You can take your TV audio experience to the next level by adding a soundbar, and you don't need to spend a lot of money. The best budget-friendly soundbars offer good-quality sound, smart features and a big boost to your audio output.
For under $300, you can expect features such as Bluetooth connectivity, HDMI and a wireless subwoofer. Most soundbars include a voice-boosting mode, so TV dialogue may sound clearer than it does with a regular speaker. If you're a music fan, you can extract more from your favorite tunes than with any Bluetooth speaker. You could even pick a model with Amazon Alexa or Dolby Atmos onboard.
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What is the best soundbar under $300 overall?
The best overall soundbar under $300 is the Klipsch Cinema 400. This Klipsch speaker system adds the oomph of a wireless subwoofer, which will help you get the most out of action films to bring the movie magic to your living spaces.
The Sonos Ray is also an excellent option for those looking to improve their music listening experience. The Ray lacks an HDMI port and doesn't have a voice assistant like Alexa or Google Assistant built in, but the sound is tight with crisp vocals and full, deep bass. It's an excellent affordable alternative to its counterpart, the Sonos Beam.
If you're on the hunt for the best soundbar under $300 that 2025 has to offer, be sure to take a look at my roundup of some excellent speakers, starting at $100. This list is updated periodically as I test new models.
Best soundbar under $300 of 2025
Best soundbar under $300 overall
Pros
- Excellent sonics for both movies and music
- Great build quality
- Striking looks
Cons
- A little taller than many soundbars, could obscure your TV's IR port
- Only one HDMI input
- No Wi-Fi streaming
It may not have the whizz-bang features of some of its competition, but if you're looking for superlative performance this is where you should start. As the best soundbar at just over $300 (and frequently on sale for less), it offers head-turning looks with those exposed tweeters and a big subwoofer. The included remote control offers independent control of the sub. Get quality sound with both music and an episode or two of Andor. The built-in Bluetooth, wireless connectivity allows for music streaming from compatible devices.
Best soundbar for music streamers
Pros
- Excellent sound for movies and music
- Compact, attractive design
- Simple connection
- Still the best multiroom system
Cons
- No HDMI
- Some competitors offer wireless subwoofers as well
The Sonos Ray is an entry-level soundbar featuring the company's excellent multiroom music system and a surprisingly wide soundstage through the use of proprietary waveguides.
While it doesn't support Dolby Atmos surround sound or have an HDMI port to connect to your TV (you connect it to your TV with an included optical cable), we were impressed with the sound quality for music and movies. You can pair it with a couple of other Sonos speakers like the Ikea Symfonisk to create a surround sound system.
Best soundbar for voice control
Pros
- Amazon Alexa onboard works well
- Excellent sound quality for the price
- Smart looking design
Cons
- Only one HDMI input
- Optional sub and surrounds are costly
The Polk React is pulling multiple duties: it's affordable and it's a smart speaker with Amazon Alexa -- and it offers an excellent dialogue enhancement mode. It offers more than that, including crystal clear sound quality and HDMI for easy connection to your TV.
Best soundbar for tight spaces
Pros
- Big sound for small size
- Google Cast compatibility
Cons
- Wi-Fi connection unreliable
- ARC-only HDMI input
The problem with most soundbars is that they're huge. If you have a small TV or accompanying stand they may dangle off of it. Polk Audio's MagniFi Mini's main speaker is barely a foot across, yet it's able to offer an ultra-wide sound with clever use of technology. It sounds good, and you'll barely know it's there. The only potential downside is that you will have to hide the subwoofer, but as it's wireless you can stash it behind the couch.
Best soundbar under $200
Pros
- Excellent home cinema sound on a budget
- DTS Virtual:X improves immersion
- Versatile connectivity, with HDMI ARC
Cons
- Subwoofer is small and not very articulate
- Voice assistant connection not super useful
- Input color codes are not available in the user manual, only
The V21 with Wireless Subwoofer is outclassed by the others on this list and may not be the best soundbar for under $300, but it's still one of the best available for less than $200. If you only have a limited budget it offers excellent value. It has the all-important HDMI connection, Bluetooth and a separate sub. The Vizio delivers great sound and costs around half the price of these competitors.
Factors to consider when buying a soundbar under $300
When choosing which soundbar to buy, CNET also uses the following criteria as part of its selection process:
Price
Even when opting for a more affordable model, the most important consideration when choosing a soundbar is how much it costs. I give a lot of thought to the features a soundbar has in comparison to others that cost the same. Comparisons are especially important in this price range where a single additional feature can set a soundbar miles apart from its competitors.
Wireless streaming
Many soundbars in this price range still offer wireless streaming capabilities. Whether Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, the best soundbars under $300 often come equipped with more advanced streaming services, like Google Play Music on the Polk MagniFi Mini or Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect on the Sonos Ray. The more choices for TV or music streaming technologies a soundbar has, the better.
HDMI connections
At the bare minimum, a soundbar sold in 2025 should have at least one HDMI input and preferably more. The ability to connect multiple HDMI cables will help users with a large selection of sources (Xbox Series X, Apple TV, Nintendo Switch, Blu-ray player, etc.). At this price point, many soundbars have only one HDMI port, so keep that in mind when you're looking to connect more accessories.
Subwoofer and surround speakers
Single-bar systems are great for smaller TVs, as their length allows for built-in stereo sound while still being compact. But a soundbar-and-subwoofer combo is better suited for a living room home theater system to produce that booming surround sound you may not get with a more affordable soundbar. For that reason, I take note of the size of the system and whether it offers wireless or wired peripherals. Most soundbars with subs are wireless, for instance, while surround sound systems can be wired, as in the case of the Vizio Elevate.
How we test soundbars
CNET follows a rigorous, unbiased evaluation process for all of its soundbar testing, from simple stereo speakers to Dolby Atmos systems. In the CNET AV Lab, I do comparative testing, pitting similar soundbars against each other side by side.
I evaluate the performance of each soundbar with several different types of content, including movies, music, TV shows and games. I use several test scenes, mainly from action movies, including the opening of Mad Max: Fury Road for playback of the spatial audio standard Dolby Atmos for soundbars that support it. I also use the Thanator Attack scene of Avatar (26.53) to test a system's dynamics and detail retrieval.
When it comes to music, I use several CNET test tracks which you can find here in a Tidal or Spotify playlist. Tracks such as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' Red Right Hand, with its deep bass notes and tenor vocals, help determine a system's ability to track male voices in particular, without sounding congested. The song also helps with uncovering hidden details and the relative dynamics a speaker is capable of. Using each of these content types -- movies, TV shows and music -- I then grade the sound quality of each soundbar. I evaluate characteristics such as speech clarity, dynamics/volume, bass response and musical playback.
CNET's dedicated audio lab in downtown New York includes a selection of recent televisions (with HDMI eARC), plus Apple TV 4K streamer and Roku Ultra streamer, a Microsoft Xbox Series X and an Oppo UDP-205 4K Blu-ray player. I also use Roon music software to stream to individual devices or the Oppo player as needed.
Other soundbars under $300 we've tested
The Yamaha SR-C30A is a sub-$300 soundbar with a wireless subwoofer
Yamaha SR-C30A: If you're seeking a compact soundbar that still sounds good, the SR-C30A is a decent option. It builds on the smaller C20A by adding a compact and capable subwoofer for even better performance. Read CNET's review of the Yamaha SR-C30A.
ZVOX AV357: The ZVOX AV357 is a great way to upgrade a terrible-sounding TV. It's stylish too, with a wood-grain veneer, and the remote control is user-friendly. If you want to connect more than just a TV -- like a phone for music via Bluetooth -- try one of the other options here, but this is nonetheless a fantastic TV speaker. Interested in learning more? Read our full review of the ZVOX AV357.
Roku Streambar: With a full-fledged 4K HDR Roku streamer built in and a single voice remote controlling everything, this bar gives you audio and video in one simple bar. The Roku soundbar set up is a breeze; just add it to a TV with a simple HDMI port connection. Read more about the bar in our full Roku Streambar review.
Creative Stage: The Creative Stage soundbar offers a bunch of previously unheard-of features, including HDMI connectivity with an HDMI ARC port and a subwoofer. What's even more remarkable is that this affordable PC soundbar sounds better than most of its ultra-budget competition; its wired subwoofer fills the room with a great bass boost. Learn more about the Creative Stage soundbar in our full review.
Yamaha YAS-209: The Yamaha YAS-209 offers excellent sound quality in a compact soundbar. Built-in Amazon Alexa voice control is useful, allowing this smart soundbar to stream music, and the mics work well in loud environments. The soundbar's implementation of DTS Virtual:X virtual surround sound offers rich sound effects reminiscent of surround speaker sound. Find out more about the soundbar in our full Yamaha YAS-209 review.