Best Soundbar under $300 — Top Brands Review
Soundbars under $300 — Complete Guide
The soundbar can be a great choice for those who don’t want to occupy a room with bulky speakers. Fortunately, most eminent companies that produce audio equipment give an opportunity to buy the best soundbar under 300 dollars. Let’s distinguish a few main features that differ a budget soundbar from a luxury one:
- most budget soundbars belong to the active type;
- they usually go just like a compact acoustic component of a home theater;
- the 300 dollars soundbars usually reproduce midrange frequencies.
Before buying a soundbar, you will obviously need to analyze its main features, pros and cons, also taking into consideration your financial abilities. Luckily, it is quite possible to buy a budget one. That’s why I have written the top 5 of the best soundbar reviews under 300 dollars price range, so you can choose your perfect one.
Soundbars Under $300 Reviews
Bose Solo 5
The Solo 5 from Bose has a built-in amplifier and a two-way playback scheme. A compact system, weighing 3.8 lbs, provides maximum sound power of 100W per channel. The body is made of cheap but solid plastic. The design of the bar is as concise as possible, the sound emitters are hidden under a protective grill, and the switching connectors are located on the back.
The power supply interface and the USB port are located next to the audio jacks. The front panel speakers are designed to form an energetic frontal wave of sound with a volumetric scene. A modern playback scheme and a high-quality amplifier provide rich output sound with a decent power of 100W. It also should be mentioned that the model copes well with playing audio content from TV and mobile sources.
The Bose Solo 5 is a small-sized soundbar under $300 with a strict exterior design, that is really capable of replacing more universal speakers in terms of quality and sound power. In addition, the dialog mode provides more comfortable TV viewing, with built-in Bluetooth for wireless music playback from your smartphone.
Pros:
- The possibility of digital/analog connections or via a wireless module.
- A high functional remote control that allows you to control all the components of a media system.
Cons:
- Lack of a docking station for iPhone, iPad, iPod.
- The soundbar plays music from the flash drive quietly.
Polk Audio Signa S3
Looking through the top soundbars under 300 dollars, I couldn’t help testing the Polk Audio Signa S3, a 2.1 system with a subwoofer included. It’s noteworthy for the powerful audio performance and superb bass depth. The unit outputs clear highs and balanced mid frequencies. The three-dimensional sound produced by this bar is close to the home theater acoustics.
This model features Music, Movie, Sport, and Night modes. The last one makes the bass lighter and decreases the overall volume. Three levels of the Voice Adjust feature allow making dialogue clearer and louder for not getting lost in sound effects’ background.
This model may become the best soundbar under $300 with Bluetooth for wireless connections. Besides, the built-in Chromecast allows streaming music from various online services over Wi-Fi. Google Assistant is on board to play and pause music, as well as regulate volume through voice control. Note that it’s necessary to buy a Google Home speaker for this purpose. The bar is designed with a 3.5mm aux, optical inputs, and HDMI ARC to fit HD, 4K, and 8K TVs.
The item has a couple of 4.4 x 1.25-inch drivers and two 1-inch front-firing tweeters. The control buttons on top serve to power the bar on, choose the source, activate Bluetooth, and calibrate the volume. The horizontal row of 4 LEDs indicates the unit’s status. The bar has 35.4 x 2.1 x 3.2 inches in size. The subwoofer is made of MDF with a 5.25-inch woofer inside. Its dimensions are 6.7 x 13.4 x 12.2 inches. The package weight is 20.22 pounds.
Pros:
- When the Night mode is activated, the Voice Adjustment feature continues to work, saving the dialogue clarity.
- The HDMI input supports a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio decoding.
- The unit features the Deep Standby mode with lower power consumption (0.35 W) together with the Auto Standby mode (1.8 W).
Cons:
- It’s possible to hook up only one Bluetooth-capable device.
- The unit has no DTS Virtual:X processing, unlike many other models in this class.
Yamaha YAS-207BL
The Yamaha YAS-207BL is a low-powered sound panel. The total power of the soundbar is 200W, taking into account the supplied subwoofer, which power accounts for 100W. However, a high-quality sound is provided by four low-frequency speakers with 46mm in diameter. Despite the emitters’ number, the panel itself weighs little — about 6.0 lbs. The weight of a subwoofer says about its high quality, reaching 17.4 lbs.
The woofer connects to the soundbar wirelessly, and via Bluetooth, you can synchronize it with other devices — MP3 players, smartphones, and tablets. In terms of a wired connection, the sound panel also doesn’t cause any complaints — there are the HDMI connectors (input and output), as well as the optical and line inputs.
Perhaps, the YAMAHA YAS-207 can potentially be the best soundbar with subwoofer under 300 dollars for those who want to install a sound panel in a small room. Is it directly aimed at users who don't have space for full audio systems.
Pros:
- You can really feel the virtual 3D surround sound, declared by the manufacturer.
- A large number of connectors.
- The soundbar consists of 6 speakers reproducing two types of frequencies.
Cons:
- The soundbar doesn’t have a Wi-Fi connection.
- There is no possibility to play a media file from a flash drive.
Samsung HW-M360/ZA
Choosing the best sound bar under 300 dollars, let’s consider the 2.1 channel Samsung HW-M360/ZA’s features. It comes with a sub and provides wireless Bluetooth connectivity with phones, tablets, and Bluetooth-capable TVs.
This model also stands out by the ability to connect the SWA-8500S surround sound speakers. However, I should note that the system supports DTS audio only within a 2.1-channel configuration. This device has optical and aux inputs to be hooked up to a TV.
The unit features 200W of output power and has five DSP modes (Standard, Music, Clear Voice, Sports, and Movie) to calibrate the sound based on personal preferences. The sub enriches the sound, filling even big rooms with powerful bass. Its entire cabinet is covered with fabric mesh except for the sides.
The bar is designed with 4 built-in speakers. There are power, source, and up/down volume buttons on the top. The unit has 35.7 x 2.1 x 2.7 inches in size and weighs 3.3 pounds. The sub measures 11.8 x 7 x 13.9 inches, weighing 10 pounds.
Pros:
- One can manage the bar using the Samsung Audio Remote app on an Android device or via remote control.
- The hole made in the subwoofer cabinet enhances low-end frequencies.
Cons:
- The unit doesn't support HDMI connections. So, it’s necessary to connect the bar to a Blu-ray player, and then to a TV to ensure HDR or 4K pass through.
Bose TV Speaker
This soundbar under 300 dollars is a low-profile unit with a 2.0 configuration. It’s notable for smooth and perfectly balanced mid frequencies and clear vocals. The dialog enhancement option makes voices clearer. Still, this model lacks other opportunities for equalizations but provides a wide soundstage. I’d like it to sound louder but the bar has no center speaker inside, making that impossible. The Bass button on the remote doesn’t make things essentially better.
The Bluetooth pairing with a TV is carried out via remote control. The bar has a subwoofer output, HDMI ARC, aux, and optical ports for connection. The USB port is for updating the unit only.
The soundbar is designed with a satin black finish on the top and a metal grille on the front. It has 2 drivers (right and left) and 1 tweeter under its grille. There are two bass reflex rear ports and all the connections on the back. The bar measures 23.4 x 2.2 x 4 inches and weighs 4.4 pounds. The HDMI cable isn't included, so the users have to buy it separately.
Pros:
- It’s possible to add the Bose Bass Module 500 or the Bose Module 700 subs to enhance the bass power.
- The rubber pads are on the bottom to avoid furniture damage.
Cons:
- The highs are muddy at maximum volume.
- Only optical input supports Dolby Digital.
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