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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 experience, investing in a good soundbar is the way to go. Thankfully, you don't need to spend a lot for this, especially after you've already dropped a ton on your TV. A cheap soundbar is the perfect solution for getting better dialogue quality out of your entertainment system. Whether it's for watching movies and TV shows or even streaming music over Bluetooth, the best budget soundbars can make your TV sound better for less than $200.
Our Picks Best budget soundbar Vizio 2.1 Soundbar $150 at Amazon For $170, 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 Expand Pros & Cons Best smart soundbar Roku Streambar $80 at Roku The compact Roku Streambar 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 an instant upgrade on your TV speaker, with excellent vocal clarity. Pros Compact, easy to set up and affordable
Excellent dialogue reproduction
Tried and true Roku experience Cons Lacks bass in movies and music Expand Pros & Cons Best for dialogue Yamaha SR-C20A $200 at Amazon 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
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