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Best Soundbar SystemSamsung HW-Q990D Soundbar

$977 Best Buy

Best Expandable SoundbarSonos Arc Ultra

$1,070 Amazon

Best Stand-Alone BarSennheiser Ambeo Max

$2,500 $2,000 (20% off) Amazon

Best for Hidden AudioSony Bravia Theater Quad

$2,698 Amazon

Contrary to what some folks on A/V forums and sites like Reddit would have you believe, modern soundbars are actually very good. They deliver clear, impactful sound in place of your TV's subpar onboard speakers. Even a budget soundbar can make a big impact on everything from sports to movie night. Spending up is where most forum lovers will jump down your throat: People claim an A/V reciever and speakers is the only way to go, but my experience says a premium soundbar system can take your experience from adequate to transformative, and is easier to hide around a modern living room than a receiver, wires, and speakers.

WIRED colleagues and I have tested nearly every major soundbar model over the last few years. For this guide, I gathered a shortlist of my favorite premium soundbars, as well as other plug-and-play systems that left a lasting impression on me. From swirling Dolby Atmos surround sound to striking performance with music, these top picks deliver performance worthy of your premium TV. They'll cost you more than the average bar, but you will certainly hear the difference.

For more tips and a deeper pool, check out our Best Soundbars guide, our walkthrough on choosing the right soundbar, our Best Bookshelf speakers and Best TVs guides.

How WIRED Defines Premium Soundbars

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To find the best premium soundbars, I curated models at the top of their respective fields in a variety of designs and styles. Every model clears a high bar (pun inteded) for quality in its audio performance and features, but also in daily usability. Each pick also supports high-quality audio formats, including Dolby Atmos to provide an immersive experience with supported content from streaming services like Netflix, HBO, Disney+, and Amazon Prime, and 4K HDR Blu-rays.

Other features I looked for include support for Wi-Fi music streaming to go along with basic Bluetooth, apps for adjusting settings like EQ (equalization) and speaker volume/velocity, automated calibration to tune the sound to your room, and networking features that allow you to grow your system with other speakers in a true surround or whole-home audio system.

What Is Dolby Atmos and Why Do I Want It?

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Traditional surround sound systems incorporate five or more channels along the horizontal plane, including at least two behind you, as well as a bass channel from a subwoofer. This is referred to as 5.1 surround (the bass is the “.1”), 7.1 surround, and so on. These systems respond to surround sound mixes in TV shows and movies by spreading sound effects across each channel in order to provide a realistic sonic environment that corresponds with on-screen images to “surround” you in sound.

Dolby Atmos and rival 3D audio systems like DTS:X supplement traditional surround sound by adding a height element that spreads sound effects not just across the horizontal plane, but also the vertical one to create what is referred to by Dolby and others as a “dome” or hemisphere of sound. A basic dolby atmos system offers 5.1.2 or 5.1.4 channels, with the extra “2” or “4” indicating the number of height channels.

Multi-component home theater systems usually employ a separate speaker cabinet for each represented channel, including speakers either mounted on the ceiling or designed to bounce sound from the floor off to the ceiling to represent the overhead height channels in Dolby Atmos and other 3D sound mixes.

Dolby Atmos soundbars use a similar design concept, including upfiring drivers and, for some, separate speakers for the surround sound elements, referred to as rear or satellite speakers. Others use a mix of digital signal processing, upfiring and side-firing drivers (often a mix of both) to bounce sound off your ceiling and walls. These systems can be very effective, but especially when it comes to rear surround sound channels, there's no substitute for real speakers placed behind you.

How We Test Soundbars

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My colleagues and I test soundbars in our homes, using them the same way you would. We watch whatever comes across our daily screens to get a lived-in feeling, alongside regimented testing material, including Dolby Atmos demo discs from Spears and Munsil and specific scenes in movies and TV shows we've seen dozens of times, like Mad Max: Fury Road, Ant-Man (it's got great Dolby Atmos scenes), and many others.

We test all the features, use (and sometimes lose) the remote, setup Wi-Fi for streaming and network co

Best Premium Soundbars: Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio, and More | WIRED