How to choose a soundbar: the complete guide
TV speakers in 2026 are a lot like the stock tires on a new car. They'll get you home, but nobody's writing a review about them. You've got a TV pushing a gorgeous picture, and the audio's coming out of a thin little driver wedged behind the panel. We see it every week at the Montreal store: a customer fires up a movie demo, squints a bit, then asks why the sound is "fine but kind of flat." The answer's almost always the same. You need a soundbar.
But which one? There are dozens on the market, and every box is plastered with numbers. 2.1 channels, 5.1 channels, 200 watts, 430 watts, HDMI ARC, eARC, Dolby Atmos... It gets overwhelming fast. The question comes up every single day at the store: how to choose a soundbar without getting it wrong?
This soundbar buying guide breaks all of it down. No filler, no marketing talk. Just what you actually need to know to make a smart call.
Why a soundbar (and not something else)?
You've got three options to fix your TV audio.
Option 1: stick with the built-in speakers. Honestly? Even high-end TVs have mediocre sound. The panels are too thin to house real drivers. You lose dialogue in action scenes, bass is non-existent, and spatial audio is just not happening.
Option 2: a full home theatre system. Five speakers, a subwoofer, an AV receiver, wiring snaking across the living room. The sound is phenomenal, no argument there. But it's a project. You need space, you need budget, and you need a certain enthusiasm for setup. The gap between a soundbar and a home theatre is kind of like the gap between a solid drip coffee and a prosumer espresso machine: both make great coffee, but the investment in time and money is not the same. If you're also shopping for a new TV, check out our best Samsung TVs of 2026.
Option 3: the soundbar. One device in front of your TV (or mounted on the wall), a wireless subwoofer tucked beside the couch, and you're good to go. Fifteen minutes to set up, sound that's ten times better than before.
For 90% of people, the soundbar is the sweet spot. That's why it's the best-selling audio product at our store, by a wide margin.
Understanding channels: 2.0, 2.1, 3.1, 5.1 and beyond
Channel notation is simpler than it looks.
The first number = the main channels (the speakers doing the heavy lifting). The second number = whether there's a subwoofer (1 = yes, 0 = no). If there's a third number, like 5.1.2, those last two are upward-firing speakers for vertical sound (Dolby Atmos, more on that below).
Here's what it looks like in practice:
- 2.0: two stereo channels, no subwoofer. Compact, simple, enough for a bedroom or small office.
- 2.1: two stereo channels plus a subwoofer. This is the classic setup that covers most people's needs. The Klipsch Cinema 400 is a solid example: two channels with horn-loaded tweeters (the Klipsch signature) and a wireless 8-inch sub that hits hard.
- 3.1: three channels plus a subwoofer. That dedicated centre channel handles voices. If you struggle to catch dialogue in movies (a very common problem, especially with modern audio mixes), 3.1 fixes it. A 3.1 Samsung soundbar like the HW-B650 with its 7 speakers and dedicated centre channel does exactly that.
- 5.1: five channels plus a subwoofer. Surround sound without needing physical rear speakers, the bar simulates the side channels.
- 7.1, 9.1, etc.: more immersion, but the price follows.
My take? For most living rooms, a good 2.1 or 3.1 does the job and then some. Virtual 5.1 can be impressive on certain models, but results vary a lot depending on your room's acoustics and where your couch sits.
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, worth it or not?
Hot topic. We're actually working on a full article about Dolby Atmos, so I'll keep this brief.
Dolby Atmos adds a vertical layer to the sound. Instead of audio coming from left, right, and front only, you also get sound that seems to come from above. In a rain scene, you "feel" the drops falling above you. In an action movie, a helicopter genuinely passes over your head. DTS:X does essentially the same thing, just a competing format.
The real question: does it make a big difference on a soundbar? It depends.
On a proper Atmos system with ceiling speakers, the effect is spectacular. On a soundbar, upward-firing drivers bounce sound off your ceiling to create the illusion. The Yamaha SR-B40A does this: it supports Dolby Atmos with multi-channel rendering that gives surprisingly good spatial sound for a bar its size. Is it identical to a true Atmos setup? No. Is it noticeably better than a standard stereo bar? Yes.
If you watch a lot of movies and series on Netflix, Disney+, or Apple TV (all of which offer Atmos content), it's worth it. If you mostly watch the news and play background music, it's a nice extra you won't use as much.
Subwoofer: built-in, wireless, or none at all?
The subwoofer handles the low end. Explosions in a movie, the bass line in a song, the rumble of an engine in a racing game. Without a sub, the sound often feels "thin," especially at lower volumes.
Three configurations exist:
Built-in subwoofer. Some compact bars pack a small woofer right into the chassis. It saves space, but the bass is limited by the bar's physical size. The Yamaha SR-C30A is an interesting case: it's a compact bar that still comes with a separate wireless sub, which lets it deliver bass that punches well above what its size would suggest.
Separate wireless subwoofer. This is the most popular configuration, and for good reason. A soundbar with subwoofer lets you place the sub wherever you want in the room, beside the couch, behind a piece of furniture, in a corner, and it pairs automatically with the bar. No cable. All four soundbars in our lineup work this way. It's the setup I recommend to almost everyone.
No subwoofer at all. Some entry-level 2.0 bars skip it. If your space is really small or you live in an apartment and your downstairs neighbours are already tapping on the ceiling, fair enough. But you lose a lot of sound quality.
Something our customers regularly underestimate: the wireless sub can be placed strategically to compensate for your room's acoustics. My colleague Maxime easily spends ten minutes with each customer at the store just explaining optimal placement. Against a wall, the bass gets amplified. In a corner, even more. In the middle of the room, it's more neutral. It makes a real difference.
Wattage: what it actually means
Watts are the first number everyone looks at. And it's a trap.
430 watts is louder than 90 watts, right? Yes and no. It's true that the Samsung HW-B650 at 430W will push more volume than the Yamaha SR-C30A at 90W. But raw volume is only part of the story.
What the watts don't tell you:
Speaker quality matters as much as power. The Klipsch soundbar Cinema 400 puts out 400W and uses horn-loaded tweeters. That technology has been Klipsch's trademark for decades. It projects sound with more precision and energy than a conventional tweeter. The result: 400W from Klipsch and 430W from Samsung don't sound the same. Both are good, but in different ways.
Your room size changes everything, too. An open-concept living room of 500 square feet needs more power than a 120-square-foot bedroom. For a small space, 90-200W is plenty. For a large open living area, aim for 300W and up.
And then there's distortion. A 200W bar playing at 70% capacity will sound better than a 200W bar pushed to 100%. Like a car engine, just because the speedometer goes to 240 doesn't mean you want to run it at 240 all the time.
The simple rule I give everyone at the store: - Bedroom or office: 90-150W - Average living room: 200-400W - Large open living room or basement theatre: 400W+
Connectivity: HDMI ARC, eARC, optical, Bluetooth
The hookup is where a lot of customers start to zone out. But it matters, because it determines the audio signal quality reaching your soundbar.
HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel). This is the standard connection today. One HDMI cable between your TV and your soundbar, done. The audio from everything playing on your TV, Netflix, cable, game console, travels through that cable. All four bars in our lineup support HDMI ARC. It's the minimum in 2026.
HDMI eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel). The upgraded version. eARC is part of the HDMI 2.1 specification and can carry Dolby Atmos without compression (lossless). If you want true Atmos from a 4K Blu-ray or certain streaming apps, you need eARC. That's the connection to look for if you're investing in an Atmos-capable Yamaha soundbar like the SR-B40A. For more on TVs that support eARC, see our best Samsung TVs of 2026.
Optical (Toslink). The old standard. It works, but it's limited to stereo or basic Dolby Digital. If your TV only has an optical output (happens with older models), it'll do in a pinch. Otherwise, HDMI ARC is better in every way.
Bluetooth. Every modern soundbar has Bluetooth. It's not for your TV audio, it's for streaming music straight from your phone. Handy on a Saturday morning when you're cleaning the house and want to blast a playlist without turning on the TV. The Yamaha SR-B40A has Bluetooth 5.1, the latest version, with a more stable connection and better range.
What I recommend: check that your TV has an HDMI ARC port (look at the back, it'll say "ARC" next to the HDMI port). If your TV is recent and you're eyeing an Atmos bar, check that it's an eARC port. The rest, optical, Bluetooth, that's bonus.
What size soundbar for your TV?
We get this question at least five times a day at the store. The answer is simpler than you'd think.
The rule: your soundbar should be between 75% and 100% of your TV's width. Not wider (it sticks out and looks odd), not too short (the sound won't cover the picture properly).
In practice:
- 43-50 inch TV: bar around 60-80 cm. The Yamaha SR-C30A, with its compact form factor, is built for exactly this.
- 55-65 inch TV: bar around 80-110 cm. If you're looking for a soundbar for 55 inch TV, this is the most common size range and most bars on the market are designed for it. The Klipsch Cinema 400 and the Samsung HW-B650 both fit here.
- 75 inch TV and up: bar around 110-130 cm. You need a wider model so the sound keeps up with the picture.
One thing nobody mentions: if your bar sits on the TV stand in front of the screen, make sure it doesn't block your TV's infrared receiver. It sounds obvious, but it happens all the time. Most recent bars are low-profile enough to clear it, but measure anyway.
And if you're wall-mounting your TV? Mount the bar too. Almost every model comes with a wall-mount kit or has mounting holes on the back. The look is much cleaner, and it frees up your stand.
How to choose a soundbar by use case: movies, music, gaming
This is where it gets practical. Your main use should guide your choice more than any other single factor.
You mostly watch movies and shows. Clear dialogue is priority number one. A dedicated centre channel (3.1 channels or more) makes a big difference. Dolby Atmos is a major plus for immersion. The Samsung HW-B650 with its centre channel and 7 speakers or the Yamaha SR-B40A with Atmos are both strong picks. A subwoofer adds impact to action scenes, and all four bars in our collection include one.
You listen to a lot of music. Stereo fidelity matters more than surround effects. The horn-loaded tweeters on the Klipsch Cinema 400 deliver a clarity in the highs that music lovers will appreciate. At 400W with an 8-inch sub, it handles rock, hip-hop, and jazz with authority. There's a reason Klipsch has an almost cult-like following in the audio world.
You're a gamer. Latency is the enemy. You want the sound arriving at the same time as the picture, not 100 milliseconds later. HDMI ARC/eARC gives you much lower latency than Bluetooth. And a solid subwoofer makes action and racing games so much more immersive. A regular customer, Patrick, came in last week specifically to upgrade his gaming setup. He tested three bars at the store with his Switch plugged in (yes, we let him), and the difference between his TV speakers and any of the bars had him convinced in 30 seconds.
A bit of everything. That's most people. You want a versatile bar, a good sub, simple connectivity. 3.1 is a strong middle ground for this category: enough channels for movies, solid stereo for music, and the centre channel helps across the board.
How to choose a soundbar: mistakes to avoid
After years of selling soundbars, certain patterns keep coming back.
Ignoring your room's acoustics. A living room with hardwood floors, big windows, and no rug will ring. Sound bounces everywhere and turns to mush. Before you blame your soundbar, look at your room. A rug, some curtains, even a fabric couch absorbs sound and improves the result. I've seen customers come back unhappy, telling us the sound was better at the store. Of course it was, the store is acoustically treated. A few tweaks in their living room and the problem was sorted.
Buying on wattage alone. I mentioned this earlier, but it's worth repeating. Raw power is like megapixels on a camera: it's an easy number to compare, but it doesn't tell the whole story. A well-designed 200W system can sound better than a generic 400W one.
Skipping the subwoofer. Bars without a sub exist, and they're tempting because it's one fewer thing to place. But the sound is so much fuller with one. Bass isn't just for explosions. It adds warmth to music, depth to voices, body to the overall sound.
Using optical when you have an HDMI ARC port. This happens more often than you'd think. The optical cable ships with some bars, the customer plugs it in by default, and they're missing out on HDMI ARC, which is better in every respect. Check your ports.
Bad subwoofer placement. Stuffing the sub inside a closed cabinet is a no. Sound needs room to breathe. Beside the TV stand or near the couch, on the floor, that's the move. And if it booms too much in a corner, pull it out from the wall a bit.
Not using the right sound modes. Most bars have preset modes: cinema, music, voice, night. Night mode is underrated. It compresses the dynamic range so explosions don't wake the kids, but dialogue stays clear. Very useful in a condo.
Frequently asked questions
What's the real difference between a 2.1 and a 5.1 soundbar?
A 2.1 has two stereo channels plus a sub. Sound comes from in front of you. A 5.1 adds surround channels that simulate audio from the sides and behind you. In practice, on a soundbar (versus a true 5.1 system with physical speakers), the surround effect is simulated through audio processing. It's convincing on some models, less so on others. For most living rooms, a good 2.1 or 3.1 gives a very satisfying result.
Can a soundbar replace a full home theatre system?
For 80% of people, yes. A home theatre with an AV receiver and 5 separate speakers will always win on raw quality and immersion. But a good 3.1 or 5.1 soundbar delivers about 85% of the result for a fraction of the footprint and setup hassle. Hardcore audiophiles will want the full system. Everyone else will be very happy with a soundbar.
Do I really need a subwoofer?
Technically, no. But I recommend one to almost everyone. The sub handles the entire low-frequency layer that the bar alone physically can't reproduce, it's just too thin. The only real exception: if you have a very small space and the bass volume bothers the neighbours.
How do I connect a soundbar to my TV?
The recommended way: an HDMI cable between the HDMI ARC (or eARC) port on your TV and the HDMI port on your bar. Turn on CEC in your TV's settings so the TV remote controls the bar's volume. That's it. If your TV doesn't have HDMI ARC, use an optical cable (Toslink). Bluetooth is for streaming music from your phone, not for connecting the TV to the bar day-to-day.
What exactly is Dolby Atmos?
An audio format that adds height to the sound. Instead of fixed channels (left, right, centre), Dolby Atmos places "sound objects" in a 3D space. A plane can pass over your head. Rain falls from all around you. On a soundbar, the effect is simulated with upward-firing speakers that bounce sound off the ceiling. It's less dramatic than a true Atmos system with ceiling-mounted speakers, but it's still a clear step up from standard surround.
What wattage should I go with?
Depends on your room size. Bedroom or small office: 90-150W does the job, a bar like the Yamaha SR-C30A at 90W handles it well. Average living room: 200-400W, that puts you in Yamaha SR-B40A (200W) or Klipsch Cinema 400 (400W) territory. Large open living room: 400W and up, look at the Samsung HW-B650 at 430W. But remember: speaker quality matters as much as raw power.
Are soundbars compatible with all TVs?
Yes, as long as you have the right connection. Any TV with an HDMI ARC port (the vast majority of TVs sold since 2018) works with any soundbar that has HDMI ARC. If your TV is older, optical output will do the job. And as a last resort, Bluetooth is universal, but it's the weakest option for TV use because of latency.
How do I choose a soundbar if I don't know anything about audio?
Three criteria are all you need. First, channels: a 2.1 or 3.1 covers most people's needs, and the dedicated centre channel on a 3.1 helps with dialogue clarity. Second, wattage matched to your room size: 90 to 200W for a small space, 300W and up for a large living room. Third, HDMI ARC connectivity (or eARC if you want Dolby Atmos). With those three reference points, you can make a solid pick without getting lost in the specs.
The right soundbar is the one that fits your living room, your budget, and how you actually use it. The best soundbar 2026 isn't the priciest one on the shelf: it's the one that matches your room and your habits. Now that you know how to choose a soundbar, there's no need to overthink it. If you're still on the fence after reading all this, come see us at the store in Montreal. We plug things in, compare, and you'll have your answer in 15 minutes. You can also check out our full soundbar collection to see what's available.
