5 Overhyped Features You Can Probably Skip When Picking a Soundbar — They're Style Over Substance, Says Our Expert

When it comes to our living spaces, many of us take great care in selecting fabrics, furniture, and color palettes to make them the best they can be. But, get to the task of choosing a soundbar to make the otherwise terrible audio on your TV better, and you’ll probably find yourself confronted with a specification sheet full of technical jargon and "must-have" features that threaten to overwhelm your minimalist sensibilities.

Manufacturers often use features to justify high price tags, but while some are essential for enhancing your movie nights, others can be safely ignored. Here are five you can overlook when you’re on the hunt for your next soundbar, and a few options that deliver beyond their spec sheets.

1. The Virtual Illusion

You might see marketing labels promising an immersive cinematic experience from a single soundbar. Each manufacturer calls it something different, but if you see the words virtual or digital mentioned, it’s suggesting that software alone can place sounds behind you.

This technique relies on tricking your brain by bouncing sound waves off your walls in order to create the effect of sound coming from different places. If your room isn't a perfect, reflective rectangle, the effect can collapse, though, while in a modern home with large rugs, soft linen sofas, or open-plan layouts, it is pretty much a non-starter.

If you’re looking for true surround sound, you really need to invest in a system that includes physical rear speakers. A high-quality 5.1 setup with actual hardware behind where you sit will always provide a more authentic sense of space than a virtual 11.1 illusion.

2. Compromised Up-Firing Atmos Drivers

Dolby Atmos is currently considered the gold standard for height effects, designed to make sound feel like it is cascading from above. To achieve this with a soundbar, manufacturers typically add small speakers to the top that are angled toward the ceiling.

Unfortunately, these drivers are usually too small and too weak to reach your ceiling with enough energy to bounce back meaningfully. Some high-end soundbars do a great job given their space limitations, but there are a number that simply deliver a slightly taller soundstage in front of you, rather than true overhead audio.

If you want a true Dolby Atmos experience, rather than poor, muddled 3D effects, ideally, you’ll want a system of separates.

3. The Hi-Res Audio Myth

You may see gold "Hi-Res Audio" badges plastered on all the marketing of the soundbar you’re considering, suggesting it is a portal to audiophile-grade studio recordings (24-bit/192kHz). But, to truly hear the difference between standard and high-resolution files, you need a very trained ear, or large, high-dynamic-range drivers and a near-perfect listening environment.

The small speaker cones packed inside many soundbars are very unlikely to be physically capable of delivering that intricate detail. If your soundbar is primarily for television and casual streaming, you can skip this feature. For critical music listening, you should be exploring a separate pair of architectural bookshelf speakers (like these Edifier ones from Amazon) rather than a single box soundbar.

4. Redundant Smart Assistants

These days, many soundbars boast built-in voice assistants, like Alexa, which effectively makes them smart speakers. But, there is a very good chance you may already have an Echo, a Google Nest, a smart hub, or a microphone in your TV remote. Adding one to the soundbar is therefore often redundant and can lead to phantom triggers, where audio is interrupted because the soundbar thought you used the voice assistant wake word.

It is better to prioritise a soundbar that excels on the audio front rather than telling you what the weather is going to be like for the afternoon. You can always add voice control via a small, unobtrusive device like an Echo Pop if you need to — and this will likely be much cheaper than the premium you’ll pay in a soundbar.

5. Input Overload

A common marketing point is to highlight a soundbar's multiple HDMI inputs, allowing you to plug all your devices directly into it. For some, this will be essential, but for many, this feature is often obsolete thanks to HDMI eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel).

A lot of modern setups will see all sources, like streaming sticks and games consoles, plugged directly into the TV’s HDMI ports. A single, discreet eARC cable then routes audio back to the soundbar, with everything kept clean and tidy by utilising the TV as the hub.

That said, you shouldn’t ignore the option for multiple inputs on a soundbar if you have an older TV that does not support eARC, or if your TV simply has an inadequate number of ports.

Soundbars to consider that deliver beyond the hype

By only choosing features you'll actually use, you're more likely to make investing in a soundbar worth it for your home. And, if you want to keep in the loop with more on the good-looking home tech front, why not sign up to the Livingetc newsletter?