The best TV sound bars

By Peter Nowak on April 23, 2015
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Picture quality on TVs is continually improving. The audio needs to keep up

Looking for the best TV sound bar? Look no further than the VISIO S4251W. — Looking for the best TV sound bar? Look no further than the VIZIO S4251W.

Picture quality on televisions is continually improving, but what about the sound? In their rush to provide sharper images and truer colours, manufacturers have typically cut corners on audio. The result is TVs that look great but sound tinny, muddy, too quiet, or all of the above. One solution to the problem is a home-theatre system. For those who don’t want the big expense or the hassle of stringing wires to various speakers around the living room, another option is a sound bar that sits in front of the TV or just below it. Here are four of the best we’ve tested.

Best Overall: Vizio S4251w $349 | bestbuy.ca

Let’s face it: if you’ve already shelled out big bucks for a TV, you don’t want to spend a similar amount on a sound bar. That’s the logic behind Vizio’s offering, which packs in a lot for just $349. Aside from the bar itself, you also get a sub-woofer and two satellite speakers, which connect wirelessly to the main unit. It’s as close as it gets to surround sound without going for a full-blown home-theatre system. Other devices may deliver sharper audio, but Vizio’s bar is the “good-enough” choice for the non-audiophile mainstream.

Best Mid-Range: Samsung HW-F850 $899 | bestbuy.ca

Samsung’s entry has the top-notch sound and most of the features of more expensive rivals. The device sports a vacuum tube amplifier that adds warmth to audio while a wireless sub-woofer serves up the low end—and it has Bluetooth and NFC connectivity. Best of all, it functions when lying flat in front of the TV or vertically when wall-mounted beneath it. The downside? It has only a single HDMI input so you’ll have to choose which component gets it if you have more than one.

Best High-End: Sony HT-ST7 $1,399 | sony.ca

Sony’s sound bar is expensive, but it offers a lot to justify the cost. With nine speakers plus the separate wireless sub-woofer, it serves up a wall of clear audio. It also has three HDMI input ports for connecting various components. That’s important because HDMI delivers better sound than the optical cables used by the Vizio and Sonos units. Sony’s bar can also stream music from phones and other devices via Bluetooth or NFC. And it looks sleek, with a removable grill and angled corners.

Most Versatile: Sonos Playbar $749 | futureshop.ca

The Playbar works like other Sonos products in that it wirelessly connects to a hub, which in turn plugs into your Wi-Fi router. From there, it can be controlled via smartphone app and linked to any other Sonos speaker in the house. It does a good job as TV sound bar, and you can add a sub-woofer if you want (sold separately for $749). It doesn’t work with some TV remote controls, so you may need a universal remote if you don’t want to use the app.

Comments Cancel reply

Jacks on Tax

School tax: What can you claim as a deduction on your annual income tax?

Post-secondary education is expensive, but you can cut the cost by taking advantage of these tax breaks.

School tax: What can you claim as a deduction on your annual income tax?

Spend

Taking care of tech: How to get the most life out of your smartphone

Canadians are keeping their mobile phones for longer. Follow these six tips for extending the life of your phone.

Taking care of tech: How to get the most life out of your smartphone

A woman in a lab coat looks at an X-ray on a lightbox

Investing

“A way to leapfrog”: AWS executive says regulated industries moving fastest on AI

Which industries are adopting artificial intelligence and how are they using it? You might be surprised.

“A way to leapfrog”: AWS executive says regulated industries moving fastest on AI

Save

Save money, save the planet: Our favourite products and strategies for eco-friendly living

MoneySense celebrates Earth Day by sharing our editors’ top tips for reducing waste, saving money and shrinking our environmental...

Save money, save the planet: Our favourite products and strategies for eco-friendly living

Chrystia Freeland shown, as the tech industry responds to the federal budget for 2024

Save

How will the changes to capital gains in Canada affect tech sector?

Tech industry warns that the budget's capital gains proposals could cause “irreparable harm.”

How will the changes to capital gains in Canada affect tech sector?

Renovations

How much are solar panels in Canada?

Many eco-minded home owners want to harness the power of the sun. We’ll help you weigh the costs and...

How much are solar panels in Canada?

A Canadian woman looking at a washing machine to buy it.

Strategic Shopper

How to buy the best washing machine and dryer to save money and the environment

In her new book, Candice Batista reveals the best ways to live a sustainable lifestyle—and save money. Here are...

How to buy the best washing machine and dryer to save money and the environment

A smiling young woman holds her laptop beside a classroom window

RESPs

What can an RESP be used for?

A mother and daughter enjoy lunch at home

Save

How Canadians can save money on gas, grocery, cellphone and other home bills

Cut costs, not corners. With inflation making it harder to balance the family budget, here are easy ways to...

How Canadians can save money on gas, grocery, cellphone and other home bills

BlackBerry movie still of early RIM days

Investing

What Canadian investors can learn from the BlackBerry story

CBC’s new miniseries BlackBerry looks at the 2000s super stock, but we look at five takeaways for investors.

What Canadian investors can learn from the BlackBerry story

The best TV sound bars

Best Overall: Vizio S4251w $349 | bestbuy.ca

Best Mid-Range: Samsung HW-F850 $899 | bestbuy.ca

Best High-End: Sony HT-ST7 $1,399 | sony.ca

Most Versatile: Sonos Playbar $749 | futureshop.ca

Comments Cancel reply

Related Articles

School tax: What can you claim as a deduction on your annual income tax?

Taking care of tech: How to get the most life out of your smartphone

“A way to leapfrog”: AWS executive says regulated industries moving fastest on AI

Save money, save the planet: Our favourite products and strategies for eco-friendly living

How will the changes to capital gains in Canada affect tech sector?

How much are solar panels in Canada?

How to buy the best washing machine and dryer to save money and the environment

What can an RESP be used for?

How Canadians can save money on gas, grocery, cellphone and other home bills

What Canadian investors can learn from the BlackBerry story