Best soundbar for under $200 in 2024 – best cheap soundbar for TV

Our complete guide to the market's best value soundbars under $200

Table of Contents Table of Contents

Choosing the best soundbar for under $200 in 2024 has become a trickier affair due an increasing amount of choice. Almost every soundbar manufacturer offers up a value for money choice, with most soundbars under $200 featuring the sound quality and audio features required for a truly immersive experience.

Today’s best speaker deals

With no major deals event current underway, and Black Friday on the horizon, our expert deals team will continue to bring you the best speaker deals from the web’s biggest only retailers.

While most TVs in 2024 deliver excellent sound on there own, there’s really no alternative to a good quality soundbar, unless you want to go all out on some surround sound speakers. And luckily for you, today’s market offers such performance at around $200. That’s right, you don’t have to go an all-singing all-dancing soundbar anymore, there are plenty of cheap soundbars that will offer a great audio experience.

With all that in mind, this guide will focus on the best soundbar for under $200 – highlighting why they’re worth your hard-earned cash.

Best soundbar under $200: Samsung HW-S50B all-in-one soundbar

01

Samsung HW-S50B all-in-one soundbar

How We Review

Shop on Amazon Check Price

Samsung

Check price

Pros

• Space saving all-in-one solution
• Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound
• Center speaker for natural sound & clear dialogue
• Supports two Bluetooth devices at the same time

Cons

• Pushing the $200 budget

Samsung’s compact and stylish HW-S50B is a great all-in-one speaker that gets our best soundbar for under $200 spot and for good reason. Not only does this soundbar showcase great value and excellent versatility, but it also comes to shelves at a price point that is incredibly attractive.

For less than $200, you’re getting a speaker that delivers excellent sound quality, while creating depth and immersion when watching your favourite movie or TV show.

Best value soundbar under $200: YAMAHA SR-C20A

02

YAMAHA SR-C20A

How We Review

Shop on Amazon Check Price

Pros

• Excellent value for money
• Built-in subwoofer for stronger bass
• Wide range of connectivity options
• Can be wall mounted

Cons

• Not the best surround sound

If bang for your buck is what you’re looking for, then the YAMAHA SR-C20A is up there with the very best soundbars under $200. This all-in-one soundbar features powerful audio delivery alongside a strong bass undertone thanks to its built in subwoofer. It also features enhanced vocal frequency range for a more natural vocal experience – great for watching TV shows or films with strong dialect.

One of the YAMAHA’s standout features is small design, which measure in at roughly 23.5″ x 2.5″ x 3.75″ – making its sound performance even more impressive. Better yet, thanks to its small form factor, you’ll also be able to easily pair this soundbar with your PC – enhancing immersion when watching movies or playing your favourite title.

Overall, a great value soundbar that falls well under the $200 price bracket.

Best 5.1 soundbar under $200: VIZIO V-Series V51X-J6

03

VIZIO V-Series V51X-J6

How We Review

Shop on Amazon Check Price

Pros

• Excellent 5.1 surround sound for home theaters
• Includes wireless subwoofer for powerful bass
• Voice assistant control for ease of use
• Optimized for 4K HDR content

Cons

• Requires more space to set up

If you’re looking for a great all-round experience, along with excellent surround sound, then the VIZIO V51X-J6 should be high on your list of considerations. It offers great performance in an abundance of scenarios, ranging from music to movies and everything in-between.

As the title suggests, this soundbar is also a full 5.1 home theatre solution, equipped with its own subwoofer and dual satellite speakers. Despite their small design, the dual satellite speakers really make a difference when it comes to surround sound performance – offering up spatial audio quality that is hard to beat at this price point.

Annoyingly, the VIZIO V51X-J6 continues to flirt around the $200 price spectrum, making it slightly over budget. That said, numerous deals from big retailers see this soundbar fall well below that marker on a regular basis.

Best small soundbar under $200: Bose Solo 5

04

Bose Solo 5

How We Review

Shop on Amazon Check Price

Pros

• Compact – great for any setup & can be mounted
• Bluetooth connectivity for streaming music
• Only requires one connection to your TV
• Dialog mode makes it much easier to understand

Cons

• No surround sound support

Again, if space saving if your thing, the Bose Solo 5 should be high on your list on recommendations. It features excellent audio, a robust design, and the premium feel that comes with Bose products. All this for exactly $200 makes the Bose Solo 5 a great purchase to say the least.

In terms of size, it sits at just under 22″, making it the smallest soundbar on this list. Like other selections in this guide, the Bose Solo 5 is also an all-in-one solution, offering great performance whether watching movies, TV shows, or listening to music.

Thanks to its Bluetooth compatibility, you’ll be able to quickly sync your phone, tablet, or laptop to this soundbar, for on-the-fly podcasts or music.

Are soundbars under $200 worth it?

With soundbars ranging between $100 and $1,000, it’s hard to know whether a soundbar for $200 is actually worth your money. Fortunately, as technology continues to advance, soundbar pricing continues to drop. That means, as a buyer, you can 100% find excellent value for money in a soundbar worth $200 or under.

Even at this price, you can expect a big improvement in sound quality over something like your built-in TV speakers. If you have trouble deciphering dialog at times, then a soundbar offers crisp and rich audio which let’s you enjoy your favorite shows or movies as intended. If you’ve never used a dedicated speaker like this before for your TV, then you’ll be certaintly impressed, even with the cheaper options on the market. Most soundbars have easy wireless connectivity too via Bluetooth, so you can easily use it for music from your phone or any other Bluetooth-ready device.

Is surround sound good on a soundbar under $200?

Surround sound can be tricky for a soundbar, mainly because most don’t feature several satellite speakers that help to create the spatial awareness needed for great surround sound. However, thanks to virtual surround sound, soundbars under $200 can now product excellent audio quality in this particular area. Granted, it won’t be quite as immersive as a 5.1 home theater system, but it will be far more appealing than your generic TV speakers.

We did include the VIZIO V-Series V51X-J6 though, which is a soundbar solution that comes with a couple extra speakers and a subwoofer for excellent bass. With this kind of setup, you can enjoy incredible surround sound for less than $200, as long as you have the space to make it work.

Best soundbar under $200 FAQs

Are soundbars better than TV speakers?

Yes, soundbars offer higher quality sound than your built-in TV speakers in most cases. As a result, you can enjoy clearer sound with more depth, often with multiple speakers and virtual surround sound for a more immersive experience.

Should I get a soundbar or multiple speakers?

While it’s true that a full home theater-style setup with multiple speakers offers the best sound, that doesn’t mean you should rule out a soundbar. They’re a great space-saving solution and can be picked up for much cheaper, providing excellent sound quality without the need to go all out.

Final word

So, there you have it, our complete roundup of the best soundbars for under $200. As technology has improved over the years, so has the quality of the soundbars that fall into the $200 price spectrum. Making $200 the sweet spot for value for money soundbars right now.

All being said, hopefully you’ve found value in our selections, as each falls within its own unique scenario and use case.