How we tested
To bring you the very best soundbars currently on the market — fit for various needs — I rigorously tested the following devices over three to four weeks:
I chose these particular models and brands based on the top soundbars of 2023 rankings made by Mashable’s sister publication PCMag, user reviews for the products at Amazon, and their respective prices (making sure to include a soundbar pick for every budget, ranging from an under-$150 to a close-to-$500 option).
Finally, I wanted to pick products accessible to and inclusive of folks who have hearing impairments, hence testing the ZVOX AccuVoice AV157 soundbar based on slightly different criteria than my other recommendations.
When reviewing each soundbar, I made sure to test how well it handled a variety of audio “types,” including dialogue, loud action scenes with intense bass, Bluetooth audio inputs from a phone, and “height content” (read: Scenes of Spider-man scaling some skyscrapers, with audio to match). For the two Roku soundbars in this roundup, which double as 4K streaming devices, I tested them with a non-smart TV to “zone in” on their streaming performance and not just on their audio chops.
Overall factors taken into account during testing included:
User-friendliness: I wanted to see how easy it was to setup each soundbar, from unwrapping the product to pairing it with the TV, and how long setup took in total. I also wanted to know whether there were any hiccups along the way. For instance, the Sonos Ray soundbar is only able to function with infrared remotes (versus Bluetooth or radio frequency remotes), meaning operating it was practically impossible in my circumstances. Other soundbars actually came with their own remotes (the Roku and ZVOX ones did, for instance), which saved some setup time and subsequently boosted their scores in the “user- friendliness” department.
Another of my considerations was Android/iOS compatibility. In many cases, the soundbars cheated Android users out of experiencing the full range of their offerings. I wasn’t able to play internally stored audio files from an Android phone on certain soundbars, and some customization features were only available on the soundbar apps’ iOS versions.
Sound quality: This is an obvious component of any good soundbar review. I mean, why else would you get one? How well something sounds is a pretty subjective measure, but I made sure to be as precise in my calculations as possible by testing factors like dialogue reproduction; music clarity; ability to replicate “height content”; how wide the “sound fields” felt (aka whether the sounds was reaching into all four corners of the space); the devices’ sound-to-size ratios; and the depth of bass/crispness of treble they generated.
For the ZVOX AccuVoice AV157 soundbar specifically, I evaluated the voice boost and reduction of non-vocal background sounds. Since this soundbar is specifically made for the elderly population and anyone with hearing difficulties, this factor took precedence over audio quality.
Desirable audio features: Beyond benchmarking just how good the soundbars were at boosting a TV’s audio output (as well as that of devices connected via Bluetooth), I looked into whether the products offered any extra “perks” that justified their price and added to their overall value.
Some of these included whether or not room correction was offered (tailoring the audio to the unique dimensions and layout of your space); whether other kinds of customization tools were available (like graphic EQ, presets, or audio tuning); how sophisticated the soundbars’ compatible apps were (if they even existed in the first place); whether the soundbars could rotate upward to adjust for the aforementioned “height content”; and the presence of voice assistants.
