The 5 Best Compact Soundbars of 2025
As of July 28, 2025, modern TVs are thinner and more beautiful than ever, but that sleek design comes at a steep price: terrible sound quality. The tiny, downward-facing speakers in most TVs just can’t deliver clear dialogue or impactful sound effects. A compact soundbar is the easiest and most effective way to fix this, dramatically upgrading your audio experience for movies, shows, and gaming without the clutter of a full home theater system. We’ve selected the five best compact soundbars on Amazon, perfect for apartments, bedrooms, and smaller living rooms.
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1. Best Overall: Sonos Beam (Gen 2)
Size: 25.6 inches | Connectivity: HDMI eARC, Wi-Fi | Dolby Support: Atmos, TrueHD, Digital Plus | Smart Features: AirPlay 2, Voice Assistants, Multi-room Audio
- Exceptional, room-filling sound
- Convincing Dolby Atmos performance
- Best-in-class smart ecosystem
- Crystal clear dialogue
- Premium price point
- No Bluetooth connectivity
2. Best for Dialogue Clarity: Bose TV Speaker
Size: 23.4 inches | Connectivity: HDMI ARC, Optical, Bluetooth | Dolby Support: Dolby Digital | Smart Features: Basic Bluetooth streaming
- Unmatched voice clarity
- Simple, plug-and-play setup
- Wide, natural soundstage
- Can be expanded with a Bose subwoofer
- Lacks Dolby Atmos support
- Bass is weak without a subwoofer
3. Best Budget Option: Roku Streambar
Size: 14 inches | Connectivity: HDMI ARC, Optical, Bluetooth | Dolby Support: Dolby Audio | Smart Features: Built-in 4K HDR Roku Streamer
- Incredible value for money
- Built-in 4K streaming player
- Surprisingly powerful sound for its size
- Voice remote included
- Not ideal for very large rooms
- Lacks deep bass
4. Best for Small Spaces: Sonos Ray
Size: 22 inches | Connectivity: Optical, Wi-Fi | Dolby Support: Dolby Digital | Smart Features: AirPlay 2, Multi-room Audio
- Extremely compact design
- Excellent dialogue clarity
- Integrates with the Sonos ecosystem
- Can be wall-mounted easily
- No HDMI port (uses optical only)
- No Dolby Atmos
5. Best Value for Dolby Atmos: VIZIO M-Series AiO
Size: 26 inches | Connectivity: HDMI eARC, Optical, Bluetooth | Dolby Support: Atmos, Dolby Digital | Smart Features: Voice Assistant Input
- Dolby Atmos support at a great price
- Integrated subwoofers provide good bass
- Clean, minimalist design
- Dedicated center channel for dialogue
- Atmos effect isn’t as immersive as the Sonos Beam
- Lacks Wi-Fi streaming features
How To Choose A Compact Soundbar
- Connectivity: Look for HDMI ARC/eARC. This single-cable connection sends audio from your TV to the soundbar and lets you control the soundbar’s volume with your TV remote. Optical is a good backup for older TVs.
- Sound Formats: At a minimum, you want Dolby Digital support. For a more immersive, 3D sound experience, look for Dolby Atmos, which creates a virtual sense of height and space.
- Channels: A 2.0 system has two channels (left and right). A 3.0 system adds a dedicated center channel, which dramatically improves dialogue clarity. A 2.1 system includes a subwoofer for bass.
- Smart Features: Do you want Wi-Fi for multi-room audio (like Sonos), simple Bluetooth for streaming from your phone, or a built-in player (like Roku)? Consider how you’ll use it beyond just TV audio.
Conclusion: A Small Upgrade, A Massive Difference
You don’t need a massive, complex audio system to get fantastic sound from your TV. A compact soundbar is a simple, elegant solution that makes movies more impactful, games more immersive, and dialogue easier to understand. For the best all-around performance and smart features in a compact size, the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is the undisputed champion. For those on a tighter budget who want the best bang for their buck, the Roku Streambar‘s combination of improved sound and 4K streaming is an unbeatable value.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends. A subwoofer’s only job is to produce low-frequency bass—the rumble in action movies and the beat in music. Compact soundbars have small drivers and can’t produce deep bass on their own. If you love impactful movie sound effects and listen to a lot of music, a subwoofer makes a huge difference. If you primarily watch dialogue-heavy shows or news, you can likely live without one.
HDMI ARC (or eARC) is the best connection. It has higher bandwidth to support advanced audio formats like Dolby Atmos and allows your TV remote to control the soundbar’s power and volume (CEC). Optical is an older standard that works with almost any TV. It supports standard Dolby Digital but not higher-res formats, and it won’t let your TV remote control the volume. Always use HDMI ARC if your TV has it.
Yes, almost certainly. As long as your TV has an Optical Digital Audio Out port (most TVs made in the last 15-20 years do), you can connect any soundbar that has an optical input. You just won’t be able to use your TV remote for volume control.
Dolby Atmos is a sound format that adds “height” channels to create a 3D bubble of sound, making it feel like audio is coming from above you. Compact soundbars achieve this “virtually” by using upward-firing speakers or clever audio processing. While it’s not as dramatic as a full system with ceiling speakers, a good compact Atmos bar like the Sonos Beam can create a noticeably wider and more immersive soundstage, which many find worthwhile for movies and gaming.
