Is Buying a Soundbar Actually Worth It in 2026?

a living room with a grey sofa and a media wall with a tv and soundbar — (Image credit: Richard Powers / Future)

The latest TVs are a far cry from what they were. They might still be large black rectangles for the most part, but they are now wafer-thin, capable of hanging flush against the wall, and some display digital art with such fidelity that they practically vanish into gallery walls. And that’s before considering the influx of lifestyle TVs like Samsung’s Frame Pro with their picture frame surrounds.

But the relentless pursuit of ultra-thin designs has created a paradox for the senses. While our eyes are treated to slender frames and superb picture quality thanks to technologies like Micro RGB and OLED, our ears are often left to suffer thin, hollow audio.

Despite the advancements in design, the laws of physics remain unchanged. To move enough air for deep bass or directional dialogue, you need depth – something a 15mm-thin TV simply cannot provide. That's where buying a soundbar comes in — but how do they stack up in 2026 against your TV's built-in speakers? Well, they're almost always going to improve how you enjoy your TV watching experience, in my opinion.

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TV Speakers vs Soundbars

A wood living room with a stacked statue, a leather armchair, a marble coffee table with a vase of flowers, a ceramic bowl, and a TV concealed by wooden doors with green gem accents — In this living room by Jessica Gersten, the soundbar and TV are hidden behind a sliding screen.

Some of the latest flagship TVs are pushing the boundaries when it comes to delivering better sound. That’s thanks to the use of advanced tech, from AI-enhanced processing that you’ll find across most high-end TVs nowadays, to more unique offerings like Sony’s Acoustic Surface feature that sees the screen itself vibrate to produce sound. But, internal drivers are still limited by their chassis.

Most built-in TV speakers, therefore, can’t help but produce tinny bass that relies on digital tricks to fake depth, while dialogue is frequently drowned out by background music or loud effects. Spatial audio also often feels trapped, sounding like it is coming from behind the screen rather than surrounding you.

Modern soundbars, meanwhile, use dedicated centre channels and lean on AI to help isolate speech, delivering clearer, crisper audio. In some flagship soundbars, you’ll also find up-firing drivers to bounce sound off your ceiling for better height representation.

The Extra Benefits of a Soundbar

Opting for a soundbar adds yet another black box to your TV wall, but they almost always deliver a better sound experience than your TV’s built-in speakers could ever dream of. Apart from the reasons I mentioned above, the latest soundbars have a couple of extra advantages.

Brands like Samsung, Sony, and LG no longer turn off your TV speakers when you plug in a soundbar. Instead, they use the TV’s tweeters to handle high-frequency details (like glass shattering) while the soundbar handles the meat of the audio. Each brand calls this technology something different — Samsung’s is called Q-Symphony, Sony’s is Acoustic Centre Sync, and LG’s is WOW Orchestra — and you will need to buy a soundbar from the same company to benefit, but it’s an added perk of soundbars and sticking with one brand.

Image of a luxury yet cozy living room. The walls are a white limewash, there is a large olive green sectional that wraps around the room, and the floor is a dark black wood. There is a marble fireplace in the corner with a TV above it.

Understandably, you might want a soundbar with a more aesthetically pleasing design than Samsung or Sony’s portfolios may offer, and systems like Sonos' Arc and Marshall's Heston are great options in this instance. Many of these brands also allow you to start with a single, stylish bar and wirelessly add discrete rear speakers or a separate subwoofer later, without a single cable trailing your gorgeous rug.

Soundbars also have software tuning features. Most of the higher-end models offer tuning software to automatically adjust the sound output for open floor plans or the new velvet sofa you just bought, so you’ll not only get enhanced audio compared to your TV, but one tailored to your room and all its quirks.

Some Exceptions to Consider

While most slim TVs fail to impress on the audio front, there are a couple engineered specifically for those who refuse to add more hardware to their media console.

Panasonic

65" Smart 4k Ultra Hd Hdr Oled Tv With Amazon Alexa

The Panasonic Z95B OLED offers excellent integrated audio thanks to its 360 Soundscape Pro system, tuned by Technics. It has a physically thicker chassis to accommodate a 5.1.2-channel array, including up-firing and side-firing speakers and it is the closest you can get to a soundbar experience without actually buying one.

Sky

Sky Glass Gen 2

For those less bothered about the picture quality and more worried about content and sound, the second-generation Sky Glass doubled down on its ‘all-in-one’ solution when it launched in 2025. It features an enhanced seven-speaker Dolby Atmos system built into the base of the frame. It won't shake your gorgeous hardwood floor like a standalone sub, but its dedicated centre channel ensures dialogue is lovely and clear.

Minimalist Soundbar Picks

If you decide that your TV’s internal speakers aren't enough, these three options are what I would say represent the pinnacle of this year’s design-led audio. For now, anyway.

Sonos

Arc Ultra: Home Cinema Soundbar With Dolby Atmos - Sonos

The Sonos Arc Ultra is a superb soundbar, not just in terms of audio quality but its curvaceous and streamlined design. It uses what Sonos calls ‘Sound Motion’ technology to produce deep, impactful bass from its slim chassis, eliminating the need for a bulky floor-standing subwoofer. It will mount flush to the wall, comes in black and white colour options and there is plenty of clever tech within the Sonos app from Speech Enhancement to Night Mode.

Marshall

Heston 120

Moving away from boring black plastic, the Marshall Heston 120 soundbar embraces an aesthetic with a lot to talk about on the design front. Wrapped in eco-leather with a tactile woven fabric grille and brushed brass accents, it looks more like a high-end furniture accessory than a soundbar. It can be controlled using the Marshall app, as well as the brass knobs on top, and there’s a smaller version too (though without knobs) in the Heston 60.

Bang & Olufsen

Beosound Theatre

The Beosound Theatre is a true investment piece crafted from extruded aluminum and swappable oak and fabric covers. It is modular, meaning if your TV size changes over the next decade, the "wings" of the bar can be replaced or extended to match your new display. It also uses beam-forming technology to direct audio away from reflective surfaces like glass tables so while it is far from cheap, it earns its keep.

Verdict: Is a soundbar worth it?

A soundbar is worth it if you value dialogue clarity and an immersive sound experience. If you find yourself constantly turning the volume up for talking and down for action scenes, your TV speakers are failing you and a soundbar will be worth its weight in gold when it comes to delivering a better sound experience.

They too have limitations, however, and while they are not as limiting as the ultra-thin flagship TVs we now have, if you’re looking for a fully immersive experience, you may need to consider a system of separates.

If your TV audio is making your ears squint and subtitles have become your one true love, here's an expert guide to choosing your ideal soundbar.

Britta O’Boyle is a technology journalist with over 15 years of experience writing across web and print. She's covered everything from speakers, smart home and beauty to phones, tablets and fitness devices.

She’s passionate about technology that makes people’s lives easier and better, and knows her way around the latest speakers just as well as smartwatches and hairdryers.