Soundbars are like the modern alternative for the entire home theater system. They are portable and will not cost you a fortune unlike buying an entire home theater system, which can cost a lot. They are basically for TVs at home, and if you are a Home theater fan, a soundbar can just be the device you need. It provides a clear, room-filling, and loud audio quality, which improves the experience of watching a movie and TV shows with a bunch of your friends.
In short, soundbars are the new loudspeakers. You can find different quality soundbars in the market for different prices. And now that their demand is increasing, it often confuses the buyer on which product will provide the best quality at a reasonable price. So in the article below, we have reviewed some of the best soundbars under 500.
In your list below we have discussed some of the best soundbars under $500 that provide good audio quality and come with some reliable features that will be worth your money.
Best Soundbars Under 500
| Product Image | Title | Brand | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
  | VIZIO SB36512-F6 | VIZIO | Check Price |
  | Sonos Beam | Sonos | Check Price |
  | JBL Bar Studio 2.0 | JBL | Check Price |
  | Sony HTX8500 | Sony | Check Price |
  | Sonos One | Sonos | Check Price |
Vizio SB36512-F6
Specifications
- Bar weight: 4.74 pounds
- Subwoofer weight: 7.56 pounds
- Size: 36 inches
- Speaker configuration: 5.1-channel
Body And Design
Vizio SB36512-f6 is a decent soundbar having a weight of 5.6 lbs. The soundbar, subwoofer, and satellites have the same kind of design, having silver plastic sides and a fabric-covered front and top. The backside of all the devices is made up of black plastic, containing all the connectivity ports.
The built quality is satisfactory, however, the fabric is not an ideal material for such stuff as it gets torn off quickly and gets dirty. The soundbar contains a bunch of touch-sensitive buttons at the top which is for controlling the soundbar. The buttons include a power button, Bluetooth button, volume button, and an input button.
Moreover, at the back cavities of the soundbar input ports, Ethernet port, 3.5mm AUX jack, and USB slot are present. The soundbar has a width of 91.5cm and a height of 6.6cm, therefore, placement of the soundbar is not a problem in front of the TVs or LCDs. The subwoofer has a width of 17.9cm and a height of 29.2cm and contains two jacks for the connectivity of the satellites.
Moreover, the power cable is at the bottom of the rare side of the subwoofer. Two buttons are also present on it, which include a power button and a button for connecting the subwoofer with the soundbar. The satellites do not consume a lot of space due to their small size but need to be connected with the subwoofer with the help of the signal cables, therefore, they can not be placed far away from the subwoofer.
Features And Performance
The soundbar supports both Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. The two reliable features that the soundbar possesses include Dolby Atmos and SmartCast. The Dolby Atmos provides realistic audio quality which gives a top-notch experience while watching movies and series.
Whereas, SmartCast enables your smartphone to pair with the soundbar directly with the help of the built-in Chromecast. The SmartCast is not a very reliable option as it tends to have difficulty while connecting, but that problem is overcome by Bluetooth connectivity. You can always connect your smart devices with the soundbar with the help of Bluetooth.
The soundbar is controlled using a remote control and gives a satisfactory sound quality. The volume levels, however, depend on the TV shows and movies as the loudness of the sound can vary.
It provides improved audio quality including the Atmos feature, which is a game-changer while having a movie night or while watching TV shows with friends and family. Due to its reliable features and good audio quality, it is a great option to look at that’s why it is preset at the top of this list of best soundbars under 500.
Sonos Beam
Specifications
- Bar weight: 6 pounds
- Size: 25.6 inches
- Speaker configuration: 3.0-channel
Body And Design
Sonos bean is a compact soundbar having a weight of 6.1lbs and comes in two different colors, black and white. It has an adequate design with a big Sonos logo on the front. The width of the soundbar is 65cm and can be placed anywhere easily since it does not need a lot of space. Its lightweight makes it possible to mount it on a wall for which you can buy a stand for some extra money.
A bunch of touch-sensitive buttons is present on the top of the soundbar, which helps in controlling it. The buttons are for managing the volume, playing back and pausing the music, turning the mic on/off, and turning off the audio. Moreover, on the rare side of the soundbar, you will find some ports which include an Ethernet port, a power port, HDMI, and a connect button.
Features And Performance
Sonos Beam is a great soundbar that offers both Google voice assistant and Alexa. Both voice assistants are very responsive and respond immediately even when talked to from a distance in a large room. They enable control over playing music, telling the weather, or for starting a movie or series.
The Beam also supports Siri, but for it, you will have to use the microphone of your Apple device. Furthermore, the beam comes with a Sonos Trueplay feature, which enables the soundbar to adjust its audio according to the room where it is kept. Some modes come along with the Trueplay feature like Speech Enchantments and the Night Mode, which reduces the bass level of the audio.
The soundbar can be connected by the mobile phone with the help of Wifi, and the Sonos app makes controlling the device effortlessly. You can manage the bass level and treble manually using the app. The beam is connected to your TVs using the HDMI socket, so if your TV has an HDMI-ARC, then you can control it with voice control.
You can readily turn it on/off or manage its volume levels with your voice using the voice assistants. Generally, the soundbar produces satisfactory sound quality with clear and loud audio, which can fill a standard size room. It is a good soundbar that provides a decent experience making it a reliable option for our list of best soundbars under 500.
JBL Bar Studio
- Connectivity Technology: Bluetooth, USB, Optical, HDMI
- Frequency Response: 60Hz – 20kHz
Specifications
- Bar weight: 3.09 pounds
- Size: 24.2 inches
- Speaker configuration: 2.0-channel
Body And Design
JBL Bar studio is a small entry-level soundbar having a plastic body with a weight of around 2.64 lbs. The width of the soundbar is 61.4cm and a height of 5.8cm. Its small size will not let it block the view of the TV and positioning it will not become a problem.
It contains two tweeters and a single woofer due to the small size therefore the sound will not be very loud, but still will provide a satisfying experience. The soundbar has some control buttons at its top, which are for managing the volume, power, and source selection. Meanwhile, on the rare side, you will find some ports which include HDMI-ARC, a power jack, an optical socket, and an AUX slot.
Features And Performance
JBL Bar studio supports Bluetooth connectivity, therefore, it can directly be connected to your smart device using Bluetooth. The soundbar comes with various presets, which helps in managing the audio. The presets include standard, surround mode, movie, music, voice, and sports. The surround mode enables the soundbar to deliver a clear surrounding sound, whereas the movie preset improves the small noticeable details in the audio of a movie or TV series.
The dialogues get highlighted and the surrounding sounds like the sound of footsteps and vehicles become more distinct. A dedicated remote for the soundbar is also available which gives you complete control over it. You can manage audio, volume, and bass manually using the remote.
It always comes in handy to control the soundbar using a remote as it makes controlling the soundbar easy and effortless. The audio quality provided by the soundbar is satisfactory. It can fill a small or an intermediate-sized room with audio, which is reliable due to the compact size of the soundbar so if you are looking for a soundbar for a medium-sized room this can be the one.
Sony HT-X8500
- Connectivity Technology: HDMI
- Features 7.1.2ch Dolby Atmos/DTS X with Vertical Sound Engine
Specifications
- Bar weight: 6.83 pounds
- Size: 35 inches
- Speaker configuration: 2.1-channel
Body And Design
Sony HT-X8500 is an impressive all-in-one soundbar containing a built-in subwoofer and a weight of 6.83lbs. It does not come with a separate subwoofer or surround speakers. The soundbar is slim considering it comes with a built-in subwoofer, it has a width of 89cm and a height of 6.35cm.
The look of the soundbar is pretty simple containing some touch-sensitive buttons on top. The touch-sensitive buttons are for controlling the volume, power, Bluetooth connectivity, and input selections. On the rare side of the soundbar, two HDMI ports are available one is the HDMI input port and the other is the HDMI-eARC output port.
Features And Performance
Sony HT-X8500 comes with a bunch of modes for its audio. The modes include cinema, music, sports, games, auto-sound, standard, and news. The modes help in improving the audio quality of the TV like the cinema mode enables the dialogues to become more clear. Meanwhile, the game mode highlights the surrounding sound more and makes gaming more interesting.
Different modes can be utilized for different kinds of audio outcomes. However, they all are quite the same with no vast difference between them. The soundbar does not support Wi-Fi connectivity and can only be connected with your smart device using Bluetooth. It comes with Dolby Atmos and DTS: X. Which enhances the audio quality and gives it clarity and makes it sound real.
The soundbar comes with a dedicated remote control, which you can use to manage the soundbar. You can easily select modes, and control the volume, or bass right from your couch with the help of the remote. This is an adequate soundbar with a built-in subwoofer and reliable sound quality. Which makes it a great candidate in the list of best soundbars under 500.
Samsung HW-N550
- Connectivity Technology: Bluetooth, USB, HDMI
- Compatible with Samsung Smart TVs only
Specifications
- Bar weight: 6.39 pounds
- Subwoofer weight: 14.55 pounds
- Size: 41.7 inches
- Speaker configuration: 3.1-channel
Body And Design
Samsung HW-N550 is a decent rectangular-shaped soundbar with a weight of 6.4 lbs. It has a plastic body with metallic grey grills at the front. Some dedicated buttons are present at the side of the soundbar, which is for managing the volume, power, and connectivity.
At the front, there is a display present that shows the volume level and the input condition of the soundbar. At the backside of the soundbar, you will find various ports. Which include an HDMI input and output port, a 3.5mm AUX jack, and a USB port.
The subwoofer that comes with the soundbar has a weight of 15.4 lbs. It has a black matte finished plastic body and gives a decent look. The wireless subwoofer is easy to place anywhere and provides impressive sound quality. There is only one power lead present on the subwoofer with a reset button.
Features And Performance
Samsung HW-N550 does not support any advanced surround sound format but still provides satisfactory room-filling sound. The soundbar comes with Bluetooth connectivity and can be connected to your smart device. Using it, but there is no WiFi connectivity available.
Furthermore, there is a USB port available on the rare side of the soundbar. Which enables you to play music from it. The overall sound quality is impressive the surround sound effect produces clear and loud sounds. Which improves the experience of watching movies and TV shows.
The best soundbar under $500 comes with dedicated remote control. Which you can use for controlling the volume, bass, Bluetooth connectivity, and other settings manually. Since the soundbar is a Samsung product, so if you are using a Samsung TV then all these things can also be controlled directly by the remote of the TV.
Conclusion
If you are looking for the best soundbars under 500, the best option you could go from is Sonos Beam or Vizio SB36512-F6. They provide you with solid audio quality and satisfactory performance. Moreover, they are easy to set up and have a decent look at them.
It is sure that you will not be disappointed after spending your money on these devices. Besides, JBL Bar studio, Sony HT-X8500, and Samsung HW-N550 are also great options. But the negative point about them is that they don’t support WiFi.