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The remote control is the same capable but complicated one that Vizio has been supplying with its more advanced soundbars for the past couple of years. I have been reviewing audio gear professionally since 1990, having worked as an editor or writer for SoundStage, Sound & Vision, Home Theater Review, Home Theater Magazine, and numerous other publications. In that time, I’ve conducted and published more brand-concealed tests of audio devices than any other journalist in the world, and I am an acknowledged expert in audio measurement. I also used to work as a consultant in soundbar design and tuning for numerous companies (mostly OEM/ODM companies that supply devices for well-known brands), and I’ve evaluated and measured more than 135 soundbars in final or prototype form. The Bose Smart Soundbar 600 is similar to the Smart Soundbar 900 in terms of features and sound, but it’s smaller and less costly and it needs a subwoofer more than the Smart Soundbar 900 does.
We asked whether the firmware can be updated by the consumer; updatable firmware can extend a product’s life because it can allow bugs to be fixed or new features to be added. Note that Yamaha says another model, the ATS-C300 soundbar, is identical to the SR-C30A, but was given a different model number to indicate that it’s sold through different retailers than the SR-C30A. We haven’t tested the ATS-C300, but we couldn’t spot a difference between the two models when we scanned the specs on Yamaha’s website. For each new round of soundbar testing, we conduct brand-concealed audio tests with a listening panel. Concealing the identities and configurations of audio devices is essential; studies have shown that listening results can be greatly skewed when listeners know the identities of the devices. Many soundbars offer voice-enhancement modes to improve dialogue clarity, but do they really work?
Samsung HT-Z320 5.1 Channel Home Theater System TESTED Unit+Remote Only Fre ship
We strongly considered making the Atmos-equipped JBL Bar 9.1 our top pick because it offers surprisingly natural vocal clarity, and its 10-inch subwoofer’s ample bass blended well with the midrange and treble from the soundbar. But the detachable, wireless surround speakers didn’t hold a charge for long, and it was a huge pain to have to keep recharging them. In our tests, it produced a big, spacious, dynamic sound that we liked with movies—but its high end was a little harsh, and it didn’t sound as good with music.
An especially nice feature of the S95QR is its AI Sound Pro mode, which automatically adjusts the surround-sound effect to suit whatever you’re listening to. I left this mode on for most of our listening tests, and it seemed to deliver a just-right surround effect no matter what we played. The one caveat is that the sound sometimes seemed a little bright, and the rear surround speakers too loud, but it was pretty easy to fix these flaws using the remote control and the alphanumeric display on the front of the soundbar. The point is, it’s easy to make these adjustments, and once they’re made, they’re made. With its dual 8-inch subwoofers, Nakamichi’s Shockwafe Elite 7.2 eARC produces much stronger bass than any other soundbar we tested for our latest update.
Our pick: Polk MagniFi Mini AX Atmos soundbar
For our official listening tests, I concealed the identities of the soundbars behind thin, black fabric. I told the panelists nothing at all about the soundbars, although they could see that at least some of the soundbars used dedicated surround speakers, which were arrayed on speaker stands behind them. I set the volume of each soundbar to the same playback level, using a sound pressure level meter and a shaped noise tone taken from a Dolby Digital receiver. I then played them the same movie and music selections I used for my testing, plus one music track of their choice. The SR-C30A has one HDMI eARC port, two optical digital audio inputs, and one 3.5 mm analog audio input. The remote that accompanies the M-Series Elevate is the same one Vizio has been offering for a few years now, with a backlit alphanumeric display at the top.
As soundbar performance continues to improve, does anyone need to invest in an AV receiver and speakers to get great sound? The Yamaha SR-C30A sounds much more natural than most inexpensive soundbars, even if it can’t match the volume and envelopment of more expensive models. All of our top picks have an HDMI eARC connection, which is the most convenient way to connect a soundbar and TV. It’s bigger and more powerful than the M-Series Elevate, but we like the more refined design of the new model.
Item specifics
Many readers are concerned about how the manufacturing, shipping, and normal use of the electronics we recommend impact the world we live in. We take that seriously too, which is why we’ve asked the manufacturers of all our picks to answer some basic questions about materials, life cycle, and other sustainability issues. While our recommendations are based completely on the criteria outlined in How we picked and How we tested, we offer this information to supplement the decision of any reader who uses environmental impact as a deciding factor in their purchases. We also recognize that this may not paint a complete picture of a product’s supply chain and life cycle impact. The MagniFi Mini AX’s remote control can directly access all of its features and adjustments without going through a menu system. Our journalists combine independent research with over-the-top testing to save people time, energy and money when making buying decisions.
You can add optional wireless surrounds for about $300, but the result is more complicated to set up and use than many soundbars. The M-Series Elevate is a more living-room-friendly device than the original Elevate. It measures 41.2 inches long (6.8 inches shorter than the original), and the soundbar and rear surround speakers are wrapped in charcoal-shaded fabric. The subwoofer is one of the shortest we’ve tested—just 9.5 inches high—so it should be able to tuck under many end tables.
The same for the remote, which lets you access all of the soundbar’s adjustments directly, instead of requiring you to navigate a menu system that’s been abbreviated and encrypted to fit onto a four-character front-panel display. If you want better sound than you’re getting from your TV’s built-in speakers but don’t want to piece together separate components , a soundbar is the way to go. Separate components usually provide better performance, but they also take up more space and require additional cables, and their operation is more complicated. A good soundbar strikes a balance between performance and convenience, delivering improved sound quality in a package that’s easier to set up and use. The Vizio M512a-H6 is our former also-great pick, and still probably the best bet if you want an under-$500 soundbar that includes surround speakers. We’d rather step up to the Vizio M-Series Elevate, but if you want to save a couple hundred dollars, the M512a-H6 is a great choice.
The mid-bass number is comparable to what we got with our other mid- and low-priced picks, but the low bass number is only 1.5 dB less than our upgrade pick, the LG S95QR, produced. The MagniFi Mini AX still can’t match the powerful mid-bass punch of the S95QR, but for a soundbar in this price range, this is extremely impressive bass performance. Nakamichi’s Shockwafe Ultra 9.2 is less a soundbar option and more a home theater system that omits the separate AV receiver. In our tests, its dynamic output was fantastic for larger rooms, and its low-end presence was great. High frequencies were a little muted—not quite as crisp, clear, and airy—so this system didn’t perform as well on music.
The Bose Smart Soundbar 300 sounds very clear, natural, and enveloping with movies and music, but for a one-piece soundbar with no Atmos capability, it’s expensive. At 47.2 inches long, the soundbar may be too big for some TVs and TV stands; it barely fit between the feet of my 65-inch Vizio TV. The subwoofer’s not small either, but at just 7.6 inches wide, it should be easy to slip between pieces of furniture. The soundbar doesn’t have holes for wall mounting, but it can be positioned there using soundbar wall-mount brackets.
With soundbars that offered special sound modes, I generally employed the mode intended for the type of content I was listening to—movies or music, for instance—but I also experimented with all of the other modes available. If the soundbars had an “auto” or “AI” mode, I relied mostly on that one but tried the others as well. For soundbars with HDMI inputs that support 4K HDR video pass-through, I tested whether this function worked properly with an HDR-capable TV. We tested the AV203 and the SB380, both of which have six preset AccuVoice levels. With both, we found the tech to be more effective than the “voice” modes on most soundbars at rendering dialogue clearly—but the more you step up the AccuVoice effect, the less natural everything else sounds. The Sony HT-A3000 is a pricey one-piece bar to which you can add a subwoofer and surround speakers.
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