The Best Cheap Soundbars on the Market Today

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When it comes to crafting a perfect home entertainment system, some people overlook the importance of audio. With so much buzz about ultra-high definition, 4K resolution, and High Dynamic Range, it’s easy for us to neglect just how much a good sound system can really do to improve our movies, streaming or even our gaming.

While spending so much time and money trying to get the perfect display, we often end up having average, or worse, sound quality. This article will recommend you the best cheap soundbars under 200 dollars you can buy today, as well as provide a buying guide to help you decide.

The sad reality about audio design is that most television sets, even many of the more expensive ones, don’t have great speakers or sound chips. While they do get the job done, they certainly won’t be giving you the audio equivalent of HD sound. That’s why it is important to get something that is capable of producing great audio fidelity to compliment your wonderful TV, whether it be speakers, headphones or TV soundbars.

Luckily, you don’t have to spend too much. While many audio setups can cost thousands of dollars, you simply don’t need to spend that much to get good audio quality nowadays. Many TV soundbars are extremely affordable and we have five of them right down below that all cost less than $200.

If you’re ready to take your audio experience to a cinematic level then take a look below at some of the best cheap soundbars around today.

Best Cheap Soundbars Under $200

1. Wohome 2.1 Channel Bluetooth Soundbar

The Wohome 2.1 channel soundbar is a great fit for larger sized TV screens. This is one of the best cheap soundbars for anyone who is a fan of improved bass.

With 80 watts of power, you can crank up the volume to an impressive amount despite how affordable this soundbar is. Plus, with two built-in subwoofers, you’ll be able to really feel enhanced bass dynamics in all of your programs.

Thanks to the wireless Bluetooth functionality, connecting the Wohome soundbar to Smart TVs, smartphones and computers is extremely simple. It even comes included with a digital optical cable for when you want to connect it directly to a TV or gaming console for superior sound quality.

2. TopVision Detachable Stereo Soundbar

The TopVision stereo soundbar is perhaps the most unique of the best cheap soundbars we have on this list because of one neat little trick it has: it is detachable.

The TopVision soundbar can be split in half which allows you to more evenly space out the sound in your room. Both halves of the soundbar can even by laid up vertically and you can use them as if they were regular speakers. This is a very special characteristic that can really reach its full potential by simply experimenting with a couple of different positions.

It also has Bluetooth and several input ports such as USB, digital optical and coaxial, which means that virtually any device can be plugged into or connected to it.

3. Soundcore Infini Integrated 2.1 Channel Soundbar

The next option on our list is Soundcore’s Infini integrated soundbar. This is another great product for people who are huge fans of stunning, overwhelming bass levels.

With built-in subwoofers designed to recreate the booming noise of a movie theater, this soundbar will instantly feel like a huge upgrade to whatever television set you currently use. It also has multiple sound signature settings all designed to augment voices and dialogue, bass or have a balance of a more virtual and immersive frequency response.

This soundbar is also a little smaller and lighter than many others and can easily fit in with even the most packed and crowded TV setups.

4. Samsung 2.1 Soundbar HW-R450 w/ Wireless Subwoofer

If you’re looking for a soundbar that really delivers with power than Samsung’s HW-R450 is the one for you. This 200w soundbar offers excellent volume levels and still manages to deliver clear audio even when cranking up the volume.

This is a great soundbar to pick for gaming as there is a dedicated “game mode” audio setting designed to enhance the sound effects that action and adventure games typically use. It’s also a no-brainer choice if you already own a Samsung TV as this soundbar will pair with that television set very nicely.

Perhaps the best thing about the HW-R450 is its bonus external subwoofer. Because it is wireless you can place it anywhere you want and really optimize the audio of your room.

5. ZVOX AccuVoice AV200 Soundbar

Last on our list of the best cheap soundbars is ZVOX’s AccuVoice AV200, and it’s a little different than the previous items we looked at. Instead of going for a home theater style, the AccuVoice is a top notch soundbar that prioritizes voice quality above all else.

If simply want to hear speech easier, the AccuVoice is what you need. This function will work whether you’re using cable and satellite TV, or even DVD and Blu-Ray films.

You’ll be amazed at just how much of a difference it makes for human voices. It’s like getting a sophisticated hearing aid for your TV!

Buyer’s Guide for Quality TV Soundbars

We hope you enjoyed taking a gander at our list of the best cheap soundbars. If you’re not too picky about upgrading your entertainment system then you have our guarantee that any one of these products will get the job done. However, if you’re a little more curious about what makes a great quality TV soundbar then this section is for you. Here’s how you can figure out for yourself what exactly makes a TV soundbar worth purchasing.

As we discussed previously, a lot of people spend time researching what makes a great HD TV but not so much time is invested in learning about good audio systems, soundbars or otherwise.

Just like with any electronic product, TV soundbars have distinct characteristics and specifications that can help clue you in on their quality. Once you know what features to look for and what they ultimately do, you’ll be able to make a much more informed purchase with a much better sense of what makes a soundbar worth buying.

More than just being a guide on how to tell the difference between the wheat and the chaff, we’ll also let you know how certain specifications apply depending on your needs or your environment. Some soundbars work better with smaller TVs in apartments or smaller bedrooms, whereas others will be much better suited for 50+ inch TVs for big movie nights combined with 5.1 speaker systems. For starters let’s talk about watts.

Wattage

This is simply a measurement of electrical power. Therefore, the more watts the higher the volume output you’ll be able to get. Depending on your own home’s setup, you may want a really powerful soundbar or set of speakers that go up to 200 watts.

For people who live in more sound sensitive areas, something below a 100 will be fine. It ultimately depends on whether you want something for an apartment living room or a basement home theater that’s designed to be as close to a real cinema as possible.

Features

Next, you should look at whether a soundbar has any built-in features or components that can help improve the sound quality. It’s important to note that the way sound travels through a room is highly dependent on certain aspects of construction.

Some soundbars will produce sound that can only be optimally heard from a certain distance or angle, like sitting a couple of meters away from the TV and soundbar. Others can produce sound that travels in a more equally distributed way so that it will still sound great even if you are at an angle or farther away.

That’s why you should pay extra attention to soundbars that say they have built-in subwoofers or extra drivers. These will help make certain sound frequencies more audible and louder even when other loud actions are occurring at the same time. It also makes quieter moments easier to pick out in general.

This will be very helpful for picking out voices and may even allow you to turn off subtitles so that less of your screen will be clogged up. Now let’s discuss a couple more basic features about soundbars, like compatibility inputs.

Compatibility

Not everyone is going to be using their soundbar for the same things. Many will plug them into television sets for movies, series and streaming content online. Some will want to use them for listening to music onf Youtube, and some will even be using them for video game consoles. That’s why you should always look at what inputs the soundbar supports.

Just about all of them will have HDMI ports, so you don’t have to worry about whether they will be suitable for modern HD TVs. However, if you plan on connecting them to a stereo or speaker system you already have or want to plug it in directly into a gaming console like a Playstation 4, you will need to see if they have certain ports.

Digital optical ports are your best bet as these cables are very inexpensive and just about every soundbar and modern gaming console supports these inputs. They’re also considered the best connection types for delivering the purest signals possible for audio.

Customization

Because soundbars can be used for a few different entertainment purposes, it’s also very important to make sure that your soundbar of choice is capable of fitting the type of sound that you want out of your particular activity. What we’re getting at is that a great soundbar should allow you to customize the sound settings so that you can fine tune things like the bass and the treble.

This is important because video games will prioritize other sounds over movies. While both often contain musical scores, paying attention to voices will be much more important in TV shows or films whereas sound effects are more prominent in video games.

If your soundbar has a robust set of options that allows you to manually tweak the style of the sound, this is good. If it already comes with some presets designed to better suit certain styles of entertainment, that’s even better.

Conclusion

That’s about all we’ve got for your regarding the best cheap soundbars under 200 dollars as well as our soundbar buyer’s guide. We hope you now have a better understanding of the ins and outs of purchasing a TV soundbar. Thank you for reading and we hope you end up making a selection that fits the needs of both yourself and your home perfectly.