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The built-in sound quality on TVs has gotten a lot better over the years, but not even the best TVs can compete with dedicated soundbars. If you want to improve your home entertainment sound, investing in a good soundbar is the way to go, and you don't need to spend a lot. The best cheap soundbars can bring you better dialogue quality from movies and TV shows, and even stream music over Bluetooth. It's time to abandon poor TV sound, turn up the volume and get bingeing.
For $155, the 2.1 Soundbar includes a wireless subwoofer, HDMI connectivity and both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding. Even better than the previous Vizio V21, this soundbars excels with movie soundtracks and sounds great with music, too.
Pros
- Huge soundstage
- Exciting, detailed sound for music and movies
- Affordable
Cons
- No analog or optical
- Need app to change settings
- No height effects despite Dolby Atmos support
The compact Roku Streambar SE offers a lot for its low price tag. This is a fully-fledged 4K HDR streamer with hundreds of supported services, plus the ability to connect via Bluetooth. It's a no-nonsense upgrade on your TV speaker, with excellent vocal clarity.
Pros
- Very compact mini sound bar with built-in 4K Roku video streamer
- Delivers better sound than you'd expect for its small size
- Loud, clear dialogue
- Easy set-up
Cons
- Can only produce so much sound and bass
- Soundstage isn't very wide
If you're after a compact soundbar that offers Bluetooth, HDMI and really clean dialogue, the Yamaha SR-C20A has you covered. It also includes DTS Virtual:X for excellent simulated surround from a single box.
Pros
- Easy to set up and use
- Sound great with movies and music
- Plenty of connection options
Cons
- No ability to add a subwoofer or rears
- No DTS playback limits DVD watching options
- Vizio SV210M beats it for home theater use
When it comes to making voices sound better for not much money, the AV120 gets a big star. It's not so great with music, but the speaker's Bluetooth capability does help if you listen to podcasts. Overall, the Zvox AV120 is a solid buy for people who need a sonic boost in their day-to-day television watching.
Pros
- Crystal clear without harshness
- Affordable
- Easy to set up and use
- Bluetooth capable
Cons
- Won't work if you lose the remote
- Music subject to volume spurts
- Low frequencies can cause distortion
BLUETOOTH SPEAKER DEALS OF THE WEEK
Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.
- These Are the Best Budget Soundbars for 2026
- The best budget soundbars of 2026
- Best budget soundbar
- Best smart soundbar
- Best for dialogue
- Best sound for $50
- Recent update
- Are soundbars worth having?
- Are cheap soundbars any good?
- Is it worth spending more than $200?
The best budget soundbars of 2026
The budget models highlighted here are ones that performed well in CNET's hands-on tests, and can make your TV sound better for less than $200. All the soundbars on this list are not only affordable, but have Bluetooth, HDMI and an optical connection, making hooking up to a TV easy. If you're looking to step up your audio game just a bit more, our roundup of the best soundbars under $300 offer these same features and beyond.
Pros
- Huge soundstage
- Exciting, detailed sound for music and movies
- Affordable
Cons
- No analog or optical
- Need app to change settings
- No height effects despite Dolby Atmos support
For $155, the 2.1 Soundbar includes a wireless subwoofer, HDMI connectivity and both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding. Even better than the previous Vizio V21, this soundbars excels with movie soundtracks and sounds great with music, too.
Pros
- Very compact mini sound bar with built-in 4K Roku video streamer
- Delivers better sound than you'd expect for its small size
- Loud, clear dialogue
- Easy set-up
Cons
- Can only produce so much sound and bass
- Soundstage isn't very wide
The compact Roku Streambar SE offers a lot for its low price tag. This is a fully-fledged 4K HDR streamer with hundreds of supported services, plus the ability to connect via Bluetooth. It's a no-nonsense upgrade on your TV speaker, with excellent vocal clarity.
Pros
- Easy to set up and use
- Sound great with movies and music
- Plenty of connection options
Cons
- No ability to add a subwoofer or rears
- No DTS playback limits DVD watching options
- Vizio SV210M beats it for home theater use
If you're after a compact soundbar that offers Bluetooth, HDMI and really clean dialogue, the Yamaha SR-C20A has you covered. It also includes DTS Virtual:X for excellent simulated surround from a single box.
Pros
- Crystal clear without harshness
- Affordable
- Easy to set up and use
- Bluetooth capable
Cons
- Won't work if you lose the remote
- Music subject to volume spurts
- Low frequencies can cause distortion
When it comes to making voices sound better for not much money, the AV120 gets a big star. It's not so great with music, but the speaker's Bluetooth capability does help if you listen to podcasts. Overall, the Zvox AV120 is a solid buy for people who need a sonic boost in their day-to-day television watching.
March 12, 2026: Addedtwo new models -- the Zvox AV120 and the Roku Streambar SE -- and updated pricing.
FAQs
TV speakers traditionally perform very poorly, so spending even just a little can improve your shows immeasurably. The first thing you will notice when adding a soundbar is that voices will sound clearer, and the sound will become more immersive as you can now hear the soundtrack and sound effects better.
The quality of cheap soundbars has increased significantly in the past few years, and the addition of subwoofers at this level has also helped boost performance. Bass is something that almost no onboard TV speaker can offer. For under $200, you can buy something that doubles as a Bluetooth music streamer and a TV sound system.
All of the above soundbars will sound great and do so for a minimal amount of money, but there are advantages to increasing your budget. At $280, for example, the Sonos Ray will not only offer you a better experience and sound, but improved features, including multiroom music. While the sky's the limit to how much you can spend on upgrading your sound, the real sweet spot is between $300 and $400. See our list of best soundbars, which includes models that offer state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos audio effects.
