It’s Black Friday! Time to get your shop on. Whether you’re buying one for yourself or someone else, soundbars offer a lot of entertainment for what can be a minimal outlay. Budget soundbars have made fantastic strides in recent years and now deliver features such as a simple HDMI connection and Bluetooth streaming, as well as great sound. And during Black Friday, they’re more affordable than ever.
The following soundbars have either been at the top of the game in their respective tests or offer potentially great performance (even though we haven’t reviewed them yet). Either way, you’re sure to find something that sounds good and fits your budget.
Note that prices and availability were accurate at the time of publication, but they may fluctuate. We update this regularly.
CNET
The Roku Streambar is a great little unit with an excellent 4K streamer and better sound than almost any TV on the market. At $100 it’s an awesome bargain.
Polk
Polk’s Signa range has been around for a few years and every model we’ve reviewed has represented excellent value for the money. While we haven’t looked at the Signa S2 specifically, it has an enviable reputation.
Klipsch
Klipsch has been in the business of making big sound from tiny speakers for decades, and the Klipsch Cinema 400 offers classy looks as well. We haven’t reviewed the 400 yet, but based on initial listening tests, it’s really good. At $150 for a soundbar with a wooden, wireless subwoofer and horn-mounted drivers this seems like an amazing deal.
Ty Pendlebury/CNET
At $300 the JBL Bar 2.1 Deep Bass is already one of our favorite soundbars, but at $200 it’s a steal. The JBL offers excellent sound and one of the biggest subwoofers we’ve ever seen on a bar. Get it while the getting’s good.
Sarah Tew/CNET
An oldie but a goodie. The Polk Audio MagniFi Mini is still one of our favorite compact soundbars. It features excellent sound plus Chromecast built in for easier streaming from a phone or with Google Assistant.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Before the Vizio SB36512-F6, it was unheard of for a Dolby Atmos soundbar to sell for under $500, never mind for one to sound this good. Now that this CNET Editors’ Choice Award winner is available for $300, it’s probably among the best deals you’ll see on a great soundbar this year.
James Martin/CNET
The Sonos Beam offers a huge sound from a tiny box as well as all of the multiroom music goodness that you’d expect from the brand. At $300 on sale, it’s much more competitive with other brands like Yamaha and JBL.
Vizio
The V51-H6 is just the excellent V21 with rears added, and this price is actually cheaper than the V21 alone is normally. What’s not to love?
Vizio
The Elevate is one of the most innovative-looking soundbars in a long time. We first saw it a couple of years ago at CES, where its rotating height/front speakers seemed like magic. Look out for a review on CNET.com shortly — we’re expecting big things — but in the meantime, a $300 discount seems like a really decent deal.
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How to win Black Friday in 2020
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