive tech these days, the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra also uses AI. You can run the vacuum in AI Agent Mode in the app, and the vacuum will adjust on its own the various cleaning settings, like suction power, to clean my floors as it sees fit. And truthfully, when using the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra more passively (and not to vacuum up large messes), I ran it in this mode.

While features are a bit more fun to write about, the actual design of the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra can’t be overlooked. I don’t quite mean the durability or build – those are on par with every robot vacuum I’ve tested above $500, but there are a couple of additions that make cleaning easier.

I really appreciate that the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra uses two different cleaning solutions with its mopping capabilities. There are two cleaning solution-specific reservoirs inside the base station – along with the much bigger 4 and 2.2 litre respective clean and dirty water reservoirs – for those solutions, which help break down stains and feel more like a deep cleaning.

The base station also has a decently sized 2.5-litre dust bag. It can probably hold a good month or two of auto-empties from the robot vacuum before needing to be replaced. Also, it's worth mentioning that the base station is that it does mop drying, so be prepared to wait a few hours after mopping for the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra to fully dry the mop roller.

As far as the robot vacuum itself goes, it’s flat on top – no little lookout tower in the middle – with just a magnetic top plate hiding its onboard dustbin and onboard controls, so that it can fit under furniture like a couch that some other robot vacuums can’t.

On the bottom, it may have just one side brush, but at least the bottom roller brush hoovering everything up, has zero tangle technology, a good option for those dealing with lots of pet hair. I find some variation of this type of anti-tangle tech on most mid-range to premium robot vacuums, so I’m a little more impressed by the Ozmo Roller 3.0, Yeedi’s mop roller, which not only mops a very even 27cm wide path, but lifts when going over carpet, and, most importantly, can extend out a couple of inches to get into edges and corners.

What Is the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra Like to Use?

Interacting with the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra is much the same as its smaller sibling, the non-Ultra version. Press the center button on the robot vacuum itself, and it will just start – usually using whatever settings were selected the last time the app was open. If you press the button without setting up the app, it does a standard level of vacuuming and mopping.

Within the app, starting to clean is pretty straightforward as well. If AI Agent Mode is selected, all you have to do is press start for a cleaning. If you want something specific, you can manually adjust several settings specific to that cleaning, such as cleaning mode (vacuum only, vacuum and mop, vacuum then mop), four levels of suction power from quiet mode to max, water flow level up to 50 (mL presumably), three levels of cleaning speed, and whether I want it to do one or two passes. My only issue here is that the app wanted to collapse this menu when I changed the water flow level, even though I was not done choosing my settings.

It’s also worth noting that the app allows you to choose some station-specific functions – Empty Bin, Wash Mop, Dry Mop – at will, which is nice. The app also lets you create a schedule as well as clean specific rooms or even specific zones if there’s a specific spill that needs cleaning – something I had to do for the vacuuming and mopping tests below.

Speaking of the map, I had no trouble dividing or combining rooms, though I didn’t need to with how accurately the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra mapped out my space. I was also able to select rooms and select what kind of flooring is in that room (hardwood flooring, marble, etc.) as well as whether there’s carpet (a separate selection for some reason). You can even add furniture on the map, though this doesn’t seem necessary, and create a second map for another area in your home.

I want to mention some general things when the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra is running. First, it’s among the quieter robot vacuums I’ve used. At standard vac and mop settings, this robot vacuum registers around 56dB in volume. That doesn’t mean you can’t hear it while going, but it’s quiet enough to ignore.

Also, I’ve already mentioned how this robot vacuum can get under furniture easily thanks to its flat top. What I haven’t mentioned is object avoidance, which I found to be very good here. Since I had it set to be very sensitive, it registered and avoided just about everything I would put in front of it, even thicker cables like an HDMI cable, only having trouble with a translucent container with water. That said, I still suggest picking up before running the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra as it gives a good six-inch berth to anything it’s trying to avoid, so it will leave fairly large spots untouched because it’s avoiding a frisbee sitting on the floor.

Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra: Vacuuming Tests

When testing robot vacuums, we reviewers like to spot clean an area covered in different-sized granules to see how the unit responds. Usually, it’s cereal, lentils, and sugar. I had run out of lentils, so I used long-grain rice instead. For the vacuuming tests, I ran the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra on both hard flooring and carpet.

After having run my tests, I found this robot vacuum to do well on both surfaces, but still not quite catch everything put down in front of it, especially if it wasn't set to deep cleaning and two passes in the app. This was particularly true on hard flooring, where it did kick a Cheerio or two around and left a trail of sugar on its first pass. It did pick up the rice immediately, however.

The story was much the same on carpet, though it didn’t kick the cereal around. It still needed an extra pass to pick up all the sugar. With a suction power rating of 22000Pa, the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra is as powerful a robot vacuum as I’ve come across.

It still does not replace the need for a regular vacuum for deep cleaning. This is true more on carpet than on hard flooring, because the mop brush is not involved (it lifts up 15mm off the floor to keep it from getting wet), and that mop brush is the only part extending out, meaning that the vacuuming alone is not getting to the edges and corners where dust tends to build up most.

Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra: Mopping Tests

I was more impressed with the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra’s mopping than its still-good vacuuming. A big part of that is that 27cm cleaning path width from the mop roller that is not only covered in a micro-fiber type fabric but puts 2800pA of downward pressure as it’s mopping. Also helpful is the fact that the mop roller extends out when cleaning. The Ozmo Roller 3.0, as Yeedi calls it, is how this robot vacuum is able to get into the edges and corners of a room.

As mentioned before, the addition of the two cleaning solutions is also something that I believe adds to this robot vacuum’s cleaning prowess. And, of course, the fact that it has the new 'Jet Spray' feature, to handle stains one would normally grab a wet/dry vacuum for, is nice, though I have to select a zone for the feature to use it, as opposed to doing it on its own. To test this feature, I rubbed some wet dirt on the floor and selected 'Jet Spray.' The Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra seems to spray water at the corner of the zone just to add extra water that it would push around instead of directly on the dirt, strangely enough. However, it also sucked everything up and left a very clean floor. I can’t decide if this feature is useful or a gimmick, but again, the floor was clean.

For the actual mop testing, I put some soy sauce, ketchup, and mustard on the floor all at once to see how the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra would fare. The robot vacuum needed just one pass to mop everything up and leave a clean, non-sticky floor.

Just be aware that if you’re mopping large areas – I’m usually covering about 7 - 800 square feet on a usual cleaning - the robot vacuum will return regularly to the base station to fill up water and wash the mop roller. I appreciate the thoroughness and cleanliness, even if it does mean that the actual cleaning time for that space is about an hour.

Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra: Maintenance

When I reviewed the non-ultra version of this model, I felt that the ability to clean it up and maintain it was good, but not great. I could get to the onboard dustbin if I needed to, I could remove the central roller brush if something got tangled, and the app would let me know when certain things needed to be refilled or replaced.

But figuring out how to clean this robot vacuum is just a little bit easier than the previous model. That’s because the mop roller brush is actually removable, something that was not the case on the previous version meaning if it ended up trying to mop up a mess too big for it and something got behind the mop roller, I would have to use a Q-tip to get behind the mop roller and do what I could, hoping that running the mop wash feature in the app would be enough to finish the job. With the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra, I can just remove the mop roller, clean it, clean behind it, and put it back in. Much easier.

The water tanks are as easy to access as they are with any other model. I will say that the door covering the cleaning solution reservoirs and the dustbag requires a little more force than expected to open. Out of all the expensive, feature-filled robot vacuums I’ve tested, I think this might be the easiest to clean. Just expect to spend a little money down the line to replace the cleaning solutions and dust bags.

How Does the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra Compare?

Homes and Gardens’ top robot vacuum pick at the time of writing is the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller, which has an MSRP of $1,599.99, though it is currently being offered up for a slightly more reasonable price of $1,049.99. It has a lot in common with the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra thanks to its excellent mopping and object avoidance, not to mention its fairly low maintenance. The reviewer of the Dreame robot vacuum did find the app a bit overwhelming and not consistent when cleaning carpets.

Considering the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra costs $999.99, I find it a very competent alternative to the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller. After all, the app only becomes a bit much if you’re digging into all the various extra settings, and the carpet cleaning is good. That said, the Dreame is a little stronger in the vacuum compartment since it has 30,000pA of suction power, requiring fewer passes to handle vacuuming up, say, some spilled sugar.

It’s also worth comparing the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra to the Yeedi S20 Infinity, which has an MSRP of $899.99. While the Ultra has the jet spray feature, I think the Ultra is worth the extra cost mainly because of the removable mop roller and quieter operation. That said, the non-Ultra version has a dustbin that doesn’t require dustbags, so it has less recurring costs in the long run.

How I tested the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra

We take a methodical approach to how we test vacuums, which involves in-depth and standardized performance tests, running benchmarks, and living with the product to see how it fits into everyday cleaning.

For the Yeedi S20 Infinity Ultra, I used it for a week, running it every day in an area regularly occupied by five adults and two French Bulldogs (with the odd appearance of a reclusive cat). I ran it typically with vacuum and mop functionality together – often with the AI Agent Mode on – though I’ve run it with just one or the other for testing.

As far as targeted tests go, I did run it to pick up about a quarter cup of sugar, rice, and cereal, testing with each type of substance individually on both hard flooring and carpet. I also tested the mopping by running a test with ketchup, mustard, and soy sauce.

Next, explore our guide for choosing the best vacuum for pet hair for your home.

Sometimes, you need more than just a vacuum cleaner when cleaning. I'm thinking of the times when cereal has been spilt; the car is in need of a deep clean and the outbuildings need a vacuum. Fortunately, the Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner is designed to handle these messes, and more.

It'll effortlessly remove wet and dry debris, and all the things that you're best vacuum can't or won't want to get involved with. I know this first hand because I've been using it over a long weekend in my own home in other scenarios including to vacuum-away spilt dried cereals; clean-up the porch and suck-up water from the kids' sandpit after a deluge of rainfall.

On paper, the specification says that the 1100W of suction power will clear fine dust and heavy debris. Was it any good? Keep reading to find out what I think about it, and how it compares with similar wet and dry vacuums.

My One Minute Verdict

The Karcher WD4 wet and dry vacuum cleaner has been designed for substantial home projects where a standard vacuum cleaner lacks the durability required.

It provides 1100W of suction power to clear fine dust and heavy debris, including the removal of all the things that you really don't want your household vacuum to get involved with. The top-mounted design means that it is suitable for dry and wet debris, indoors and outdoors; you'll need to swap out the fleece filter bag for liquid pick-up, though, admittedly, I did find it to be a bit of a faff.

It's one of six wet dry vacuum cleaners in the product category, with the WD4 positioned as a mid-range appliance. For example, it has a greater capacity than the WD3 (17L), yet smaller capacity than the WD5 (25L). The price of Karcher wet dry vacuum cleaners ranges from $89.99 to $349.99, and the WD4 is marked up as bang in the middle of this range with a price of $199.99.

On test, I found it bulky to maneuver around; it has a restrictive 26.2ft power cable and 7.2ft suction hose that I felt like I was wrestling with. If you're after a wet dry vacuum that is perhaps more portable then I'd be looking at the Shark Messmaster Portable Wet/Dry Vacuum. Alternatively, the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua Wet-to-Dry Vacuum more closely resembles a cordless vacuum, so it's more portable and versatile, and it handles pet hair on both carpet and hard floors.

Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner: Specifications

Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner: Design and Features

The Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner is designed to be used on the inside of the car, garage floor, or on yard jobs that your standard vacuum cleaner can not handle. I see it as the larger cousin to a canister vacuum.

It has a large 5.3-gallon (20L) container that'll hold large debris and liquids. The tear-resistant fleece bag slots inside the container and clips over the hose. When you're vacuuming liquids, it's advised to remove this bag, although it can easily cope with damp debris such as soggy cereal and wet houseplant soil.

To access the bag, the motor can be removed and lifted off the container by releasing the two clips on the side.

You'll find that the filter is top-mounted too. This is enclosed in the filter box, which can be easily removed without coming into contact with any dirt. This means that in the event that the filter becomes damaged, it can be easily replaced with a new one ($22.99, Karcher.com).

The WD4 is kitted out with 1100W of suction power, and the 2025 model (that I have) has a blower function too. There is only one power setting when using the "suction" or "blowing" function, which is strong enough to remove small stones or empty a 200lb sandpit full of water, and blow away dropped damp compost.

I found that the 26.25ft power cable was sufficient for the cleaning tasks I set. However, I will need an extension cord like this 10ft Amazon Basics cord ($6.99, Amazon) so that I can clean the car and further around the patio area.

The WD4 also has 7.2ft suction hose that connects to two suction tubes to add a further 3.28ft to the overall length when vacuuming; the floorhead or crevice tool accessory (included) simply slots onto the end of a tube. These can then all be taken apart just as easily as they connected together for storing onboard.

It can all be maneuvered as one appliance unit on four castor wheels that slot onto the base of the container as part of the setup. You can either wheel it around by the handle or lift it with this handle when taking it to another space to clean.

What Is the Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner Like to Use?

To look at, the Karcher WD4 wet dry vacuum cleaner is big. Measuring 20.7(H) x 14.4(W) x 15.1(L)in and weighing 15.2lbs, it is positively a unit and one that I needed to allow a generous amount of space for while cleaning my allocated spaces. It's also one that I would use and store at ground level because its size would be difficult to carry up/down stairs.

It's designed to be used with either the floorhead or crevice tool attached to the suction tubes while removing debris off the floor, or with the bent handle attached to the suction hose while using the blower function. I found it easy to switch between the two different functions – blower and suction – by removing the suction tubes and tools, and turning the appliance with the one-speed dial.

The WD4 is noticeably louder than a vacuum cleaner and is more in line with a pressure washer. I recorded a noise level reading of 84dB using the decibel meter reader app on my smartphone. This noise is equivalent to that of a passing vehicle.

Test 1: Flour and Sugar

In an instance where you'll be wanting to use the Karcher WD4 to clean up flour and sugar, I spilled some on our tiled utility room floor. I used half a cup of flour and sugar (about 50/50 split) to see how well the suction coped with fine debris.

The 1100W suction meant that the floorhead was firmly attached to the floor, but because this debris was so fine, the suction created a clear radius around it, and it removed all the flour and sugar within its path in one clear pass.

Test 2: Pantry

Next up, I spilt cereal and rice on the floor to emulate the type of larger debris that the WD4 could face, indoors and outdoors. I poured half a cup of cereal and half a cup of rice onto the tiled flooring in our utility room.

The floorhead effortlessly removed the rice with no grains getting stuck or blown off course from the floorhead. The cereal, however, got pushed along with the floorhead unless I lifted and dropped the floorhead on it so that it could be vacuumed. No cereal became stuck or lodged in the hose.

Test 3: Liquid

As a wet-dry vacuum, I wanted to demonstrate how the Karcher WD4 removed liquid. To do this, I took it into the yard and challenged it with the removal of rainwater from my kids' sandpit, which is more used to holding 200lbs of play sand, rather than rainwater. I figured that it would be a big help to remove and contain the rainwater prior to emptying, rather than to flood the patio and make it wet for play.

When removing liquids with the WD4, you'll need to remove the bag by lifting off the top of the canister and removing it. For the purpose of the test, I also removed the floorhead, although the floorhead is suitable for use on liquids because it doesn't have any bristles.

All the liquid was quickly removed and contained in the 5.3-gallon container. When I turned off the appliance, water ran back down the suction tubes that were being held in by the strong suction. This is a testament to the powerful suction and versatility.

Test 4: Attachments

The Karcher WD4 wet-dry vacuum only comes with one attachment other than the floorhead, and that is the crevice tool. This tool is suitable for targeting the vacuum suction. However, this would get seldom used if the WD4 is going to be used as an outdoor vacuum (porch, shed, and patio). It'll be better used to help clean the car, although I find it easier with a cordless vacuum cleaner.

I've also tested the WD4 in our grubby porch, which was shamefully littered with debris such as dirt, old receipts, cobwebs, and even Christmas tree branches. It's one of those jobs that I didn't want my household vacuum to clean, so I'm glad I had the WD4 around.

The only item it struggled to lift was a scrunched-up piece of tissue because it was larger than the diameter of the hose. Everything else was removed and banished into the 5.3-gallon bag in the container.

I then thought it would be prudent to try out the "blower" function. To do this, I dropped some old, damp compost on the patio in the yard. The WD4 had enough power to propel it in an onwards direction, and in any direction I wanted it to go. I imagine that this function would also be great for blowing away leaves, but this test will need to wait until fall, when the leaves are off the trees.

Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner: Setup and Maintenance

As a large appliance, the Karcher WD4 arrived in a big and heavy box. The box doesn't have handles either. To move it I managed to get my arms around it to lift but I imagine that, for some, it may be too difficult to move without some help.

The WD4 arrived as a complete kit, packaged using cardboard to secure each part inside the box and plastic bags around each part. I don't think that the use of plastic bags was necessary because with cardboard packaging securing it all within the box, there was no risk of movement and, therefore, no risk of damage.

Inside the box is: the main unit (WD4), a 7.5 ft. (2.2m) suction hose, (2x) 1.8 ft. (0.5m) suction tubes, hand nozzle, crevice nozzle, a wet/dry floor nozzle, an automotive-style pleated filter, and a fleece filter bag.

It also comes with some instructions, as with all Karcher instructions, I really struggled to read them. Fortunately, as all the parts were laid out, it was obvious how it all fitted together using no more than just a few essential DIY skills.

To set it up, I attached the suction hose, connected the suction tubes to the hose and hand nozzle, installed the fleece filter bag, and popped on the four caster wheels. The pleated filter was already in place. This took no longer than five minutes.

The fleece filter bags can hold up to 53 gallons of debris. How often you replace it will depend on the type of dry debris that you're removing, or if you end up cleaning more damp dirt than dry. Replacement bags can be bought from Amazon for $16.19 (pack of 4), which can be attached by simply opening the bag and placing it inside the vacuum.

When removing liquids, this will need to be poured away – ideally wheeled over to a drain because the size and weight of it is difficult to lift, and you may not want the dirty liquid poured down a sink plug inside the home.

Over time, a cleaning tip that I would recommend is to wipe each part of the WD4 to keep it in a good working order. The top-mounted filter may also begin to perish and become damaged, so you'll need to replace it with a new one ($22.99, Karcher.com).

How Does the Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner Compare?

The Karcher WD4 wet and dry vacuum cleaner is one of eight in the category from this German brand, and it's positioned in the middle of the range. For example, it has a greater capacity than the WD3 (17L) yet smaller capacity than the WD5 P (25L). The price of Karcher wet dry vacuum cleaners ranges from $89.99 to $349.99, and the WD4 is marked up as bang in the middle of this range with a price of $199.99.

I've found that the Karcher WD5 P wet and dry vacuum cleaner is generally more robust than the WD4 with sturdier onboard storage; one button to remove the top mount (rather than two clips at the side) and a stronger, fold-down handle. While it has the same 1100W motor as the WD4, it can pack away more debris, so it's made for bigger projects. This one costs $249.99 and, for the money, it must be said that I feel a lot more confident with it.

I appreciate that not everyone would be looking to have a wet-dry vacuum as big as these Karchers. If you're after a wet-dry vacuum that is perhaps more portable, then I'd be looking at the Shark Messmaster Portable Wet/Dry Vacuum.

This retails for around $100, and our reviewer, Camryn Rabideau, found that it’s a powerful and versatile cleaning tool that can be used all around your home. It had no problem sucking up spider webs, debris under car seats, and even spilled milk, and unlike a full-size shop vac, this model is quick and easy to clean. Plus, it’s compact enough to tuck into a closet when it’s not in use, so it’s ideal for anyone who has limited storage space in their home.

Alternatively, the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua Wet-to-Dry Vacuum (LINK WHEN LIVE) more closely resembles a cordless vacuum, so it's more portable and versatile, and it handles pet hair on both carpet and hard floors. Our reviewer, Victoria Woollaston, found that 'it's an impressive multitasker that delivers on its core promise of being a full-power cordless vacuum and floor washer in one.' The Z30 also has a self-cleaning station, but it costs around $470, which puts the Karchers' indoor and outdoor versatility back into perspective.

How We Test Vacuums

At Homes & Gardens, we have a dedicated and thorough procedure of how we test vacuums so we can get a like-for-like comparison between models, and to make sure we're recreating real-life circumstances.

I tested the Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner as and when it was required over a two-week period. It was used on hard flooring (laminate and tiles), liquids and solids, indoors and outdoors. In addition to running all three standardized tests – flour and sugar; lentils and cereal; hair – I used it to clean the grubby porch and moss-heavy patio, and to remove water from the kids' sandpit. This included removing leaves, dried mud, bits of Christmas tree, and moss fallen from the roof. I then recorded how noisy it was using the DecibelX app.

This gave me the complete picture of how this wet-dry vacuum would perform in real conditions, rather than a single test session, including the practicalities of cleaning and storage, and its overall condition after the two weeks of testing.

If you're sold on getting the Karcher WD4 Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner then it would be wise to know about the things that you can clean with a wet dry vacuum. However, if you only need a vacuum cleaner for removing solely dry debris then check out these best vacuum cleaners for pet hair which are equally as good; just a different gig.

After a month of use, the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua is the closest thing I've tested to a vacuum that can (nearly) do it all. It clears debris well, mops properly, and the self-cleaning station means you rarely, if ever, have to touch a dirty brush head.

The anti-tangle brush roller came through a month of cleaning up after a shedding Labrador without needing a single manual hair removal. The LED lighting on the dry head consistently revealed dust I would have missed, and the wet cleaning head dealt with the kind of sticky, dried-on kitchen mess that most other wet-to-dry vacuums struggle with.

With the Z30, you're getting what is effectively two of the best vacuums and floor care appliances in one. Buying a comparable cordless stick vacuum and a decent floor washer separately would cost much more. Plus, for homes with a mix of floors and carpet – especially with pets – it's a hard combination to beat at this price.

My One-Minute Verdict

Dreame has spent the last couple of years making vacuums that look and perform a lot like Dyson's, usually for a lot less money. The Z30 Pro Aqua is something a tad more ambitious – a premium, full-power cordless stick vacuum that also mops the floor and has a self-cleaning base.

If wet cleaning isn't something you need and your home is mostly hard floors, the $649.99 / £399.99 Dreame H15 Pro offers better wet cleaning coverage for less money as a dedicated floor washer.

For homes that are mostly carpet and don't need wet cleaning, the $849.99 / £649.99 Dyson V15 Detect remains the best dry cordless I've tested.

Or if you want the Z30 Pro Aqua's suction without the wet cleaning, the standard Dreame Z30 is $599.99 / £299.99 and does an excellent job for considerably less.

Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua Specifications

Design and Features

Inside the box are two dedicated floor heads – the TangleCut multi-surface brush for dry cleaning, and the AquaCycle 2.0 wet cleaning brush – along with the self-cleaning charging station, a bendable extension rod, a crevice nozzle, a wide fluff tool, and a soft dusting brush.

Each of the attachments has dedicated storage ports on the base and clicks and locks into place.

Inside the dry floor head is a motorized brush roller fitted with a pair of internal cutting blades that slice through hair as it wraps around the roller. This is a more effective, albeit slightly aggressive, approach to the hair problem than the plastic combs on most anti-tangle brush rollers that just catch the hair, but don't cut it.

Once cut, the smaller strands can then more easily be sucked into the dustbin, and this leaves the brush roller much cleaner for longer than other vacuums I've tested. This is a real benefit if you live with pets or anyone with long hair.

Elsewhere on the dry floor head, a row of LEDs set at 140 degrees light up the floor ahead, making fine dust, pet dander, and crumbs more visible, especially on hardwood and stone floors where debris can easily be missed.

The second floor head is the wet cleaning brush, and this is where the Z30 Pro Aqua earns its name. Rather than a simple damp pad that smears water around, this runs a four-stage process:

• Water is sprayed onto the floor through eight nozzles
• The spinning roller scrubs the surface
• A wiper blade scrapes dirty water away
• Suction pulls the residue into a dirty-water tank

The two tanks – 13.5 fl oz (400ml) of clean water and 10.8 fl oz (320ml) for dirty – are kept separate throughout.

The extension rod is another feather in the cap for the Z30 Pro Aqua. Press a release button, and it bends up to 90 degrees, letting you angle the floor head almost parallel to the floor to get under low sofas and beds.

Combined with the wet brush's 180° lie-flat swivel, you can reach spaces that would typically be off-limits to a regular vacuum. It sounds like a minor detail, but in practice, particularly in homes with low-slung furniture, it's the kind of thing you'll appreciate every time you clean.

Where Dyson typically leans into bold colors and visible cyclone hardware, Dreame has gone for a more muted design with the Z30 Pro Aqua. The base, its three attachments, and both wet and dry floor heads are made of black plastic. The extension stick comes in the Dreame-branded gold and there are smaller, gold accents across the main body of the floor heads, too. The brush rollers themselves then have geometric purple, yellow, and black patterns.

Overall, this aesthetic makes the Z30 Pro Aqua look more premium than it is and means it will blend in with most home styles. The build quality is similarly solid and premium, and at 45in (115cm) tall, it's a standard size. Even if this does mean you need to store it somewhere with enough height for the stick, and enough floor space for the base.

Speaking of the base, this is the main feature that separates the Z30 Pro Aqua from conventional cordless vacuums. In addition to being a charging station, when you park the vacuum on the base after a wet-cleaning session, it automatically flushes the roller with fresh water. It then blows 70°C hot air through it for 30 minutes.

Power on the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua is managed across three modes: Eco, Auto, and Turbo. All of which are shown on the handle's built-in LCD. The LCD also shows battery percentage and a real-time readout of particulate matter type and quantity.

Turbo mode delivers maximum suction, and Eco extends runtime but is better suited to light maintenance cleans than deep cleaning. In Auto mode, sensors detect how much dust and debris is being picked up to continuously adjust suction power to match. For instance, it will increase power on a thick rug or a concentrated patch of dirt and then pull back on a bare floor.

Filtration runs through five layers, finishing with a HEPA H14 filter that captures 99.99% of particles down to 0.1µm. This is the level at which bacteria and viruses become relevant and is the same filtration standard you'd find on the Dyson Gen5Detect, which we have also reviewed and rated to be a 5-star appliance.

What Is the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua Like to Use?

When you pick up the Z30 Pro Aqua, the first thing you notice is how heavy it is. At 4.9lbs / 2.2kg, it's on the bulkier side for a cordless stick vacuum, but it's not uncomfortable to use.

The handle sits at a comfortable height, and the controls – a power button, suction mode switch, and dust cap release – are all within easy reach. Swapping between the two floor heads is relatively straightforward; the weight and bulk of the vacuum make it slightly awkward, but it's a quick job.

I'd prefer if just one floor head handled both types of cleans, in the way the best robot vacuums offer vacuuming and mopping together, but this is a minor complaint.

On the flip side, I like that both floor heads have been more precisely engineered to do one thing well, rather than trying to be a Jack of all trades.

Auto mode is where the vacuum spends most of its time in normal use, and the dirt detection does make a difference. You can hear and feel the suction change as it crosses from a hard floor onto a rug.

This takes some getting used to, and the automatic changes in suction (and thus noise) can be irritating. It also took me a while to trust that it was adjusting the suction correctly, which made the fact that I could see a real-time readout of what was being picked up on the built-in LCD another surprisingly useful feature.

In terms of battery life, Dreame's claim of 90 minutes on Eco mode fell short during my tests. In real-world use, I managed an average of 50 minutes on Eco, which is significantly less than the brand's numbers. In Auto mode, it was closer to 30–40 minutes. Turbo drains the battery considerably faster (in around 15-20 minutes) and, as such, is best used in short bursts for stubborn areas rather than as a default mode.

These Auto mode times were enough for a single, basic run of my medium-sized home, and based on how often I vacuum, which averages three to four times a week, this was plenty for me and my needs.

For the times I wanted a deeper clean, after we'd had friends over or when my brown Labrador had made a mess, I had to recharge mid-clean, which was annoying, but also is standard for many cordless vacuum batteries. I deliberately own an upright, corded vacuum for such scenarios where longer cleaning sessions at higher power are required.

On hard floors, the TangleCut dry brush head glides smoothly and quietly, with none of the scraping sounds you sometimes get from motorized heads on stone or tile. The LED lighting is a feature that sounds cosmetic but proves its worth on hardwood or stone.

You'll almost certainly find yourself cleaning areas you thought were already clean, or going back over areas to pick up missed pet hair, once you see what the light reveals. After two weeks of cleaning sessions, the brush roller still looks largely clean, which is not something I can normally say in my home.

Switching to wet cleaning mode is where the Z30 Pro Aqua really differentiates itself. Setting up the water tank takes under a minute, and once running, the AquaCycle 2.0 wet brush leaves hard floors much cleaner than a dry pass alone. It's particularly good at tackling the kind of dried-on stains around the stove, droplets from the coffee machine, or sticky patches near the sink that even the mopping feature of robovacuums often struggles with.

I also loved the fact the base deals with all the hassle that typically comes from wet cleaning. It's one of those features that have been standard on robo vacuums – including the brilliant Dreame Aqua 10 – for a while and is one you'll soon wonder how you ever did without. You never have to handle a wet, dirty brush head directly or deal with damp smells. It also stops mold and bacteria from forming between cleans and both are genuine quality-of-life improvements. The only thing you need to remember is to top-up/empty the tanks.

On a full tank, I managed an average of 40 minutes of wet cleaning. In theory, few people will need (or want) to be cleaning their floors for 40 minutes but it's impressive nonetheless. Obviously if the floors are particularly dirty or you have a house full of hardwood floors, you may need to top the tank back up mid-clean.

In terms of noise, it runs at around 91dB on Turbo and 61dB on Eco. It's loud in the way that most high-powered cordless vacuums are loud, but on Auto and Eco it's perfectly manageable for everyday use and you can easily hear a podcast playing, or your child shouting at you from another room.

Test 1: Flour and Sugar

For this test I used half a cup of flour and sugar spread across carpet, hardwood and laminate, covering enough ground to clearly see where the vacuum had been.

Flour and sugar are good stand-ins for the kind of fine mess that builds up on floors day to day: flour behaves like dust and dead skin, sugar's closer to the sticky, granular debris that tends to gather around kitchen counters and dining tables.

Flour is also a good visual indicator because you can immediately see what's been picked up and what's been left behind, and whether any has worked its way into the brush roll.

On carpet, the Z30 Pro Aqua was excellent. One pass was all it took to clear everything, with Auto mode kicking up the suction as soon as it hit the debris. Nothing was left behind and nothing got stuck in the brush.

On hard floors the fine flour and sugar were handled well on both laminate and hardwood, although it took a couple of passes to clear it all fully. The blue light that shines from the floor head came in handy here as it revealed what had been left behind.

Across all floor types, no flour was caked onto the brush roll, which is something that tripped up a lot of motorized heads I've tested.

Test 2: Pantry

For this test I used half a cup of cereal and red lentils spread across carpet, hardwood and laminate. Cereal mimics the kind of larger debris, like pasta or rice that you'd find on a kitchen floor after a spill, while the lentils are smaller and denser, with a habit of sticking to hard floors and rolling away from the suction path.

On carpet, like with the flour and sugar tests, the Z30 Pro did a great job. The brush roller drove everything into the suction path and both the cereal and lentils were cleared in a pass or two without any fuss.

On hard floors, it was more of a mixed bag. The lentils came up well on both laminate and hardwood; a few got flung around, but on the whole, the head passed over them easily. The cereal was trickier. On laminate, the brush head pushed the larger pieces forward and into corners rather than picking them up, so you end up chasing the mess a bit.

So much so, the only way to get rid of it all was to swap the dry floor head and the crevice nozzle. On hardwood, it was even worse, with pieces scattering away from the head more easily. Slowing down and working in shorter strokes helps, but it does take more effort than you'd want on what should be a quick kitchen clean-up.

It's worth saying this isn't unusual for a powerful motorized head on hard floors. The Dyson Gen5 Detect performs in a similar way, but it's something to be aware of if your home is mostly hard flooring and you're regularly dealing with larger debris.

Test 3: Pet Hair

We have a chocolate Labrador, and while labs aren't the heaviest shedders, compared to something like a Husky or a Golden Retriever, her short, fine hairs have a way of working themselves into carpet fibers and corners, which can make it trickier to keep the house clean with pets. You can't see these hairs easily day-to-day, but when you're building LEGO with the kids or setting up a board game on the floor, they're very noticeable.

I tested the Z30 Pro Aqua's performance on pet hair on both carpet and hard floors. In Eco mode, it made very little difference. The lower suction didn't even pull the hairs up from the lino, let alone from deep in the carpet.

Switching to Turbo made a major difference, and on both carpet and hard floors, Turbo mode cleared the hair more effectively than even my upright, corded vacuum does, leaving very little behind and making it a strong contender for our best vacuum for pet hair guide.

Crucially, the TangleCut dual-blade design stayed clean and free of hair throughout, with no need to stop and pull hair out any of it by hand.

The Attachments

In addition to the two floor heads and stick, the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua comes with three attachments as standard:

• Crevice nozzle: A narrow, angled tool for tight spaces between sofa cushions, along baseboards, inside car door pockets, and around radiators.
• Wide fluff tool: A broad, soft-bristled head for more delicate surfaces like upholstery, curtains, mattresses, and lampshades.
• Soft dusting brush: A smaller brush for surfaces that need light attention rather than suction: shelves, blinds, keyboards, and other areas where you want to collect dust rather than scatter it.

Each one clicks and locks into place on the base, meaning they won't fall off or get lost. Getting them aligned takes a bit of trial and error, but once you've got it down, it's genuinely fast to switch between them mid-clean.

The crevice nozzle was the standout for me. It helped me clear all of the large debris that was flung into the corners of my kitchen following my tests. The angled end means it fits into even awkward spaces and pulls the debris up cleanly in a single pass. It's the attachment I reached for most often, and it's particularly good for baseboards.

The wide fluff tool does a decent job on upholstery and softer surfaces where you don't want a motorized brush roll making contact. It's gentler than it looks and picks up surface dust and pet hair from sofas and cushions without being too aggressive on the fabric. It's not an attachment you'll use every time, but it is useful when you need it.

The soft dusting brush is the most niche of the three. It's best suited to shelves, blinds, and surfaces that need a light touch rather than serious suction, and it works best on Eco mode. Even then, though, it's easy to accidentally vacuum up Lego pieces, and I'd love for the Z30 Pro to recognize when the dusting brush is attached and drop the suction down to a minimum.

Setup and Maintenance

The Z30 Pro Aqua isn't a small piece of kit and extends to its packaging. It arrives in a huge box that is primarily packed with cardboard and minimal plastic. Everything inside is then separated by molded cardboard inserts rather than foam.

Inside the box is the vacuum body, the TangleCut dry floor head, the AquaCycle 2.0 wet cleaning floor head, the self-cleaning charging station, the bendable extension rod, a crevice nozzle, a wide fluff tool, a soft dusting brush, and the power cable.

Assembly of all this kit minimal. The extension rod clicks into the vacuum body, one floor head clicks onto the bottom of the rod and the other slots into the dedicated floor head storage slot in base. The other storage slots on the base are for the different attachments and you can choose to distribute those as you like.

The charging connection is on the back of the extension rod, so you need to make sure that's correctly lined up with the connectors on the base before parking the vacuum. The docking mechanism itself uses a small hook that you push in to release and push back to lock. It's simple enough once you know it's there, but it's also easy to knock accidentally. This can cause the vacuum to release unexpectedly (and land on your head while you're adjusting the location of the base...) It also means it needs extra space around the entire unit in order to use this feature.

Once all the pieces are in place, the charging station plugs into the wall. The cord is short which doesn't leave many options when it comes to positioning. Dreame then recommends charging fully before first use. The manual claims this takes around four hours but during our setup it was closer to two. You can also see the current battery level on the LCD display, and the station's self-cleaning button lights up blue when it's powered on and charging.

The charging station handles the part of wet vacuum maintenance that I usually dread. After a wet cleaning session, it automatically cleans and dries the brush roller with zero intervention other than placing the vacuum on the base. The only thing you have to remember occasionally is to top up and empty the clean and dirty water tanks as needed.

After a dry vacuum session, you empty the dust bin by pressing a button on the main vacuum body to release the cap. This was one of my surprise favorite features. I find emptying the bagless bin on Dyson vacuums unnecessarily fiddly, and being able to do it largely one-handed on the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua was, well, a dream.

For deeper cleaning, most of the Z30 Pro Aqua's components are washable. The dust cup, the AquaCycle 2.0 brush roller, the clean and dirty water tanks, and the pre-filter can all be rinsed under water.

The HEPA H14 filter is also washable. Dreame recommends cleaning it every month and allowing it to air dry for at least 24 hours before reinstalling, which means it's worth having a cleaning day routine where the filter wash happens at the start so it's dry by the time you're done. The filter is a lifetime component rather than a consumable, so there's no ongoing replacement cost.

The parts that need more careful handling are the motorized components, such as the TangleCut brush head's blades, and the vacuum body itself, which you can wipe down with a cloth. To clean the brush roller, press the release button to remove it, cut away any remaining hair, and wipe with a cloth.

Given that the TangleCut blades are actively cutting hair during use, the amount of manual hair you'll have to remove will be minimal. I didn't have to clear or clean it once during my month-long test, although I chose to take it off and clean it for hygiene purposes.

One point worth noting: the vacuum can only be charged with the AquaCycle 2.0 wet brush attached. The connectors on the rod can't reach the charging port on the base with the dry brush head attached. This means you can't simply park the vacuum on the base mid-session with the dry brush head attached and expect it to charge.

How Does the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua Compare?

The most natural comparison for the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua is the H15 Pro from Dreame's own wet-dry lineup. The $649.99 / £399.99 H15 Pro is a dedicated floor washer with 21,000Pa suction, a self-cleaning base with 100°C hot water wash, and a clever AI robotic arm that edges right up to skirting boards.

Where the H15 Pro has the advantage is in pure wet cleaning coverage – 60 minutes in floor washing mode covering up to 400m2 versus the Z30 Pro Aqua's 45 minutes and 290m2. The trade-off is that the H15 Pro is exclusively a floor washer. It can pick up dry debris, but it isn't a full-power cordless stick vacuum like the Z30 Pro Aqua.

The closest rival from outside Dreame is the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro, which retails for $799.99 / £599.99. Like the Z30 Pro Aqua, it combines vacuuming and mopping in one with smart dirt detection that automatically adjusts suction power and water flow. It also deodorizes.

If your home is mainly hard flooring and wet cleaning is your priority, the H15 Pro is worth considering, but if you want a single machine that genuinely replaces both your vacuum and your mop, the Z30 Pro Aqua makes a stronger case.

How We Test Vacuums

At Homes & Gardens, we standardize how we test vacuums so we can get a like-for-like comparison between models, and to make sure we're recreating real-life circumstances.

I tested the Dreame Z30 Pro Aqua for a month in my home, across carpet, hardwood, and laminate. In addition to running all three standardized tests – flour and sugar; lentils and cereal; pet hair – I used it for everyday cleaning throughout. This included picking up after Maisie, my chocolate Lab, tackling the kitchen floor after cooking, and using the wet cleaning function on the hard floors throughout the house. I then tracked how noisy it was using the DecibelX app.

This gave me a much more complete picture of how the vacuum performs in real conditions than a single test session would, including how the self-cleaning station holds up over repeated wet cleaning sessions and how the brush roll fares after weeks of regular use rather than just a single controlled test.

Overall, this would make one of the best Dyson alternatives, and is a worthy contender for versatile floor care. It is worth noting that if you have a lot of hard flooring, the water tank will need a top-up mid-session.

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After weeks spent reviewing the Beosound Premiere, a $4,700 Bang & Olufsen offering, I can confirm that if you're after the best possible sound from a single bar, this is the one to choose. It also makes for a real audio statement for your home.

Testing it against our standardised list of films, TV scenes, and songs, the question isn't whether it sounds good. It's whether it sounds almost $5,000 good.

Here's how it stacked up against the best soundbars on the market.

My One-Minute Verdict

The Beosound Premiere is one of the most sonically standout soundbars I've ever tested, which is somewhat of a relief given its high price.

It has a 7.1.4 channel configuration, which means it has seven main speakers, one subwoofer channel, and four up-firing speakers. This bounces sound off your ceiling in a way that creates genuine height and makes whatever you're listening to feel truly surround and immersive.

Dialogue is crisp, action scenes have weight, and music sounds full and spatially rich in a way that few single soundbars can match. This is undoubtedly because of B&O's Wide Stage technology that uses beam-forming to create the illusion of speakers beyond the bar itself.

Physical setup is simple – it's essentially plug-and-play via HDMI eARC – even if the boxes are surprisingly heavy and awkward. Sadly, the digital experience didn't match. The B&O app looks the part but ultimately feels clunky, especially when switching between inputs. There's also no remote control in the box.

The assumption is that you'll just use the app as the control, but when the app falls short, the whole experience falls short, and at this price, it's disappointing. There is, however, a separate Beoremote One that you can add to your setup for $400.

Elsewhere, the design is most definitely an acquired taste. Up close, the natural aluminium and workmanship are beautiful and bold, but from afar, it borders on imposing and industrial. It's also oversized. For some people, this will be exactly what they want and expect from a statement piece, for others (me included), it's too much.

Room-filling sound won't come from a small and subtle speaker, but if you want something slightly less expensive with similarly impressive performance, the $1,099 Sonos Arc Ultra, which delivers exceptional surround sound at a lower price point, and the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar, which offers hyper-realistic surround sound and a similarly sleek design for around $899.

Beosound Premiere: Specifications

Beosound Premiere: Setup

There is nothing small or subtle about the Beosound Premiere. Not only is the box so heavy I couldn't lift it on my own – something to bear in mind if you live in an upstairs apartment or similar – but its length makes it awkward to open and navigate. The wooden cover we were sent with our review sample came in a box of its own, too, to add to the packaging and bulk.

Once you get inside, however, unboxing is both easy and luxurious. There's no plastic anywhere, making it a sustainable design choice. Everything is sleek, considered, and presented in soft material bags in a way that feels entirely in keeping with the high price tag. Inside you'll find the soundbar, an HDMI cable, a LAN cable, a mains cable, and a polishing cloth.

I didn't have space to mount the soundbar below my TV, which experts claim is the best soundbar placement, but everything I would have needed for mounting is also in the box, including the brackets, a drilling template, and a hex screwdriver. Just bear in mind that the soundbar weighs 18.7lbs (8.5kg), so it's unlikely to be a one-person job. You'll also need to make sure your wall can take this weight.

The Beosound Premiere connects to your TV via HDMI eARC, which is the enhanced version of the standard Audio Return Channel. It also means it can handle high-quality audio formats like Dolby Atmos.

Once connected, sound started coming through almost immediately. Having had many soundbars, particularly from Samsung, in the past, which required some fiddly selecting of sources and so on, the ease with which the Premiere was installed was a highlight.

The B&O app then guides you through what's called a Room Compensation calibration. As part of this, the soundbar emits a series of tones to analyse the acoustics of your space and optimise the sound accordingly. This only took a few minutes and led to truly immersive sound.

The one thing missing from the box is a remote control. B&O assumes most users will control everything through the app or the touch strip along the top of the bar. This works well enough (albeit far from brilliantly) day-to-day, but for almost $5,000, the absence feels like an oversight.

You can buy B&O's Beoremote One separately, but it'll cost you an additional $450 (£400) on top of what you've already paid.

In total, setup took no longer than 10 minutes and most of that was the calibration stage.

Beosound Premiere: Design and Features

I've tested dozens of soundbars in my time, and the Beosound Premiere is one of the most striking I've ever had in my living room. Made from pure aluminium and said to have been precision-formed at B&O's Factory 5 in Struer, Denmark, it's definitely not designed to blend in.

The natural aluminium finish has a matte satin quality that catches light without being distracting. It's available in Gold Tone and Black Anthracite; I tested the latter, which blended perfectly against my integrated TV stand. Each finish can be paired with an optional oak or grey fabric speaker cover (sold separately), meaning there's scope to match it to your interior rather than working around it. More on that below.

The design and shape are bold at best; industrial at worst. At 36.7in wide and 6.7in tall, it's substantial and will obscure the bottom portion of most TV screens if placed on the same shelf.

The centrally-mounted up-firing driver sits behind an aluminium grille, and LEDs glow softly inside the bar as you adjust the volume or other settings. It's a nice touch, but if you prefer a cleaner look, you can buy an optional oak or fabric grille for anadditional $1,200 and $325, respectively. Alternatively, if you want the sound quality but not this design at all, there are several ways you can hide your soundbar.

Inside, 10 custom speaker drivers are arranged across seven internal channels: Left, centre, and right front-firing drivers, left and right side-firing drivers, and left and right up-firing drivers – all powered by 580 watts of Class D amplification.

That's a serious amount of hardware packed into a single bar, which explains why it's so large. It also explains why, when paired with B&O's proprietary Wide Stage beam-forming technology, the sound is so much wider and taller than you'd expect. This setup creates the impression of multiple speakers and offers one of the most immersive consumer surround sound formats I've seen.

Control is handled primarily through the B&O app, which comes with five pre-defined sound modes, fully customisable EQ settings, and a Room Compensation feature that analyses your space and adjusts the sound to suit. On face value, this app looks clean and well-designed, but the problem is using it day-to-day.

Switching between your TV audio and a streaming source like TIDAL or Spotify requires more steps than it should, and some controls are buried in locations that aren't obvious until you've spent time hunting for them.

For a soundbar you're operating primarily through an app, that friction adds up. It doesn't matter how good the tools are if you can't find them.

If you want to avoid the app or reduce how much you use it, a touch strip along the top of the bar handles volume, playback, and input switching in a much more intuitive way, and is enough control for daily use. It's also worth noting that there's no support for smart home assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant built in, which feels like an oversight for such an expensive appliance and would have been another welcome alternative to the app.

If your living room ideas lean toward the minimal or traditional, this bar makes a strong statement that not everyone will want. But if you're the kind of person who treats a beautiful object as a design feature in its own right – and who wants it to also deliver Dolby Atmos 7.1.4, 580 watts of amplification, and the full range of streaming services – the Premiere will look and feel outstanding.

Beosound Premiere: Sound (TV and Movies)

As soon as you start using the Beosound Premiere, you forgive a lot of design and usability flaws and can see (or more accurately, hear) where all of your money has gone.

The first thing I noticed was the directional audio. During the confrontation between Walt and Hank in Breaking Bad, I could hear exactly where each voice was positioned in the on-screen garage, and the acoustics of the space came through in a way I rarely pick up on other systems.

In fact, there's nuance to the dialogue I wasn't even aware existed, and when Hank lowered his voice, I leaned in as if I was there. There's no muddiness or compression: just two voices rendered so well it's like they're in the room with you, and this is the kind of clarity that makes you realise how much you've been missing on your TV speakers.

That clarity doesn't disappear when things get loud either. Every noise in the New York battle sequence in Avengers: Infinity War, which remains one of the busiest scenes I use for sound testing, was distinct even at its most chaotic. Even the voices. Sounds moved above and around me, so much so that they made me jump on a couple of occasions. B&O's Wide Stage beam-forming earns its keep here in a way that's immediately noticeable.

What impressed me most, though, was how consistently the Beosound Premiere held this performance across very different material. Princess Mononoke couples orchestral music with sudden bursts of action, and the bar handled the contrast well.

For the fight sequences in John Wick: Chapter 2, the bar showed off all the layers with ease. Our Planet then showcased the Premiere's ability to shift from dramatic to intimate within the same scene, and David Attenborough's narration was even more soothing than it normally is, and that's saying something.

For late-night viewing, or once my youngest was in bed in the room above our living space, B&O's Night Mode does a good job of softening bigger sounds while keeping dialogue clear. If that's something your household needs, our guide on using night mode on soundbars is worth a look before your next movie night.

My partner and I have very different opinions on what the optimal volume for our TV is. I prefer it quiet and can hear dialogue well. He prefers everything loud and struggles with voices. The biggest compliment I could give the Beosound Premiere is that throughout every single TV and movie test, we didn't disagree once. The soundbar handled both ends of the spectrum so well and consistently that we were both happy, and I've never been able to say that.

Beosound Premiere: Sound (Music)

I wasn't expecting the Beosound Premiere to be as good at music as it is at TV and movies. Single soundbars often sacrifice one for the other, but this one doesn't.

I started low, with Massive Attack's Angel. The bass sat exactly where it should without bleeding into the midrange, while the subtle use of percussion came through clearly. Daft Punk's Phoenix, which pushed the electronic end harder with kick drums, synth highs, and cymbals, sounded properly separated. None of the ranges collapsed into each other.

Sade's Feel No Pain sits in the midrange almost entirely, and voices on lesser systems can sound thin or slightly nasal when there's nothing dramatic happening around them. Here, Sade's voice came to the front and transformed the whole of my living space with warm music. Similarly, the old, low-fidelity recording of Leonard Cohen's Suzanne was equally charming and true-to-life. The bar didn't flatter it or artificially brighten it. It just played it honestly, which is harder than it sounds.

The treble tests were where I had a small reservation. Robber by The Weather Station exposed a very slight hardness at the top end. Nothing that would stop me listening, but noticeable on material that largely lives up there. Pitch the Baby by Cocteau Twins, which is almost entirely pure treble with electronically altered vocals, confirmed this. The Premiere is exceptional across the bass and midrange, and very good in the highs, but it isn't quite perfect once it gets up there.

For a soundbar that most people will use primarily for TV, the music performance here is a genuine bonus. Like with the encompassing nature of TV and movie audio, the Premiere makes music fill the room, and Adele's Set Fire to the Rain was the best example of this. If you want one system to do everything and are willing to pay for the privilege, the Premiere makes a compelling case for itself.

Next, learn how the best robot vacuums and the best video doorbells we've tested can upgrade your home security and automate chores in your home.

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With higher temperatures, increased pollen levels, and seasonal allergies to contend with in spring and summer, getting a good night's sleep can become difficult for the majority of people.

But, with the Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor, staying informed about your indoor air quality makes it easier than ever to make effective changes to maximise your comfort at home.

Here's why using one is the simplest way to avoid any common air quality mistakes.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Knowing about the things secretly polluting your air is one of the easiest routes to tackling them. That's why we recommend the Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor, which takes the guesswork out of keeping track of your indoor air quality, which, in turn, works to help you sleep better.

This is supported by extensive scientific research, which highlights that even microscopic particulates can impact how well (and how deeply) you sleep, leaving you feeling lethargic come morning.

Fortunately, using the Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor is simple − once up and running, the monitor will send accurate readings on particulate matter, VOCs, carbon monoxide, humidity, and temperature, straight to your phone. The device is also fitted with a handy LED light, which gives you an indication of your current indoor air quality at a glance.

From the app, you can also enable routines to turn your Alexa-enabled devices, such as air purifiers, dehumidifiers, and fans, on and off whenever the indoor air quality changes, to maximize your comfort at home and improve the air quality in your home, even when living in a city.

The more affordable price point is also why our Home Tech Editor, Dan Fauzi, recommends this particular monitor. 'I've seen plenty of air quality monitors,' they say, 'and, while effective, they're also often pretty expensive.

'This pick from Amazon, however, provides straightforward, easy-to-understand, and accurate readings, all for just under $70. It's so useful that it can be paired with your other Alexa-enabled devices, too, which is one of my top tips for setting up a smart home.'

What Shoppers Say

Over 3,000 shoppers agree with home tech pro, Dan, which is reflected in the product's five-star Amazon reviews.

'This little air quality monitor works great and gives me real peace of mind,' reads one recent review. 'It updates quickly, pairs easily with Alexa, and gives a clear breakdown of what’s happening in the room. I use it in my home to keep an eye on the overall air quality, and it’s been very reliable.

'The readings for particulates, VOCs, and humidity all respond fast. When cooking, cleaning, or opening the garage door, the monitor reacts almost instantly. It’s helpful to see exactly what’s causing changes in the air instead of guessing.'

Another deems it a 'powerhouse of useful information,' and continues, 'Setup was easy, and it integrates seamlessly with our Amazon smart thermostat and Alexa devices. I especially like how it helps balance temperature differences between upstairs and downstairs by influencing when the heat actually kicks on − it’s smart without being intrusive.

'The data it provides is clear and easy to understand, and everything syncs smoothly across the Alexa ecosystem. It just works, which is exactly what you want from a smart home device.'

Dan adds one useful piece of advice for getting the most out of your Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor. 'Always pair it with your best air purifier,' they say. 'This is one of the easiest ways to keep your indoor air quality score high. On test, the Shark NeverChange, available at Amazon, performed exceptionally well.'

More to Shop

To truly combat indoor air pollution, you need more than just an air quality monitor. Below, you can shop from a selection of highly-rated picks to work together for the ultimate clean air home.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Meet the Expert

If you're wondering how to keep your indoor air quality clean during a renovation, our expert-led guide has advice on everything you need to know.

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The Sonos Arc is a more affordable alternative to Sonos' newer flagship, boasting high performance and enveloping sound that can help to transform your living room into a movie theater.

A sleek design and 11 speaker drivers make the Sonos Arc a premium upgrade that, during testing, proved to improve dialogue clarity, increase the impact of scenes, and produce pleasantly warm music.

Here's how it sits among the best soundbars that we've vetted at Homes & Gardens.

My One-Minute Summary

The Sonos Arc, available at Amazon, has recently been superseded by the Sonos Arc Ultra, which is our favorite single soundbar on test.

It delivers audio that's rich and warm, with a particular pleasantness to the mids and highs, owed to the eight mid-woofers and three tweeters. It has a wide soundstage that is fantastic for enveloping you in a scene, however the actual direction of each sound is less clear than I expected at this price point.

It also lacks any built-in subwoofer driver, and during bass-heavy songs and tense scenes, this lack of the low-end can absolutely be felt, and would benefit from an external subwoofer, such as the Sonos Sub Mini.

Really, it comes down to your preferences. If you want a loud, warm, and enveloping soundstage, the Sonos Arc is perfect. If you would prefer more bass, I'd recommend the Sonos Arc Ultra. If you're looking for clearer sound direction, I'd recommend the Samsung HW-Q990F. And for exceptional clarity in subtle details, the Bose Smart Ultra is the stand-out choice.

Sonos Arc: Specifications

Sonos Arc: Setup

The setup for the Sonos Arc was minimal. It's plug-and-play, so as soon as I connected the HDMI and power cables, my TV's audio was playing out of the soundbar.

An optical adapter is also included for TVs without ARC/eARC ports.

It arrived in a narrow box with a soft audio wave graphic. No plastic is used in the packaging – instead, the soundbar is protected from scratches by a fabric cover, and everything is held together using cardboard molds, a sustainable design choice.

To add the Sonos Arc to my smart home setup and to be able to adjust the sound settings, I paired it to the Sonos app. I logged in to my Sonos account (creating one takes a couple of minutes), then found the soundbar via Bluetooth, which took fewer than 30 seconds.

Then, the soundbar played an audio pin to pair with my smartphone, then I signed into my Wi-Fi, and it let me label it to the room I was using it. It required a software update, which took around five minutes, during which it showed tips on how to best use the Arc, including setting songs as alarms or setting up TruePlay, which optimizes sound output to your room.

To set up Trueplay, I had to move around the room, waving my arm up and down as the soundbar played loud beeps, using my phone’s microphone to learn how soundwaves interact with the size and acoustics of the room. The process took around three minutes.

In total, setup took no longer than ten minutes, but if you're happy to use the Sonos Arc without customizing the sound, it's ready as soon as you plug in the two cables.

Sonos Arc: Design and Features

The Sonos Arc has a 5.0.2 channel configuration, with three tweeters for high-range frequencies, and eight woofers delivering mid-range frequencies.

It doesn't have a built-in subwoofer for the bass, which is certainly noticeable at times (more on that below), but you can add the external Sonos Sub Mini or Sonos Sub 4 to have a dedicated bass driver.

On the Sonos app, there are options to connect subwoofers and surround speakers, alongside the sound settings. You can adjust the EQ, height, and spatial sound settings, and turn Speech Enhancement, Night Sound, TV Autoplay, and Trueplay on or off.

Trueplay made a huge difference. I watched scenes with and without it, and when turned on, I felt more direction in the sound – nowhere near the quality in the Sonos Arc Ultra, but a notable improvement from before Trueplay was activated.

You can connect to your voice assistant, whether Alexa or Google Home, on the Sonos app, too.

And if, like me, you’re easily distracted by lights, you can turn off the status light on the soundbar. You can also turn the soundbar's touch controls off if you have children or pets who could easily press them by accident.

Sonos Arc: Sound (TV and Movies)

The Sonos Arc brings high sound performance, evident from the rich, often warm sounds that envelop you during scenes. But the lack of a built-in subwoofer is noticeable, with certain moments lacking depth, and layers don't always sound completely separate.

In John Wick Chapter 2, the fight scenes sounded full-bodied. Gunshots carried with both tightness and impact, and the music added subtle tension without overpowering.

But there could be greater depth and clarity. And although I can feel the vibrations during certain loud sounds, the music has a distinct lack of a bass-y undercurrent, and the punches fall flat sometimes. It doesn't have the bass capacity of more premium soundbars, such as the Sonos Arc Ultra or the Samsung HW-Q990F.

During the dialogue-heavy pilot, Arrested Development, I heard a general improvement in liveliness with the music and vocals. Everybody sounded clearer, the background music was easier to notice (and when at the forefront, it carries greater impact). The vocal tones could have had more richness, but it’s useful that they were more legible and richer in tone than what you hear in most TV speakers.

Princess Mononoke demonstrated that the layers could feel more separate. Even with the EQ and height channels adjusted, the dialogue, music, and actions on screen would sound grouped and occasionally muddied. The sound direction was limited, which was surprising at this price; I could hear when sounds were close or far, but less so from left to right. For greater sound direction, I'd recommend the Samsung HW-QS750F or the Bose Smart Ultra.

However, music was rich during uplifting moments, and dark during tense moments, and there was a satisfying roughness to the mystical sound effects that adds textural interest to the movie's most intense scenes.

During The Trial of the Chicago 7, the dialogue was clear – not just louder, but more balanced. The eight mid-woofers work tremendously well to make voices stand out; however, with Speech Enhancement on, voices sounded slightly more muffled.

There was an encompassing sound to the scenes, but again, there was limited sound direction. I also noticed that the volume can go from quiet to loud quite quickly. The volume can become deafeningly loud during intense moments, after having to turn it up to hear quieter dialogue moments before.

Sonos Arc: Sound (Music)

While the Sonos Arc produces music that sounds rich and texturally interesting, it can occasionally fall flat compared to other soundbars of a similar price, such as the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8.

The Sonos Arc sounded best when playing warm, textural songs, such as Four Tet's Three Drums and Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues. Occasionally, the textural layers can muddy together, but they still sound rich and pleasant.

Even during the bass-heavy Phoenix by Daft Punk, the trebles and synth-y bassline were warm, and the percussion was crisp, even if it wasn't as deep as soundbars with subwoofers.

But the lack of a subwoofer was certainly felt during Massive Attack's Angel. Everything in the slow crescendo felt flatter than I'm used to with this track, but it was compensated by clear, floaty highs in the percussion and vocals.

Generally, that is where the Sonos Arc excels. In Sade's Feel No Pain and Matthew Halsall's An Ever Changing View, the pleasant warmth is striking, often compensating for the occasional lack of depth or the muddying of layers during busy moments.

How Does the Sonos Arc Compare?

The Sonos Arc is a premium soundbar, costing $872 at Amazon. It has since been superseded by the Sonos Arc Ultra, which costs $1,099 at Sonos and is our favourite soundbar on test. It has upgraded hardware in every regard, resulting in a sound that is vastly more expansive, detailed, and rich in its multi-directional output.

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 costs $999.99 at Sony and also boasts greater sound direction on test. It wasn't always the clearest, but in general, there was more clarity than the Sonos Arc, especially during layered moments.

For detailed clarity, the Bose Smart Ultra, costing $999 at Bose, is the alternative I would recommend. Its sound balance, sound direction, and clarity in subtle details is among the best we've ever tested.

Next, learn how the best robot vacuums and the best video doorbells we've tested can upgrade your home security and automate chores in your home.

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Cordless vacuum cleaners rarely stand up by themselves, so storing them typically involves leaning against a wall or in a closet, where they topple over at the slightest nudge.

But the Liboer adjustable wall mount at Amazon fixes it, tucking into the handle of your vacuum cleaner, keeping it firm in place and off your floor.

It's compatible with many of the best cordless vacuums, including new and old Dyson and Shark vacuums.

Wall Mount Your Cordless Vacuum to Keep It From Toppling Over

Mounting your vacuum cleaner on your wall prevents it from unnecessarily (and frustratingly) toppling over every time you brush against it.

Cordless vacuums are top-heavy, so unless you're laying it flat, which takes up precious floor or storage space, it will fall over easily. I know this first-hand, as evidenced by the various scrape marks on my walls and the aesthetic damage my best vacuums have sustained over time.

The wall mount is easily installed using a drill and four screws, but if you're a renter and don't have the option to drill holes into your wall, you can also use the included adhesive strips. It's recommended to let it stand for 24 hours before attaching your vacuum.

It has an adjustable dial to accommodate the size of your vacuum model. So whether you have a bulky model such as the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra, or the slim Dyson V12 Detect Slim, the mount can secure it between 1.96 and 2.9 inches.

It also has a silicone cover, so the metal mount is not coming into direct contact with the vacuum cleaner, preventing scratch marks over time.

The Liboer Adjustable Vacuum Wall Mount is available for $9.99 at Amazon.

More to Shop

The Liboer is an affordable, renter-friendly solution for cordless vacuum storage, but there are plenty of alternative options to store your cordless vacuum to prevent it toppling or taking up floor space.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, see which vacuums we ranked after rigorously testing the best Dyson alternatives and the best vacuums for pet hair.

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A cluttered nightstand doesn't inspire a calm environment for sleep, but as someone who listens to music just before and after I wake up, my portable speaker practically lives on mine, alongside all the other overnight essentials.

That's why I was thrilled when I found IKEA's new design-forward KULGLASS Bluetooth speaker lamp, as it will finally clear my mess and free up some space as a two-in-one gem.

Don't let its sculptural beauty fool you: It blends musical functionality seamlessly into your interior, and brings a warm glow that's perfect for bedroom ambiance. So go ahead and declutter your nightstand while simultaneously injecting a pop of color that will bring you joy whenever you look at it.

The IKEA KULGLASS Bluetooth Speaker-Lamp Saves Space by Combining Music and Ambiance

The IKEA KULGLASS is one of those easy purchases that effortlessly maximize your space, and can pair with other IKEA speakers around the house for a more encompassing, home-filling sound.

I'm excited about finally stopping my nightstand from becoming a catchall by combining two essential devices into one warm, stylish piece.

Sound and light affect your home's energy, whether lifting your mood or creating a gentle ambiance in the evening, so it makes sense to bring them together into one device, particularly in small homes where space is tight.

Available in red or dark green, the IKEA KULGLASS has a frosted glass shade that provides a diffused, decorative light, atop a fabric mount that can play music at the touch of a button.

Reviewers praise the good-quality sound considering its low price, and how convenient it is to be able to play music from multiple IKEA speakers at once.

If you have Spotify, the lamp has a Spotify Tap button, which instantly plays your last played track, and can generate music based on your listening history.

It's a stylish way to save space at home, especially in small spaces where every inch of a nightstand or coffee table is precious.

The IKEA KULGLASS is available at IKEA for $129.99.

More to Shop

Here are a few more recommendations to perfect your energy at home and save space on your nightstand and around the house.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, see the IKEA patio lamp that is perfect for spring and more on setting up your smart home.

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Your soundbar is designed to project soundwaves directly towards you – but only if it is positioned at ear level. As TV stands and sofas vary in height, the premium audio experience you paid for can go to waste, and you'll be missing out on extra details and clear audio during movies.

This can easily be solved with a $27.99 wedge stand at Amazon, which can angle that advanced audio towards your ears.

This way, you're hearing every detail that your best soundbar is projecting. From footsteps as characters are approaching, to the hushed tones within each person's voice – don't let high-fidelity audio go to waste.

The Discreet Wedge Stands That Send Every Soundwave to Your Ears

Sound waves travel in a straight line. That's somewhat of a simplification, but it's useful when understanding how soundbars deliver audio to your ears, and how important it is to position them at ear level.

If not, audio can feel somewhat detached from what is happening on the screen. Dialogue can feel muffled, music can sound inauthentic, and sound effects can miss precious details.

And if your soundbar has up-firing speakers, as many of the leading models such as the Sonos Arc Ultra and the Bose Smart Ultra do, you're actively dampening your surround sound experience, as soundwaves are not properly able to reflect off the ceiling towards your ears to create an expansive soundstage.

But positioning your soundbar at ear level is not always possible, unless you are prepared to invest in a new TV stand or a new sofa, which can quickly ramp up your cost, alongside the initial outlay of high-price soundbar.

Instead, these simple wedge stands at Amazon can angle your soundbar so that the audio is sent straight to where you sit. Whether your soundbar is positioned too low or too high, these mounts can optimize the angle, sending the soundwaves in the right direction for the full, fine-tuned sound that your soundbar is designed to deliver.

This will bring that movie-theater experience straight into your home.

More to Shop

Wedge stands are an effective, inexpensive upgrade that will ensure that precious audio details aren't going to waste, by projecting soundwaves directly to where you sit.

But there are other affordable fixes that can improve your soundbar further. Sound quality is a delicate process that can take a tremendous amount of fine-tuning, but with these affordable fixes, you can vastly improve yours.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, learn how to highlight a soundbar to make it a design moment in your living room.

The Sony BRAVIA Theater U wearable speaker offers an exciting alternative to big, booming soundbars. It projects audio upwards from your neck to envelop you in a personalized soundstage that doesn't disturb your household.

I thoroughly enjoyed vetting this wearable speaker across the same setlist of scenes and songs that we test the best soundbars against, and it delivered an impressive performance.

The Sony BRAVIA Theater U is a small, affordable alternative to soundbars that creates an impressive, multi-directional surround sound experience, that's full of warmth and depth, for enjoyable TV sessions without headphone discomfort or noise nuisance for your neighbors or others in your household.

My One-Minute Summary

The Sony BRAVIA Theater U is an impressive audio experience that personalizes an enveloping surround sound experience that's rich in detail, depth, and vibrancy. Movies and TV shows have realistic sound direction and impact, and music sounds warm, rich, and deeply enjoyable.

This is a fantastic alternative to full-sized soundbars for anyone who wants the full movie or music experience without disturbing family members in other rooms or nearby neighbors, and without having to wear headphones that can become uncomfortable for long periods of time. For its low price, it could easily have sounded worse.

It is essentially a portable speaker, though, so it can't be expected to remain silent for other people in the same room. The sound also isn't as 'full' as soundbars or headphones, particularly during busy scenes, as certain elements – notably the dialogue – can sound less authentic when lots of layers are present.

If you're looking for a more 'booming' sound when watching movies and TV shows, the Fire TV Soundbar Plus [at Amazon] is a great alternative at a similar price, and it has night mode for softening loud impacts to help prevent disturbing others. Or, for a more high-fidelity music listening experience, I'd recommend the highly-rated Sony WH-1000XM5 overhead headphones.

Sony BRAVIA Theater U: Specifications

Sony BRAVIA Theater U: Setup

Unlike soundbars that need wiring to your TV, especially systems such as the Samsung HW-Q990F, which need cables around the room, the Sony BRAVIA Theater U simply needs to pair via Bluetooth. Mine was ready to pair instantly, and within a minute, I was listening to music from my phone.

If you're using it to watch TV, make sure to check that yours has Bluetooth connectivity. Otherwise, you'll need an adapter, such as the affordable MiiLink Bluetooth TV adapter at Amazon.

If you want to adjust the sound settings, you will need to download the Sony Sound Connect app. Pairing the device to the app took fewer than five minutes, after being prompted through data permission screens and two device pairing screens.

There’s the option to create or sign in to a Sony account, but this isn't an essential step, as all the features are available without one.

Sony BRAVIA Theater U: Design and Features

The Sony BRAVIA Theater U is comfortable to wear. The bridge gently rests on the back of your neck, and the speakers fall along your collar. It isn’t remotely heavy (only 9.5 oz), and it remained comfortable, without any warmth coming off the device. The longest duration of continuous use during my testing was three hours, which is enough for the majority of films.

The bottom is lightly padded synthetic leather, and you can adjust the bridge so that it molds to your neck more closely, or to angle the speakers more outwards.

The fabric speaker cover is a nice touch and contributes to the overall soft feel and aesthetic, but I do worry about its durability. It is only IPX4 rated, which can protect against splashes, but I'd urge caution when wearing it to not spill drinks.

The fabric cover is similar to what I've seen in the Fire TV Soundbar Plus and the Yamaha True X Bar 40A. Personally, I like the warmth of this aesthetic.

The sound isolation is impressive. It can sound loud and immersive while you’re wearing it, but then if you lift it off your neck and hold it in front of you, it is a lot quieter.

But don’t expect it to be silent. Other people in the room will still be able to hear what you’re playing, almost as if you’re playing music from your phone or a quiet portable speaker. The benefit here is that you will still experience a ‘surround’ sound effect without big speakers that take up space and disturb others.

It’s perfect if you live in an apartment, shared house, or have others in your household, but not if you’re hoping to listen privately to your own movies in a room with others.

There are buttons on the speaker to adjust volume, turn the power on or off, pair via Bluetooth, and mute the microphone.

It’s stereo sound, evident from the fact that I can turn my head left and right and hear different sounds coming through. There are four EQ presets, two options for Custom combinations, and a dedicated one for 'Manual' (swipe through the images below to see how it looks):

Oddly, one preset is called Vocal, and one is called Speech, and they largely sound the same.

The customization available for the Custom and Manual EQ settings surpasses what I've seen in almost every soundbar, even the premium Sonos Arc Ultra. You can adjust five frequencies to plus and minus 10; typically, soundbars only allow you to adjust the bass and treble.

You can connect to two Bluetooth devices at once, ideal for switching between music on your phone and playback on your TV.

You can also set an automatic power-off time to preserve battery. Tapping the power button once lets you know your remaining battery life using a voice prompt.

Sony BRAVIA Theater U: Sound (TV and Movies)

The Sony BRAVIA Theater U delivers a strong, immersive soundstage. It took a little getting used to the sensation of sound coming from beneath my ears rather than projected from the screen, but after 30 minutes, that unfamiliar feeling had disappeared, and it felt as if I had been positioned in the middle of the scenes I was watching.

It isn't as full-bodied or powerful as a full soundbar, but at this size, I would have been surprised if it were. Instead, the experience is smaller but still detailed, with clear sound direction, even if dialogue can occasionally fall flat. I adore the concept, and I'm confident it can be useful for avoiding disturbing sleeping family members or nearby neighbors.

And although I had felt flatness when listening to music (more on that below), everything felt more encompassing during a movie. Naturally, this is where directional sound is most accurately heard, rather than in a song.

There is a gorgeous richness in low-toned voices. I felt it immediately during the opening of Princess Mononoke. And vocals aside, the bass was impressive when building tension.

As you get the slightest vibration on your shoulder (that fortunately isn’t distracting or uncomfortable), it feels like the rumbles that soundbar’s subwoofers are designed for.

Of course, the difference with subwoofers is that the sound is coming from beneath you, but once you become accustomed to it happening on your upper body, this is an effective compromise for personalized surround sound. The sound effects and music all sounded clear and impactful, and there’s a surprising amount of detail.

Even during busy moments, every sound and voice was clear, but the vocals certainly sounded more full-bodied from a full soundbar, like in the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8.

A few minutes into the tense courtroom dialogue of The Trial of the Chicago 7, I almost forgot that I had a speaker around my neck. I could hear the hushed tones within every character’s voice, and it was as if I had been dropped right into the middle of the room, where voices were surrounding me from clear positions in the room.

It didn’t feel like the sound was coming from below me anymore. Nothing was unclear, and I could even make out the subtle background sounds that I hear in premium soundbars like the Bose Smart Ultra, even if they weren’t quite as crisp.

And during Breaking Bad, I appreciated once again how effectively tension is achieved. With the ‘Speech’ EQ setting, this nervous scene between Walt and Hank sounded a bit inauthentic, but when I turned on Bass Booster to complement the male vocals, it sounded deep and resonant. I could hear the characters' breaths as they moved from whispers to shouts.

During action-heavy moments, however, voices can sound weak, as I noticed a stark contrast when listening to dialogue compared to the crashes and thumps of Avengers: Infinity War’s New York battle scene. I could hear the harmonic tones in Dr. Strange’s spells, and deep crunches from the destruction of the environment, but the dialogue never sounded quite natural – although I never struggled to make out what the characters were saying.

There is fantastic dynamic range, though. I noticed early on that if I turned the BRAVIA Theater U up too loud, it hurt my ears, so I was concerned that a whisper-to-explosion scene might pose issues. But it never became too loud during action scenes, and I never had to quickly adjust the volume. This is a common problem that even many of the most premium soundbars haven't overcome.

During Our Planet, Foley, wildlife sounds, narration, and orchestral music sounded wonderful together, but clarity was lost when more layers were present. I also noticed a slight weakness in the trebles – David Attenborough’s voice sounded scratchier than usual when flocks of birds were flapping their wings, but when isolated, his voice felt natural.

Across the board, the sound quality is noticeably (and justifiably) weaker than a full soundbar, but within the context of what this device is, I was impressed by the depth, the detail, and the directional soundstage.

Sony has achieved personalized surround sound that envelops you into the scene, without being heard through walls, keeping the peace with family members and neighbors.

Sony BRAVIA Theater U: Sound (Music)

Overall, the sound quality sits somewhere between a soundbar and a pair of headphones. It’s a nice feeling to be able to walk around with your own personalized music playing, while still being able to hear your surroundings.

I personally love listening to music while cooking, and I enjoy hearing the sounds of food frying and sauce bubbling, but I don’t want to loudly play music for everyone in the house to hear. And as the transparency mode on a pair of headphones sounds glitchy and unpleasant, the BRAVIA Theatre U is the ideal middle ground.

To feel surrounded by a soundstage as if you’re in a room with a soundbar system, and with clear direction, is delightful. I could make out instruments coming from different positions, and it really does feel like the audio is enveloping you, especially during soft moments in songs. But this directional sound also means that, every time you turn your head, some of the sound is lost from one ear – a problem that you wouldn't experience with a full system like the Samsung HW-QS750F.

The sound quality is strong and clear, but compared to both soundbars and headphones, it can sound a little flat, and sometimes tinny. Headphone speakers are tiny (and sound incredibly tinny when you take them off your head), but they work to such great effect because they project audio directly into your ears. On the other hand, soundbars sound so impressive because they’re huge, and pack tremendous hardware to deliver big, expansive sound.

The BRAVIA Theatre U is somewhere in between. It isn’t as booming as a soundbar (and as it’s so close to your head, you wouldn’t want it to be), but it isn’t as fine-tuned as a pair of headphones, so the result is an overall sound quality that is rich, deep and immersive, but a little weak compared to either alternative.

I genuinely don’t know if there is a way around that, though, especially at this price. As a concept, I think Sony has achieved an impressive balance of immersion and individuality. But it’s worth noting that a strong pair of overhead earphones will almost always sound better, and will disturb your neighbors or sleeping family members far less.

I use the hi-fi DALI IO-8 at Amazon, but the Sony WH-1000XM5 is another highly-reviewed option, that only costs $100 more than the BRAVIA Theater U.

If you want to experience the BRAVIA Theater U's directional sound in full, and how immersive it feels when instruments layer in, listen to Robber by The Weather Station. It was impressive to hear it all come together, and to experience a sweeping soundscape along with individual percussive and plucking elements.

What If Nile Rodgers and Fela Kuti Were Friends by All Day Breakfast Cafe is another shining example. Altogether, it sounds warm, harmonic, and everything that you'd hope for in an expansive funk song, and I could still make out the individual tones within the brass instruments, and the slight taps on the cymbals.

If you prefer bass-heavy music, I was pleased by how true-to-form A Tribe Called Quest's Oh My God and Massive Attack's Angel both sounded.

Daft Punk's Phoenix was a little sharp at points (the song has a poignant snare drum and cymbal) but turning the volume down meant that I was still able to feel the impact without hurting my ears. The low synth that comes in around the midpoint was rich, too.

Overall, I'm impressed by what Sony has achieved here. Personalized music that follows you around the house, surrounding you in an enveloping soundscape, all without disturbing anyone in the room next door is endlessly valuable to anyone with neighbors or family members who can easily be disturbed by loud noises, while still being able to feel the full effect of the music that you love.

How Does the Sony BRAVIA Theater U Compare?

The Sony BRAVIA Theater U is a wearable TV speaker, so it can't directly compare to the best soundbars that we've tested. It costs $299.99 at Sony at full price but is often discounted (at the time of writing, it's $199.99), which is around the same cost as a budget-friendly soundbar or high-quality in-ear headphones.

The closest in price is the Fire TV Soundbar Plus, costing $149.99 to $249.99 at Amazon. Naturally, it is more powerful and can generate more impact and thicker bass, but the Sony BRAVIA Theater U's soundscape is more realistic, as the speakers are physically surrounding you.

The Fire TV Soundbar Plus is also larger, so it won't be a suitable option if you're short on space, and although it has a night mode, it is more likely to disturb people in nearby rooms when playing late.

But alternatively, the $399.99 Sony WH-1000XM5, one of the highest-rated over-ear headphones on the market, will likely achieve more precise sound, higher-fidelity music, and extra detail when watching movies and listening to music.

But headphones don't always remain comfortable when listening for hours at a time, so if you're looking for a personalized movie experience, the Sony BRAVIA Theater U is likely a stronger and more affordable choice.

How I Tested the Sony BRAVIA Theater U

I tested the Sony BRAVIA Theater U using a set list of scenes and songs that cover a wide variety of sounds, textures, genres, eras, and frequencies. This set list remains the same across every soundbar we test so that we can compare each model against the same criteria.

Within each listening experience, I adjusted the equalizer settings to experience how the Sony BRAVIA Theater U sounded at its most refined. I also assessed how easy the app is to understand, how intuitive it is, and the audio customization settings available compared to other models.

And importantly, I weigh up this performance against the price, to find out if it's worth the spend, and who it's best suited to.

While you're considering your options, discover how the compact, budget-friendly Sonos Ray or the affordable but powerful Fire TV Soundbar Plus can elevate your home entertainment without disturbing others. I vetted both myself and was pleasantly surprised by their sound at low prices.

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As we hit the first warm stretch of the year and windows stay open later, that sudden jump from a whisper to an explosion from your TV can start testing your neighbors' patience as well as being quite a nuisance when viewing.

With precise, well-engineered sound balance, the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar brought the fix that I have long waited for. Loud action scenes are delivered with impact without blasting out disproportionately loudly, and when transitioning to quiet dialogue, every sound remains clear without you having to constantly be on the remote and turning the volume up and down.

It is one of many reasons why the Bose Smart Ultra is one of the best soundbars we've tested at Homes & Gardens, as its realistic sound and stylish design make it a transformative upgrade for a home entertainment setup that needs to remain considerate of those around.

The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar Fixes the 'Whisper-to-Explosion' TV Volume Struggle

I live in a house of four and have elderly neighbors, so audio becoming too loud is more than a nuisance – it can disturb the peace of those around me. I haven't soundproofed my room, so if an explosion on-screen suddenly bellows through my walls, it's a panic moment as I have to quickly find my TV remote to turn it down.

This anxiety is peaking now that the weather is getting warmer and I'm opening my windows more. I would prefer not to receive a justifiably angry note through the door every time I watch a blockbuster.

Regardless of neighbors, having to feel like the sound can take you by surprise takes away from the experience, and it is not how you create the ideal movie room environment.

Once the movie starts, you should only be reaching for the remote to pause the TV for breaks or snacks, not during points of action and intrigue where you want to feel the most immersed, or during tense, hushed dialogue.

Why This Soundbar Is the Perfect Fix

I have spent more than 50 hours testing 12 soundbars, and the Bose Smart Ultra's well-balanced audio and realistic soundstage stands out above the rest.

Immediately after setting up and running the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar with my set testing list of films, music, and TV shows that I vet these devices with, I noticed its precisely balanced audio.

I was able to catch subtle details that usually get lost on more affordable soundbars. Even when the energy ramped up during action sequences, the audio stayed contained as the loud moments never overshot, and those quiet, intricate details remained perfectly sharp.

The internal hardware creates a pleasant and airy sound – one that still carries depth and impact, but with bass that never overpowers. It also has AI dialogue enhancement, which prevents quiet voices from becoming inaudible, meaning I don't have to raise the volume every time I want to hear a character whisper or when I'm trying to avoid disturbing my partner's peace late at night.

While the Sonos Arc Ultra has stronger bass, and the Samsung HW-Q990F has a 'fuller' sound, the Bose Smart Ultra sounds more precise and delicate.

The true luxury here isn't just the audio quality; it’s no longer having to fumble for the remote after you press play. Now that the season of open windows is here, I can finally finish a movie without worrying about disturbing anyone else or constantly being on volume patrol.

The Bose Smart Ultra is available for $999 at Bose.

More to Shop

Out of every soundbar we've tested, the Bose Smart Ultra solves the 'whisper-to-explosion' struggle more effectively than any other to date. It allows you to feel the full impact of the TV show or movie that you're watching without one loud moment rattling your ears or disturbing neighbors.

But to consider your options further, here are six more winners from our soundbar tests to suit every budget.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, find out how the subwoofer crawl technique will help you perfect your home audio.

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As someone who prioritizes both cinematic immersion and a restful home environment, I have often found myself at a crossroads during late-night viewing.

I almost ruined our bedroom's peace by constantly toggling the volume to balance whispered dialogue with explosive action, a cycle that inevitably led to nightly friction with my partner. That changed when I discovered the specific utility of 'Night Mode', a soundbar setting that has become my non-negotiable for maintaining household harmony.

While I have tested many of the best soundbars on the market, I have realized that the most impressive decibel peaks mean very little if they disrupt your partner’s sleep. The Fire TV Soundbar Plus, that's $189.99 at Amazon, has mastered this balance through sophisticated dynamic range compression.

The Night Mode Feature That Lets You Enjoy Movies Without Disturbing Others

By normalizing the audio, this night function on the Fire TV Soundbar Plus, which I recently vetted, ensures that voices remain crisp and clear while dampening the sudden, jarring swells that typically travel through walls.

It makes this tech upgrade for your home entertainment feel less like a gadget and more like a curated lifestyle fix for the modern home.

Without a dedicated Night Mode, it can feel like late-night movie viewings must either be whisper-quiet with the subtitles on, or loud enough to disturb everyone in the house, with no in-between.

But sophisticated equalizer settings get around this, as Night Mode achieves vocal clarity during lower volumes.

How Night Mode Works

Loud booms like action scenes and explosions are hushed by reducing the output of the subwoofer, which is responsible for projecting the bass and low-end frequencies that make these loud moments boom.

The Fire TV Soundbar Plus has two built-in subwoofers, meaning Night Mode has the dedicated hardware required to make these sound adjustments. Less expensive soundbars like the Sonos Ray don't have subwoofers, so similar functionality is limited in comparison.

Dynamic range compression also helps by reducing the difference between the loudest and quietest noises. The most sophisticated sound systems (like the outstanding Samsung HW-Q990F) have a vast dynamic range, which is why a two-minute movie sequence can go from whisper-quiet to thunderous crashing.

But by compressing this range, that distance is brought closer together, meaning loud moments are far less likely to take you by surprise, and quieter moments are increased so they're clearly audible. You'll no longer have to hold your TV remote in case of quickly having to turn the volume down during an abruptly loud moment.

This raising of quieter sounds is precisely how vocal clarity is maintained. By adjusting the mids and trebles, voices become clearer and effectively highlighted.

Now, I can still enjoy my surround sound soundbar and hear movies and TV shows with rich depth – but without disturbing those around me. I recommend it to anyone who lives with others, has nearby neighbors, or has young children going to bed early in the evening.

The Fire TV Soundbar Plus is discounted to $189.99 at Amazon.

More to Shop

While the Fire TV Soundbar Plus remains one of the most accessible gateways to a dedicated Night Mode –offering impressive textural depth and sonic richness for its price point – it is far from the only solution. For those seeking a more expansive auditory landscape, there are premium alternatives that I have rigorously tested firsthand.

These higher-tier selections do more than just manage volume; they introduce a level of luxurious, room-filling sound and sophisticated secondary features that transform a standard viewing area into a true home cinema.

Below, I have curated a selection of alternatives that represent the best in class for those looking to prioritize both nocturnal peace and uncompromising audio quality.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, learn how to use the subwoofer crawl technique to perfect your home audio.

IKEA has launched a new motion-activated light that can be fixed instantly on any flat surface. No screws, wires, or smart hub are required for this battery-powered and adhesive gem, allowing installation anywhere from bathrooms to dark cabinets and corridors in need of a lighting lift.

The IKEA ANKARLÄGG LED nightlight costs just $3.99. That's less than a morning coffee, and significantly less than the $15 to $30 one would normally expect to pay for a motion-activated LED light. At this affordable price, and coupled with the hassle-free installation, ANKARLÄGG lights can be placed around your home for automated, app-free illumination.

I have been thrilled to see IKEA steadily releasing such devices that seamlessly blend into your smart home setup, while still aligning with the brand's core ethos of affordability and simplicity.

IKEA's New ANKARLÄGGLED Effortlessly Lights the Way at Night

Requiring no wiring, hub, or smartphone app, the ANKARLÄGG nightlight could not be simpler to mount on your wall. Insert your batteries and use the self-adhesive to stick it to any surface, and it will automatically turn on whenever it detects motion within 9.8 feet. It's an easy way to instantly expand your lighting ideas.

For a long time, I have endeavoured to move to automated illumination in my home, but I have been put off by the costs of buying the number needed for the impact I desire. Now that IKEA has launched them at just $3.99 each, I can finally elevate my home.

The simplicity of the design speaks to IKEA's central focus: To make easy-to-use, affordable products that work for the everyday person. I'm a Home Tech Editor and can handle wiring and more complex installs, but the beauty of this device is that no such knowledge is needed for these gentle nightlights to improve your space.

I often see brands overcomplicate new releases or over-engineer products that would otherwise be versatile and useful to all, so it's reassuring to see that IKEA's continued journey into home technology has stayed true to its commitment to simplicity.

Everyday Uses

Place these motion-sensor lights in your bathroom for gentle visibility in the middle of the night, or through entryways and dark corners lacking sockets. You can also use them to illuminate your stairs for better visibility in the late evening. These uses are not only practical, but can also help reduce your energy bills.

At $3.99 – one of the lowest prices for such a device on the market – IKEA has become the most affordable place to bulk-buy motion-activated lights and upgrade your home's most useful lighting ideas at once.

As the ANKARLÄGG device responds to your presence, emitting a soft, dim hue that is bright enough for visibility without startling the eyes, you can create a gentle ambiance at home that adapts to your movements. This immediately adds a sensation of soft luxury to your space.

Smart Triggering Means Minimal Recharging

The devices only turn on in the dark, so precious battery charge won't be wasted as you move throughout your home during the day.

There are countless reasons why smart lighting improves your well-being, but lights that are specifically activated by motion are invaluable in creating a safer home at night. Whether it's when heading upstairs in the evening or during sleepy middle-of-the-night bathroom trips, having automated visibility helps to prevent accidental falls from loose cables and other household obstacles that are easily missed in the dark.

Many of my closest friends, particularly those with limited mobility, have motion-activated lights dotted around the house, and it transforms the space as well as improving user safety. The home becomes easier to live in and more natural to move around, while feeling warmer and calmer.

The added draw is that similar items, including IKEA's new smart sensors, seamlessly blend into your space and work with your existing tech so you can start to upgrade your home's technology without arduous installs, difficulty using, or a separate and expensive hub to connect it.

The IKEA ANKARLÄGG LED nightlight is available for $3.99.

More to Shop

The IKEA ANKARLÄGG is a simple, inexpensive device that elevates how it feels to move around your home. I have curated more simple but effective upgrades that can improve your space without the need for any technical know-how.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, learn how to use color-changing light bulbs to have more impact than decorating.

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Most flagship soundbars promise immersion and that movie-theater-level quality that brings true surround sound to your living room, but the Samsung HW-Q990F delivers the experience more impactfully and vibrantly than I've ever heard.

With the brand's strong reputation for realistic sound and diverse audio textures, I was impressed to find out first-hand that this was not at all overstated. The Samsung HW-Q990F sounds pure in every way, delivering everything from subtle details to room-filling crashes with precision and clarity.

It has instantly become the best soundbar we've tested so far, with its comprehensive 11.1.4 configuration providing an expansive soundstage and meticulous sound balance that, honestly, I found hard to fault.

My One-Minute Summary

The Samsung HW-Q990F is a beautiful showing of what high-quality hardware and meticulous sound balance can produce, bringing you the ultimate at-home listening experience that sounds good across the board, whether you enjoy booming blockbusters, music across the eras, or daytime TV.

That's because the HW-Q990F doesn't just deliver impact. It sounds lush and delicate in floaty songs, it rumbles beneath your feet during booming action, and it produces such subtle details that you can hear the hushed breaths within characters' voices, and even the acoustics of the room they're in.

The subwoofer delivers well-balanced bass, never disproportionately loud or rattly, and with textural variety rather than a simple thump. And the rear speakers are strong and impactful by themselves – which is rare.

You have almost complete control over the EQ settings in the SmartThings app, from the bass and treble volumes to the positioning of your rear speakers. There are also adaptive settings that tailor the sound depending on external noise and the acoustics of your room.

But there's no denying the cost, as its $1,999.99 price makes it easily the most expensive system we've tested to date and at the top of the market range. For something less expensive but still powerful, I'd consider the Samsung HW-QS750F, which costs around $899.99 at Best Buy (and is often discounted by $100-200).

Samsung HW-Q990F: Specification

Samsung HW-Q990F: Setup

The HW-Q990F arrived in a huge box that was so heavy I ended up enlisting my partner's help to carry it upstairs. I could have probably taken it up by myself, but it's worth noting that you may need a hand with this one if you live in an upstairs apartment or are installing it in a bedroom.

The setup was straightforward. Each rear speaker has its own power cable, so I didn't have to weave AC/DC cables behind my setup to connect them to each other. The soundbar and subwoofer also have their own power cables, so you'll need four outlets or an extension cord (like this $16.99 power strip from Amazon).

My subwoofer and rear speakers didn't connect automatically, but after Googling, I learned that all I had to do was hold the up button on the soundbar remote for five seconds. After that, all three speakers connected to the soundbar instantly.

Also, this is likely because my unit was a testing sample that had previously been used, and if buying brand new, yours will almost definitely connect instantly.

Connecting to the app and adding the soundbar to my smart home setup was quick, too. I already had an account (but making one takes a few minutes), and the soundbar was there straight away.

I found the same instant speed when connecting via Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay, and Tidal CONNECT. In fact, when streaming using Wi-Fi services (Apple AirPlay and Tidal CONNECT), I found there to be less of a lag than usual.

The Samsung HW-Q990F is the biggest soundbar we've tested to date. At 48.5 inches wide, you'll need a big TV stand or significant space on your media unit for it, unless you're happy mounting it on your wall. Wall mounts are included with the soundbar, but you'll need a drill for installation.

Samsung HW-Q990F: Design and Features

With an 11.1.4 channel configuration and 23 speaker drivers, the Samsung HW-Q990F packs some of the most advanced hardware available in a consumer surround system. There's a reason it costs up to $1,999.99 at full price at Samsung.

The soundbar has 15 drivers, including tweeters, woofers, and up-firing drivers for a wide and expansive soundstage. That's more than our current best-on-test single soundbar, the Sonos Arc Ultra (costing around $1049 at Sonos), so it should come as no surprise that the bigger and more expensive Samsung HW-Q990F boasts more audio output.

Each rear speaker has three drivers, which is rare. Typically, rear speakers have one driver, or two at most, offering limited audio that creates the sensation of directional sound, but not too much in terms of clarity. I noticed the difference with the HW-Q990F, as these rear speakers carried substantial sound quality by themselves.

The subwoofer also has dual drivers, projecting sound out of either side, with what Samsung calls 'AI-optimized bass' to reduce distortion. I wouldn't be surprised if the term AI is being used generously here, but after hearing it, Samsung has successfully achieved a subwoofer that doesn't rattle or crash disproportionately when things become loud (that is, unless you're turning up the volume super high).

The soundbar is wide, heavy, and has a metallic grille design. This build is great for durability, especially in busy homes with pets or kids, where you wouldn't want a slight mishap to damage such an expensive device, but it isn't the warmest aesthetic to blend into your space. This rugged, industrial design may be a hit with tech lovers, but for more delicately arranged living room spaces, it may stand out.

I've come to love the great amount of sound customization in Samsung soundbars, thanks to the settings available in the SmartThings app:

You can adjust the equalizer (treble and bass), all four channel levels, and set up where your rear speakers are placed so that the sound output is tailored to where you sit.

This control in the rear speakers means that, if they’re positioned directly behind you or at a distance, you can tune it so that they create surround sound without being louder or more distracting than the soundbar and woofer.

There is also a suite of adaptive features. SpaceFit Sound Pro, a setting that adapts the sound to your room's acoustics, somehow doesn't require any tuning or optimizing session. It is either on or off, and I certainly heard a fuller sound when it was turned on, but it was only slight.

Voice enhancement and bass enhancement will highlight vocals or low-ends, respectively (doing the subwoofer crawl will help the bass even more), and you can also activate 'Active Voice Amplifier Pro', which analyzes external noise to adapt the dialogue clarity (this one works very well, and is great for those who often need subtitles).

There are four preset sound modes: Standard, Surround, Game Pro, and Adaptive. I found that almost every time, Surround sounded best, but Adaptive can be useful for those who don't really enjoy playing around with the settings.

In the 'Advanced Sound Settings' screen, there's also a separate Night Mode, which effectively hushes impactful sounds and highlights softer ones, to not disturb neighbors or family members.

Samsung HW-Q990F: Sound (TV and Movies)

Honestly, it was hard to find any faults. It's everything we look for in a sound system: Clarity, impact, full-bodied tones, enveloping surround sound, and realism. I had to play around with the settings a few times to refine the sound (generally, I found that everything sounded better with stronger bass and quieter trebles), but this never took longer than a few moments.

During the opening scenes of Princess Mononoke, the sound quality and balance were truly masterful, and the best I'd heard outside of a movie theater.

The bass tremored beneath me, but never overpowered other details. As the demon broke through the wall in the opening scene, it crashed with full impact, but it didn't take me by surprise or demand I reach for the remote to turn it down (as can often be the case).

This meticulous sound balance also meant that no element was lost in the background music as the scene became busier; it was thunderous and explosive, and I enjoyed feeling my seat vibrate from the subwoofer, without hearing any rattling or distortion. The voices were clear, as was the sound direction during what is an incredibly fast-paced scene. No notes!

During Our Planet, I experienced perhaps one of the clearest projections of David Attenborough’s voice that I’ve heard out of the 13 soundbars I’ve tested, and it didn’t mean that the music, nature scenes, or Foley were lesser because of it. It was true-to-form vocal clarity alongside accurate, engaging, and enveloping scenes of beautiful nature.

I've heard similar clarity in less expensive models, like the Bose Smart Ultra, but to feel such rich impact and this sweeping soundstage, really, paying this premium is the way to go.

John Wick Chapter 2 proved just how well the HW-Q990F can deliver exhilarating cinema. Every element that you look out for in an action sequence – high-impact sound effects, tense music, clear background sound, deep bass, surround sound – was all outstanding.

I genuinely couldn't find a fault. It was engaging, intense, and impactful. I could feel each thump and every gunshot, delivered with precision and superbly balanced. Never too loud, never weak. Delivered exactly how action movies are designed to be felt.

And if you're looking for clear dialogue – so clear that you can hear the tones and breaths within every voice – the Samsung Q990F is for you. The Trial of the Chicago 7 has overlapping dialogue, muddied by noises of creaky chairs being dragged and chatter from background characters, but there wasn’t a shred of confusion. Not once did I feel a need for subtitles or a rewind to catch missed words.

This vocal clarity never came at the sacrifice of environmental sounds, either. During the pilot episode of Arrested Development, when Michael and Lindsey had an aside in a big room, I heard the acoustics of the room with a slight echo and reverberation in their words. This is an element that I barely hear with other soundbars. The music sounded rich and colorful, too, especially after I turned the subwoofer up to +4.

This is some of the most consistently rich sound quality that I've experienced during my soundbar tests. But it's expensive. If you want to achieve something similar without forking out more than a grand, the Samsung HW-QS750F is a strong alternative with a similar setup.

Samsung HW-Q990F: Sound (Music)

With the HW-Q990F, everything from high-fidelity electronic production to scratchy, non-remastered guitar plucking sounded complete. I mean that in the purest sense. I was picking up on details that I never (or rarely) hear; the trebles, mids and lows all sounded gorgeous; and I could hear resonance from deep within vocalists' words.

I tested the Samsung HW-QS990F using our soundbar testing playlist (available on Spotify), on TIDAL using 24-bit 96khz FLAC, or the highest audio formats available for each song.

I started with Playboi Carti's Location, and after going from the punchy, impactful TV and movie scenes, I was pleased to hear a delicate airiness in this track. The high synths were angelic, his voice was clear and almost velvety, and the bass was texturally diverse, rather than a simple thump.

Moving on to Three Drums by Four Tet, I was astounded as it transpired to be one of the richest versions of this song I’ve ever experienced. Airy, harmonic, deep, intricate, articulate – it was everything I love about this track, showing off the amount of time Four Tet had dedicated to making it as high-fidelity as it is. I was impressed with the rear speakers’ bass, too, as usually these tiny speakers don’t pack much impact.

The Weather Station's Robber was a wonderful showing of the spaciousness that this sound system can create, with slight reverberations between each drum hit perceptible. The vocals sounded texturally as if they were floating above the instrumental foundation, not wrapped up as part of it.

However, this song highlighted that music benefits from lower bass, while TV and movies benefit from the bass being turned up. It only takes a few seconds to adjust this in the app.

Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues demonstrated the fine details the HW-Q990F is able to produce, even more than the hyper-realism I have heard in the Bose Smart Ultra and Sonos Arc Ultra. By being able to hear many of the subtler details that aren’t always audible – like the backing vocals, and the whisper-quiet drums and cymbals – this song actually sounded more exciting than it usually does (which is wild, considering how exciting it already is).

It was only when I listened to Erykah Badu's Didn't Cha Know that I heard a little weakness in the sound, which surprised me from such a well-produced song. Overall, it sounded great, but compared to the true clarity and texture I’d heard so far, I was surprised to hear scratchiness in her voice and a slight rattle in the bass.

But this was quickly forgotten once I played Led Zeppelin's Ramble On. Explosive, engaging, harmonious – it was excellent. The bass was a little less precise than I’ve heard elsewhere (like with the Bose Smart Ultra), but that’s not to say it was necessarily bad; the depth was just a bit more drawn out than I'm used to.

The HW-Q990F really excels in texture. An Ever Changing View is one of the best for hearing a wide variety of sounds – cymbals, drums, brass, strings, and metallic percussion – and all of them were delivered as gorgeously as I remember when I saw Matthew Halsall live with a 10-piece band. The pacing and rhythm were on point, too.

And if you're a bass lover, you'll be happy to hear that the HW-Q990F is for you. In Phoenix by Daft Punk, it delivered thumping bass without the woofer rattling or hurting my ears. High fidelity is Daft Punk’s specialty, and this high-end soundbar delivered it flawlessly, especially as the layers started shifting and building. I could hear ever-so-subtle changes in the filter on the drum pattern that, most of the time, are imperceptible.

How Does the Samsung HW-Q990F Compare?

This is the biggest soundbar system we've tested to date, and one of the most expensive consumer soundbars and surround systems on the market. Typically, it costs $1,999.99 at Samsung, though at the time of writing, it's discounted to $1,599.99, evidencing that meaningful discounts are applied against this product from time to time.

If it's still too expensive even when on offer, I'd consider the Samsung HW-QS750F instead. It costs $899.99 at Best Buy (and is often discounted by $100-200), and still consists of a soundbar, subwoofer, and two rear speakers, but with a 5.1.2 configuration, meaning there is significantly less hardware.

The sound quality is a little less rich and expansive, but it still sounds fantastic across the board. There also aren't as many adaptive features, like SpaceFit Sound Pro and Active Voice Amplifier Pro, that automatically improve your sound quality.

If you're looking for the best of the best but don't want to have four big speakers dotted around your room, the Sonos Arc Ultra is the one to go for. I commended it for many of the same reasons – incredible clarity, high impact, realistic surround sound – but of course, it can't match the sensation of a full system. It costs $1,099 at Sonos at full price.

The Bose Smart Ultra is another strong choice, with more of an airy, delicate sound compared to the Sonos and Samsung models, and costs just $999 at Bose at full price.

The Samsung HW-Q990F is a premium, smart, adaptive sound system that will dramatically improve your home entertainment experience. For more smart home upgrades that really add value to how your home functions, consider our best-on-test robot vacuums to automate vital floor cleaning and reclaim time in your week.

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Subwoofers bring tremendous bass to your home entertainment setup, but as they tend to be so big, many try to place them somewhere discreet to avoid distraction from your home's aesthetic.

But actually, doing so can limit your sound system's potential. The subwoofer benefits from being positioned in the ideal place so that the deep, bass-y sound can be felt reverberating to its full effect and envelop you for that at-home movie theatre experience.

Luckily, it doesn't take long, nor does it require any tech know-how to find the ideal position, as sound engineers have revealed the 'subwoofer crawl' technique that will find the perfect spot for yours in minutes. Paired with your best soundbar, your setup will have never sounded richer.

The 'Subwoofer Crawl' Technique Will Perfect Your Home Audio in Minutes

The subwoofer crawl is simple. Place your subwoofer where you usually sit, play a bass-heavy song, then crawl around the room, listening for where the bass is strongest, fullest, and most articulate. Mark the spot and move the subwoofer there.

The idea of crawling around your living room may sound surprising, but by placing the subwoofer where you usually sit, you are reversing the acoustic relationship of the room.

And, instead of guessing where the sound will land, you are back-tracing the soundwaves to find the exact point where your movie room’s architecture and the speaker’s output harmonize perfectly.

But remember, do not place the subwoofer on your sofa. The cushions absorb sound and will not accurately reflect the acoustics and sound projection of your room. If you want it to match your ear height more closely, you can place it on a chair, but be careful as the subwoofer's deep bass could cause rattling, affecting the sound.

Chris Bone, system design specialist at Monitor Audio Group explains, 'As every room is different and audio is very subjective, achieving the best results ultimately comes down to careful listening and small adjustments until you find the best sound for your room and tastes.'

It's best to play something with strong bass and low-end frequencies, like Massive Attack's Angel or Daft Punk's Phoenix from our soundbar testing playlist, or a booming action scene like the New York fight sequence in Avengers: Infinity War. This will give you the greatest sense of how the bass is carried through your room.

'Once positioned, fine-tuning is key. Adjusting the crossover, phase, and volume settings ensures the subwoofer integrates seamlessly with your main speakers, delivering bass that enhances the overall sound rather than overpowering it,' Chris recommends.

'If you are using an AV receiver or processor for home cinema, a lot of this will be done for you with calibration, but it is still worth going through the settings to check them manually,' he adds.

Why It's Important

'Finding the best position for your subwoofer is just as important as choosing the right model,' says Chris.

'Low-frequency sound waves are long and interact heavily with walls, floors and ceilings, which means placement can dramatically affect performance at the listening position in your home cinema or stereo music system,' he continues.

'In a room will be areas of amplified bass (peaks) and areas of diminished bass (nulls). The goal is to find the place that the bass sounds the smoothest and balanced at the listening position.'

This is the beauty of the subwoofer crawl technique, and why it's so effective even though it seems perhaps a little too easy to highlight your soundbar's sound.

'It's a common misconception that placing your subwoofer directly against a wall or in a corner maximises bass output. While boundaries like walls and corners can indeed reinforce bass, this often comes at the expense of clarity and definition. We would recommend placing a subwoofer a minimum of two feet from the corners of a room to avoid this,' Chris adds.

If you really want to perfect your home entertainment setup, Chris recommends a second subwoofer: 'Having multiple subwoofers is a great way of reducing nulls in the room to provide a more consistent coverage at multiple listening positions.' The Sonos Sub Mini is a highly praised space-saving choice, while the Bose Bass Module 500's deep thumps are consistently reviewed to shake the room.

What to Shop

While you're looking to elevate your sound setup, here are my vetted selections from rigorous testing of the latest soundbars and subwoofers.

All prices correct at time of publication.

Next, learn how to highlight your soundbar in a small space.

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While I don't want to understate the value of a security system, there are ways to secure your home while you're out that don't cost $100s or require specialist installation.

It's also incredibly simple. All you need is two smart plugs, like this $9.97 iHome smart plug at Walmart, to make it seem as if you're home by connecting them to your existing lamps.

Security professionals are praising how effective this simple trick is, while being easier and much more affordable than many of the best home security tips.

The 'Two Smart Plugs' Trick

Plug a lamp into a smart plug, and you can control it with your phone, setting schedules and routines for each day. If you time it right, you can make it look as if you're moving through your home, even while you're out say Gene Petrino, lead advisor for Security.org. 'For example: Living room lamp on 6:30-9:30 pm, then bedroom lamp on 8:30-10:30 pm,' he reccomends.

Here's the step-by-step:

1. Plug lamp A and lamp B into smart plugs.
2. Set up a schedule for each plug (like the one Gene suggested above).
3. For more realism, set up a few different schedules for different days.
4. Test for a few evenings while you are home to make sure the timings look natural.

Setting up these routines isn't difficult, nor does it require any specialist tech know-how. Just download the free iHome app and you can set timers and routines. And as the iHome smart plugs at Walmart have Wi-Fi built into them, you don't need an expensive hub to control them.

But they're also compatible with Google and Alexa devices, so if you already have a hub, like a Google Nest Mini (also at Walmart), you can bring it into your current smart home setup and control everything from the same device.

Setting different routines for different days is key if you're going on vacation or you work late every night, and you're worried about potential intruders knowing this trick and scoping out your place for multiple days to detect a pattern.

This technique can take as little as five minutes to set up. It's more affordable than almost all other home security options (the best video doorbells we've tested are great, but can cost anywhere between $50 and $250, often with monthly subscriptions).

'Two decent smart plugs and two table lamps cost a fraction of a camera, alarm system, or monitored service. It is not a replacement for alarms or cameras, but it is one of the highest return, lowest-effort deterrents you can buy. If you want extra realism, a cheap plug behind a TV that turns on for a while makes a big difference,' Gene shares. Alternatively, this energy-saving fake TV light from Amazon does a similar job.

Why It's Effective

While doorbells, cameras, and outdoor lights all help to deter potential intruders, these are devices that can be overcome by those with the right tools or experience. But the feeling that somebody is home can't be ignored.

'Most break-ins are opportunistic and happen when the intruder thinks a home looks empty and easy to access. A home with no activity for extended periods of time while homeowners are away can send a clear signal that no one is home, giving them the confidence to attempt to break in,' says Laura Finson, director of product and strategy at Brinks Home Security.

Gene agrees, 'Burglars look for easy targets and predictable patterns. An empty, dark house is an invitation. Lights that turn on at realistic times increase perceived occupancy and raise the cost and risk for someone casing the home. That alone will stop many opportunistic intruders who want a quick, low-risk score.'

If you're looking for reasons to invest in home security in 2026 but don't want to splash out, this is the affordable solution.

What to Shop

Really, all you need are the $9.97 iHome smart plugs at Walmart, but there is always more to be added to your home security setup.

Meet the Experts

Next, learn how to secure your home if you're a renter.

Walking the halls of ISE Barcelona this year, one thing has become clear: Smart home technology and beautiful interior design are converging. Designed to be part of the aesthetic, and no longer standing out as 'tech', these smart home devices are becoming woven into the aesthetic homes we create.

For decades, smart home setups have largely belonged to gadget enthusiasts – with wires, wall panels, plastic remotes, and bulky speakers that looked distinctly separate from carefully curated spaces.

But at ISE 2026, one of the world's largest smart home exhibitions, brands are signalling a major shift. Today’s most ambitious tech companies are designing products for homeowners, interior designers, and architects – not just tech lovers. And they're not just becoming more beautiful, they're improving our lives more than ever.

Smart Home Progress and Interior Design Aesthetics Are Overlapping

At the forefront of this shift is Belgian design-led brand Basalte (swipe through the above photos to see their design-led tech for yourself). I spoke with marketing director Tom Samyn, who told me that the industry has spent too long focusing on specifications rather than experience.

'It’s elevating their interior design with beautiful elements that matter, stand out, and add value to their home. That’s the mix of design and technology,' he explained.

Basalte works closely with interior designers from the earliest stages, shaping systems around lives by asking how families use music, lighting, and shared spaces. ‘Integrated tech should not look like technology,’ Tom adds. ‘We don’t want people to feel like they’re interacting with tech – it needs to be intuitive.’

You can see this philosophy in the brand's beautifully designed speakers, with over 90 fabrics and colors to choose from, using materials from high-end brands such as Gabriel.

Light switches with premium finishes, from brass to matte metal, have multiple functions and can be activated by a gentle palm touch. 'If we want pieces to stand out, we have high-end finishes, but if we want it to blend, it can fade away,' Tom told me.

Modular door phones can blend into your existing frame, and you can add an intercom, security, or more to the base module to suit your needs. The intercom works like iPhone's FaceTime, adding more functionality than we see in even the best video doorbells.

As colleague Simon Van Assche put it, ‘It’s more of a lifestyle experience than a tech experience.’

Hebe Hatton, Head of Interiors at Homes & Gardens, adds, 'As a lover of interior design, and someone who hides her kettle in a cabinet and hates that the TV is a must-have in my living room, I am so glad to see that tech trends are now more frequently being led by interior trends.

'Audio tech seems to be leading the way in this. A speaker is something that by its very nature, you need to have on show, so the aesthetics are just as important as the sound quality.

'When I look to add tech to my home, how it will seamlessly, quietly join the room is top of the list. I don't want to see materials that stand out as very 'techy', I want them to mirror the fabrics and finishes going on elsewhere in the room.'

Integrated Systems Are Evolving

A similar design-first mindset is driving change at Lutron, where smart lighting, shading, and automation are being treated as architectural elements rather than tech-y add-ons.

‘Historically, smart homes and high architecture were designed separately,’ explained product manager Devon Kolumber, adding, ‘from both ends there are conflicts of interest.'

'But when you have an integrator bringing smart home, but also the lighting, and the shades, and all those architectural aspects, we know it’ll work from the start. It’s all in the same ecosystem,' he continued.

Lutron’s move towards wireless smart home systems reflects this. Fewer control panels, less wiring, and reduced material costs make homes cheaper, while being easier to design and live in.

And integration aside, these were some of the most advanced lights I saw at ISE. Using a new Ketra light source, I saw firsthand how they recover the richness and character of natural light. According to the demonstration, it’s the first light source that’s true to light from the Sun, moon, and stars.

‘If customers have to think about the technology, it’s not seamless. It should be mindless,' he said.

This echoes what Tom from Balaste made clear, 'Integrated tech should not look like technology. People are afraid of tech because they probably had a bad experience, or someone over-engineered a product and it took up too much mental space in their home.'

Luxury, Cost, and the Future of Interior-Focused Tech

Material quality is also becoming more considered in the tech space. Italian brand Architettura Sonora treats speakers as sculptural objects, carving marble and stone into bespoke, unique audio pieces.

Research and development engineer Mattia Aspetattii says, ‘We combine visual design with acoustic performance. Many, many speakers are made in poor materials, but with ours, you have a unique product that remains beautiful as time passes.’

But for now, much of this design-led technology remains in the luxury bracket. Platforms like Crestron – which are so advanced that they include vanishing TV screens built into mirrors – dominate superyachts, penthouses, and commercial buildings, while Architettura Sonora primarily serves hotels and rooftop bars.

Even the more residential-focused brands, Basalte and Lutron, sit at the premium end of the market, requiring professional installation and costly materials that are out of reach for most homeowners.

But this is how every major home technology shift begins. Early systems are complex, bespoke, and expensive. Over time, they become simpler, more normalized, and more affordable.

What ISE 2026 makes clear is that the future of smart homes is not about more screens, more buttons, or more apps. Every designer I spoke with at the event emphasized that it's trending towards releasing fewer products made with better materials and systems that support daily life in more intuitive ways.

And, as a result, technology is becoming more beautiful and functional than ever.

Next, learn how AI can adapt to your behavior at home and delve into the debate on whether built-in and cut-to-size tech will be a sound investment in your home, or whether the experts think it will date quickly.

The latest cut-to-size soundbar from TruAudio is, on paper, an interior designer’s dream. Matched precisely to a TV screen's width, it represents a growing trend in home tech where devices are part of the space itself.

This week, I've seen this theme sweeping across the massive ISE exhibition space in Barcelona, the world’s leading AV and systems integration trade show, where global tech brands showcase the future of smart spaces.

From speakers embedded in ceilings to custom-fitted systems, technology is increasingly being treated like bespoke furniture. It can be measured, specified, and installed with the same care as a fitted kitchen, tailored to a homeowner’s taste and lifestyle.

As Homes & Gardens’ home tech editor, I absolutely see the appeal. These systems look beautiful, feel premium, and, in the right setting, can genuinely elevate how a home functions. But after years of testing, reviewing, and living with consumer tech, including the world's best soundbars, I also know that permanence and technology rarely get along.

Why Bespoke Home Tech Is Suddenly Everywhere

Today, homeowners want sound systems that vanish into plasterwork, lighting that responds automatically, and screens that sit flush with cabinetry. Brands and installers have responded by offering highly customized solutions that promise invisible performance.

Technology, traditionally, has been the outlier. Although brands have designed gorgeous-looking devices, from the Sonos Arc Ultra to the Roomba 705 Max Combo, we are still left with cables, blinking lights, and an overall aesthetic that doesn't match the meticulously crafted interiors we dedicate our time to perfecting.

The rise of bespoke and built-in tech is, in many ways, a direct response and solution to this problem, as I've seen at ISE Barcelona this week.

The TruAudio bespoke soundbar, for example, is part of this rising trend. Rather than forcing a homeowner to design around a fixed product, the product is cut-to-size to adapt to its surroundings, fitting any TV screen between 53 and 90 inches.

Elsewhere at the exhibition, brands from Samsung to DALI are showcasing their own offerings of bespoke tech, notably the CANVAS HiFi Frame, a TV screen with a soundbar built into a luxurious paneled frame beneath, that's precisely the same size, with 12 designs to choose from (pictured below).

It's said to achieve 'HiFi-level' sound without a HiFi system, while marrying to your home's interior in a beautifully unique fashion.

And the concept tracks. Interior design has shifted dramatically over the past decade, with homeowners now investing more time and money into creating cohesive, considered spaces where nothing feels accidental and anything that can be hidden is.

The Case for Cut-to-Size and Built-In Home Tech

There's no denying the appeal of bespoke tech that can be cut-to-size. After spending months planning layouts and color schemes, the last thing that homeowners want is a bulky speaker system dominating the room. A custom-fitted soundbar preserves the design intent.

It also gives homeowners more autonomy. Instead of choosing from a handful of standardized designs – the Bose Smart Ultra is available in just black and white, for example, and only in one size – people can decide how their technology looks, its size, and how it integrates into daily life. That level of control mirrors the tailored approach to kitchens, wardrobes, and furniture that many homeowners take.

Bespoke tech reinforces that your home is a long-term project. Just as people invest in custom cabinetry, integrated tech feels like a permanent upgrade that's aligned with your taste and lifestyle.

When done well, the results can be stunning. Rooms feel calmer, and entertainment systems feel luxurious. You're experiencing the technology without it disrupting your style.

The Problem: Technology Ages Fast

Unlike furniture, technology has a short lifespan. Not to say that the products will become useless in a few years, but it's a space that is consistently being upgraded, whether through software updates or developments in hardware.

Every time I've excitedly purchased a speaker or headphones, I find that within four years or so, they start to sound worse, and when compared to newer releases, can actually sound outdated. Every spec listed for the TruAudio SB-ADAPT (pictured above) will continually be upgraded in newer models.

Jennifer Ebert, Editor of Homes & Gardens Digital, explains the hitch with bespoke, built-in tech well. She says, 'There’s something undeniably beautiful about technology that is seamlessly woven into the fabric of a home – a sleek speaker hidden in a wall, lights and sound systems that respond without a thought.

'Yet, for all its elegance, one must tread carefully: Technology, unlike the timeless charm of a well-chosen chair, ages swiftly. What feels cutting-edge today can feel dated tomorrow, and once built in, it is rarely as easily replaced. Style may last generations, but tech, not so much.’

That potential obsolescence is where my hesitation stems from. If you upgrade your TV and the dimensions change, your bespoke soundbar may no longer fit. Suddenly, that carefully specified system feels like a compromise.

Worse, it can trigger an emotional sense of loss – the feeling that your beautiful setup is no longer complete, and will need action to rectify. What was already an initial purchase is now even pricier.

In more extreme cases, such as in-wall speakers pictured below, replacement becomes a construction project. Professionals may need to cut into plaster and reroute wiring, escalating the financial and environmental impact.

Modular Still Wins

Most mainstream soundbars and sound systems are modular by design, and in my view, this is a more future-proof way of building an entertainment setup.

For example, the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar is the foundation, and can be upgraded with the Sonos Sub 4 subwoofer and the Sonos Era 100 speakers when you're ready to create a more dedicated system.

This approach reduces waste. When you upgrade, these speakers can be sold to second-hand buyers, without having to try to find somebody with the right taste, dimensions, or wall fittings to make use of your cut-to-size or bespoke tech.

And honestly? Audio tech is a beautiful feat of engineering, with its muted colors, matte grills, fabric speakers, and large dome tweeters. Why not show it off?

Next, learn how to highlight a soundbar in your living room to make it stand out, or see which gadgets take the top spot after rigorously testing the best vacuums and the best non-toxic air fryers.

IKEA has long been admired for stylish furniture and ingenious storage, but in 2026, the brand is making a convincing case for itself as a serious player in smart home technology, too. With a growing collection of affordable, intuitive devices, IKEA is gently pulling connected living out of the niche world of tech enthusiasts and into everyday homes – and its latest Bluetooth speakers feel like a particularly confident expression of that shift.

Along with the best soundbars, Bluetooth speakers have become almost ubiquitous. Most homes in the US now have at least one in their smart home setup, which makes the category surprisingly difficult to get right: truly affordable options that are also genuinely stylish are still few and far between. Not so long ago, speakers were things you hid on a shelf or camouflaged behind a trailing plant – useful, yes, but rarely beautiful.

IKEA’s latest designs prove that speakers don’t need to hide in the background. Crafted to be seen, they sit gracefully in the open, enhancing a room’s visual rhythm rather than blending in. For the design-conscious, they’re truly smart home must-haves.

They feel modern and stylish without trying too hard, with clean lines, softened silhouettes, and a color palette that slips effortlessly into contemporary interiors. My standout favourite is the KULGLASS Bluetooth speaker lamp in dark green, a beautifully judged hybrid that pairs ambient lighting with rich, resonant sound. It’s the kind of piece you’d proudly place on a bedside table or living room console, where it functions as both mood-setter and soundtrack. The tinted glass casts a gentle, atmospheric glow, while the integrated speaker makes streaming music or podcasts feel seamless – a single tap is all it takes to bring the room to life.

I also love the playful confidence of the SOLSKYDD portable Bluetooth speaker in orange. Compact and sculptural, it introduces a joyful touch of color that feels perfectly suited to modern kitchens, balconies, or impromptu gatherings, proving that portable audio doesn’t have to fade quietly into the background. It’s cheerful, graphic, and full of personality, yet still grounded in IKEA’s signature restraint.

What unites these designs is their ability to enhance a space rather than compete with it. Some double as lamps, others read like sculptural accents, but all of them blur the line between technology and decor. They don’t announce themselves as ‘tech’; instead, they quietly enrich shelves, side tables, and corners, adding warmth and character alongside sound.

From a lifestyle perspective, they simply make sense. The audio is balanced and dependable, but it’s the simplicity that really resonates – easy pairing, portable formats and proportions that move naturally from room to room. Whether it’s background music while cooking, a podcast drifting through the bathroom, or something atmospheric as evening settles in, these speakers support daily rituals without ever feeling intrusive.

IKEA’s Bluetooth speakers feel like a natural extension of the brand’s broader vision for modern living. Affordable, approachable and thoughtfully designed, they show that smart home technology doesn’t have to be clinical or complicated. Instead, it can be warm, expressive and seamlessly woven into everyday life – as comfortable next to a sofa or shelving unit as any IKEA classic.

The Super Bowl is just over a week away, and what better way to experience it than with room-filling crowd eruptions and booming touchdowns from the comfort and warmth of your home?

Last week, I got my hands on the Hisense HS2100 soundbar and subwoofer, that's discounted to $119.99 at Amazon right now, and I was blown away by its thunderous sound quality that's almost unheard of at this price.

It's one of the best soundbars for tight budgets, especially as it includes a subwoofer, a non-negotiable if you want live sports games to roar through the room. I've tested 11 of these sound systems, and in my view, this one performs like it should cost three times as much.

The Hisense HS2100 Sounds So Good, It Should Cost Three Times as Much

I've tested soundbars that cost more than a grand, and I'm lucky to be able to experience the immense sound quality that these premium home speakers offer. But as you slide down the price point scale, you will notice audio downgrades and the performance differences that warrant the lower cost.

That's why I was so impressed by the Hisense HS2100. This is the cheapest soundbar I've tested, but instead of sounding cheap, it made the dialogue clearer, the bass boomier, and it can go loud enough that it vibrates the room.

These are the foundations for exhilarating live sports games and movies at home. The slim but powerful subwoofer delivers a gorgeously deep undercurrent that will drive room-filling crowd eruptions and rich commentator vocals, and you'll be feeling these big moments from beneath your feet – not just projected out of your TV screen.

Clearer dialogue is one of the most sought-after features of a sound system upgrade, and even at the Hisense HS2100's low price, it absolutely delivered on that front. You won't have to worry about commentators being drowned out by loud crowds or too much action on the field.

David Attenborough's voice in Our Planet was projected clearly, never overshadowed by the dramatic score or the crashing waves, avalanches, and stampedes of animals that I could feel rumbling from the subwoofer on the floor.

And during action movies, notably John Wick Chapter 2, I was blown away by the volume capacity. Things got loud, and even with fighting, gunshots, and running crowds, I could still make out every detail, delivered with clarity and impact.

Sure, the Hisense HS2100 may not compete with the Samsung HW-QS750F or the Sonos Arc Ultra's market-leading sound quality and room-filling surround sound, but these models cost upwards of $600.

Hisense, on the other hand, produces strong alternatives that cost a lot less, and I enjoyed being able to experience first-hand that the HS2100 isn't just another cheap soundbar with poor sound quality.

That is to say, poor-quality soundbars are common at this price. Whether it's for the Super Bowl or to watch a low-stakes sitcom, knock-off brands can offer strong claims of transformative audio and directional sound, but from my years-long experience as a product tester, they're often duds.

So, to find out that the Hisense HS2100 at Amazon actually sounds good feels like a loophole.

It's also effortless to install. There's no app to fiddle with, so once you've connected the soundbar's two cables (one for power and one for audio), it can start playing your TV audio immediately.

Then, once you plug in the external subwoofer, it connects wirelessly to the soundbar in seconds. It couldn't be simpler – out of the box, in just a couple minutes, you'll be able to enjoy sports games or your favorite movies booming through your living room.

Although the HS2100's subwoofer only takes up 4.3 x 11.8 inches of floor space, not every home can accommodate that, and the Fire TV Soundbar Plus or the Yamaha True X Bar 40A are great alternatives. They're single soundbars without any external components, which both sounded mega on test.

The Super Bowl is just over a week away, and as this Hisense HS2100 deal is on Amazon, you'll be able to have it delivered long before the big game, giving you enough time to play around with the settings to make them perfect for you.

The Hisense HS2100 is discounted to $119.99 at Amazon.

More to Shop

Want to shop around? Here are some more winners from my soundbar testing sessions that will elevate every sports game, movie, and TV show.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, learn how to highlight a soundbar or hide a soundbar, to help it blend into your living space.

IKEA has long been my go-to for lighting, storage, and flat-pack furniture with that distinct Scandi-inspired style at low prices. Now, the homeware giant has launched a new affordable range of smart sensors that integrates with your existing technology.

IKEA's new range is designed to subtly monitor movement, air quality, temperature, leaks, and turn on lights – at prices that undercut much of the smart home market – bringing you automated comfort that follows you from room to room.

Smart home sensors aren’t new, but they’re often premium add-ons aimed at tech-savvy users to add to their smart ecosystems. But IKEA’s latest launch is simple and low-cost, suggesting the brand is targeting everyday homes rather than smart home enthusiasts.

As someone who tests and writes about smart home tech every day, I’m excited about what this means for accessibility. With smart monitoring becoming affordable and easy to set up with existing tech, this is an exciting addition to IKEA's bow. Here's what you need to know.

IKEA's New Range of Smart Sensors Can Automate Your Daily Life

Motion-activated lights, air quality sensors, and even knowing when doors and windows are left open – IKEA's new range is making it affordable to live in a home that responds to your daily movements.

So this means you can skip the expensive smart home hub to help your sensors and devices talk to each other, and instead use IKEA's sensors to allow daily comforts to automatically come with you, from room to room. This could mean the lights turning on and off without your input, for example.

Connect the wireless IKEA MYGGSPRAY sensor to your Philips Hue bulbs, and they'll turn on as you enter the room. Or, use the IKEA KLIPPBOK water leak sensor to get a notification on your phone if your washing machine starts flooding – costing just $7.99 to avoid costly repairs and mold remediation down the line.

These smart tech gadgets are perfect for the non-tech-minded homeowner, as every device is Matter compatible. This means they can be used universally across any Google, Alexa, or Apple smart home system. It's the gold standard for making sure smart home devices work with those from other brands.

So, no expensive new smart hub, and you won't have to replace your existing smart lights or virtual voice assistant.

And the Matter compatibility really comes in handy when it comes to the IKEA BILRESA, a smart remote control that can dim lights, turn off appliances, and activate preset scenes across multiple smart devices at once.

Honestly, I'm thrilled to see IKEA taking this step to make smart homes affordable. They're subtle, stylish, and a fraction of the cost of the competition. Just look at the top-rated TP-Link Tapo Motion Sensor, Amazon's Choice for smart sensors, that costs twice as much and needs a separate hub to work.

Explore IKEA's new smart home range, all with 365-day returns.

What to Shop

Take a look through the top picks in IKEA's new smart home range, whether you want to monitor your air quality and humidity, or have lights turn on as you move through your home.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, learn how smart home must-haves can use AI to adapt to your behavior at home.

Investing in a full surround sound system is a quick way to turn your living room into a movie theater. Subwoofers and surround speakers help recreate that immersive entertainment experience, but it's typically an expensive investment.

But the Hisense AX5140Q, which retails at just $349.99 on Amazon, is one of the most affordable on the market. It's said to be a high-powered setup with up-firing speakers and deep bass to create an enveloping soundstage, so I was excited to test it out myself.

And while the sound quality reflects the price, this is one of the best soundbars if you are looking for huge, booming sound on a budget.

My One-Minute Summary

The Hisense AX5140Q delivers one of the biggest soundstages I've tested thus far, which can make music and action sequences so loud that it vibrates the walls. This is where the AX5140Q shines: In its loudness, its all-encompassing sound that turns a room into a movie theater.

The directional sound is also impressive, and it's always clear where sounds are coming from, and it accurately portrays what's happening on screen.

But while the sound is big, it isn't necessarily great. The bass often overpowers more subtle details, and the mids and highs can occasionally sound a little rattled. Plus, as there is limited sound customization (and no app compatibility), this is best suited to those who love big bass, loud music, and blockbuster action movies.

If you prefer a more high-fidelity, delicate soundstage, I'd recommend the Samsung HW-QS750F surround system, or the Bose Smart Ultra single soundbar – they both sounded lush on test.

If you're on a budget, here's what you need to know about the Hisense AX5140Q and how it performed on my tests.

Hisense AX5140Q: Specifications

Hisense AX5140Q: Setup

The AX5140Q is made up of a 41-inch-wide soundbar, a large external subwoofer, and two rear speakers. Arriving in a big L-shaped box, every part is packed compactly, with each speaker having its own power cable.

It can seem off-putting at first when setting up a surround sound system, but it was a breeze. The subwoofer and rear speakers connect wirelessly, so once you've connected the soundbar (using the HDMI and power cables), the others connect instantly once plugged in.

The power cords on the rear speakers were a little short, however, so if you don't have power outlets dotted around the room, you may need an extension lead and a way of organizing your cables.

The AX5140Q doesn't have any Wi-Fi connectivity, meaning there's no app to set up, leaving all settings up to the soundbar remote. But unfortunately, my testing unit didn't come with one, which meant I was unable to test a few features.

Fortunately, the ARC/CEC connection means your TV remote can control the volume straight away.

Hisense AX5140Q: Design and Features

The Hisense AX5140Q has a 5.1.4 channel configuration, meaning there are five horizontal channels, a subwoofer, and four up-firing speakers, making it a high-performance system that's built for immersive surround sound.

The rear speakers make a very subtle sound, but enough to create an enveloping soundstage that fills your movie room. The subwoofer is big but slim, so you don't have to sacrifice too much floor space to be able to enjoy the deep booms it produces.

The soundbar itself is wide, 41.9 inches, so you'll need to make sure there is ample space on your TV stand, or you can highlight your soundbar with a wall mount.

Every device has a firm fabric speaker cover, and it's a nice touch to have this aesthetic consistency, especially as this muted design can blend into pretty much any living room style.

On the soundbar itself, this fabric cover curves slightly at the edges, giving a somewhat luxurious design feel, and aids its directional sound capabilities.

I would've preferred to see app compatibility here. My test sample didn't come with a remote, which of course wouldn't happen when buying brand-new, but remotes are easily misplaced or buried between sofa cushions, and an app can be useful to add an extra layer of functionality.

As it doesn't link with Wi-Fi, there's no streaming compatibility from services like Apple AirPlay or Spotify Connect. But luckily, pairing via Bluetooth takes a few seconds, and I tend to prefer Bluetooth anyway as it's more reliable.

Like other premium soundbars I've tested, such as the Bose Smart Ultra, the Hisense AX5140Q has 'Room Fitting Tuning' to optimize audio to the shape, size, and acoustics of your room – but this feature is only available if you have specific, compatible Hisense TVs, so I was unable to see how effectively this works.

The source is displayed on the soundbar at all times, in subtle blue text. This is useful to clearly see where the sound's coming from, but it would be great if it eventually greyed out. If you like to turn off the lights and immerse yourself in a movie, it might be a little distracting.

Hisense AX5140Q: Sound (TV and Movies)

The Hisense AX5140Q delivers an outstanding directional soundstage that's almost movie theater-worthy, with clear, accurate sounds coming from different directions. The bass is rich and powerful, and helps to produce exhilarating action scenes and warm vocals, but it can occasionally overpower the scene, especially as the mids and trebles are sometimes lacking depth.

I started with the pilot episode of Arrested Development. Interestingly, the audio coming out of the AX5140Q felt complete – no detail is lost, the spatiality is encompassing – but the sounds themselves didn’t always feel full-bodied. I would love to have heard more depth, and I was consistently turning it up to make it feel as impactful as other soundbars, some of which are just a single speaker (like the Sonos Arc Ultra).

There were also a few moments where the strong bass and weak trebles were really highlighted. As Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat’s characters were speaking, they sounded quiet, then as she hit her hand on the table, it boomed disproportionately loudly. The music sounded incredible, though. The kick drums, the double bass, the brass – this setup clearly lends itself well to layered jazz.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 is where I first heard how rich and full-bodied low-pitched voices sound. I heard deep resonance in voices and trembling timbre when dialogue became tense. It sounded smooth and true-to-form, enhanced by the subwoofer’s undercurrent and the rear speakers, creating a subtle but warming soundstage.

But while low voices sounded outstanding, this tense movie demonstrates a weakness in the trebles. Higher-pitched tones, particularly when there is no background noise, can sound a little tinny, and as there’s no app (and my testing unit included no remote), I was unable to adjust the equalizer settings to refine it. The Samsung HW-QS750F, another surround system we've tested, had app compatibility with some of the most comprehensive sound customization I've seen.

Princess Mononoke showed off how realistic the spatial sound can be. As the protagonist galloped, it was clear that he was moving from behind, then to the left, then up to the right. It was beautifully immersive.

And here, the sound balance was more aligned. There were moments of deep booms as it went from quiet tension to a demon breaking through a brick wall, but it was the right amount of volume change, nothing that made me reach for my remote.

And it didn’t feel as if the trebles were weak, and different-pitched voices all sounded true. Sweet, warm, authentic – every character’s vocal personality was projected clearly.

But then, during Our Planet, the mids and trebles were a little raspy again. This isn’t a major criticism – it isn’t quite perfect, just a little more nasal than usual – but it’s certainly noticeable when juxtaposed with crashing waves and avalanches, where it felt like David’s narration was the only thing letting the soundstage down.

Like with Arrested Development, the music sounded delightful. This system has a talent for projecting a gorgeously rich soundstage when the audio is full and layered, and would make a great addition to your music room if you like busy music.

But fight scenes are where the Hisense AX5140Q really comes into its own. In John Wick Chapter 2, the strong bass was shown off in full.

I felt every hit and every impact in my body. The music was tense, but didn't drown out the tight sound effects. And the grunts, gunshots, and background noises are accurately balanced.

It felt exactly the same when watching Avengers: Infinity War and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The directional soundstage was movie theater-worthy – doors sound like they’re closing in the far corner of your room, and the center stage is exactly that: Keeping the focal points at the forefront of your attention.

Hisense AX5140Q: Sound (Music)

Listening to music with the Hisense AX5140Q was a mixed bag. On one hand, it was a lot of fun having such a huge, booming sound delivering thumping, bass-heavy music, but often, that thumping bass drowned out other elements, meaning delicate sounds weren't always given enough attention.

Erykah Badu's Didn't Cha Know illustrated this. Instead of the percussion coming in airy and subtle, it boomed excessively, and there was also somewhat of a rattle throughout in the bass and mids.

The volume capacity shouldn't be ignored, though – if you like loud music and enjoy being a party host, this is a strong, affordable option.

Naturally, I had no complaints when it came to bass-heavy tracks, such as Massive Attack's Angel and Daft Punk's Phoenix. It produced one of the most exhilarating versions of Angel that I've ever heard at home that had the entire room vibrating.

In other tracks where the bass isn’t typically an important aspect, like Cocteau Twins' Pitch the Baby, it was actually a welcome addition, having a new avenue to the soundstage. The trebles weren’t lacking when part of a continuous electronic sound.

But if you're like me and enjoy high-fidelity music but can be put off by overwhelming bass, the Bose Smart Ultra or the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 are great alternatives, which delivered a floatier, more realistic sound on test.

The Weather Station's Robber showed what I'd found during Our Planet: That raspy vocals can let down the deep, immersive soundstage. The limited treble output was felt as the bass took center stage, and the delicate parts of this track weren’t given the space to breathe, instead being overshadowed by thumping booms and strings that were too loud. The vocals weren’t quite true to form, either, and I heard similar results in Location by Playboi Carti.

Whilst during Arrested Development I commended the setup’s ability to play jazz, when listening to All Day Breakfast Cafe's What If Nile Rodgers and Fela Kuti Were Friends, it didn’t do it justice. The sound balance was off – the brass was drowned out, the vocals sounded weak, and it wasn’t as playful as usual. It sounded forced.

Overall, I commend this setup's ability to deliver huge sound that encompasses you and the room, and can leave the walls vibrating with roaring bass. But if you're a fan of the finer details, I'd recommend the Samsung HW-QS750F or single soundbars like the Yamaha True X Bar 40A.

Hisense AX5140Q: Price

The Hisense AX5140Q costs $349.99 at Amazon and Best Buy – a low price for a full surround system.

At a similar price, the Yamaha True X Bar 40A is a strong alternative, costing $399.95 at Amazon. You don't get the movie-theater-level surround sound, but the bass is more managed, and there's more space for subtle sounds to be heard. It also takes up less space as it's a single soundbar, but you can upgrade to the Yamaha True X Bar 50A as it includes a subwoofer, costing $499.95 at Yamaha.

If you're investing in a sophisticated system, and you're happy to spend a little more, I'd recommend starting with better sound quality. The Sonos Arc Ultra and the Bose Smart Ultra produce some of the most realistic, rich, and expansive soundscapes I've ever heard at home, and both can be upgraded at Sonos and Bose to include subwoofers and surround speakers.

Or, if you're on a budget, the Fire TV Soundbar Plus and the Hisense HS2100 cost considerably less – $249.99 at Amazon or $119.99 at Amazon, respectively – while offering surprisingly nice sound quality that I've since enjoyed listening to at home.

How I Tested the Hisense AX5140Q

I tested the Hisense AX5140Q in my own home. I set up the soundbar on a wooden shelf, positioned towards where I sit, then placed the subwoofer at the optimal distance from my seat. I then set up the rear speakers on either side of me.

I test using a set list of scenes and songs to standardize testing across every model. I also tested every feature that I could, but as the remote was not included with my sample, I was unable to adjust the EQ. I also couldn't optimize my room's acoustics as that feature is only available on a Hisense TV.

For more home upgrades, see which models take the top spot after rigorously testing the best robot vacuums and the best non-toxic air fryers.

Hisense is known for producing strong, well-reviewed, and reasonably priced soundbars, so I was excited to have the opportunity to test the HS2100 soundbar, one of their most budget-friendly systems, to see if it matches the hype.

The Hisense HS2100, available at Amazon, is a soundbar and an external subwoofer, making it more of a dynamic setup than a single soundbar setup, as the bass is driven by its own separate speaker.

I was highly impressed by the sound quality on offer at such a low price, with deep, powerful audio that fills the room without distortion. It's easily one of the best soundbars I've tested if you're on a budget.

My One-Minute Verdict After Testing

Considering its incredibly low price point of $119.99 [at Amazon], the Hisense HS2100 offers powerful, impactful sound that thunderously fills the room. The external subwoofer is slim and a useful addition that ensures a deep undercurrent to every movie or song you listen to, leaving the soundbar to focus on the lush-sounding mids and highs, marking a significant upgrade to regular TV speakers.

But while it punches above its weight, it isn't perfect. Clarity is lost when the audio has lots of layers, and in general, there is a lack of 'crispness' across the board. The dialogue volume can also be inconsistent, with characters on-screen becoming quieter and louder at random moments.

These drawbacks can easily be overlooked at this price point, though. In almost every way, it sounds better than the Sonos Ray that costs $100 more. It has deeper bass, stronger impact, and the audio fills the room without becoming distorted.

But if you're happy to spend a little extra, the Fire TV Soundbar Plus ($249.99) and the Yamaha True X Bar 40A ($399.95) offer directional sound, which the HS2100 doesn't have, and can take up less space as they don't require an external subwoofer.

Hisense HS2100: Specifications

Hisense HS2100: Setup

Setting up a soundbar with an external subwoofer might sound fiddly if you're not too tech-savvy, but the Hisense HS2100 setup couldn't be simpler.

It's a plug-and-play soundbar, so the only steps involved are connecting the HDMI and power cables, and then it'll automatically play your TV's audio. There's no app to connect to, so you don't have to worry about adding it to your smart home setup.

My normal TV remote could control the volume straight away without having to configure any settings, unlike other models I've tested, like the Bose Smart Soundbar.

The subwoofer connects wirelessly – and instantly. After I plugged in the power cord, it paired with the soundbar in two seconds.

Hisense HS2100: Design and Features

The Hisense HS2100 feels lighter and less premium than other soundbars I've tested – but this is to be expected when you're paying under $150 for a full sound setup.

It has a fabric speaker cover that brings a soft, warm aesthetic to your living room TV setup, but at the same time, this design is a magnet for dust and dirt. The sample I had been sent had a fair amount of dirt trapped in the fabric, but it's worth noting that test samples are sent to multiple product reviewers like myself, and units you'd buy wouldn't have this issue.

If you're buying yours brand new, just remember to keep it clean and avoid letting dust build up.

The HS2100 has a 2.1 configuration, with two horizontal speakers in the soundbar and an external subwoofer that drives the bass and low-end frequencies. This gives the setup somewhat of a strong range – the $219 Sonos Ray, for comparison, only has three horizontal speakers and no subwoofer, so there's a distinct lack of bass, and on test it felt like the soundbar was simply pushing louder sound forward.

But as the Hisense HS2100 has a subwoofer, you still get the improved clarity and volume from the soundbar, that's also underpinned by a deep boom.

You can adjust the EQ settings using Hisense's preset modes: Movie, Sports, Music, Game, News, and Night. This is another useful addition for the non-tech-savvy people who haven't had experience playing around with equalizers, doing the guesswork for you.

And having a dedicated 'Night Mode' is a huge win if you have roommates, family members, or neighbors on different schedules, as a subwoofer's bass easily carries through walls and floors.

As this soundbar doesn't connect to your Wi-Fi, you can't cast using Apple AirPlay or Spotify Connect, but there's Bluetooth connectivity to stream music from your devices.

Similar to other budget soundbars I've tested, such as the Fire TV Soundbar Plus, the HS2100 plays voice prompts when you change the settings, which can be a little irritating if you're adjusting the sound mid-movie.

But overall, it's incredibly easy to wrap your head around everything this soundbar offers, and it packs in some great features at its low price point.

Hisense HS2100: Sound (TV and Movies)

I was pleasantly surprised by the overall clarity and depth of the Hisense HS2100. After testing the global flagships like the Sonos Arc Ultra and the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar, I intentionally manage expectations when it comes to budget alternatives, so that I'm reviewing their performance in relation to the price.

But the Hisense HS2100 has greater clarity and impact, and a full-bodied sound that surpasses what I've heard in models that are more expensive, such as the Sonos Ray and the Fire TV Soundbar Plus.

Of course, this is largely owed to the external subwoofer, which many householders try to avoid if they're limited on space. But this subwoofer is slimmer than most, and if you can sacrifice just 4.3 x 11.8 x 13.8 inches from your living room floor, you can improve your sound quality at a steal price.

During the pilot episode of Arrested Development, I felt a light, airy sound quality. Trebles are strong at all times, but the bass isn’t as pronounced as it could be, and is mostly only present when there’s music playing or when there are loud sound effects.

I wasn’t expecting it to be this clear at all, but while there isn’t any tinniness or distortion, it’s still somewhat lacking impact. It isn’t the most dynamically exciting or commanding sound, but it’s a stark upgrade from TV speakers.

The subwoofer rattled a little as Princess Mononoke began, but as soon as the voiceover came in, there was a deep undercurrent to his tone. And while there's no spatiality here (as the soundbar has no up-firing speakers), you still get somewhat of a soundstage as the bass actually feels like it's coming from the floor. It isn't just projected from the screen.

Further into the movie, the score sounded lush, the sound effects were clear, and at no point were sounds drowned out by vocals or music.

The vocal volume isn’t always consistent, though. Occasionally, a character’s voice will become slightly louder or quieter again, but it was minor and largely only noticeable if you're listening out for it.

The bass-y rumbles during fight scenes were present and strong, but as scenes become louder, that vocal inconsistency becomes more noticeable. Naturally, the sound balance won’t be up to scratch compared to premium models like the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8, and it is far beyond what I expected from such a cheap model, but you'll be able to hear it at points.

During John Wick Chapter 2, the vocals were deep and full-bodied, and I could feel strong resonance, particularly when male characters spoke with low-timbre voices.

But frustratingly, there’s no sound balance to stop loud scenes from being too loud. That’s one of my favorite parts of a good sound system: Not having to reach for the remote during movies that switch between intimate dialogue and crashing action.

As soon as the gunshots started, they pierced through my ears and sounded 2-3x as loud as the scene that came before it. But once I’d turned the volume down, I was very much impressed by the tight hits, the punchy effects, and the overall impact of it all. I heard worse in the Sonos Ray that costs more.

And Our Planet confirmed what I'd heard during Arrested Development: That there's an overall pleasant airiness to the sound. There’s no direction (sound is simply pushed forward), not the best sound balance (sometimes subtle sound effects overpower focal points), but regardless, everything sounds nice.

The orchestral music sounds pleasantly playful, the sound effects are authentic (whether Foley or real), and David’s voice sounds as comforting and commanding as you'd hope.

Hisense HS2100: Sound (Music)

The Hisense HS2100 has a strong impact, transforming songs into thunderous, room-filling experiences with deeper bass and more pronounced highs than many TV speakers can handle. But it doesn't have the clarity or crispness that you'll find in more expensive models.

Led Zeppelin's Ramble On demonstrated this best. Typically, one of the clearest, most high-fidelity songs to test for percussion clarity and guitar tones – it sounded crashy, hazy, and a little muddied, even though the overall sound delivery roared through the room.

Erykah Badu's Didn't Cha Know revealed the same, that the room was quickly filled with loud, impressive sound, but subtle details like hand drums and guitar plucks aren't as delicate as you'd hear in pricier models like the Yamaha True X Bar 40A.

Cocteau Twins' Pitch the Baby showed the beauty of having an external subwoofer that handles the bass. It leaves the soundbar to focus on the mids and highs, and without them being drowned out by internal subwoofers, this track sounded floaty and gorgeous.

When it comes to music, this soundbar's biggest weakness is busy tracks. When lots of layers are involved, such as during Morcheeba's The Sea, and All Day Breakfast Cafe's What If Nile Rodgers and Fela Kuti Were Friends, clarity is lost.

But I want to make clear: Clarity may not be the HS2100's strong suit, but it compensates with depth and sheer impact. This is an incredibly loud soundbar, and even when playing at inhumanly loud volumes, there's hardly any distortion. It's perfect for truly immersing yourself in the music, or if you're a frequent party host.

The Weather Station's Robber showed this off beautifully. It's a delicate song, but one that builds into a layered symphony of strings, brass, percussion, and vocals. With this soundbar, it sounded more sonorous and invigorating than I'm used to.

Brass, strings, and other mid-to-high sounds are all presented lushly. Even during busy songs where it can sound messy, these sounds come through prominently.

And while it may be no surprise that the bass is strong, listening to Massive Attack's Angel showed that the soundbar's built-in speakers actually have impressive bass, too, even without the subwoofer. And when paired together, you never have to worry about insufficient bass.

Something to consider if, like me, you get distracted when music is too loud, is that the increments between volume levels when connected via Bluetooth are huge. Just raising the volume by one level can take it from background music to wall-thumping booms that you'll struggle to hear a conversation over.

Hisense HS2100: Price

The Hisense HS2100 costs $119.99 at Amazon, making it the most affordable soundbar we've tested to date.

The subwoofer gives the HS2100 stronger bass than the other budget soundbars we've tested, but it requires extra space that smaller rooms may not be able to sacrifice. The Sonos Ray is the perfect space-saving soundbar, but its clarity, impact, depth, and bass are all weaker than the Hisense HS2100. The Sonos Ray is $219 at full price.

The Fire TV Soundbar Plus is a step-up, though, with more directional sound and built-in bass drivers that don't require an external subwoofer (you can also add on a subwoofer later). Its clarity and impact are similar to the HS2100, but you're given greater control over adjusting the trebles and bass to fine-tune your sound. It costs $249.99 at Amazon at full price, but is often discounted to as low as $149.99.

But if you spend a bit more on the Yamaha True X Bar 40A, for $399.95 at Amazon, you'll get more of a surround sound experience, and an improvement on dialogue clarity, bass, and all-around sound performance compared to the HS2100. It also looks and feels more stylish.

How I Tested the Hisense HS2100

I tested the Hisense HS2100 in the largest room in my home, with a mix of smooth surfaces and soft furnishings that are typical of household living rooms.

I tested a set list of scenes and songs to understand the soundbar's ability to produce audio spanning different genres, effects, textures, and eras. I also tested every sound setting available and assessed how easy it was to set up.

Next, learn how to highlight a soundbar in your living room to blend into your interior.

At this year’s CES Exhibit in Las Vegas, major technology brands are unveiling AI-powered humanoid robots designed to take on everyday housework, from loading laundry to preparing meals.

For years, learning how to set up a smart home has meant connecting lights, thermostats, and speakers that work in the background. But CES 2026 has revealed a shift away from passive automation toward physical action – machines that don’t just assist or vacuum, but clean, fold, and even cook.

The implications are vast. These robots promise independence for older adults, support for disabled people, and time saved for busy households. These leaps in technology, which are not just embedded but moving independently around our homes, raise questions about affordability, privacy, safety, and what happens to the human labor that powers domestic life.

Announced at CES 2026, AI Humanoid Robots Are Poised to Start Doing Basic Housework

Brands are making a clear play for the next era of home tech, as revealed at CES Las Vegas, the largest annual trade show, which showcases the very latest mesmerizing design and development in smart tech and beyond.

This year is no exception, and humanoid robots are stunning the press and public. LG has unveiled LG CLOiD, a wheeled humanoid designed to coordinate household tasks across connected appliances, while SwitchBot has introduced onero H1, an ‘accessible’ household robot intended to work with its existing ecosystem of smart devices.

This is much more than the next round of gadgets. Zhao Han, assistant professor of human-robot interaction at the University of South Florida, says humanoid form is a technological turning point.

‘We have specialized machines like dishwashers and laundry machines, but many chores, in general, require humans,’ he explains. ‘These household robots are needed as they take, more or less, human forms with human-like hands and moving capabilities to do those general tasks for us.’

While the smart home trends of 2025 focused more on passive AI, working in the background and learning from our behavior, 2026 has well and truly kicked off the era of accessible AI robots actually doing our manual labor at home.

LG CLOiD and the 'Zero Labor Home'

This year, LG is demonstrating its CLOiD robot in realistic home scenarios at CES. In one example, the robot retrieves milk from a refrigerator and places a croissant into the oven. In another, it starts laundry cycles and then folds and stacks clothing after drying. It goes far beyond what today’s smart appliances can do alone, even the best robot vacuums.

‘The LG CLOiD home robot is designed to naturally engage with and understand the humans it serves, providing an optimized level of household help,’ said Steve Baek, president of the LG Home Appliance Solution Company.

LG CLOiD’s design is built for household spaces, with two articulated arms, independently actuated fingers for fine manipulation, and a wheeled base designed for stability around pets and children. LG also positions its ‘Physical AI’ – using vision-language systems trained on household task data – as what makes those actions possible.

‘We will continue our relentless efforts to achieve our Zero Labor Home vision, making housework a thing of the past so that customers can spend more time on the things that really matter,’ Steve adds.

Pricing information and an official release date are yet to be confirmed.

SwitchBot's onero H1

SwitchBot’s onero H1 is framed as a more accessible step toward embodied AI at home. The company says it’s designed to learn and adapt using visual perception, depth awareness, and tactile feedback – aiming to make actions like grasping and opening more reliable in everyday environments.

For now, it's said to be programmed for three basic functions: Dishes, laundry, and organizing shoes, though SwitchBot suggests more capabilities could be added through new training data – an approach that mirrors how other smart tech gadgets that transform your home evolve through software updates.

These early capabilities reveal what these robots are designed to replace. Whilst around 89 million US households have dishwashers (according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration), along with other appliances for laundry and dishes, the chores remain arduous and often despised, as humans still have to load, unload, sort, and handle messy or dirty objects daily.

But as you can see in the above video (provided by SwitchBot), it doesn't appear as if the onero H1 is quite ready to replace the speed or focus of human function. Maybe one day they'll move as efficiently and will start doing laundry like a pro.

SwitchBot tells Homes & Gardens that onero H1 will launch worldwide, and the team is targeting an MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) under $10,000 – but more specific pricing and release date information isn't yet available.

Who Are These Robots Really For?

According to Rich Pleeth, CEO and co-founder of Finmile, the biggest beneficiaries may not be tech enthusiasts necessarily, but those who need it.

‘Robots are not about laziness,’ he said, adding, ‘Humanity will see huge benefits, particularly those who pay the highest cost in time and physical effort – older adults, disabled people, carers, and time-poor households.’

There may also be unexpected social benefits. Zhao Han notes that automating domestic chores could help rebalance unpaid labor, which often disproportionately falls on women (a disappointing 40% more than men, reported by NBC), while reducing physical strain that often leads to long-term health issues.

But it begs the question of who will have access to such sophisticated machines. Even if SwitchBot achieves a sub-$10,000 price tag, only a small proportion of the public would be able to afford it. And typically, it isn't the wealthy who struggle to load the dishwasher properly, need to use adaptive pacing when cleaning, or do their laundry day in and out.

Thomas Anglero, an AI and robotics expert at Anglero, expands on this, ‘For people with financial wealth, these robots replace paid housekeepers. For poorer households, renting a robot for a day or a specific event could offer access to world-class skills without the high price.'

This in itself highlights another potential risk: That humanoid robots could one day replace carers and cleaners, putting people out of work and replacing that human presence with an at-home robot.

Zhao Han believes the change will be uneven: ‘Cleaners will become fewer, limited to niche, specialized areas. Carers’ jobs will remain, but more for the personal touch.’

But as is the case for any smart home must-have, from smart kitchen technology to premium robot vacuums, 'The wealthy will fund the first generation of thousand-dollar robots. That will fund the R&D of cheaper, more accessible robots in the future,’ Thomas speculates.

In that time, however, many of these AI humanoid assets will likely be in the ownership of larger companies, forcing the regular consumer who wishes to rent one to pay a sizeable fee.

Safety, Privacy and the Future of Home Living

A robot that moves through your home using cameras and sensors connected to your Wifi raises inevitable privacy concerns. Fergal Glynn, AI security expert and CMO at Mindgard, warns, ‘Brands should collect the minimum data possible and process information locally. Users need clear options to operate robots offline and delete recordings easily.’

Another potential risk comes from a strong, humanoid robot accidentally damaging delicate cookware, or worse, pets or family members. But while it's easy to immediately feel fear, Chris Matthieu, VP of Developer Ecosystem at RealSense, gives some reassurance, 'Most humanoid robots leverage RealSense 3D stereo depth cameras, allowing them to “see" like humans.

'The RealSense cameras make humanoid robots spatially aware of their surroundings and can see objects and depth at 90 frames per second, which is faster than human perception skills, allowing these robots to react faster than humans.'

The current form of humanoid AI robots may be a little slow and clunky, but one day, perhaps they could pose less of a risk than our own human bodies.

While we wait for robots to do our housework for us, the best robot vacuums and the AI-powered best washing machines are the best we've got.

The Bose Smart Soundbar is the comfortable mid-range option in Bose's offerings, boasting some of the same tech you'll find in their flagships, with certain things missing to make it more affordable.

As a devoted lover of Bose portable speakers for the past 10 years, I was excited to try out the Bose Smart Soundbar to find out whether it lives up to the brand's audio reputation.

I watched a comprehensive list of TV and movie scenes, and listened to a standardized playlist of songs spanning everything from bass-heavy to floaty trebles, to see whether the Bose Smart Soundbar is one of the best soundbars and worth your money.

My One-Minute Verdict

The Bose Smart Soundbar is a strong mid-range option, costing $100s less than the flagship models from Bose and Soundbar while still boasting strong tech. Its most impressive feature is detailed surround sound, with incredibly clear sound direction that intimately matches what's on screen.

It also has great sound balance. Highs, mids, and lows all sounded faithful to how they should, even if the bass could be stronger.

But although it thrives in its tonal balance, it suffers from a lack of depth. The soundbar has five speakers but no subwoofer, meaning that the bass was weak in almost every scene and song I listened to.

This can be improved by the Bose Bass Module 500, but as that's an expensive package altogether, the Yamaha True X Bar 40A has two built-in subwoofers that delivered punchy, hard-hitting bass on test, and it costs less than the Bose Smart Soundbar.

And that's the kicker with this soundbar. It has a lot going for it, but for the $399-$599 price, you'd expect more bass extension and a fuller sound because of it. Paired with the separate Bose subwoofer, it costs as much as the Sonos Arc Ultra or the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar, both of which sounded incredible on test with rich detail and rumbling depth.

Bose Smart Soundbar: Specifications

Bose Smart Soundbar: Setup

I found the Bose Smart Soundbar's setup to be similar to setting up the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. Fiddly, but likely because the unit I tested has been previously used by other product reviewers like myself. It's something worth considering if you're shopping second-hand, as the setup becomes less straightforward.

After plugging in the soundbar's HDMI and power cables, my Roku TV immediately popped up with a message asking me to connect to the Bose Smart Soundbar. All I had to do was press a button to the next screen, and it was done, and it played a Roku demo of different scenes – cars racing, animals roaring – to show off the soundbar's sound capabilities.

But when I turned the TV on again, the sound wasn't playing out of the soundbar, and I couldn't connect my Bose app to it. I had to disconnect it from my TV, reset the soundbar's factory settings using the remote, and then I could connect it as new again.

If you're buying brand new, I'm sure you won't have to deal with this extended setup, but it's worth noting if yours has been used before.

On the app, it guides you through connecting to your Wi-Fi and naming your soundbar (bedroom, living room, or Bose Smart Soundbar, for example), then it's ready to go. And as it's compatible with Apple AirPlay and Chromecast, it's already part of your smart home setup.

Bose Smart Soundbar: Design and Features

The Bose Smart Soundbar has five built-in speakers: Three horizontal speakers, and two up-firing speakers for surround sound. The latter are why the soundbar can play Dolby Atmos titles, and how it can create a wide soundstage from such a small device (more on that below).

'Soundstage' is how you refer to the 'space' created by the speaker that is projecting sound wider than the speaker itself. At the movie theatre, you'd say that the soundstage is wall to wall, for example, but they have speakers throughout the whole room. So when a soundstage feels wide and immersive from a compact soundbar, it shows that the soundbar's left and right horizontal drivers are good at projecting outwards.

It's compact, measuring just 27.34 inches. Compared to the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar's 41 inches and the Sonos Arc Ultra's 47 inches, it's much smaller in comparison to the flagships, and a great addition to small living rooms where space is more precious.

As it doesn't have any subwoofers, it doesn't have a dedicated bass extension, and I noticed this during the scenes I tested it with. Some soundbars at this price point have built-in subwoofers if you prefer bigger bass (like the Yamaha True X Bar 40A) or you can also grab Bose's Bass Module 500 if you want to build up your setup, but it'll cost you around $1,000 in total.

But while the bass isn't the strongest, the Bose app fortunately has plenty of EQ settings to make sure you're hearing the parts that are important to your taste:

This is more comprehensive than you'll find in other soundbars. Being able to adjust these four channels by plus or minus 100 means you have complete control over the sound balance you're hearing. It takes some getting used to, but pairing the right EQ with the right volume is how to achieve your desired sound.

It also has AI Dialogue Mode, which registers when there's dialogue and adjusts the sound balance to improve tonal clarity. I'll expand on this below, but I'll say quickly here: It works great.

I also found that generally, there's low latency when using the soundbar and changing the settings. Whether I'm using the soundbar remote, my TV remote, or the app, hitting a button changes the settings almost immediately. Other soundbars like the Fire TV Soundbar Plus have a slight delay when changing the volume, for example.

Sadly, however, there's no room optimization, so although this is a 'Smart' soundbar, it can't learn the acoustics of your room to refine its sound projection. The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar has this feature, ADAPTiQ, and it was one of the most effective I've tested to date, so it's a shame to not see it included – although I guess that's what the premium cost is for.

Visually, it has a classic look: Matte black with a flat top and a reflective logo. It won't be the highlight of your living room, but it's muted enough to blend in with most styles. You can always learn how to hide your soundbar if your living room setup prefers brighter tones.

Bose Smart Soundbar: TV and Movies

Overall, movies and TV shows sound encompassing. That's to say, the soundstage is impressively wide from this small soundbar, with clear sound direction that matches what's on screen. Soundtracks and scores sound rich, and sound effects mostly sound tight and crisp, but there's an overarching lack of depth, and there's a raspy sibilance in the vocals.

I started with Our Planet II, and I felt that something was missing. I adjusted the EQ settings a lot here: With the bass up high, I could somewhat feel thunderous waves, and the precise details within busy animal scenes.

But David’s voice had a distracting sibilance to it, with every 's' and every breath sounding a little too harsh. I lowered the treble and tried to perfect the right sound setting, but could never quite fix it.

The wide soundstage was certainly impressive, though. From the tiny speaker, it felt as if the audio was being projected from my entire 14-feet-wide wall, which is great if you're designing a movie room on a budget.

I then moved on to the climactic scenes of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Wow – the sound effects sounded immaculate, and the directional sound was felt instantly. As Hermione shot a spell, the audio whizzed past me from right to left to match the visuals on the screen. And the score sounded euphonically dramatic.

I could hear more of a gentle spaciousness in the dialogue here, but at times I could still hear that slight sibilance that I heard during Our Planet II. I used AI Dialogue Mode, and it instantly improved, even if only slightly.

I wanted to test whether AI Dialogue Mode muffles non-vocal sound effects as speech enhancers occasionally can, so I watched the next scene four times, with and without it. I was impressed – the difference could barely be heard, and I had to rewind certain moments multiple times more to check I wasn’t missing any loss in quality.

Other soundbars I have tested, such as the Sonos Ray, can make voices sound less authentic with this mode turned on, while at the same time dampening background noises.

Season six episode nine of Breaking Bad was another stellar showing of the wide soundstage. The toy car whirring in the background of this scene is one of my favorite tests for directional sound, and this Bose demonstrated true directional clarity.

And the sound balance? Going from soft noises to deep thuds felt natural, even if the low-end could have more substance to it. I find that it can become quite loud during those moments, but it’s volume rather than depth. The Bose Bass Module 500 subwoofer would fill this gap.

When watching Avengers: Infinity War, I suspected that the Bose Smart Soundbar thrives when moments are busy and overwhelming. As there are so many sounds coming at you at once, it’s easy to forget the lack of deep bass. Fight sounds, including characters' spells and the destruction of New York, sounded crisp and sparkling, but I never felt the rumbles that you hope for in scenes as thunderous as this. The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar delivers this scene much more powerfully.

The opening jazz flourish in the Arrested Development pilot wasn’t as sharp as I’ve heard with others (such as the Sonos Arc Ultra). The soundstage was great, though, as it had been at every point thus far. Background noises like wind, cars, birds, music, and chatter are always present, but never distracting, making sure the scene feels real – and not filmed on a closed set.

Bose Smart Soundbar: Music

There's lushness in the trebles, precise sound balance across the board, and a pleasant floaty feeling during soft songs – but as I found when testing TV shows and movies, the lack of subwoofer is the main factor holding this soundbar back from an all-round excellent sound experience.

After the lack of bass I felt when testing TV and movie scenes, I was intrigued to listen to Massive Attack's Angel. Overall, its hypnotic, thunderous energy was still present, but even when I turned it up higher than I usually would, I couldn't feel those room-vibrating bass-heavy rumbles.

But during Phoenix by Daft Punk, the bass had more bite to it. I could feel the thuds of the kicking bass drum, but at a high-enough volume, there's a bit of distortion, which is to be expected in a speaker without a subwoofer. The synths and cymbals sounded crisp, though, and the bassline wasn't lacking as much depth as I'd anticipated.

Erykah Badu's Didn't Cha Know sounded lush and floaty, but I could hear the distortion again when trying to reach a volume that showed off the high-fidelity sound engineering and spaciousness of this track. I felt the same during Feel No Pain by Sade – it was pleasant to hear the reverberation of the opening snare, but that gentle spaciousness wasn't kept when the song became more layered (the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 excels at this).

When it came to songs that don't rely on such heavy bass, it all sounded gorgeous. The soundbar's central tweeter does a wonderful job of highlighting the tones within soft, high vocals, as I heard best during Simulation Swarm by Big Thief. The gentle guitar plucking and soft strings shone here, too, and if you're a fan of rock and folk music, this soundbar would make a fantastic addition to your music room.

Led Zeppelin's Ramble On showed this further, with the vocals, guitars, and drums all sounding almost lifelike. As I found when testing the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar, I'm learning that Bose is a master of precise sound balance. Different tones sound how they should, and the only drawbacks can be blamed on hardware limitations, such as the Bose Smart Soundbar's lack of a subwoofer.

The trebles in Cocteau Twins' Pitch the Baby were velvety, natural, and made the track sound, rightfully so, as if the soundwaves were floating above you. And after hearing similar in Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues and Playboi Carti's Location, it's become apparent that, if the Bose Smart Soundbar is paired with a subwoofer, it would deliver every frequency beautifully. That and perhaps a higher volume capacity are the only things missing.

If you're in a small space and don't want to disturb the neighbors, then the lack of a subwoofer would be a win, as you're still getting detail within the songs without wall-shaking bass.

Bose Smart Soundbar: Price

The Bose Smart Soundbar costs $549 at Bose at full price, but can be found for as low as $399 (as it is at the time of writing). My testing found that the lack of a subwoofer is the main drawback here (which is surprising, as similarly-priced soundbars have subwoofers), and if you want to buy an external one, you're looking at spending $549 on the Bose Bass Module 500.

At that price, I'd instead recommend going for the Sonos Arc Ultra or the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. These two soundbars delivered the most impactful and true-to-form audio out of every model we've tested, and won't take up as much space as a soundbar and subwoofer combo would.

But if you're limited to the Bose's budget, the Yamaha True X Bar 40A is a great alternative. Often sold for around $399.95 at Yamaha, it has two built-in subwoofers that deliver surprisingly punchy bass, and although its surround sound isn't as detailed as the Bose's, it's still present and can stream Dolby Atmos titles.

How I Tested the Bose Smart Soundbar

I tested the Bose Smart Soundbar in the largest room of my home, against a 14-foot-wide wall and projecting into a room with smooth surfaces (wooden floors and bare walls) and scattered soft furnishings (seating, cushions, curtains). I tested the soundbar using a set list of scenes and songs that show the soundbar's capabilities across every frequency, genre, and sound.

If you are looking to elevate your home entertainment but on a budget, my reviews of the Fire TV Soundbar Plus and the Sonos Ray are perfect if you're looking to spend less.

Sonos – the brand behind our current favorite soundbar – sells more than the expensive models you see in the adverts. Compact and catered more towards small spaces, the Sonos Ray is the most affordable soundbar in Sonos' range.

And because of how much I adore the Sonos Arc Ultra, I was intrigued to see if Sonos' tech sounds as good in their smaller, budget options, too. So, I tested the Sonos Ray soundbar in my own home to find out what it's capable of.

In short? It can't compete with the expensive competition, but if you're short on space and budget, this is one of the best soundbars you can buy.

Sonos Ray: The One-Minute Verdict

The Sonos Ray is a great fit for small spaces, measuring just 21 inches wide, which makes it one of the most compact models out there. And although it's small, its volume capacity is impressive, and at around 70% volume, the sound fills the room.

It makes dialogue clearer, makes movies sound louder and more impactful, and it works as a great budget music speaker, too. But compared to the expensive alternatives, or even just to the Fire TV Soundbar Plus that costs $30 more, it certainly lacks depth and crispness.

It doesn't have any subwoofers, it can't play Dolby Atmos titles, and you can't connect via Bluetooth for easy music streaming. However, it benefits from Sonos' comprehensive app with fantastic EQ and customization settings, and you get access to Sonos' vast library of playlists and radios, setting it apart from other budget soundbars.

Sonos Ray: Specifications

Sonos Ray: Setup

Initially, little is required to set up the Sonos Ray, but if you want to control the soundbar's settings (even the volume), you'll need to connect it via the app.

Plug in the power cord, then connect the included optical cable to the TV and soundbar. If you're highlighting your soundbar by mounting or framing it, then you might need to do a bit of cable work here.

Once plugged in, it'll play from your TV straightaway, although some TVs (like mine) may have to change the audio output to optical – but you'll easily find this in the settings.

As the Sonos Ray doesn't use an HDMI ARC connection, your TV remote won't automatically be able to control the volume, and the Sonos Ray doesn't come with its own remote, either. This means you have to use either the touch controls on the soundbar itself or connect it via the Sonos app.

Once I downloaded the app and signed in, the Ray had to play an audio pin for my smartphone to register, to connect the app and soundbar, followed by a software update. In total, this took less than five minutes.

I was then guided through the steps of connecting my TV remote to the soundbar, but after eventually telling me it was successful, my TV remote still couldn't control the volume. I've repeated this step twice, and it hasn't worked both times, and as my TV remote is said to be compatible, this may be an issue for others who also have IR remote controls.

As I have my soundbar on a shelf and can’t quickly access the buttons, this means I have to use the app every time I need to change the volume.

I'm sure many of you have scrambled for the remote after switching to a different movie, or an app that plays everything twice as loud (looking at you, YouTube), so having to open the app or reach for the soundbar to change the volume can get a little frustrating. Luckil,y there’s no lag when opening the app.

But surprisingly, in this budget soundbar, it has Trueplay, a feature that adjusts sound output to your room's acoustics, whether you have wooden floors or plenty of soft furnishings. Activating Trueplay involves walking around the room, moving your arm in circles with your phone in hand, while the soundbar plays triplets of loud beeps to determine the acoustics of your room. It takes a few minutes, and the sound quality is noticeably more refined afterwards.

Sonos Ray: Design and Features

The Sonos Ray has a straightforward matte aesthetic, in a classic black or white for blending into almost any living room interior. It's small at 21 inches wide (less than half the width of the Sonos Arc Ultra, our best-on-test), fitting neatly onto TV stands with limited space. If you have a big screen, the Ray will likely fit between the TV's legs.

Saying this is a small space soundbar, the sound is by no means limited. At 70% volume, you’re playing it louder than a small living room would ever need, and you can still add deeper bass and more pronounced trebles if you need to.

Being able to adjust the bass and treble (by plus or minus ten) is endlessly useful for a soundbar with limited hardware. With a 3.0 channel configuration, it only has left, right, and center speaker channels. As it doesn't have any subwoofers or up-firing speakers, you'll often need to play around with the settings to make sure it's right.

It has just four speakers: Two tweeters for trebles, and two midwoofers for the mid range. When you compare it to the budget-friendly Fire TV Soundbar Plus's eight speakers, let alone the Sonos Arc Ultra's 14 speakers, the Ray's doesn't have as much tech to rely on for detailed, booming sound.

But sound quality relies on software as well as hardware, and the Sonos app has comprehensive customization settings that make this a great fit for small rooms, especially if you have roommates or nearby neighbors and haven't soundproofed the room.

You can select 'Night mode' to muffle the harsh, impactful sounds while highlighting quieter ones – and during testing, it did well to not make the audio sound inauthentic. You can also set a volume limit, so if you know how loud the volume has to be to disturb those around you, you can avoid it from happening.

The app loads fast, which scores major points considering the soundbar doesn’t have a remote, and can't connect to many standard TV remotes.

On the main playback screen when watching TV, the features available are: Volume, night mode, and speech enhancement. If you press the three dots, it opens up another menu with a sleep timer feature.

But if you're listening to music, the playback screen looks similar to what you'd find on a music streaming app like Spotify or TIDAL:

I enjoy that playback automatically shows on the Sonos app, however when switching between playback on TIDAL and Sonos, it’s almost like both apps have to reconnect each time, resulting in a lag.

The Sonos Ray doesn't have Bluetooth, which means you're limited to Wi-Fi streaming via connections like Apple AirPlay or TIDAL Connect. But when I do this, playback doesn't show in my phone’s media center on the lock screen, meaning I have to go on either the Sonos or Tidal apps to pause or skip the music.

To avoid this lag, I'd recommend sticking to either Sonos or TIDAL when listening to music, and avoid switching between. This can be annoying however if you want to choose music from your streaming platform, then go to Sonos and tweak the sound settings.

This is only when listening to music. When watching movies or TV shows, I never experienced any lag.

Also on the Sonos app is a vast library of playlists and radios, some curated by big artists and music journalists, but there are ads unless you pay $7.99 a month for the paid Sonos Radio.

Sonos Ray: TV and Movies

The Sonos Ray makes TV shows and movies sound louder and more impactful, and voices become clearer and easier to understand without subtitles. It's a huge improvement from TV sound, and as the volume capacity is impressively high, it's a great choice if you want the sound to fill the room during your next movie night.

But the sound can distort at times, and the lack of any directional sound is certainly noticeable. The bass could be more prominent to enjoy sound effects with greater impact, and sometimes voices can sound a little hollow. For the price it's a fantastic choice, but its sound quality is nowhere near what you'd find in those that cost 2-3x as much.

I started with The Trial of the Chicago 7, a great tester for directional sound that's heavy on the dialogue. the courtroom scenes demonstrated the Sonos Ray’s ability to deliver dialogue that’s more present, coherent and commanding when compared to normal TV speakers. I could hear the resonance in Eddie Redmayne’s voice, and the courtroom sounds added impact and dramatic effect to the scene while never overshadowing characters’ overlapping conversations.

But listening closely, I noticed the total lack of sound direction, with every voice sounding like it was coming from center screen. This wasn’t too surprising, but paired with vocals that are occasionally a little hollow, don’t expect this affordable soundbar to deliver dialogue that’s as authentic as those that cost $500 more, like the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 with its hyper-realistic surround sound.

During Princess Mononoke, the score was as dramatic as ever. It filled the room immediately, with every instrument coming through harmonically rich. But moving into the next scene, I felt that the sounds fell a little flat compared to what I’m used to.

This is one of my all-time favorite movies, and among the list of scenes I test soundbars with, this tends to have some of the clearest, most organic sounds of them all. But while it still certainly sounded deep and pleasantly textured, individual sounds could have had more impact.

I also rewatch scenes multiple times to see how responsive the EQ settings are, and during the mid-movie action scene in John Wick: Chapter 2, I initially felt that the sound effects in the action scene could’ve been clearer, as they sounded a little muffled compared to the Arc Ultra.

But while the sound effects were never quite as tight as I was hoping, it was great to hear the score become more intense when I increased the bass, and the background sounds becoming more lifelike, making it feel as if the train doors and spraying fountains were closer to my ears than before.

The sound is certainly more forward, projecting into the room with more prominence and clarity, but after testing Sonos’ more advanced tech in the Sonos Arc Ultra, I can notice the difference. Sometimes, if a character is talking outside or with a low voice, it can distort slightly. There’s slight harshness at points, too.

But for the most part, I enjoyed watching this loud, busy scene. I like being able to hear the full-bodied timbres of characters’ voices, and the rattling of gates and fences as the scene quickly moves through different locations.

I tested the Sonos Ray's 'Speech Enhancement' setting during Our Planet II, and instantly heard background noise quieten, while David Attenborough’s voice boomed louder and more clearly than before, while staying true to the textures of his voice. But as the episode progressed, the music began to sound weak – not quieter – as if key textures were missing.

With speech enhancement off, the Sonos Ray did a fantastic job of portraying the grand, dramatic sound of this documentary – sand storms crescended as they neared the screen, and while it wasn’t necessarily crystal clear, it was lively and full-bodied.

And watching season five episode nine of Breaking Bad, I was impressed by the Ray's sound balance. Although there’s no surround sound/upfiring with the Sonos Ray, it was still clear when Walter was speaking off screen with a toy car whirring around, noticeably coming from a different direction to what Hank was doing in the garage (if you want the real surround sound experience, go for the Samsung HW-QS750F).

And while this scene occasionally sounds tinny, muddied or shallow in other soundbars, it sounded natural and rumbling, there was weight and richness in the characters’ voices, and the volume was well-balanced without certain frequencies overpowering others.

Sonos Ray: Music

The Sonos Ray excels when playing songs with elements blended together, like dreamy pop or smooth soul. Its bass is present but not quite punchy enough, the trebles were lush but didn't always sound true-to-form, and there could be more spaciousness in gentler songs.

Starting with the bass-heavy tracks of my soundbar testing playlist, Massive Attack's Angel came through deep and punchy. The song opened with its usual slow, subterranean crescendo, and the bass was firm with clarity within the different instruments. But while the impact of the song was mostly true-to-form, what it lacked was spaciousness.

During its climactic moments, things became a little congested, and there was occasional tinniness when the song was crashing. And while the low frequencies laid a strong foundation, I wasn’t feeling genuine rumbles in the room – likely because the Ray doesn't have a subwoofer.

I felt this once again with Daft Punk’s Phoenix. The bass was strong and present, and even the nerdiest audiophiles would be impressed by this tiny speaker’s sound projection, but there’s an element of thunderous depth that these two songs are known for, which wasn’t always apparent.

The depth later arrived with the low-end synths, demonstrating the Ray’s soundstage being more committed to texture than substance. And as this is specifically marketed as a small-space soundbar, really, that’s all you need. You don’t want to be disturbing neighbors with thumping bass that will end up with a complaint note after using it for two weeks.

And when I turned up the bass in the EQ, the depth definitely improved, and I finally felt those beneath the feet rumbles I was looking for in these bass-heavy songs (even if limited). It also helped a few of the other tested tracks to sound fuller in comparison. I’d recommend keeping it around +5.

Now onto the mids, Big Thief's Simulation Swarm sounded joyful and colorful, and more coherent than the messy sound you can get from much weaker speakers. But while the instruments were legible, they weren't as rich as I’ve heard elsewhere, like with the Yamaha True X Bar 40A. The crashy guitars, while designed to sound scratchy, sounded inauthentically scratchy at times, as if there was slight distortion.

Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues, a more relaxed song with instruments blending together to form a continuous sound, sounded lovely. This ultimately proved to be where the Ray sounds best: In seamless, floaty music, rather than songs that rely on high impacts or great depth.

This was confirmed during Pitch the Baby by Cocteau Twins. The trebles sounded sweet, while the lower-frequency synths showed how dynamically the Ray can handle multiple textures at once. Like Inner City Blues, this is more of a silky song, with very few high-impact sounds, that showed me where the Ray’s inadequacy lies. It isn’t in trebles per se, but how tightly it can deliver sharp impacts, like the thud of a drum.

Led Zeppelin's Ramble On had a gorgeously crisp opening. Each instrument was delivered tightly and clearly, and throughout the rest of the song everything sounded propulsive. The only element that didn’t sound completely authentic was Robert’s voice, as it came through less firm than usual, but still – this sounded incredible. Great soundbar for rock music, it seems.

Sonos Ray: Price

The Sonos Ray costs $219 at Sonos at full price, making it the most affordable soundbar we've tested to date. I certainly noticed the difference in spec compared to more expensive models – it has no subwoofers, no Bluetooth, and no surround sound features whatsoever.

For $40 more you can grab the Fire TV Soundbar Plus, which costs $249.99 at Amazon at full price, but is often discounted to around $150-$200. This is our current best-on-test budget soundbar, and it's Dolby Atmos compatible, has eight speakers (compared to the Sonos Ray's four) including two subwoofers, and it has Bluetooth for easier music streaming. On test, it had a fuller, more directional sound than the Ray, but it's 10 inches wider.

But both the Ray and the Fire TV Soundbar Plus pale in comparison to more expensive soundbars, notably the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar and the Sonos Arc Ultra that absolutely blew me away during testing. The multi-directional soundstage they create is wildly realistic, and every detail sounds rich, vibrant, and lifelike. You're looking at paying a lot more though: $999 for the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar, and $1,099 for the Sonos Arc Ultra, but both are often discounted with $100-300 off.

How I Tested the Sonos Ray

I tested the Sonos Ray in the largest room in my house, that has two large windows, wooden flooring, and soft furnishings dotted around the room to emulate the acoustics of a common living room.

I tested the Sonos Ray using a set list of scenes and songs, so that every soundbar we test is measured under the same criteria. The scenes span TV shows and movies of different genres, from hushed, tense dialogue to booming action scenes, and the songs span genres, eras and sounds, from bass to mids to trebles.

For more tried-and-tested smart home goodness, see our guides of the best robot vacuums and the best video doorbells.

As we often design our living rooms before bringing in tech, soundbars can easily look like an afterthought in a small room, especially when they’re crammed in front of a TV.

But although you may be limited on space, designers have revealed three simple – but beautifully effective – ways to accent your best soundbar in a way that looks thought-out.

With the right mount, shelving, or lighting, it can become an unexpected highlight of your living room, no matter how much (or how little) space you have.

3 Simple Ways to Highlight Your Soundbar in a Living Room

Instead of trying to hide your soundbar, treat it like a feature of the room: Float it, frame it, and light it. Turning a useful piece of tech into a mini statement shows style know-how.

1. Floating Mount

Mounting your soundbar directly beneath your TV makes a surprisingly big difference. It creates a slimmer, more intentional profile – and suddenly, the setup looks as though it was designed cohesively.

Lauren Lerner, founder and principal designer at Living with Lolo says, 'You can make a soundbar feel intentional in a small space by giving it its own moment. A simple floating mount keeps it visually light and naturally draws the eye without adding clutter.'

A floating mount is also practical. It frees up surface space on a media unit, keeps cables closer to the TV, and suits compact soundbars that might otherwise feel crammed. Many brackets are universal or designed to work specifically with popular models, making installation straightforward with a drill and spirit level.

Anna Tatsioni, lead interior designer and architect at Decorilla, agrees that this is often the easiest fix for smaller rooms. 'Soundbars can be a somewhat awkward piece of tech to get right in a small room,' she says. 'A floating soundbar elevates it from a piece of tech and makes it a design moment.'

The mount-it! Sound Bar Mount at Home Depot is a highly reviewed option, slotting neatly underneath the TV and fitting almost every soundbar model, and most TV screen sizes. As it floats directly below the TV, cables become easier to conceal.

Ensure there’s around six to eight inches of clear space on either side, as Anna suggests, so the look remains visually balanced.

2. Floating Shelves

If you prefer your tech not to sit too close to the TV, a floating shelf creates a different look, beautifully framing the soundbar while giving you room to decorate around it.

Lauren explains that this works particularly well when you bring in greenery or shaping objects. 'Slim shelving can frame the soundbar and make it feel like part of a curated vignette, especially when you mix in a couple of plants or a sculptural piece to keep the look balanced,' she advises.

This is ideal if you’re already following movie room storage ideas to keep clutter hidden elsewhere, as the shelf then becomes a decorative zone. IKEA and Home Depot have some of the bestselling collections of affordable floating shelves.

You can even build around it with smaller shelves above or beside the soundbar, a trick Anna often uses to create more aesthetic freedom. 'You can also add floating shelves around at different heights and style them with a small plant and a candle to create a mini gallery wall effect,' she suggests.

Floating shelves also help with consistency, whether organizing a music room or keeping the TV stand free of clutter. As Anna shares, 'One piece of advice I will always give is if your TV and speaker stands are matte black, get a matte black soundbar. Consistency makes everything look better.'

If you already have a media cabinet, Lauren also suggests placing the soundbar neatly on top or integrating it into an open shelf to keep the space feeling clean and intentional.

3. LED Lighting

When used subtly, LEDs add a glow that highlights the soundbar as a feature without making your small room feel like a gaming cave. And if you choose well-reviewed options like the Govee RGBIC LED Strip Lights at Amazon, you can even sync them to music or TV playback.

Alina Enache, co-founder of Lamp Genius, recommends a simple approach depending on your setup. 'If you have your soundbar on an open shelf, you can place a single strip of LED tape behind the soundbar, which creates an indirect glow from behind, which is excellent for highlighting it subtly,' she advises.

'LED strip lighting behind or underneath the soundbar looks so good with floating shelves and adds a gorgeous glow. It’s a fun little touch that adds some atmospheric lighting, which smaller rooms often need.'

Next, learn more media wall alternatives that designers love, and the six movies that you need to watch before your next redecorating project.

Christmas prep is officially in full swing, and if you’re anything like me, you’re suddenly very aware of how your home looks from the sidewalk. The right outdoor lights can instantly elevate your home's warm holiday welcome for guests and wow neighbors.

I’ve spent the past few seasons getting hands-on with smart lights to see which ones actually make decorating easier – especially with all the ways that smart tech is redefining outdoor Christmas decorations.

So when I saw that Philips Hue’s Festavia string lights were discounted by more than $50 for Cyber Week, with full app control and music sync, they instantly jumped to the top of my Christmas wish list to easily make my festive display more eye-catching than ever.

Get A Polished Outdoor Display In Minutes With Philips Hue's Discounted String Lights

If the idea of smart lights makes you think of complex hubs and confusing apps, the Festavia String Lights will be a pleasant surprise. Once they’re plugged in and paired – which takes a few minutes via Bluetooth – you’re essentially just choosing where to drape them.

This can be across a porch railing, around a doorway, or woven through a small tree, and the app does the rest. And if you’re still figuring out your layout, it’s worth seeing what outdoor Christmas decorating ideas are approved by designers, then use the lights to bring those looks to life.

I’ve used similar app-controlled lights at home, and what struck me most was how easy the day-to-day routine became. Instead of wrestling with timers or unplugging cables in the rain, I could simply tap my phone to turn everything on at the same time.

So when it comes to lighting a porch for Christmas, you're given heaps of customization, but setting up and controlling them is as simple as can be.

Because you can dial the brightness and color temperature up or down, it’s also much easier to avoid that over-lit, slightly chaotic look. A warm white glow along the railing, with just a few subtle color accents, will help you avoid tacky outdoor Christmas lights while still feeling festive and fun. Instead of guessing, you can slide your finger on the app until everything looks calm and cohesive from the street.

The strings also lend themselves to a more considered color scheme. Once you’ve chosen your overall direction – minimal, modern, traditional, or nostalgic – you can use them to echo your favorite designer-approved Christmas decorating ideas outside.

For example, if you’re going for a more elevated, editorial-style look indoors, the ability to fine-tune each bulb’s shade means your exterior can match that mood instead of feeling like an afterthought.

And as you can adjust every bulb from your phone, it’s easy to experiment with more unusual palettes than the classic red-and-green. If you’re tempted by unexpected Christmas color schemes for 2026 – think soft pinks and light blues – Festavia lets you try them on your porch without committing to all-new decor.

If you don't like it, simply change the colors in a couple of taps, and you’re back to warm white or candle-like amber.

I'm also a fan of how these string lights frame a front door. Wrap them loosely around a wreath, or let them cascade down one side of the porch for a more relaxed look.

If you’re rethinking your front-door styling this year, use them to highlight your favorite Christmas wreath ideas or to give extra presence to one of the clever looks if you have any Christmas wreath alternatives.

While these are marketed as Christmas lights, they’re honestly too useful to pack away in January. A warm white setting works beautifully for spring and summer evenings outdoors, whether you’re hosting friends or reading on the porch.

If you’re currently deep in Christmas planning mode and want something that feels both on-trend and future-proof, the Festavia String Lights are a smart buy. They're stress-free, give you the power to tweak your display as much as you like, and help your home look more polished than ever.

The Philips Hue Festavia String Lights are discounted to $71.99 for Cyber Week.

What to Shop

Planning the rest of your festive display? These will help you along the way.

All prices correct at time of publication.

For more festive inspiration, see the ways smart lights can elevate indoor Christmas gatherings and save on energy.

Porch-side festive spectacles used to mean wrangling with tangled lights and praying that a handful of spare bulbs were all you'd need to get your display up and running. But with home technology more advanced than ever, your outdoor décor is prime for a serious upgrade.

With Wi-Fi–connected plugs, color-shifting LEDs, and sensors that automate everything for you, it’s never been easier to create an awe-inspiring and chic display outside that looks polished, performs perfectly, and saves on energy costs.

If you’ve already learned how to set up a smart home, extending that technology out of your front door is the next logical step. Here’s how to make it work beautifully for Christmas – and you don't need to be a tech pro.

5 Ways Smart Tech Is Redefining the Art of Outdoor Christmas Decorating

With the right smart plugs, weatherproof LEDs, and a smartphone, your outdoor display can look magazine-worthy while running itself. As Jason Chen, technical director at JarnisTech puts it, ‘You just need a Wi-Fi connection and a little imagination.’

And once the season’s over, those devices don’t have to retire. Many of the same tools that make your holiday lights shine can illuminate your garden year-round.

1. Start With Your Smart Foundation

As Rory Bokser, head of product at Moken puts it, ‘You can do a lot with just two products: Smart plugs and mesh Wi-Fi.’

Smart plugs gives you remote control over lights and inflatables, and a mesh Wi-Fi system ensures your whole setup stays connected from the roof to the front gate.

‘Got a zoned plan for 1,000+ LED lights with a curfew of 1 a.m.? A $25 smart plug in a Wi-Fi mesh network will schedule that for you, without needing to open the app,’ Rory explains.

Smart plugs, such as the bestselling pack of four smart plugs at Home Depot, are one of those smart home must-haves that’ll serve you beyond Christmas – they can automate garden lights, porch lamps, and outdoor heaters all year long, moving through the seasons of the year with you so a small initial outlay will never feel like a waste.

And don't worry if you don't have a mesh Wi-Fi connection, a strong router should be able to reach your front porch as long as you're not overloading it with too many smart home gadgets.

2. Switch to Smart String Lights

String lights are where the transformation of your outdoor Christmas decor really begins. ‘Modern smart lighting transforms static displays into dynamic, interactive experiences,’ says Yamen Mahfoud, sales and marketing director at Bees Lighting. The best smart string lights can connect to Wi-Fi, sync with music, and adjust color and brightness from an app.

For longevity, Jason Chen recommends weather-sealed LED strands rated IP65 or higher. ‘You can photograph your setup and hand-draw effects in the app,’ he says, recommending products from Twinkly and Govee. LEDs can last up to a decade, especially if you know how to store your Christmas lights the right way.

The Govee Smart Outdoor String Lights at Amazon have been recommended to us by tech experts again and again – they're IP65 weatherproofed, and you can fully customize the display.

Smart string lights are also perfect for layering around railings, bushes, and porches, and if you know how to light a porch for Christmas, you can highlight architectural features in a way that feels warm and intentional.

3. Project Moving Images

‘Smart projectors will blanket your home with virtual snowflakes,’ explains Jason, recommending a more creative way to have fun with your Christmas lighting this year. You can scatter snow, lights, and shapes across your home, and have them change at different times of the day.

This weather-proofed LED Holiday Projector at Home Depot has six interchangeable slides and can be set on a timer using a smart plug.

To nail the coordination, Rory has a tip, ‘Three zones fading in and out to a motion sensor is so much cooler than 10 timers running at once.’

Instead of relying on flashing colors, moderation can keep things polished and elegant to avoid tacky outdoor Christmas lights.

4. Light Pathways

Pathway lights with sensors create a stunning walkway that illuminates as you near the house. It's also a strong home security tip, as it improves visibility at night.

If you’re designing a cohesive color palette, consider warm white or gold tones, as they're the best outdoor Christmas light colors that will also complement your home year-round.

This Ring smart pathway light at Home Depot is a gorgeous option, coming to full brightness when motion is detected. And if you have a Ring Battery Doorbell Plus, the best video doorbell we've tested, you can control them all from the same app.

5. Schedule, Sync, and Protect Your Setup

Now you've created your timeless Christmas decor, let smart home tech automation take it from here. Set timers for dusk until midnight, or use ambient light sensors to let the display adjust automatically. ‘A timer prevents lights from burning all night, extends bulb life, and saves on energy consumption,’ says Yamen.

Before the cold sets in, Jason recommends testing your setup indoors first, then sealing connections with outdoor-rated cable boxes. This weatherproofed and collapsible cable box at Home Depot is ideal.

‘A bit of patience the first time you set it up pays dividends,’ he says. And when it’s time to pack away, store your lights untangled and dry inside to extend their lifespan. We particularly like this heavy-duty light storage bag from Amazon, which comes with three reels inside to help you store up to 375 feet of lighting neatly.

Next, see the beautiful Christmas tree ideas that interior designers love.

Smart, stylish, and undeniably covetable – these are the tech pieces you’ll actually want on display. Our curated edit blends cutting-edge innovation with timeless design, proving that practicality and elegance can coexist beautifully.

From wellness essentials that transform daily rituals into moments of calm – think reawakening cold plunge baths and mood-enhancing smart lighting to sleep tracking devices that double as exquisite jewellery, every item elevates both form and function.

Discover soundbars that enhance your cinematic experience, video doorbells that supercharge security, and the latest in wearable tech, each thoughtfully crafted to enhance your home while delighting the senses. Perfect for tech enthusiasts, design lovers, or anyone seeking sophisticated upgrades, these gifts combine modern convenience with luxurious style. Shop the collection and bring effortless elegance and smart innovation into your space.

For a truly inspired holiday shopping experience, browse our gift guides featuring thoughtful gifts for cooks, charming gardening gifts, and divine decor for the aspiring designer in your life.

Smart yet stylish, these are the tech pieces people not only want to use but are proud to display. From wellness devices that turn everyday rituals into moments of calm – yes, a home sauna could easily be the gift of the year – to charging mats designed to sit beautifully on a nightstand, each item proves that practicality need not compromise aesthetics.

Whether it’s a sculptural towel warmer, a sleek candle lamp, or the latest in wearable tech, every piece in our edit combines innovation with elegance. Perfect for tech enthusiasts, design lovers, or anyone seeking thoughtful upgrades to their home, these gifts bring a sense of modern balance, style, and sophistication to everyday life.

Discover even more standout presents – from charming garden gifts to indulgent luxury tech and brilliant options under $50 – inside our holiday gift guides.

As somebody who grew up with Bose portable speakers at home, I've been looking forward to testing the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar for some time.

The brand's flagship soundbar has nine built-in speakers, delivering surround sound that's designed to elevate every viewing experience at home, with compatibility with Dolby Atmos, Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, and Bluetooth for quick music playback.

I tested the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar in my home using our standardized list of scenes and songs – and enjoyed every minute of it. Keep reading to find out whether it's one of the best soundbars money can buy.

The One-Minute Verdict

The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar produces awe-inspiring sound, full of rich detail and color that makes every scene or song sound fantastic. It's beautifully balanced, with subtle details heard as part of an immersive and impressively realistic surround sound experience. You can hear footsteps approaching from opposite ends of the room, and music can even sound like each instrument is coming from its own separate soundbar scattered around the room.

My only gripes are with the long setup, taking about 2-3x as long as other soundbars and potentially requiring a bit of tech know-how if things go wrong, and the fact that the trebles can sometimes come through too sharply, even when you adjust the EQ.

There's also no ignoring the high cost, the Yamaha True X Bar 40A is a great alternative that costs less than half the price. However, if you're happy spending big on this high-quality system, I'd also recommend spending $100 more for the Sonos Arc Ultra.

Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar: Specifications

Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar: Setup

The Bose Smart Ultra setup was a longer process than with any other soundbar I've tested. It isn't a plug-and-play model, meaning even after connecting the power and HDMI cables, it won't play any audio until you've set it up on the Bose app.

My soundbar struggled to connect and wouldn’t show up on the app at all, after trying on different phones and at different times. As mine is a testing model, there’s a chance that this is because other people have used it previously.

I reset it using the remote’s ‘reset factory settings’ function (holding down the Music and Bluetooth buttons), then it showed up instantly. I then was able to connect it to the WiFi.

It still wasn’t playing audio, so I had to go into the CEC settings (on the app) and play around with the options until I was able to add it as an audio device on my Roku TV.

This is quite a fiddly setup, and as I’ve seen reports of other users having issues with Bose soundbars connecting, this might pose an issue for non-technical users when adding it to your smart home setup.

Once it was fully connected, I set up ADAPTiQ – which optimizes the sound to the size and acoustics of your room. You'll find this feature in other premium soundbars like the Sonos Arc Ultra, but Bose's version is more precise as it actually includes a small headset that can fine-tune the audio directly to where you sit. This took around ten minutes, and the soundbar emitted loud noises at different frequencies to learn your room's acoustics.

Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar: Design and Features

The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar has a sleek, shiny finish, with a matte metallic front and a glossy top. It's one of the more stylish models I've tested, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a living room style or TV stand that this soundbar doesn't blend into perfectly.

The soundbar has nine speakers, including a subwoofer, three tweeters, and two up-firing speakers for surround sound and Dolby Atmos. At this price point, the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 has 11 speakers and the Sonos Arc Ultra has 14 speakers, but this isn't the only factor when it comes to sound quality.

It has all the features you'd hope for in a soundbar this expensive. You can adjust the bass, treble, center channel and height channel from -10 to +10. That's more control over sound delivery than you get with most other models.

It also has AI Dialogue Mode that can automatically optimize the sound so that voices aren't muted or muffled, however every time I had this turned on, the playback sounded inauthentic.

As I test the same scenes with every soundbar, I noticed familiar voices sounding unfamiliar, and honestly, the sound quality is already clear enough that this doesn't feel necessary, except maybe for loud action scenes or old, low-quality films.

The app is super simple to use, with the main screen there as soon you open the app, and the main features all readily accessible, minimizing how many screens you have to click through.

You can also connect the soundbar to any other Bose speakers you have for multi-room coverage, and there are options on the app to guide you through the setup.

Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar: TV and Movies

The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar's audio is masterfully balanced. Clear details but still with strong depth and booming bass that doesn’t overpower anything.

However, the trebles can be sharp making voices occasionally sound raspy, even after playing with the EQ settings. Perhaps the soundbar's three tweeters give the trebles more of the sound stage than is necessary, but this is a minor complaint considering the all-around phenomenal audio that makes this soundbar perfect for your movie room.

I immediately noticed when watching Princess Mononoke that the surround sound is excellent. It felt like I was dropped right into the fantastical setting. I could hear the echoes of the protagonist's voice as it sounded both near and far at the same time, or the cries of a wounded character coming distinctly from my left.

Every detail is delivered with true-to-form clarity. Voices don’t sound digitally delivered; they sound real. And this clarity doesn’t come with a sacrifice of booming bass. It's the opposite, actually – when deep sounds come in, they never overpower the more delicate sounds. It shows perfect balance.

During season six, episode nine of Breaking Bad, I felt again how tremendous the directional audio is. You can hear exactly how far away the background sounds are and each sound is given the right importance.

As the garage door closes, the subwoofer makes it boom and take over the entire moment, just as tensely as it should, and I could hear Walt's and Hank's deep breaths between sentences. The trebles were a little sharp at times, even after I adjusted the EQ settings, but overall the bass, mids and trebles were so well-balanced that I could hear a character’s voice authentically going from high to low.

The raspy vocals were present again during Our Planet II, but also demonstrated was how lush a dramatic score can sound, paired alongside the roaring sounds of nature. It does feel like it’s catered a bit more to the highs, though.

Using AI Dialogue Mode during the pilot episode of Arrested Development, everything sounded a little off. The background sounds and the characters’ voices didn’t sound realistic. But once I turned it off, it sounded natural.

The opening scenes of this episode are fast paced – switching between music, slow dialogue, narration, and sound effects often overlapping each other – and it felt like it was delivered as the creators intended, especially after avoiding soundbar placement mistakes.

When you combine realistic surround sound, powerful bass, and rich clarity in the little details – action scenes sound fantastic. I felt this during John Wick: Chapter 2 and Avengers: Infinity War, layers aren't muddied at all when a lot is happening. It’s cinema-level quality.

Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar: Music

Music sounds floaty, with vocals coming through more pleasant and soft than usual, as the Bose has somehow managed to soften the sharpness that can sometimes be present in low-quality speakers. Bass is thick and punchy and never overcrowds a song, but sometimes it can be drowned out by the soundbar's commitment to strong trebles. Strings, voices, and brass all sound phenomenal.

And not only that, but the incredible surround sound I felt watching TV and movie scenes created a multi-directional soundscape that immerses you into the songs.

I heard this beautifully in Morcheeba's The Sea. I could hear each instrument with such intimacy that it’s like there were multiple soundbars scattered throughout the room – not separate, but harmonious. Strings soared above, words were clearly distinguishable in the dreamy vocals, and the drums were tight and punchy without taking over.

There aren't many soundbars I'd recommend more for your music room. A key sound I listen out for is space – the subtle moments after an instrument has been played – and in All Day Breakfast Cafe's What If Fela Kuti and Nile Rodgers Were Friends I could hear the gentle reverberations of drums after they’ve been hit, and the moments of quiet between sounds.

It’s what demonstrates a speaker’s attention to fine details. The brass was poignant, the bassline was strong, and the vocals could not sound more gorgeous. I’ve found that the Bose can make vocals sound more pleasant than I’m used to – I genuinely have no idea how (I'm assuming it's mostly owed to the tweeter design), but it’s lovely hearing my favorite songs elevated like this.

I heard this attention to detail in The Weather Station's Robber too. Because of the strong trebles, the background hum to the intro was more prominent than I’m used to, transforming it from a delicate opener to an eerie growing of tension.

Certain songs sounded as if they were designed for the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. Four Tet's Three Drums is naturally a floaty song, but as it’s comprised of synths, drums, cymbals, strings, and other electronic sounds, you’re getting a soundscape that isn’t just a dreamy wall of sound, but a beautifully balanced composition where each instrument shines.

Led Zeppelin's Ramble On is another example, where I felt the awe of the Bose Smart Ultra's surround sound. The subtle drum pattern felt like it was coming from a different direction to the other instruments.

Surprisingly, Erykah Badu's Didn't Cha Know is where I first felt some unwanted scratchiness. When Erykah’s voice was at its peak alongside the bass, it got the tiniest bit distorted. But I also heard the wobbly synths in verse two for the first time in ages which, again, shows off the Bose’s incredible clarity. You won't hear that level of subtlety in more affordable options like the Yamaha True X Bar 40A.

Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar: Price

The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar costs $999 at full price, and is sometimes (not often) discounted with around $100 off. It's certainly at the flagship end of the single soundbar market – most other soundbars cost less than this, whereas full home theater systems can cost 2-3x as much.

The Sonos Arc Ultra is the best soundbar we've tested at this premium price point. It costs $1,099 from Sonos, and for that extra $100 compared to the Bose, you get a more well-rounded sound, deeper bass, and fewer raspy voices in scenes. Both produce excellent sound quality all-round though, but you can notice the difference when comparing the Bose's nine speakers to the Sonos' 14 speakers.

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 costs $999.99 from Sony, the same as the Bose Smart Ultra, but on test, didn't perform as well. Its bass is somewhat lacking, even if it does have incredible surround sound and rich clarity like the Bose.

Or if you'd rather spend less, the Yamaha True X Bar 40A, or the Yamaha True X Bar 50A with its added subwoofer, are available at Yamaha for $399.95 and $419.95 respectively. They're not as well-balanced and have limited surround sound features, but will still make a huge upgrade for your home entertainment setup.

How I Tested the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar

I tested the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar in the largest room in my house, with a mix of hard surfaces and soft furnishings that are common in most living rooms. I assess how quick and easy the setup is, what every feature does, and how it looks in a room.

I test the same list of scenes and songs to standardize testing across every soundbar, across a vast range of sounds, eras, genres and frequencies. This allows me to know exactly what I'm looking for when testing each model, testing them all against the same criteria. You can find the full testing list here.

For more smart home inspiration, see why we rate the best robot vacuums and the best video doorbells so highly after our testing sessions.

In a world where soundbars can easily top $1,000, finding one that elevates your home entertainment setup for a fraction of the price feels like a win.

That’s why I was keen to test the Fire TV Soundbar Plus. Priced between $150 and $250, it’s dramatically more affordable than premium models yet still promises features like built-in subwoofers and Dolby Atmos support.

So, I put it through a lineup of movies and music to see whether this budget-friendly soundbar can truly deliver as one of the best soundbars – and how close it comes to competing with the high-end alternatives.

One-Minute Verdict

The Fire TV Soundbar Plus is impressive for the price, delivering extra volume, depth and impact to movies, TV shows and music. But while it's a significant upgrade from your regular TV speakers, this hardware is nowhere near as sophisticated as the soundbars that cost 2-4x as much.

Essentially, it gives everything an extra 'oomph', amplifying bass, mids and trebles so that everything sounds fuller. But there isn't a great deal of attention paid to sound balance or fine details, and things can get tinny or scratchy at times.

It's an excellent soundbar if you're on a budget, but if you're happy spending a little extra, I'd recommend going for the Yamaha True X Bar 40A. It sounds better in every way, and only costs around $200 more.

Fire TV Soundbar Plus: Specifications

Fire TV Soundbar Plus: Setup

The setup for the Fire TV Soundbar Plus couldn't be simpler. It's plug-and-play, so all you have to do is plug in the power cord, then connect the HDMI cable from the soundbar to your TV's ARC port.

And as the Fire TV Soundbar Plus doesn't use an app, there's no online setup. It's what's often referred to as a 'dumb' soundbar, but while it technically won't form part of your smart home setup, it still has many of the sound customization features you'd find in the more expensive models.

Fire TV Soundbar Plus: Design and Features

The Fire TV Soundbar Plus is a budget soundbar, and doesn't have the features you'll find in ones that cost 4-5x as much like the Sonos Arc Ultra or Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8. It's a compact, back-to-basics model that simply provides an upgraded sound setup, with limited functions to tailor the sound to your liking.

You can choose between four EQ presets: Movie, Music, Sports, and Night. These are pretty self-explanatory, with Night mode being able to soften high impacts and amplify quiet sounds, ideal to prevent disturbing neighbors and family members.

You also have the option to adjust the treble and bass from levels 1-9, and can adjust the dialogue volume from levels 1-5. I've tested soundbars that cost twice as much that don't have these options, like the Yamaha True X Bar 50A, so it's impressive that this budget option has them.

However as there's no app, you can only change these settings by pressing the bass, treble, or dialog buttons on the soundbar remote, and with each press the soundbar loudly exclaims a voice prompt like: 'Treble level five.'

It does this for each increment: If you tap it three times in succession, for example, it will say the voice prompt for each level rather than skipping to the level it lands on. It's quite irritating, and as playback is quietened when the voice prompts are played, you can't test the sound while watching something. It's a little counterproductive.

The compact soundbar has an impressive eight speakers – two woofers, three tweeters, and three full-range speakers. There are no up-firing speakers, explaining why the surround sound capabilities are limited, but it still supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

The Fire TV Soundbar Plus has Bluetooth connectivity if you're looking to use the soundbar as a music speaker, too.

Amazon has touted the Fire TV Soundbar Plus as being a seamless addition if you already use a Fire TV Stick or have a Fire TV, claiming that you'll only need one remote. However, the only controls that sync are power and volume, and normal TV remotes can usually control these aspects of a soundbar anyway.

Fire TV Soundbar Plus: TV and Movies

Considering its price, the Fire TV Soundbar Plus is a strong upgrade that improves the depth, impact and volume of movies and TV shows, and you'll get somewhat of a sense of which directions sounds are coming from.

But this step-up in sound quality is nothing compared to more expensive soundbars like the Samsung HW-QS750F and the Sonos Arc Ultra. It can occasionally sound tinny, shallow or distorted, especially when there's a lot going on, and there isn't as much rich detail in the quieter sounds.

I started with the opening compilation scene of Our Planet II, spanning flocks of birds, swarms of fish, crashing waves, and hurtling avalanches. I appreciate this is when Our Planet II sounds its best – as many of the sounds in the rest of the documentary are Foley – but I never expected a cheap soundbar to sound this impressive.

Its two small woofers sounds great. The bass isn’t always the most present, but every now and then it will add sudden booms and tension when you aren't expecting it.

John Wick Chapter 2 demonstrated that, really, what the soundbar does is provide extra oomph. I would say that the sound ‘booms’ – meaning there’s greater depth and impact to what happens on screen, but it doesn’t necessarily have the best balance, everything booms. The music, the footsteps, the background sounds – all of them are amped up to make the most of the soundbar’s limited hardware capabilities.

During The Trial of the Chicago 7, I certainly noticed the difference in dialogue quality between the Fire TV Soundbar Plus and the flagships from Sonos and Bose, but to be honest, it’s not as drastic of a difference as I anticipated.

Every voice resounded through the courtroom and I could somewhat hear the different directions from where the characters are sat, and I felt the impact of the gavel, chairs and doors slamming. As tensions rise, voices didn't distort, they became deeper and fuller.

Watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, I didn't have to turn it up loud to hear the bass. The subwoofer delivers roars, and as the flaming bird flies towards the screen I could hear it approaching from a distance, with a real rumble in the room beneath my feet. There’s depth to each impact and a tightness in the smaller sounds like footsteps and chairs falling, but it doesn’t stay too clear during busy scenes.

Fire TV Soundbar Plus: Music

The Fire TV Soundbar Plus produces music that sounds good, definitely an improvement from modern TV speakers, but nowhere near the levels you'll find in more comprehensive setups like the Samsung HW-QS750F or Yamaha True X Bar 40A.

This improvement comes from simply having a large speaker that amplifies bass, mids and trebles above what you'll usually experience from your TV, earphones or portable speakers. But this hardware has its limits, and lacks rich intricacy within the details, spatial sound, and the crisp quality you can enjoy if you spend more.

There's also distortion and scratchiness at times, which I especially felt during Erykah Badu's Didn't Cha Know. After upping the volume to see what the soundbar is capable of, the instruments and her vocals all started to sound scratchy. Not completely, but enough that you feel the difference compared to how it's supposed to sound.

At other times the vocals can sound pleasant, as they did in Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues, but they can also sound tinny like in Morcheeba's The Sea. It's essentially a huge portable speaker – great for louder music and deeper bass, but it can crackle and distort at certain volumes and frequencies.

All Day Breakfast Cafe's What If Nile Rodgers And Fela Kuti Were Friends sounded good, with the different instruments coming through distinctly. But while there was decent clarity and impact, the sounds themselves weren't always true-to-form. The brass occasionally sounded too sharp, and the vocals a little scratchy at times.

The bass is surprisingly impressive, though. If you turn it up loud enough you can feel it beneath your feet, as I did during Daft Punk's Phoenix. I was also impressed by the tight impacts of the cymbals and the lush synths and bassline.

I found that the volume levels weren't always consistent, however. There can be moments where a track will play slightly louder or quieter for a quick moment, then back to where it was. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it for your music room unless you're on a tight budget, but you can spend $200 more for the Yamaha True X Bar 40A which produces much fuller and clearer music.

Fire TV Soundbar Plus: Price

The Fire TV Soundbar Plus costs $249.99 at Amazon at full price, but is frequently discounted to around $150-$200. It's one of the most affordable branded soundbars you can buy, with premium models costing upwards of $900.

You can get the Fire TV Soundbar Plus with an external subwoofer for deeper, fuller bass, for $374.99 at Amazon, and you can often find it on offer with around $100 off. Or you can get the soundbar with the subwoofer and two surround speakers for $489.99 at Amazon, for the ultimate surround sound experience.

That's the most comprehensive setup available with the Fire TV Soundbar Plus, and it costs a similar amount to the single soundbar Yamaha True X Bar 40A, which outperforms the Fire TV Soundbar Plus in every way. It shows the drastic price differences between the Amazon model and the rest of the market.

It's undoubtedly a great budget option, but it's the least impressive soundbar I've used so far, and if you can afford spending a little extra, I'd go for the Yamaha.

How I Tested the Fire TV Soundbar Plus

I tested the Fire TV Soundbar Plus in my own home, in a large room with a mixture of soft furnishings, hard floors, and rugs. As the Fire TV Soundbar Plus is limited on features, I didn't have an app to test, but I played with every sound setting available on the Fire TV Soundbar remote, as well as assessing how straightforward the setup was.

I test the same list of scenes and songs with every soundbar to make sure that every model is judged under the same criteria. You can find the full list here.

For more sound bar options, see why we rated the Samsung HW-QS750F soundbar so highly.

As our homes become increasingly tech-focused, finding ways to blend devices seamlessly into our spaces is essential. A soundbar can transform your TV’s sound, but, of course, it’s another device that needs a place in your living room.

As transformative as they can be when watching TV, it's fair to say, even some of the best soundbars don't look the best, with many of us looking into more creative ways to integrate them into the design of our living room, helping the space to look less cluttered and more streamlined.

So, to find the best solutions, I spoke with three trusted tech and interior design experts. They shared two simple ways to hide your soundbar (no custom renovations or bespoke cabinetry required).

Two Ways to Hide Your Soundbar, to Create a Cohesive Living Room

'The soundbar, when mixed with the interior of the living room, contributes to eliminating the presence of visual clutter in the room, which makes the room look bigger and more balanced,' shares Allen Liu, tech expert and content specialist at FreSound.

'Once the technology is not in control of the room, visitors and relatives can pay attention to the design features, including paintings, bookshelves, or furniture collections, which reflect their own style.'

Here are the two simple ways you can hide your soundbar in your living room, to make the room feel more expensive and cohesive, without compromising the soundbar's powerful audio.

1. Hide Inside a Cabinet

When exploring living room TV ideas, the best solution when hiding your soundbar is to keep it inside a cabinet – but this can affect the sound quality if not done right.

'Soundbars can be hidden inside of custom built-ins or credenzas if you use a mesh substrate on the from the cabinet door to let the sound through,' explains Chad Hogan, interior designer and co-founder of Chandler Farms.

Now, while a mesh substrate might not be the most stylish choice we'd recommend for a TV cabinet, Chad's point about letting sound through is key. Hiding a soundbar behind cabinet doors – even if they are paneled, louvered, or have holes – means that precious soundwaves are bouncing back into the cabinet, and not into your living room or movie room.

But there are easy ways around this soundbar placement mistake. A wide cabinet with a sliding door is perfect: It's large enough to accommodate any future soundbar upgrades (our favorite soundbar the Sonos Arc Ultra is 46 inches wide, for example), and you can open the cabinet doors to make sure you never compromise on sound quality.

This Burrow Opera Media Console is perfect. Available in walnut, oak, or blackened oak finishes, the TV cabinet has sliding doors that open to reveal a 70-inch-wide shelf that will fit any soundbar, with two shelves underneath for subwoofers, extra speakers, or anything else you'd need living room storage for.

Or, this Arcadia Media Console at Pottery Barn has a shelf designed specifically for soundbars. It won't be completely hidden, but you won't have to think about opening the cabinet doors each time you're watching something, and your soundbar will have undisturbed sound from neatly tucked beneath your TV, straight to your ears. It also has a hole at the back of the cabinet for your soundbar's power cords, along with drawers for extra storage underneath.

The Everly Quinn Camylle TV Stand at Wayfair is a more affordable option, with an open shelf that fits ultra-wide soundbars.

When storing your soundbar inside a TV cabinet, make sure to remember to push it outwards as far as possible so that up-firing speakers (needed for Dolby Atmos and surround sound) can still project soundwaves up and around your head.

2. Mount Below Your TV and Hide The Wires

The other option is to mount the soundbar below the TV using brackets, such as the best-selling Mounting Dream Soundbar Mount at Amazon, or with a floating shelf, such as this inPlace shelf at Home Depot that's wide enough for a soundbar and any extra speakers.

This way, your soundbar won't take up any space on or inside a TV cabinet, and will look like your TV and soundbar are part of one home entertainment setup.

'The best way to hide a soundbar is to mount it directly under the TV. This prevents it from taking up more space and makes the TV and soundbar look cohesive,' shares Tanner Fischbeck, technology consultant at Automated Environments, a team that installs home theater systems across the US.

It won't be completely hidden this way, and it involves drilling a mount into your walls. But if you're able to do so, your soundbar will take up no space at all, floating above the surfaces in your living room.

Tech expert Allen Liu agrees, 'Brackets or floating shelves provide a clean appearance and prevent the use of cords that are not very attractive, particularly when cable management tools are used in combination.'

If your TV and soundbar are mounted together, it'll blend seamlessly into your space. There are plenty of media wall alternatives if you want yours to look a little more interesting, too.

To look for mounts and floating shelves that will fit the size of your soundbar and TV, you'll find the best selections at Home Depot, Walmart, and Best Buy.

Next, learn how to organize a music room, and how to soundproof a room to enjoy booming entertainment all the time.

This time of year is hallmarked by cold weather and cozy nights – but for opportunistic shoppers, it's also the time where products are at their best prices all year.

If you've been searching for the right moment to buy a discounted soundbar to level-up your home entertainment, waiting until the holiday shopping season was a smart move. But with Black Friday not landing until November 28, knowing the optimal time to find the best price takes a bit of know-how if you don't want to wait any longer.

As an eCommerce editor, I've covered every sale season since 2021, and I also consulted some of our trusted shopping and tech experts to find out whether you should wait for Black Friday to shop the best soundbars.

Should You Buy a Soundbar Before Black Friday?

In short – yes, but you don't have to. Black Friday tends to have the biggest discounts all year, and the biggest selection of soundbars on offer, but there's no shortage of offers to be snapped up in the meantime. Really, it depends if you're looking for a specific model.

'The most appropriate time of the year to purchase a soundbar is overwhelmingly during popular retailing events, particularly during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, shares Allen Liu, tech expert from FreSound.

'The best electronics retailers and manufacturers have their biggest sales every November, with far-reaching discounts that are not experienced throughout the year,' she continues.

I can confirm this after covering every sale event since 2021. Black Friday is always where you'll find the best selection, especially from leading brands like Sonos and Samsung.

'High-quality soundbars of such brands as Sonos, Samsung, Sony, and Bose can be regularly found with discounts of 30-50 percent of the MSRP,' Allen continues.

'This is mainly due to the mixture of intense retailer offers and clearance of stock in season. Black Friday allows retailers to sell electronics in large quantities as more is expected to arrive at the start of the new year. This is the reason why it offers discounts not only on the older models but also on some of the new models,' she adds.

In my experience, that's the main difference between shopping before Black Friday and waiting until the big day. If you're looking to shop around to upgrade your movie room or music room right now, there are countless discounted soundbars with savings up to the $100s. But if you're looking for flagship models like the Sonos Arc Ultra, our best-on-test, you'll be limited on choice.

If you've already done your research and are looking for a specific model, wait until Black Friday unless you see it discounted now. But if you're happy to consider your options and go for a model that's maybe a little simpler or cheaper, then there's no reason why you shouldn't shop now.

Mackenzie Shand, executive editor at BlackFriday.com, elaborates further, 'Shoppers will find the best prices on soundbars twice a year – first in late January and early February.'

'It all comes down to timing and technology cycles. Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions [are] driven by fierce competition for holiday spending,' Mackenzie shares. 'Every January, new TVs and audio gear are unveiled at CES, which means retailers start marking down previous-year models soon after to make room for new inventory.'

But not all of us are patient enough to wait until Black Friday to buy a discounted soundbar, let alone holding out until the new year. Luckily, once you know the setup and features you want, you can find models that fit your needs that are on offer right now.

What to Shop Now

To grab a stellar home entertainment upgrade and beat the Black Friday sales rush, three of the best soundbars we've tested are on offer right now.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

For more smart home goodness, see our tested top picks of the best robot vacuums and the best video doorbells.

Longstanding audio brand Yamaha has been releasing soundbars for two decades. What started as big, bulky models, their best range is now the sleek True X Bar Series, and the True X Bar 40A is the entry-level option, consisting of just a single soundbar.

I tested the Yamaha True X Bar 40A back-to-back with the True X Bar 50A, which includes a wireless subwoofer for more powerful bass. Testing both at the same time allowed me to see exactly what these models offer at different price points, and considering the 40A's lower cost, I was seriously impressed.

Here's what I learned after testing the Yamaha True X Bar 40A in my own home, to find out if it could be one of the best soundbars that doesn't cost the earth.

The One-Minute Verdict

For the price, the Yamaha True X Bar 40A delivers impressively detailed and colorful sound. It has two built-in subwoofers for deep bass, and two up-firing speakers for Dolby Atmos and surround sound, which isn't a given at this low-to-mid-range price point.

The sound has fantastic clarity, only becoming muddied during busy moments where lots of layers are present at once. I tested it back-to-back with the Yamaha True X Bar 50A, which is the same soundbar with an added wireless subwoofer, and I wasn't at all disappointed by the bass power without that separate component.

It's a compact and affordable option if you're looking to elevate your home entertainment, and music sounds fantastic regardless of the genre. Its subtle aesthetic will blend into most interiors, too, and it even comes with wall-mount brackets.

The app could be more user-friendly, and it's limited in its sound customization features compared to others, such as the Samsung HW-QS750F I reviewed, which provides complete control over how the audio sounds. There's no quiet mode on the Yamaha True X Bar 40A, surround sound optimization, or equalizer for mids and trebles. But regardless, this is a great speaker, and costs $100s less than the premium models.

Yamaha True X Bar 40A: Specifications

Yamaha True X Bar 40A: Setup

I tested this soundbar back-to-back with the Yamaha True X Bar 50A, which uses the same soundbar but with an added wireless subwoofer for more powerful bass.

Setting up the soundbar was easy as plugging in the power cord, then connecting the included HDMI cable into my TV's ARC port. If you have an older TV without an ARC or eARC port, Yamaha also includes an optical cable (which isn't always a given with soundbars!).

My TV's audio played out of the soundbar immediately, meaning this soundbar can be set up in less than two minutes. And as it supports Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect, you can connect it to other smart home gadgets or start playing music from your phone straight away.

As I wrote in the 50A review, the only frustration was connecting the soundbar to the app. It guided me through all the steps, then after entering my Wi-Fi password, an error message popped up, and no matter how many times I tried the same thing happened.

Days later, the soundbar showed up on the main screen fully connected. While this was annoying, I was able to use the soundbar in the meantime, and I haven't seen reports of other people having this issue, so it's likely just an issue with my testing model. Plus, all of the app's features are available on the soundbar remote.

The soundbar includes brackets and screws if you want to mount the soundbar onto your wall.

Yamaha True X Bar 40A: Design and Features

Considering its sub-$500 price, the Yamaha True X Bar 40A has some solid hardware that can produce great sound, but it is limited in its features and customization options.

It has two up-firing speakers, meaning that even this model (which is the entry-level option in Yamaha's True X Series) has Dolby Atmos compatibility. It isn't the most advanced (more on this below), but to get the true Dolby Atmos experience, you have to be prepared to part with a bit more money.

The 40A soundbar has two built-in subwoofers, too. So, even without the separate subwoofer included with the Yamaha True X Bar 50A, you still get strong-ish bass, and can adjust the levels using the app or soundbar remote.

The sound settings available are:

• Clear Voice: To amplify vocals.
• Bass Extension: An on/off bass booster, with no sliding scale.
• Subwoofer Volume: Adjust the built-in subwoofer volume from -10 to +10.
• Sound Mode: Choose between Stereo, Standard, Movie, and Game.

I was pleased to see that you can still adjust the built-in subwoofer volume once I'd disconnected the 50A's wireless subwoofer. As it doesn't pack as much punch, it's great to be able to turn it up when you need more depth.

And while it's helpful to have four sound modes to choose from (Movie proved the best almost every time), this is quite limited compared to the settings you'd find in other models. You can't adjust trebles or mids, and there are no options to optimize the surround sound to the acoustics of your room.

There's no quiet or night mode if you want to play without disturbing neighbors, roommates, or family members. You can turn down the volume and subwoofer, sure, but other soundbars (like the Sonos Arc Ultra) can optimize it where high impacts are muffled, and quiet sounds are amplified. It's a big help if you haven't soundproofed your room.

It's great that all the app's features are on the soundbar remote (this isn't usually the case), as the app can be a little slow, and isn't the most user-friendly. The soundbar doesn't show up if it isn't turned on, so you can't power it on from your phone unless you use Apple AirPlay.

And on the main screen, there aren't any instant controls other than volume, so you have to click through multiple screens to adjust anything. And sometimes, the soundbar won't show up at all, even though it's playing sound from your TV or phone.

But in all honesty, while it would be an improvement to have greater control and quicker access to features, once you've found the settings that work for you, you can mostly leave them untouched.

Yamaha True X Bar 40A: TV and Movies

I was expecting a significant drop in quality once I'd disconnected the separate (and massive) subwoofer included with the True X Bar 50A, but actually, it still sounds great without the deeper bass. The surround sound is certainly present, but it isn't as realistic as the more expensive soundbars (like the Sonos Arc Ultra).

I felt this most when watching Princess Mononoke, and I was impressed by the built-in subwoofer. The orchestral score is tense during tense scenes, atmospheric between climaxes, and doesn’t distract from the battle scenes. You can hear voices approaching from a distance, too, and I found more clarity when using the 40A, especially in the vocals and Foley.

Watching John Wick Chapter 2, the bass is nowhere near as present, and this is especially noticeable in the train scene. With other soundbars like the Samsung HW-QS750F, the silenced gunshots are thick and punchy, but with the True X Bar 40A they’re simply louder than how you’d hear on your normal TV speakers.

In hand-to-hand combat, you hear everything from grunts to punches to background music, but it’s still essentially an enhanced version of normal audio.

During the pilot episode of Arrested Development, I was impressed by how well-balanced every element was. Background noises were never distracting (as they often can be with high-fidelity soundbars), each person’s voice sounded true-to-form, even with the Clear Voice setting on, which can sometimes alter the authenticity in soundbars.

The only time it started to sound inauthentic was when characters started to panic and police sirens started wailing, and there was slight distortion and scratchiness.

This is the same criticism I made after testing the True X Bar 50A. It seems to struggle during busy scenes with a range of different sounds happening at once, and clarity becomes lost, and layers become muddied.

But actually, the 40A was better at retaining clarity. Not having a huge subwoofer drowning out softer details surely makes a difference. It's a great option if you're not too fussed about big booms when designing your movie room.

Even without the deep bass of the 50A's subwoofer, the volume can still go incredibly loud. During Our Planet II, you can hear thunderous noises and wave crashes, but there’s muddying happening whenever it’s noisy. That isn’t to say that you can’t hear the details or even the directions they’re coming from, but clarity is somewhat lost as the scene becomes busier.

In season six episode nine of Breaking Bad, the vocals sounded great. There’s depth, clarity, and color. Background noises sound far away, characters sound like they are where they’re supposed to be, and subtle breaths and whispers can be heard. The difference compared to normal TV volume is huge. There's real tension when the credit music comes in, with the powerful bass followed by the classic Breaking Bad guitar strings.

Yamaha True X Bar 40A: Music

The Yamaha True X Bar 40A is a strong upgrade for music lovers, boasting room-filling sound of a higher quality than you'd expect from your portable speaker or TV.

I was genuinely amazed by how powerful the built-in subwoofer is. Consisting of two 3'' cones, the subwoofer delivers bass that's present in every song you listen to. That's not to say that it can replace the high impact of the 50A's wireless subwoofer, but as part of a relatively compact and affordable soundbar, it's a perfectly affordable option when designing your music room.

I noticed this when listening to Massive Attack's Angel. I didn’t need to turn it up to unholy levels to have the bass pounding through the floor. When the first guitar crash enters, it shimmers with near-flawless sound, delivering the murky flavor this song is famous for. At the climax, a notoriously messy moment, it doesn’t sound messy in the sense that it's hard to distinguish the instruments. It’s a loud harmony.

Daft Punk's Phoenix proved this further, although I started to hear slight distortion on higher volumes, especially when the cymbals, bassline, and synths were playing all at once.

It was a similar experience listening to Four Tet's Three Drums, where it sounded a little cloudy when every instrument came together. As the song grows and new layers are introduced, everything is given its best treatment, but there’s no denying that it can become messy when a lot is going on (and not in an exhilarating way like with Angel).

A Tribe Called Quest's Oh My God sounded fantastic, and almost perfectly well-balanced if it wasn't for the vocals ever so slightly being drowned out by the instrumental. This was with Clear Voice activated, too.

Something that was missing when testing the Yamaha True X Bar 50A's music quality was space. With more expensive soundbars like the Sonos Arc Ultra, you can hear the moments after an instrument is played or a drum is hit. The subtle reverberation adds color and fluidity to tracks, which was almost non-existent when testing the 50A.

However, as the 40A isn't using a separate subwoofer to carry the lower frequencies, it leaves more space for these gentler elements to be heard. It's similar to how you can sometimes hear finer details more clearly as they're not being drowned by the subwoofer.

An Ever Changing View by Matthew Halsall showed this off best, but I'll say that it's still nowhere near the quality of the premium soundbars. There are still slight hums and vibrations where there shouldn't be, but as a whole, it sounds light and floaty as the jazzy song was designed to.

Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues demonstrated a few limitations in the mids and highs, as Marvin's voice can occasionally sound scratchy or weakened when singing at his loudest. The brass and metal percussive flourishes mostly sounded fantastic, but would occasionally become a bit distorted, especially at higher volumes.

Pitch The Baby by Cocteau Twins sounded as lush as when I listen using my high-fidelity DALI IO-8 headphones [at Amazon], with the sweeping synths and echoed voices ringing true.

Yamaha True X Bar 40A: Price

The Yamaha True X Bar 40A costs $499.95 at full price, and is often discounted to around $350-$400. It sits between the entry-level and mid-range soundbar options, and considering it has two built-in subwoofers, two up-firing speakers for Dolby Atmos, and decent sound quality across the board, it's excellent value for money.

You can also buy the Yamaha True X Bar 50A, which is the same soundbar with the added wireless subwoofer, for around $200 more. If you value deep, booming bass, I'd say it's worth spending the extra, but to be honest, the 40A's sound quality is vibrant and detailed enough without it.

If you want the full surround sound experience, you can add on two Yamaha True X Speaker 1As for $179.95 each. These small surround speakers can be positioned to the left and right of where you sit, for a more immersive soundscape.

But while the Yamaha True X Bar 40A is a stand-out choice at this price point, spending more will bring more color and detail to your home audio. The Sonos Arc Ultra and Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8, costing $1,099 and $999.99 respectively, are the best single soundbars we've tested and outperform the Yamaha in every way.

How I Tested the Yamaha True X Bar 40A

I tested the Yamaha True X Bar 40A in my own home, in the largest room that has a mix of hard floors, rugs, smooth surfaces, and soft furnishings, to test its sound capabilities in a room with common acoustics.

I tested a set list of scenes from movies and TV shows, as well as a set playlist of songs that we standardize for every soundbar test. This way, we can compare every soundbar against the same criteria, and the scenes and songs have been specially chosen to cover the different sounds and frequencies you'll hear across different genres.

I tested every sound setting, connected to the soundbar using all the available formats, and assessed how realistic the surround sound capabilities are.

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Yamaha has been producing sound equipment for decades, on everything from electric keyboards to guitar amps. The brand is no stranger to audio, and the True X Series is its flagship soundbar range.

That's why I was thrilled to test the Yamaha True X Bar 50A. It's a single soundbar paired with a separate, wireless (and quite large) subwoofer that delivers booming bass in addition to the soundbar's six built-in speakers.

To find out if it could be one of the best soundbars, I tested every feature and configuration available across our set list of scenes and songs. Here's what I learned.

The One-Minute Verdict

The Yamaha True X Bar 50A delivers some of the loudest, most resonant bass I've heard so far, thanks to a huge wireless subwoofer that adds fantastic depth to every scene and song.

It's ideal for those who love high impact – big booms, loud action, bassy music. It has the highest volume capacity of any soundbar we've tested at Homes & Gardens, reaching levels that can fill an entire house.

There's rich clarity in the vocals – but only as long as there isn't too much background noise. During busier scenes or layered songs, the sound can become a bit cloudy, with occasional distortion in the midrange.

The app could do with some improvement, too, and the sound customization settings are somewhat limited. But really, this is an impressive sound system, and it's helpful to be able to switch between sound modes depending on what you're listening to.

If you're looking for more clarity, perhaps consider the less expensive Yamaha True X Bar 40A – which is the same soundbar but without the separate, bass-heavy subwoofer. Or, if you want to keep the bass and improve the clarity, go for the Sonos Arc Ultra.

Yamaha True X Bar 50A: Specifications

Yamaha True X Bar 50A: Setup

Setup was a mixed bag, with the soundbar and subwoofer being a quick, plug-and-play setup, but with connection to the Yamaha app proving frustrating.

Setting up the hardware is as simple as plugging the soundbar into the mains, then into the TV's ARC or eARC port using the included HDMI cable. If your TV doesn't have this port, Yamaha includes an optical cable to support older TVs.

The separate subwoofer is wireless, which makes this part of the setup incredibly painless. All you have to do is plug it into the mains, and it automatically connects to the soundbar, making it a seamless part of your smart home setup.

Sound started playing immediately, and I could feel the subwoofer's cone pulsing when I put my hand to it.

It was only when I tried to connect to the Yamaha Sound Bar app that it became a hassle. It prompted me to add a new soundbar, found the True X Bar 50A immediately, then guided me through the steps to get it connected. But after entering my WiFi password, it popped up with an error message, then the app wouldn't discover the soundbar at all.

I repeated this step countless times in the hopes that it would work, but it didn't, until days later, I was playing music from Spotify via Apple AirPlay and opened the Yamaha app, and the soundbar was fully connected with all of the settings available.

I'm not sure whether it was using Apple AirPlay that prompted it to work or if the app has its own issues, but I haven't seen reports of others struggling with this, so there's a chance that this issue is exclusive to my testing model.

The soundbar also comes with brackets and built-in holes if you want to mount it to your wall.

Yamaha True X Bar 50A: Design and Features

The Yamaha True X Bar 50A packs a punch considering its mid-range price, but is limited when it comes to sound optimization.

Dolby Atmos is powered by two up-firing speakers that help to create a more spatial, surround sound experience. As there are only two speakers, don't expect the same level of immersion as with premium soundbars (like the double-priced Sonos Arc Ultra), but it's a nice touch that isn't a given at this lower price point.

Bluetooth, Alexa, Apple AirPlay, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect bring seamless integration with your other smart home gadgets, and I love that I can connect my iPhone to it using AirPlay even when the soundbar is turned off. It's convenient not to have to turn it on and pair the Bluetooth every time I want to stream music.

But I feel that this feature set is slightly let down by a subpar app and limited sound features.

The app could be more user-focused. The main screen has no instant controls, so you have to click through multiple screens of lists to change any of the settings.

And more importantly, the settings are quite limited. There's no equalizer control to fine-tune the bass, mids and trebles. The only sound settings are:

• Clear Voice: To amplify vocals.
• Bass Extension: An on/off bass booster, with no sliding scale.
• Subwoofer Volume: Adjust the subwoofer volume from -10 to +10. If you unplug the wireless subwoofer from the mains, this setting will then control the built-in subwoofer that's inside the soundbar instead, which is useful.
• Sound Mode: Choose between Stereo, Standard, Movie, and Game.

Other soundbars have features such as night mode for quieter listening, surround sound optimization, and specific tuners for different frequencies, to really tailor the sound to your tastes and what you're watching. It seems a missed opportunity that Yamaha hasn't included these.

Also, the soundbar doesn't always show up on the app. It will never show up if it isn't turned on and playing something, which is a bit frustrating, as it's more helpful to be able to turn it on from your phone, but occasionally, even when it is playing something, the screen will be stuck on 'Searching'.

This isn't the end of the world, however, as there aren't any features on the app that aren't on the soundbar's remote. So if you're OK with keeping it nearby, you don't need to use the app at all.

The soundbar and subwoofer have a matte, fabric aesthetic in black, with subtle bronze logos and lettering. I'm a fan of this more muted design, and it'll be hard to find an interior design style that this doesn't easily blend into. The Yamaha logo on the corner of the subwoofer is a tasteful addition.

Yamaha True X Bar 50A: TV and Movies

The Yamaha True X Bar 50A produces loud, bassy, and resonant sound across different genres. Voices and details are clear most of the time, but can become muddied during busy scenes. Where the True X Bar 40A shines in its clarity, the 50A excels in its depth.

During Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the action sequences sounded great, the vocals were clear (even with fire raging and furniture clashing around), but sometimes the vocals feel like they’ve been layered on top of the background noise, rather than being a part of the scene.

The booms can sometimes sound a little muffled, and while it still largely sounded quite impressive (and a huge upgrade from my usual TV), it didn’t always feel like every element was the right volume.

I changed the sound setting to ‘Movie’ (fitting for my movie room) and the score sounded more dramatic and full. The spatial surround sound felt more realistic: I could hear noises travelling from left to right, and the difference in impact between near and far sounds was beautifully accurate. Impacts sounded tighter, layers were less muddied, and the bass was exceptional (you'd hope so, considering how big the subwoofer is).

I again felt this booming, resonant audio during Our Planet II. It was gorgeous. David’s voice comes through clearly, even with dramatic music, crashing waves, and torrential rain. You can’t pick up fine details with this as you do with the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8, like individual wings flapping or leaves rustling, but as a whole, this is an excellent soundscape that creates the inspiring experience that such a large-scale nature doc calls for.

However, there can occasionally be muffling when there are loads of layered sounds, like huge swarms of fish swimming together. I noticed this when watching Arrested Development too, with music, dialogue, and narration all happening at once, I noticed that each element wasn’t as prominent as when there’s less happening.

But when it’s just dialogue, each voice sounds fantastic. There's so much depth and richness in each word – and the music really shines. The Arrested Development pilot is great for this, as the jazz soundtrack has different instruments that layer on top of the characters' vocals, and thanks to the subwoofer’s depth, it's full of color (more on music quality below).

Breaking Bad demonstrated further the vocal clarity, picking up the rasps and whispers between words. But in this scene, other soundbars (most notably the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8) showed off their surround sound ability with the toy car whirring in the background and to the side, but with the 50A, it sounded like it was coming from the same place.

The subwoofer showed itself off here, too. As soon as a punch was thrown, it boomed through the room, not at all distorted, and it added stunning depth to human voices.

Yamaha True X Bar 50A: Music

Listening to music showed off the True X Bar 50A's incredibly high volume capacity, booming bass, and incredible depth, but clarity is lost during tracks with variation among the highs, mids, and lows.

It's no surprise that the bass-heavy Angel by Massive Attack sounded extraordinary. The bass resounded through the room, and when I turned it up to about 30% volume, I felt the vibrations from beneath me (also owed to angling the soundbar correctly).

Three Drums by Four Tet sounded whole and floaty, as it should. You can hear the subtle high synths, the drums fading from soft to impactful. But it wasn't as crisp as I’ve heard with other soundbars, and there’s a slight crackle when all the layers are in full swing.

When turning it up past 50% volume, the roar was intensely amazing, but a lot of clarity was lost. I can’t imagine many people would need the volume to go that high (seriously, it's loud), but if you do, this is a great choice for your music room – just don’t expect high fidelity at high volumes.

It's important to note that because there’s so much volume to play with, at the quieter levels, pressing the volume button once drastically increases the volume, meaning it can be hard to pinpoint the right levels if you’re listening late at night or if you have neighbors who’d be disturbed by loud noises.

Ramble On by Led Zeppelin sounded awesome. Hearing it gave me a big grin – it's definitely fitting for such a longstanding musical instrument brand to have engineered excellent rock music with their soundbar.

Big Thief's Simulation Swarm displayed a beautiful marrying of the low and high frequencies. The bass is stronger than I’m used to with this track, but when Adrianne’s vocals came in, they sounded stunning together.

Later in the track, where the midrange is more prominent, it no longer sounds as clear. This seems to be where this system is lacking: The midrange can add scratchiness, but this pairs well with guitar sounds, likely explaining why Ramble On sounded so good.

There was distortion again in Sade's Feel No Pain – not in the bass, surprisingly, but when Sade’s vocals come in, combined with the other instruments. It doesn’t sound nearly as good as I’ve heard in other soundbars like the Samsung HW-QS750F.

On The Weather Station's Robber and Matthew Halsall's An Ever Changing View, I noticed the lack of space. Listening on the Sonos Arc Ultra, you’d hear the moment after a drum is hit and the slight reverberation that comes off it. With the 50A, there’s more of a wall of sound (not the Phil Spector kind…), and these subtler details aren’t picked up as clearly.

But clarity isn't the 50A's strong suit. Instead, its big, loud subwoofer produces depth and impact, demonstrated best by Erykah Badu's Didn't Cha Know. That opening drum beat is one of the most enjoyable moments to experience with proper bass, and the 50A delivers it flawlessly.

And surprisingly, the 50A's highs come through stunningly. Playboi Carti's Location and Cocteau Twins' Pitch The Baby sounded amazing, with the synth-y trebles and high-pitched vocals ringing throughout the room gorgeously.

It seems as if songs with less variety come through stronger with this system. High highs sound good together, bassy songs sound good, but when there’s lots going on it can get a bit muddied.

Yamaha True X Bar 50A: Price

The Yamaha True X Bar 50A costs $699.95 at full price but is frequently discounted to as low as $400 (at the time of writing, it's $419.95).

You can buy the Yamaha True X Bar 40A for around $399-$500, depending on promotions, and it's the same soundbar model but without the subwoofer. I tested both models back-to-back and the sound quality is drastically different. The 50A has more depth and volume, while the 40A is clearer. If you can't afford the subwoofer or don't have the space, the 40A is a great alternative.

There's also the Yamaha True X Speaker 1A for $179.95 each. These are surround speakers, so if you place them either side of where you sit, you'll get realistic, multi-directional sound.

Or, to achieve surround sound with one buy, the Samsung HW-QS750F (costing $749.99 at Best Buy) is the best surround-sound soundbar we've tested, full of advanced customization settings to tailor the sound to your tastes. It has two surround speakers, a subwoofer, and a soundbar.

How I tested the Yamaha True X Bar 50A

I tested the Yamaha True X Bar 50A in the largest room of my home, with a mix of hard surfaces and soft furnishings for accurate, real-world test results. I test every soundbar with the same list of scenes and songs to standardize testing across every model.

During each scene and each song, I tested every sound setting available to fine-tune the best sound quality, so that the review accurately represents what the soundbar is capable of. I positioned the subwoofer above the TV, below the TV, and next to where I sit with each test, too, to observe the bass distance.

I tested the 50A back-to-back with the Yamaha True X Bar 40A, to precisely compare what you get for each price. There's around $200 between them, with the only difference being the inclusion of the wireless subwoofer, and I wanted to be able to assess whether it's worth saving the $200 while still enjoying great sound.

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Investing in a high-quality soundbar brings theater-level audio into your home, but if you're not positioning it right, you're missing out on precious sound quality.

That's why I consulted the experts to find out exactly where the best position is for your soundbar. The bottom line is: Position your soundbar below the TV.

It's where the best soundbars have been designed to be placed, so that the soundwaves are sent directly to and around your ears. It's recommended not to mount your soundbar above the TV, although there's a creative fix to make it work perfectly.

Where to Position Your Soundbar for Optimal Sound and Movie-Quality Audio

Unless stated otherwise, a soundbar is designed to be positioned underneath the TV, with the audio height and direction calibrated to reach and surround your ears from this angle.

'Place your soundbar directly below your TV for optimal sound,' advises Chris Wilson, owner of Central Coast Audio Visual.

'Most premium soundbars are designed to project sound straight toward your ears,' he adds, highlighting the importance of sticking to the sound engineers' design when setting up your movie room.

Whether it's mounted into the wall or sat on your TV stand or cabinet, having it in this position is ideal. Many soundbars come with optional raised feet if your TV legs protrude too much, or you can use these $21.95 non-adhesive feet at Amazon so that it sits above them.

Putting it elsewhere – like above the TV, behind a cabinet, or to the side – risks missing out on the full soundscape, with precious soundwaves sent to the corners of your room where your ears aren't.

'If you mount the soundbar above the screen instead of below it, your ears miss the prime listening zone. The result is muffled dialogue, weaker bass, and a less immersive experience,' Chris emphasizes, although this isn't always the case.

Can you Mount a Soundbar Above the TV?

Sometimes, mounting the soundbar above the TV is the only viable option, perhaps as a mood-boosting small space idea, or if your TV stand simply isn't big enough.

But instead of limiting your home theater experience, you can use simple wedge mounts on top of a shelf or stand to angle it downwards, towards where you sit.

I do this as Homes & Gardens' resident soundbar tester. We endeavored to test in real-world conditions, but to be able to test huge soundbars like the Sonos Arc Ultra that are designed for larger spaces than mine, I needed to find a creative solution that allows every aspect of the sound quality to be preserved.

And with a couple of wedge mounts like these Monoprice mounts that are just $39.67 at Amazon, it works perfectly. Or, if you want to mount yours on the wall, find a soundbar mount that can be angled downwards.

What to Shop

Whether you're positioning your soundbar below or above your TV (but please, never to the side), it doesn't cost much to make sure the sound is as crisp and powerful as possible.

You can find soundbar mounts from $17.99 at Home Depot, Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart. Make sure it fits the weight and dimensions of your model.

Next, learn how to organize a music room and how to decorate your TV stand.

Whenever I see a sound system with multiple components (especially a booming subwoofer), I get jealous. Having an immersive, multi-tiered setup can create the rich soundscapes needed to elevate music and home theater.

So, I was excited to get my hands on the Samsung HW-QS750F. It features a soundbar, a woofer, and two rear speakers that create realistic surround sound, whatever you're playing.

To find out if it could be one of the best soundbars, I put it to the test across movies, TV shows, and songs that show off all of its capabilities.

Samsung HW-QS750F: The one-minute verdict

Considering its low price point, the Samsung HW-QS750F delivers seriously impressive sound. From immersive surround sound when watching TV and movies to deep, booming music, the dynamic setup is a fantastic home entertainment setup, and you have more advanced customization options compared to other models.

It's bulkier than single soundbars due to the three additional speakers, but this helps to create a soundscape with powerful bass, spatial audio, and crisp details. If you have the space for it, I'd absolutely recommend this model to level up your listening experience.

Samsung HW-QS750F: Specifications

Samsung HW-QS750F: Setup

Because of its multiple components, the Samsung HW-QS750F arrives in a bulkier box than what you'd expect from a single soundbar – but after unpacking it, I realized Samsung did a great job at making it as compact as possible. They also use mostly cardboard, with a few plastic molds that are made of a recycled mix, making it a more eco-friendly design choice.

Setup takes a little longer than single soundbars and requires three mains outlets to power the four speakers. But although it seemed complicated at first, once you start, it becomes straightforward:

1. Plug the soundbar into the mains, then to the TV using the HDMI cable (or optical cable if your TV has no ARC port).
2. Plug the subwoofer into mains and it automatically (and instantly) connects to the soundbar.
3. Connect the red and black AC/DC cables to both surround speakers, then plug the left speaker into the mains.
4. Sound comes out instantly, no need to set up the app first (though that’s where all the features and settings are).

The app is also straightforward. Sign up or log in to a Samsung account, and the app guides you through each step. I clicked ‘Add a device’ and the soundbar came up straight away, and it took 5-10 minutes to register it to my app and configure the settings.

From start to finish, including signing up to Samsung and connecting the speaker to the SmartThings app, took around 40 minutes. More tech-savvy people will be able to do this faster; for less tech-y people, it may take up to or over an hour. The instructions in the manual were clear.

Be prepared for lots of cables. There are three cables into the mains, an HDMI cable from TV to the soundbar, and a super-long AC/DC cable between the surround speakers. These will be very visible if you have a glass TV stand, or if you're positioning the surround speakers next to where you sit, meaning they'll feed across the room.

You can use cable tidies and cord cover kits, both available on Amazon, to corral and hide them with ease.

Samsung HW-QS750F: Design and features

A dynamic setup like this is a great look, particularly if you're organizing a music room or movie room, but it's worth noting that it'll take up more space in smaller setups. If your TV isn't raised enough, the soundbar and subwoofer might get in the way of the screen – but you could always position the subwoofer on the floor or on another surface. It connects wirelessly to the soundbar, so all it needs is a nearby power outlet.

Having multiple speakers and the fact that the soundbar itself has 10 built-in speakers means you're given comprehensive control over the sound balance. You can adjust bass, treble, woofer volume, surround speaker volumes, and whether you want the sound to come out of specific speakers rather than the whole set.

All of these features and settings can be found on the app, and it's the most customizable soundbar I've seen in thus far. The main features are:

• Sound Mode: Standard, Surround, Game, Adaptive Sound, DTS Virtual:X.
• Equalizer: Adjust the bass and treble.
• Woofer: Adjust woofer volume to +6 or -12. It’s responsive, and really useful if you have neighbors, family members, or roommates who might be disturbed by thumping bass.
• Surround Speaker Setup: Private Rear Sound mutes the soundbar and subwoofer, using only the small speakers, making it ideal for late-night viewing to not disturb anyone.
• Sound Grouping: Synchronizes soundbar with additional speakers for a more ‘mono’ sound – less surround, less layered.
• Advanced Sound Settings: Voice enhancement, bass enhancement, Night Mode, Virtual, and Moderate Bass (where you can mute the woofer so the bass is delivered from the soundbar).
• Channel level: Adjust the individual speakers within the soundbar (not the separate speakers). Rare feature.

It's interesting how there are so many different settings for what is essentially quiet mode: Private Rear Sound, Night Mode, Moderate Bass, and lowering the woofer volume will all achieve a similar effect. But they do sound different to each other, and it's handy that you can select modes that will prioritize bass, depth, clarity, treble, or sharpness.

Private Rear Sound isolates the small surround speakers. These aren’t anything special, as the music sounds a little tinny. Putting it to my ears, I could hear slight crackling, like playing music from your phone, but on a larger scale with more capacity.

Occasionally, when all speakers are active, you can hear this scratchiness as part of the layered soundscape, even if the soundbar and subwoofer mostly overpower it. You might benefit from Joanna Gaines' Bulletin Board Acoustic Tiles to improve the acoustics at home.

You can change the volume with your normal TV remote, and a subtle light on the soundbar shows when you turn it up or down, in a way that's helpful, not distracting. The Samsung HW-QS750F comes with its own remote, too, with more settings than just volume.

But the app has more settings available, and when you use the remote for certain settings, voice prompts will come out of the soundbar that can distract from watching and listening, whereas on the app, you get no disruptive sounds.

However, every time I open the app, it goes back from the soundbar control screen to the main Samsung devices screen, which is a little frustrating as it takes a few moments to load back onto the control screen each time.

Sure, this is useful if you have multiple Samsung devices in your smart home setup that you use at the same time, but if you just have the soundbar, it can slow you down when you need to quickly adjust something.

But minor inconveniences aside, this is a fantastic setup that vastly improves sound quality and spatial surround sound. I love that all the speakers instantly connected to each other without having to fiddle with pairing, and that they all have non-slip rubber pads to protect delicate TV stands (or to keep your hardwood floor clean, if that's where the woofer is going).

Samsung HW-QS750F: TV and movies

With realistic surround sound, clear details, and booming depth – the Samsung HW-QS750F is a great choice to create a more immersive home theater experience.

At first, when watching the action sequences in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, I was worried that the HW-QS750F wouldn't live up to expectations. Loud, layered scenes sounded a bit muddied, and the finer details weren't as clear as they could be. There was depth in the surround sound, but not as impressive as with the Sonos Arc Ultra (granted, it costs almost twice as much).

I tried DTS Virtual:X – a way for soundbars to virtually recreate a Dolby Atmos surround sound experience without the expensive hardware – and everything sounded a bit shallower and less full. The bass is more pronounced when kept on ‘surround’ mode.

But when watching Avengers: Infinity War, everything was clear, real, and immersive. A true surround sound experience. In a scene that's full of different sounds – cars crashing, metal clanging, dialogue, crowds, explosions – each of them sounded true in their own right. There wasn’t any confusion among the layers.

When watching Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke in both the original Japanese and dubbed English, everything sounded beautiful. Every voice is clear, with voice actors' tone and rasp coming through with clarity, and in scenes where music and action happen at once, it sounds full, immersive, and exhilarating. This is one of my favorite movies of all time and the HW-QS750F did it justice.

It's ideal for the movies you need to watch before your next redecorating project.

This clarity also shone when watching the pilot episode of Arrested Development. You can hear voices shouting from behind the camera, and the voices on camera sound crisp. The brass music that plays on the intro sounded lush and didn’t distract from the dialogue at all. The multi-directional surround sound makes it feel like you’re there (strange considering there’s a narrator!).

And when watching season six episode nine of Breaking Bad, you can hear an off-screen toy car and a garage door closing as if they're coming from a direction I hadn't yet heard. The voices, although a little scratchy at times, were authentic, and I could hear tremors in their voices and the breath in whispers.

However, Our Planet II did sound messy compared to the rich detail of the other scenes. The music felt a little distracting, and David Attenborough’s voice sounds slightly muffled compared to the surroundings. Compared to the Sonos Arc Ultra, where I could hear each animal noise and leaf rustle, it felt more blended together and less layered. But the surround sound still came through.

Samsung HW-QS750F: Music

This is a great music setup. Impact is high with room-filling sound, deep bass, and gorgeous trebles. There could occasionally be more clarity, especially when it comes to high-pitched vocals in layered songs with strong bass, but this is a small drawback on what is otherwise a stellar sound system.

Bass is the star of the show here, thanks to the dedicated woofer. Playboi Carti's Location, The Weather Station's Robber, and Erykah Badu's Didn’t Cha Know all popped with the bass thumping through the room, without ever sounding distorted or rattly.

And luckily, you don't have to worry about soundproofing your room if you want to listen to music when it's late, as the HW-QS750F's quieter modes do a great job at muffling the impactful sounds while mostly maintaining the quality.

On Sade's Feel No Pain, the bassline comes in strong, and there’s a subtle, satisfying echo when the drums come in, but the midrange isn't as rich. This stayed true when transitioning to Big Thief's Simulation Swarm, an exclusively mid-treble song, and I had to turn it up to feel the same effect as the bass-y songs.

I could hear the slight-off sound from the small surround speakers in Morcheeba's The Sea, particularly in the guitar strings and vocals.

The trebles are gorgeous. Cocteau Twin's Pitch the Baby sounded completely dreamy, even if the more subtle elements could've been clearer. I adjusted the treble to the max, which often makes things sound off but I did so to test the treble capabilities, and it sounded angelic. Real nice.

The echoey effect on the percussion came through again on All Day Breakfast Cafe's What If Nile Rodgers and Fela Kuti Were Friends, and it’s nice that the impact of the four-speaker, surround-sound setup can be felt in this way. It’s how drums sound in a room with good acoustics.

The rich, soaring brass entered beautifully, adding liveliness and optimism while sounding almost separate from the rest of the layers – not in a disparate way, but as if it’s not being drowned out or affected by other layers. If you enjoy detailed, powerful music, this is one of many smart home must-haves that I couldn't recommend more.

Samsung HW-QS750F: Price

The Samsung HW-QS750F is available for $599.99 at Best Buy, sitting comfortably in the mid-range price level for soundbars. It's hundreds of dollars cheaper than single soundbars that deliver a similar quality and spatiality of sound, as it's comprised of more components that take up more space in the room.

The Sonos Arc Ultra is the best soundbar we've tested so far. With 14 built-in speakers, it delivers TV, movie, and music audio that surpasses the quality of almost every home audio setup I've used. It's more detailed and well-rounded than the Samsung HW-QS750F, but costs almost twice as much.

I'm also currently testing the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8, another single soundbar that offers impressive surround sound. At $999.99, it's $100 cheaper than the Sonos, but $400 more expensive than the Samsung HW-QS750F. And so far, the sound quality isn't $400's worth more impressive, but it takes up much less space.

How I tested the Samsung HW-QS750F

I tested the Samsung HW-QS750F in my own home, in the biggest room of my house. I tested the two small surround speakers in two configurations, once positioned either side of my head and once positioned in front of me, and I preferred the front-facing sound as I found it more immersive.

I use a set list of scenes and songs to standardize testing across each soundbar. For TV and movies:

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Fast-paced, loud, and busy action scenes, with dialogue, explosions, artificial sound effects (casting spells and mystical creatures), emotional scenes, and a dramatic score.
• Avengers: Infinity War. Transitions from distant loud noises to immersive action, with dialogue, crowds, artificial sci-fi sounds, and fight scenes. Ideal for testing spatial audio and hearing fine details during loud moments.
• John Wick: Chapter 2. Fast-paced action, tense music, and background noise (trains, crowds, traffic).
• Breaking Bad (season five, episode nine). Intimate dialogue between two characters, switching between whispering to impassioned shouting.
• Arrested Development (season one, episode one). Fast-paced dialogue in a casual setting, voices with different pitches, and background scenes.
• Princess Mononoke. Emotional sequences with rich musical scores and Foley (creating sound effects for animation).
• Our Planet II. Ideal for testing audio range, with wide-ranging nature sounds, music (from dramatic to subtle), and narration.

And to test music quality, I listen to songs from different genres and times that highlight different frequencies, instruments, voices, and sounds. This list is roughly ordered from bass-heavy to high treble (listen to the playlist here on Spotify):

• Angel by Massive Attack. Trip-hop, electronic, slow build-up, percussion.
• Phoenix by Daft Punk. Electronic, dance, thumping bass, soft highs, cymbals, sampling, synths.
• Oh My God by A Tribe Called Quest. Hip-hop, overlapping voices, tight bass, vocal sampling, subtle crackling, jazz influence.
• Didn't Cha Know by Erykah Badu. Neo-soul, layered instruments, varied percussion, synths, smooth trebles, and strong midrange.
• Feel No Pain by Sade. Smooth soul, electronic, full audio range including low bass, strong midrange, soft highs.
• Three Drums by Four Tet. Electronic, dance, layered live instruments, soft drums.
• Simulation Swarm by Big Thief. Soft folk, melodic, full band, pure midrange, vocal trebles.
• Suzanne by Leonard Cohen. Old, low-fidelity, high-emotion, guitar, strong midrange.
• Ramble On by Led Zeppelin. Hard rock (with quiet moments), full band, slow-to-fast pace.
• Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) by Marvin Gaye. Jazzy soul, trebles overlapping the midrange, with occasional low frequencies.
• The Sea by Morcheeba. Emphasized midrange alongside vocal highs and percussive lows.
• Robber by The Weather Station. Soft pop, subtle sounds, high trebles, brass, strings, isolated drums.
• An Ever-Changing View by Matthew Halsall. Jazz, chimes, brass, varied percussion.
• What If Nile Rodgers And Fela Kuti Were Friends by All Day Breakfast Cafe. Funk, breakdown, high energy, slow moments, smooth vocals, brass.
• Pitch the Baby by Cocteau Twins. Dream pop, pure treble, synths, electronically altered voices.
• Set Fire to the Rain by Adele. Pop, booming voice, high emotion.
• Location by Playboi Carti. Hip-hop, high highs, electronic layering, trap rhythms.

Next, see the smart home gadgets that can transform your home, and learn about the smart home trends dominating 2025.

With Sony being such an established brand in the world of audio, their range of soundbars has been steadily growing over the past few years, with the BRAVIA soundbars being the brand's most advanced offering.

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 is one of Sony's top models, boasting Dolby Atmos, 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, realistic surround sound, and 11 speakers to deliver lows, mids, and highs that pop.

I put it to the test using movies, shows, and songs that showcase its ability to handle every sound, to see if it could be one of the best soundbars. Here's what I learned.

My one-minute verdict

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 is a great soundbar, with its most notable strengths being how easy and quick it is to set up (it took me five minutes), the exceptional audio detail, and the immersive, expansive surround sound experience it produces. It fills the room more naturally than other soundbars I've tested, and everything sounds well-balanced.

But it's let down by a weak bass. It's by no means bad, but for a soundbar that's this expensive, it isn't unreasonable to expect higher impact here. In certain scenes and songs, the bass is perfect, but a few times too many, it resulted in action scenes that lacked depth, and bass-y music that sounded rattly. If you're big on bass, I'd recommend the Sonos Arc Ultra instead (it's only an extra $100).

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8: Specifications

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8: Setup

What's included: The soundbar, power cable, HDMI cable, optical cable (which you'll need if your TV has no ARC port), manual, and wall bracket.

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 is essentially a plug-and-play soundbar, with minimal tech knowledge needed for a fast setup. Mine was up and running in less than five minutes, which is wonderfully low-stress.

Simply plug the soundbar into the mains and your TV, and your TV's audio starts playing instantly. If you want access to the full features, then you can connect the soundbar via Sony's BRAVIA Connect app.

The app is super straightforward, guiding you through each step with clear instructions. The data permission questions aren't the clearest, however, and many users may accidentally agree to Sony collecting data as it isn’t immediately clear whether it’s something that needs to be agreed to use it, or is optional.

Once the soundbar’s connected on the app, you can set up different features, like sound field optimization (for 360-degree spatial sound mapping), height of sound field, and more advanced network and system settings. It's one of the easiest devices I've ever introduced into my smart home setup.

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8: Design and features

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 has a slim, low-profile design that's 43 inches wide, with a fabric grille that gives a softer, warmer aesthetic compared to matte and metallic soundbars. There are feet included if you need to raise the soundbar above your TV’s legs on the TV stand, with safe, non-slip bottoms.

It's one of Sony's top soundbars, meaning it supports almost all audio and video formats, including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and IMAX Enhanced, as well as lossless audio files such as FLAC. It's also Bluetooth compatible to stream music from devices other than your TV, and it supports Spotify Connect and Apple AirPlay for quick streaming.

The app is where you'll find the soundbar's full set of features. As it's a premium model, it has surround sound capabilities, specifically 360 Spatial Sound Mapping and 360 Reality Audio for realistic cinema-style movies and high-fidelity music. You can turn the 'sound field' on and off, and the difference is huge. It really fills the room.

Sound field optimization is great, and means it can adjust to different-sized rooms, different soundbar positions (above or below the TV), and even the acoustics of the room influenced by soft furnishings and hard surfaces. After setting it up, a demo plays to show off the surround sound, and it’s stunning. It's a smart home must-have if you enjoy a rich audio experience.

You can adjust the viewing position using your phone’s microphone and the soundbar’s speakers to determine exactly where you’re sat, and then tweak the sound direction if you ever move seats.

It's great to see night mode, especially as I have close-by neighbors and haven't soundproofed the room. The EQ is limited, though, with only the option to adjust the bass between min, mid, and max.

I would’ve liked to see more options to play around with the sound, as occasionally, I would watch something that would benefit from more precise tuning. And also, as the bass is the weakest frequency, I'm always going to have it on max.

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8: TV and movies

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 is a strong soundbar, delivering full-sounding and well-rounded audio, with special attention paid to the finer details. It lacks bass compared to other soundbars and sound systems I've tested, but it what it lacks in depth, it redeems itself with realistic, immersive surround sound.

The first thing I noticed when watching the pilot episode of Arrested Development: The quality is incredibly clear. So clear that during a scene where there’s background noise, it became a little distracting when cars went past or the wind blew, but mostly, this really pulled me into the scene. This is precise sound engineering – every voice sounded natural, every action felt real. I watched the whole episode and struggled to pick out points for improvement.

I felt this when watching John Wick: Chapter 2 as well, with detailed and exhilarating action sequences. Where the Sonos Arc Ultra (our favorite soundbar) shone in its low and high frequencies, making scenes feel deeper and fuller than what I’d heard before, the Sony delivers sound that’s sharp, poignant, and crisp, focusing more on the mid-high frequencies. The surround sound is immersive. With trains going past and crowds running in different directions, you can hear the sound waves travelling around your head.

Watching John Wick: Chapter 2, I felt Sony's bass isn’t as fulfilling as the Sonos, yet when watching Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos’ booming voice added the well-needed depth that makes his character so iconic. And every fight sequence was glorious – just as I remember from the cinema.

However, that seems like a fluke, perhaps owed to the level of sound engineering that Disney and Marvel have access to. In Our Planet II, the lack of bass could be felt again. With the Sonos and the Samsung HW-QS750F, another great soundbar I've tested, Our Planet II showed off the expansive, dramatic orchestral music with depth. But with the Sony, it seemed a little emptier in comparison, and David’s voice took the center stage above the unique sounds of the natural world.

This isn't a major complaint, but for such an expensive soundbar (and one of Sony's best), I would expect there not to be a noticeable weakness in the sound. Soundbars are mostly meant to deliver thumping, impactful bass as it adds depth to loud and intense scenes – something that regular TVs don't have the capacity for.

But what it lacks in bass, it makes up for in clarity. The voices in season six episode nine of Breaking Bad are resoundingly clear. Every scene has the right emotional delivery, and the eerie music (and its minimal changes and subtle drums) come through perfectly and give it richness. The surround sound is great too: Distant voices sound far away (and to the side), while on-screen voices are projected right towards you.

When watching Princess Mononoke, the voices sounded a bit tinny at times. Mostly it was great, but there were noticeable moments where it would benefit from deeper bass, even with the bass at its max setting. The highs of the music (pipes, strings) added lovely ambiance to emotional scenes, and the soundbar is capable of delivering full-sounding cinematic boom during dramatic scenes and action sequences. The attention to detail shines through once again: Cookware clanging, horses' hoofs, and gentle footsteps all sounded authentic.

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 might prove more useful for dialogue-heavy TV shows and fall movies that inspire decorating, for example, rather than tense, loud, and busy action movies that need stronger low frequencies.

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8: Music

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 delivers music that sounds whole. Everything is (mostly) well-balanced, and songs with a mix of low-to-high frequencies sound hypnotic, filling the room with music where you can hear every detail. But similar to watching shows and movies, I found the bass to be the weakest element, occasionally even sounding rattly.

I heard this when listening to Matthew Halsall's An Ever Changing View, and the gentle jazz track doesn't even have particularly strong bass. It sounded as if the soundbar wasn't able to handle the low frequencies, instead distorting it (this was at volume 20, so not particularly loud, either).

Then, on Sade's Feel No Pain, it actually became a little distracting how much the bass struggled. It took away from her vocals and the subtler elements of the song. I'd say if you're organizing a music room and prioritize bass, perhaps if you're a fan of hip-hop and electronic, I'd recommend getting a separate subwoofer, like the wireless Sony SA-SW3.

In contrast, the mids and highs are gorgeous. Whether it's the funk breakdown in All Day Breakfast Cafe's What If Nile Rodgers And Fela Kuti Were Friends, or the folky melodies in Big Thief's Simulation Swarm, they sound so detailed it's intoxicating.

I also want to emphasize that while the bass is the weakest element, it's definitely not bad. It's present in every song I tested the soundbar with, and in more electronic tracks like Daft Punk's Phoenix and Four Tet's Three Drums, it adds the depth needed to give the songs their high energy. I just wanted to point it out, as many may expect a soundbar at this price point to deliver a more impactful bass.

Above all else, this soundbar excels in delivering clear details and balancing different frequencies. After leaving a playlist on in the background, you start to forget where the soundbar is positioned as the well-rounded sound fills the room so effectively. For that reason, I'd still recommend it for a music room or home theater.

Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8: Price

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 costs $999.99 at Sony. It's at the expensive end of the price range, where more expensive models tend to have sophisticated sound systems, rather than single soundbars.

The Sonos Arc Ultra costs an extra $100, and it's the best soundbar we've tested so far. Whether it's quiet dialogue, intense action, or any genre of music, the audio quality was shockingly good. Everything sounded full and detailed – what you'd expect from such an expensive design.

For $400 less, the Samsung HW-QS750F is a great alternative. It's a setup comprised of a soundbar, a woofer, and two surround speakers, so it takes up a lot more space in your living room, but because of the different audio outputs, no elements suffer. The surround sound was immersive, and the music sounded fantastic.

How I tested the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8

I tested the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 in my home, in the largest room in the house. I tested every feature available on the BRAVIA Connect app, including optimizing spatial sound to my room size, and all of the sound settings included night mode and voice mode.

To standardize testing across every soundbar, I use a set list of scenes and songs:

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Fast-paced, loud, and busy action scenes, with dialogue, explosions, artificial sound effects (casting spells and mystical creatures), emotional scenes, and a dramatic score.
• Avengers: Infinity War. Transitions from distant loud noises to immersive action, with dialogue, crowds, artificial sci-fi sounds, and fight scenes. Ideal for testing spatial audio and hearing fine details during loud moments.
• John Wick: Chapter 2. Fast-paced action, tense music, and background noise (trains, crowds, traffic).
• Breaking Bad (season five episode nine). Intimate dialogue between two characters, switching between whispering to impassioned shouting.
• Arrested Development (season one episode one). Fast-paced dialogue in a casual setting, voices with different pitches, and background scenes.
• Princess Mononoke. Emotional sequences with rich musical scores and Foley (creating sounds for animation).
• Our Planet II. Ideal for testing audio range, with wide-ranging nature sounds, music (from dramatic to subtle), and narration.

And to test music quality, I listen to songs from different genres and times that highlight different frequencies, instruments, voices, and sounds. This list is roughly ordered from bass-heavy to high treble (listen to the playlist here on Spotify):

• Angel by Massive Attack. Trip-hop, electronic, slow build-up, percussion.
• Phoenix by Daft Punk. Electronic, dance, thumping bass, soft highs, cymbals, sampling, synths.
• Oh My God by A Tribe Called Quest. Hip-hop, overlapping voices, tight bass, vocal sampling, subtle crackling, jazz influence.
• Didn't Cha Know by Erykah Badu. Neo-soul, layered instruments, varied percussion, synths, smooth trebles, and strong midrange.
• Feel No Pain by Sade. Smooth soul, electronic, full audio range including low bass, strong midrange, soft highs.
• Three Drums by Four Tet. Electronic, dance, layered live instruments, soft drums.
• Simulation Swarm by Big Thief. Soft folk, melodic, full band, pure midrange, vocal trebles.
• Suzanne by Leonard Cohen. Old, low-fidelity, high-emotion, guitar, strong midrange.
• Ramble On by Led Zeppelin. Hard rock (with quiet moments), full band, slow-to-fast pace.
• Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) by Marvin Gaye. Jazzy soul, trebles overlapping the midrange, with occasional low frequencies.
• The Sea by Morcheeba. Emphasized midrange alongside vocal highs and percussive lows.
• Robber by The Weather Station. Soft pop, subtle sounds, high trebles, brass, strings, isolated drums.
• An Ever-Changing View by Matthew Halsall. Jazz, chimes, brass, varied percussion.
• What If Nile Rodgers And Fela Kuti Were Friends by All Day Breakfast Cafe. Funk, breakdown, high energy, slow moments, smooth vocals.
• Pitch the Baby by Cocteau Twins. Dream pop, pure treble, synths, electronically altered voices.
• Set Fire to the Rain by Adele. Pop, booming voice, high emotion.
• Location by Playboi Carti. Hip-hop, high highs, electronic layering, trap rhythms.

To discover more ways to upgrade your space, learn about the smart gadgets that will transform your home.

A soundbar is an exciting gadget to bring into the home, elevating entertainment past what you thought possible. The right system will create an immersive home theater experience, and introduce layers to streaming and music that you may not have heard before.

The Sonos Arc Ultra is the brand’s most advanced soundbar yet – designed to bring cinema-quality audio into the living room without the clutter of multiple speakers. Supporting Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi streaming, voice assistants, and expandable pairing with subwoofers or rear speakers, it's a sophisticated system.

But does it live up to its hefty price tag? I tested Sonos' flagship in real-world conditions in my own home across TV, movies and music to see if it's the best soundbar and honestly? I loved it.

My one-minute verdict

Whether you're watching tense dialogue, a booming action scene, or listening to music from any era, the Sonos Arc Ultra delivers detailed, full, and immersive sound.

It's one of the most beautiful-sounding systems I've ever used at home, and if you can afford it, I couldn't recommend it more.

And thanks to 14 built-in speakers, wide compatibility with smart home setups, and a seamless Sonos ecosystem with all of your streaming services and features in one place – it's hard to ask for much more. Sure, there are minor criticisms (emphasis on minor), but it's impossible to find a sound system without any.

Testing this soundbar has reignited a new passion in me for TV and film, and I can't wait to enjoy more.

Sonos Arc Ultra: Specifications