Best Soundbar for a Small Room [Our Reviews and Comparisons]

As modern televisions get slimmer and sleeker, focusing more on design and digital and software features, there’s less space for comparatively great-sounding speakers.

But that doesn’t mean that you have to compromise on your audio experience for visual media. Neither if you have a small space. A soundbar is a great and more convenient alternative to a traditional home surround sound system and is perfect for a small room.

Best Soundbar for a Small Room Comparison Table

PRODUCT FEATURES LATEST PRICE
1. Yamaha Yas-108
  • Speaker Type: 2 x built-in subwoofers and tweeters
  • Speaker Max Output: 120W
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth, HDMI, AUX
  • Bluetooth Range: 33ft
  • Height: 2.2”
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2. Bose Solo 5
  • Speaker Type: Soundbar
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth, Optical Audio, Coaxial Audio, AUX
  • Bluetooth Range: 33ft
  • Height: 2.8”
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3. Polka Signa S2
  • Speaker Type: 1 x separate subwoofer, 2 x built-in drivers
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth, HDMI, Optical Audio, AUX
  • Bluetooth Range: 33ft
  • Height: 2.2”
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4. JBL Bar 3.1
  • Speaker Type: Soundbar, 1 x separate subwoofer
  • Speaker Max Output: 450W
  • Connectivity: 4K, Bluetooth, 3 x HDMI in, 1HDMI out (ARC)
  • Bluetooth Range: 33ft
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5. Wohome S19
  • Speaker Type: 2 x built-in subwoofers and tweeters
  • Speaker Max Output: 80W
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth, Optical Audio, USB, AUX
  • Bluetooth Range: 33ft
  • Height: 3.25”
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6. Sonos Beam
  • Speaker Type: Soundbar
  • Connectivity: WiFi, HDMI ARC, Optical Audio, Ethernet
  • Length 25.6”
  • Height: 3.9”
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7. VIZIO SB3820-C6
  • Speaker Type: Soundbar, 1 x separate subwoofer, 2 x separate satellite speakers
  • Speaker Max Output: 101db
  • Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth, RCA, Optical Audio, Coaxial Audio, AUX
  • Bluetooth Range: 33ft
  • Height: 3.2”
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With such a large and impressive choice in the market today, how do you know which option is the right one for you?

To help, we’ve selected what we consider to be the best soundbars for a small room that is currently available. After testing, using, and reviewing them, taking into consideration the most important features, we’ll make our final verdict.

Our Best Soundbar for a Small Room Reviews and Comparisons

1. Yamaha Yas-108

Product Highlights

Yamaha Yas-108 is stylish, thin, and powerful. A popular soundbar packed with features.

It includes dual built-in subwoofers for a more minimalist design, yet still giving you the desired bass. With also two built-in tweeters providing an enhanced vocal frequency range, you also enjoy clearer voices.

Of course, it has easy Bluetooth connectivity for streaming from two devices. But if preferred, you can connect your components with an HDMI in and out (ARC), a subwoofer out, an optical, and an AUX.

It’s compatible with the latest TVs, supporting 4K Ultra HD and HDR pass-through. You can even sync it to be able to use your TV remote control.

Features

  • Speaker Type: 2 x built-in subwoofers and tweeters
  • Speaker Max Output: 120W
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth, HDMI, AUX
  • Bluetooth Range: 33ft
  • Height: 2.2”

What We Like About Yamaha Yas-108

DTS Virtual:X gives you an immersive and almost 3D like surround sound experience in your small space. Yet, it’s sleek and low-profile enough to fit discreetly in front of your TV. You have the option to wall-mount it too.

Yamaha Yas-108 has a clear voice mode that makes dialogues easier to hear for watching movies or sports, or for listening to podcasts.

It can send a 4k signal at 60Hz and supports HDR10 passthrough and has a simple setup for its number of connections; HDMI, optical, or aux.

Read Related Article: How to Get Sound from the Projector to Speakers

What We Don’t Like About Yamaha Yas-108

Without WiFi, it cannot connect with smart home devices.

Its built-in subwoofers do give the bass a boost but will never be as good as a separate dedicated subwoofer.

The overall sound is decent enough.

PROS

  • Bass is surprisingly powerful for its size
  • Surround sound feature sounds like you have speakers all around the room
  • Quality that you’d expect from Yamaha
  • Its app is simple to use

CONS

  • No way to adjust the treble and no EQ settings, so the sound is flat
  • The optical port is faulty and does not maintain a consistent connection
  • Remote to turn off/on the unit intermittently would not respond

2. Bose Solo 5

Product Highlights

Bose Solo 5 is a compact and well-built soundbar for a small room, that is easy to set up with plug-and-play straight out-of-the-box.

With Bluetooth connectivity to connect to your smartphone or other device and stream audio content.

With a well-balanced sound profile. Advanced technology makes soundtracks rich with bass and effects. Although it’s more highly rated for its dialogue clarity.

Bose Solo 5 is a good choice thanks to its balanced sound and small design, compact enough to place it almost anywhere.

Features

  • Speaker Type: Soundbar
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth, Optical Audio, Coaxial Audio, AUX
  • Bluetooth Range: 33ft
  • Height: 2.8”

What We Like About Bose Solo 5

It comes with a universal remote for your TV, music player, and even gaming systems.

You have the flexibility of buying it with or without a wall mount.

Bose Solo 5, of course, comes with the brand’s reputation for quality and support.

What We Don’t Like About Bose Solo 5

Lacking a subwoofer, impacts its performance to produce truly deep bass.

With only a limited amount of inputs, it lacks newer connectivity options such as HDMI and WiFi for smart home devices.

Bose Solo 5 also isn’t compatible with Dolby Digital or DTS.

PROS

  • Small compact design that doesn’t take up a whole lot of space
  • The best feature is the voice enhancement
  • Universal remote is so good, that you can use it as your primary remote for the living room
  • Auto shut off means it will turn itself off after a period of no activity

CONS

  • The push-in optical cable connector snapped leaving the end inside
  • Pathetic high-end frequency response
  • Have to re-adjust the bass and dialog every time you turn the TV on

3. Polka Signa S2

Product Highlights

Polk Signa S2 is a great buy from a trusted brand solely known for home and auto speakers.
It comes with some excellent great technology features, and it includes a wireless, compact subwoofer for a richer sound experience than much of the competition. It has patented Voice Adjust technology and 5.1 Dolby Digital decoding.

Polka Signa S2 has two 1.25” x 4.4” mid-range drivers and a 5.25” compact subwoofer. The bar itself has an attractive minimalist design and is only 2″ tall.

It’s easy to set up and is Bluetooth streaming enabled, as well as having HDMI, optical cable, and auxiliary connections.

It is tuned for high-performance, giving high-quality sound in small rooms.

Features

  • Speaker Type: 1 x separate subwoofer, 2 x built-in drivers
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth, HDMI, Optical Audio, AUX
  • Bluetooth Range: 33ft
  • Height: 2.2”

What We Like About Polka Signa S2

Its patented Voice Adjust technology reproduces clear and crisp dialogue, so you won’t miss a word of your favorite movie, soap, or sports commentary. It also has 5.1 Dolby Digital decoding

You can stream music or podcasts from your device by Bluetooth connectivity. It also improves on its predecessor Polka Signa model by having HDMI.

Polka Signa S2 is very easy to set up and has simple remote control. Once up and running you’ll enjoy its performance-tuned drivers and separate wireless subwoofer, filling your small room with rich surround sound.

At only 2 inches in height, it can sit discreetly in front or underneath your tv or can be wall-mounted anywhere.

What We Don’t Like About Polka Signa S2

The only thing that it lacks is compatibility with smart home devices. But it’s not alone in this field, and on this list.

PROS

  • Beautiful rich sound with deep bass
  • You always know and can hear the difference that a separate subwoofer makes
  • Voices and dialogue are so crisp and clear
  • Excellent sound and value

CONS

  • Thinking of upgrading so that I can integrate with Alexa
  • Had a little trouble connecting at first

4. JBL Bar 3.1

Product Highlights

JBL Bar 3.1 is a hugely powerful and high-quality soundbar, with an external wireless subwoofer and a host of connections and features.

It comes with a lot of great features, including JBL surround sound, 450W of power, a 10″ wireless subwoofer, Dolby Digital, and full 4K connectivity with three HDMI inputs and one HDMI output (ARC).

Wireless streaming from your devices is easy with Bluetooth direct connectivity. And its sleek design means that it can unobtrusively sit on top of your furniture or be mounted.

Bar 3.1 delivers everything that you’d expect from top audio equipment brand JBL.

Features

  • Speaker Type: Soundbar, 1 x separate subwoofer
  • Speaker Max Output: 450W
  • Connectivity: 4K, Bluetooth, 3 x HDMI in, 1HDMI out (ARC)
  • Bluetooth Range: 33ft

What We Like About JBL Bar 3.1

The JBL Surround Sound combined with that massive 450W of power makes for outstanding sound quality for whatever you’re watching or listening to.

With an external wireless subwoofer to amplify the low-end bass, the center channel isn’t neglected with a dedicated built-in amplifier and speakers. for center channel along with Dolby Digital support takes care of voice clarity, making it crisp and clear

JBL Bar 3.1 has three HDMI connections allowing you to connect three 4K devices for an all-around entertainment experience. Plus, JBL SoundShift technology lets you easily shift between devices for real versatility and compatibility with your TV remote.

What We Don’t Like About JBL Bar 3.1

JBL Bar 3.1 is a top-of-the-range soundbar for a small room, but that makes it still mid-range overall. While it has good 4K connectivity, if you’ve got smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, you’ll probably want something that’s compatible.

PROS

  • The soundbar itself is startlingly small, but it puts out a whopping sound
  • Sub puts out some seriously good low end, the kind you feel in your chest from the room over
  • The whole system is loud and clean sounding
  • The sub alone is worth the price!

CONS

  • Sound is good but glitches all the time and is very unreliable
  • Volume suddenly goes up without warning
  • The subwoofer started to crackle and went dead all of a sudden

5. Wohome S19

Product Highlights

Wohome S19 is a great value, well-made soundbar for small rooms. If you’re on a tight budget, then this could be just the solution.

Even though it’s relatively low-priced in comparison to all of the others that we reviewed, it still has plenty of great features and up-to-date technology.

What’s more, it really packs some punchy speakers with four 15W full-range speakers, plus two 10w tweeter drivers. That’s a total of 80W and 100dB of output power for you to enjoy your sounds of choice.

Its sound technology includes DSP with adjustable bass and treble, plus voice clarity. It has good connections with Bluetooth 4.2 wireless for streaming, as well as wired for AUX, optical, and USB.

All of this makes Wohome S19, probably the best soundbar for a small room on a very limited budget.

Features

  • Speaker Type: 2 x built-in subwoofers and tweeters
  • Speaker Max Output: 80W
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth, Optical Audio, USB, AUX
  • Bluetooth Range: 33ft
  • Height: 3.25”

What We Like About Wohome S19

With a built-in subwoofer, and six 34” full-range speakers with two tweeters making a total of 100dB power output for impressive sound performance.

The DSP technology with its nice clarity and precision, and four sound modes with adjustable bass and treble, gives you a cinematic surround sound experience,

Wohome S19 comes with a flexible range of both wired and wireless connectivity. With Bluetooth 4.2 you can connect to your other compatible devices, over a range of 33 feet. Likewise, with wire by USB, optical cable, and AUX.

There’s further flexibility in that the soundbar is wall mountable with the included kit. Or of course, you can just stand it on top of any unit under the TV, or other furniture.

Plus, you have the reassurance of a good support package, in a 1-year warranty on the soundbar with lifetime technical assistance!

What We Don’t Like About Wohome S19

As a low-priced, yet excellent value choice, it has its limitations. Although, it’s by no means alone on this list by not integrating with hands-free smart home devices like Amazon Alexa. It also lacks an HDMI connection.

Plus, Wohome S19 doesn’t support DTS or Dolby, meaning that you’ll have to disable them on your TV. And whilst it comes with its own remote control, it can’t be matched with your TV or a universal one.

PROS

  • Sound quality, features, and options are a nice surprise for the price
  • A huge upgrade on TV speakers
  • Connectivity is fast with a rich sound
  • Great sound quality backed by excellent customer service!

CONS

  • The first one that came wouldn’t power up
  • Gets hot and shuts off the sound
  • TV remote causes the volume to increase and decrease when changing channels

6. Sonos Beam

Product Highlights

Sonos Beam, with its rounded slim, and sleek design, both look beautiful and save you space in your small room.

It’s very easy to set up and quickly plug-and-play. Its overall sound is well-balanced and has a particularly excellent and dedicated center channel. So, it’s perfect for clear-sounding dialogue for your favorite movies, TV shows, and of course, podcasts. Sonos’ highlight feature, being wireless connectivity using WiFi or Apple AirPlay.

Sonos Beam is equipped with an all-new Sonos One SL, giving an immersive sound experience that is perfect for a small room.

The soundbar is just the most basic part of an overall surround sound system, with a subwoofer and satellite speakers available separately.

If you want an attractive and compact soundbar that you can upgrade when you like in the future, then Sonos Beam is a great choice.

Features

  • Speaker Type: Soundbar
  • Connectivity: WiFi, HDMI ARC, Optical Audio, Ethernet
  • Length 25.6”
  • Height: 3.9”

What We Like About Sonos Beam

With a very simple setup, it’s quick and easy to go from taking it out of the box to listening in minutes, with just two cords and automatic remote detection.

Once set up, it can also be controlled by your voice, or its own app downloaded to your device. What’s more, it can be integrated with Alexa for Android or AirPlay for Apple. Nice!

Its slim, rounded design looks stylish in any home. What’s more, it’s available in not only the classic black, if you like making a feature of your kit, but also in white, for those who prefer something more subtle to blend into their small room.

Sonos Beam gives you rich HD sound with impressively clear details to completely fill your entire small room. While it can take care of the lows and the highs, it’s in the center midranges that it’s most impressive. The sound is more detailed and clearer, especially for dialogue than many of its competitors.

What We Don’t Like About Sonos Beam

Lacking a subwoofer means that it doesn’t produce truly deep bass. For that, you’ll need a separate subwoofer. We recommend buying that, and its satellite speakers, for the whole setup to really make the most of the Sonos sound.

Of course, the clever beauty of that Sonos experience is its WiFi connectivity to other Sonos speakers in other rooms for all over your home. However, it lacks Bluetooth support, which some users may find limiting.

Sonos Beam also doesn’t have an EQ for those who like to customize the sound themselves.

PROS

  • Solution for decluttering hi-fi components without compromising sound
  • Great full sound quality for a really compact speaker
  • Native Apple Airplay streaming, without the need for the Sonos app, is a great bonus also.
  • The late-night setting for voice boost and lower loud noises is very helpful

CONS

  • Once you add the separate subwoofer and satellite speakers, as we recommend, then the full Sonos sound experience isn’t so streamlined. Or cheap!
  • Buggy software
  • Beware if you have an LG OLED TV. As it has a significant and unsolvable lip sync issue.

7. VIZIO SB3820-C6

Product Highlights

Vizio SB3820-C6 is an excellent soundbar from a brand renowned for delivering superb sound quality at a good price.

It has a sleek design and easy setup. Once in use, it’s very user-friendly.

Vizio SB3820-C6 comes with a compact external that amplifies the bass of its DTS Virtual: X. Combined, they provide extraordinary detail so that your ears won’t miss a thing.

Further, it features advanced sound enhancement technology like Dolby Digital, DTS Studio Sound, DTS TruSurround, and DTS TruVolume for cinema-quality sound.

With a total of 100dB of sound with less than 1% of harmonic distortion, this is a great option for your small room.

Features

  • Speaker Type: Soundbar, 1 x separate subwoofer, 2 x separate satellite speakers
  • Speaker Max Output: 101db
  • Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth, RCA, Optical Audio, Coaxial Audio, AUX
  • Bluetooth Range: 33ft
  • Height: 3.2”

What We Like About VIZIO SB3820-C6

With WiFi connectivity, you can stream music and podcasts from any Chromecast enabled audio app. And you can even download the VIZIO SmartCast app that makes your mobile device the remote control.

You can also connect it by Bluetooth to stream from anywhere within its 33ft range. For wired connectivity, there’s plenty of choices too, with RCA, optical digital cable, coaxial cable, and AUX.

Vizio SB3820-C6 comes with separate standalone wireless satellite speakers and a subwoofer, that provides deep room-shaking bass to satisfy any bass-head or sports fanatic.

What We Don’t Like About VIZIO SB3820-C6

We found its response time to be longer than the average. This is probably due to its control by the app, over WiFi, rather than a traditional remote.

In music mode, the performance of the separate satellite speakers is disappointing, with only wishy-washy hard-panned audio. It’s a problem of the mode, as the speakers themselves are clearly capable of playing fuller-sounding audio as can be heard when running the built-in speaker test.

Vizio SB3820-C6 has great connectivity, but we’d have also liked HDMI ARC to be complete.

PROS

  • Comes with all the respective input cables you could need
  • Subwoofer and satellite speakers connected instantly and have no problem staying connected to the soundbar
  • Mounting brackets for the satellite speakers were included
  • The app makes tuning the device very simple and caters to your individual preferences

CONS

  • The audio quality of the front soundbar is good but the rear speakers don’t do much
  • Subwoofer and back speakers have constant interference and distortion no matter what the settings are
  • Although it has some great features, the app is a bit clunky and takes some time to learn

Final Verdict

We tested and compared what we consider to be the best soundbars for a small room currently available in the market.

We considered all factors to come up with what we believe to be the best all-around solution according to the important criteria, and a wide variety of needs.

After days of using, testing, and reviewing, our final verdict for the soundbar for a small room is Polka Signa S2

Andrew Wyatt

Andrew Wyatt

Andrew Wyatt has been a tech geek for as long as he can remember. Whether it's laptops, cameras, or projects, he's obsessed with it all. When he's not researching the latest tech products, he likes to go on long hikes with his dogs.

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