Independent · sourced · Updated June 2026
Best Soundbars (2026)
The cheapest soundbars is Sonos Ray at $279. Best by the numbers — Sonos Ray (lowest price), LG S95AR (newest). This page compares 12 soundbars across 7 brands on price and key specs — every figure sourced, updated June 2026.
12 soundbars compared on the specs that matter and US price — ranked cheapest-first. Every spec and price links to its source and the date we captured it.
Key takeaways
- Lowest price: Sonos Ray at $279 (US MSRP per Sonos.com ($279). This was also the launch price at introduction.).
- Typical price: from $279, median $999, up to $1999.99 — across 11 priced.
- Tracked: 12 products across 7 brands, current through 2026-06-15.
- Compared on: channels, total watts, dolby atmos, dts x, wireless sub, rear speakers.
Best by the numbers
Objective winners — each is the leader on one measured spec, with the figure. No subjective ranking.
- Lowest price: Sonos Ray ($279)
- Newest: LG S95AR (2025)
- Highest total watts: Samsung HW-Q990D (656 total watts)
Comparison
| # | Soundbar | Price | channels | total watts | dolby atmos | dts x | wireless sub | rear speakers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonos Ray | $279 | 2.0 | — | false | false | false | false | sonos.com |
| 2 | Denon DHT-S517 | $499 | 3.1.2 | — | true | false | true | false | denon.com |
| 3 | Sonos Beam (Gen 2) | $499 | 3.0.2 | — | true | false | false | false | sonos.com |
| 4 | Sony HT-S2000 | $499.99 | 3.1 | 250 | true | true | false | false | digitaltrends.com |
| 5 | Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar | $899 | 3.1.1 | — | true | false | false | false | bose.com |
| 6 | LG S90TY | $999 | 5.1.3 | — | true | true | true | false | lg.com |
| 7 | Sonos Arc Ultra | $999 | 9.1.4 | — | true | false | false | false | digitaltrends.com |
| 8 | Vizio Elevate | $999 | 5.1.4 | — | true | true | false | true | digitaltrends.com |
| 9 | Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 | $1399 | 5.0.2 | 585 | true | true | false | false | dolby.com |
| 10 | LG S95TR | $1599.99 | 9.1.5 | — | true | true | true | true | lg.com |
| 11 | Samsung HW-Q990D | $1999.99 | 11.1.4 | 656 | true | true | true | true | samsung.com |
| 12 | LG S95AR | — | 9.1.5 | — | true | true | true | true | lg.com |
Specs are as published by the manufacturer (or a reputable spec source where the official page was unavailable); prices are US launch MSRP. Full per-product records and all spec columns are in our open dataset.
Popular comparisons
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest soundbars?
Sonos Ray is the cheapest at $279 (US MSRP per Sonos.com ($279). This was also the launch price at introduction.), as of 2026-06-15.
How much does soundbars cost?
Across the 11 soundbars with a published price, the median is $999, ranging from $279 to $1999.99, as of 2026-06-15.
Which soundbars is best by the numbers?
Lowest price: Sonos Ray ($279). Newest: LG S95AR (2025). Highest total watts: Samsung HW-Q990D (656 total watts).
How many soundbars are compared here?
12 soundbars across 7 brands, with US price and key specs, current through 2026-06-15.
More hardware comparisons
How we compiled this
Products selected as notable soundbars a buyer compares in 2026, spanning ultra-premium home-theater systems, mid-range Atmos bars, and entry-level models. Primary sources were manufacturer/authoritative product pages (sonos.com, bose.com, lg.com, denon.com, samsung.com, dolby.com) plus rtings.com and review articles from digitaltrends.com, techradar.com, whathifi.com, ecoustics.com, and tomsguide.com. Verification pass (2026-06-15) corrected several values: Samsung HW-Q990D priceUsd corrected to $1,999.99 (from an erroneous $1,299) per Samsung.com / Best Buy / Crutchfield, and its dts_x corrected to true (What Hi-Fi, RTINGS, TechRadar confirm DTS:X). LG S95TR release year corrected to 2024 (from 2023) per RTINGS/Best Buy/Amazon; $1,599.99 MSRP confirmed on LG.com. Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 channels corrected to 5.0.2 (from a fabricated 7.0.4) and total_watts set to 585 per Dolby's official spec page and ecoustics. Bose Smart Ultra priceUsd corrected to $899 launch MSRP (later raised to $999). Sony HT-S2000 priceUsd set to $499.99. priceUsd is US launch MSRP unless noted; current street prices may differ. accessedAt=2026-06-15 on all sources.
Last verified 2026-06-15. We re-check published specs and prices on a recurring cadence and update this page when they change.
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