The finest soundbar for small TVs in 2021: Receive sharper, richer sound in any space.
The best soundbars for small TVs can produce massive Dolby Atmos sound in a small box – or simply increase speech clarity.
Our guide to the best soundbar for small TVs will help you cut through the clutter and find the smallest options. Many of today's soundbars are huge, meant for big-screen adventures, but compact TVs frequently require aid in providing clearer conversation or stronger action impact.
That's where the best soundbars for small TVs come in - the options we've chosen don't have the same range of features as the best soundbars, but they all produce far better sound than a small TV alone.
The first thing to consider when buying for a compact soundbar is your maximum size limit. It's likely that if you request a smaller TV (under 50 inches, down to 24 inches), it will be placed in a smaller room. You can figure out which soundbars will fit if you know the width of the TV (which is different from the screen size: screen size is measured diagonally, but we're talking about the horizontal width).
Following that, we suggest looking into the soundbar's port options. Everything we've chosen includes HDMI ARC (audio return channel) connectivity, which means you connect the soundbar to the HDMI ARC connector on your TV, the TV sends its sound to the soundbar, and the TV remote controls the volume of the soundbar. Easy! Even the most advanced televisions, however, only have one HDMI ARC connector, which you may already be using to connect a set-top box, console, or other device. If that's the case, a soundbar with HDMI passthrough will allow you to keep your single HDMI port for connecting video devices - we've underlined which soundbars have HDMI passthrough. If your TV lacks HDMI ARC, you'll have to rely on optical instead, which we'll discuss later.
After that, double-check the driver settings and the soundbar's placement. Our favorites all have speaker drivers that face upwards, downwards, and to the sides, and placing them close to a surface (whether it's a wall or a shelf) will slightly skew your sound.
After that, double-check that your ostensibly soundbar will work as it should. If it's for movies, do you need it to be able to handle a Dolby Atmos soundtrack (even if it doesn't have a Dolby Atmos speaker arrangement)? If it's for gaming, does it offer the necessary sound modes to get the most out of your favorite games?
WHICH SOUNDBAR DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR SMALL TVS?
Sonos has nailed the nail on the head with the new generation of the Beam soundbar. This is a little, well-made speaker that is easy to use, sounds wonderful in any environment, and even has a hint of the Dolby Atmos 3D spatial effect. It's not quite as much as Sonos seems to believe, but it's a start.
When you consider basic Sonos capabilities like multi-room and true surround sound, the Beam Gen 2 is the greatest device in its class – and it can handle TVs up to 32 inches. The Sonos Beam's only flaw is that it doesn't allow HDMI passthrough; nonetheless, we've included several alternatives below.
THE FINAL SELECTION OF SOUNDBAR FOR SMALL TVS
For small televisions, the best low-cost soundbar
(Image credit: Yamaha)
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions (WxHxD): 600x64x64mm
Suitable for TVs: 32-50 inches
Dolby Atmos: No
Connections: 1x HDMI (ARC); 2x digital optical; 3.5mm analogue; Bluetooth 5.0
REASONS TO BUY
+Wide, well-organised sound +Great with movie or game soundtracks
REASONS TO AVOID
-Weaker at high volumes-Nasty remote control
What Yamaha doesn't know about soundbars isn't worth learning. With the SR-C20A, the company has crammed decades of experience into a teeny-tiny soundbar that gives a wonderful listening experience.
Unless you get completely carried away with loud levels, the SR-C20A has a powerful, detailed, and very expansive sound. It can surely provide movie soundtracks far more depth and richness than your television alone, and it's also a dynamic and revealing gaming performer. Despite its dynamism and detail retrieval, it's even prepared to try its hand as a music speaker, despite the fact that it's not the most rhythmically proficient soundbar on the market.
The best 3D soundbar for the money that also happens to be small.
(Image credit: Yamaha)
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions (WxHxD): 910x53x131mm
Suitable for TVs: 43-55 inches
Dolby Atmos: No
Connections: 1x HDMI (ARC); 2x digital optical; subwoofer pre-out; Bluetooth 5.0
REASONS TO BUY
+Full-scale, dynamic sound+Pronounced positional effect
REASONS TO AVOID
-Monotonal bass…-…of which there’s either too much or too little
In what is a relatively tiny soundbar, Yamaha has employed 120 watts of amplification to power a six-driver array (even if it is the largest on this list). As a result, the music has a vitality and scope well beyond what your television can provide, without compromising clarity or insight.
When it comes to the lowest frequencies, it's a bit of a one-note wonder – the truly deep bass sounds aren't very varied. They are, however, present (which is more than some alternative designs can say), and everything that happens above them is thorough and informative.
The finest soundbar for tiny TVs from Samsung
(Image credit: Samsung)
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions (WxHxD): 760x70x130mm
Suitable for TVs: 40-50 inches
Dolby Atmos: No
Connections: 1x HDMI (ARC); 1x digital optical; Bluetooth 4.2; Wi-Fi
REASONS TO BUY
+Clarity, detail and scale to spare+Good control options
REASONS TO AVOID
-Light on bass presence-Can be picky about position
Just because you want a small soundbar to match your small screen doesn't mean you don't want fantastic big sound, and the Samsung HW-S60T delivers on that (and a few other fronts).
Thanks to its side-firing speaker drivers, the Samsung creates sound that is substantially wider (and, indeed, higher) than its physical proportions. And it's a crisp, observant sound at that, with real presence to middle speech and incredibly well controlled bite and assault at the top of the frequency range, assuming you tune your EQs exactly so for your own listening environment. Only the HW-S60bass T's performance, which is a tad unsteady in compared to so many competitors, keeps it from going higher on this list.
The finest soundbar for tiny televisions with a gaming focus
(Image credit: Panasonic)
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions (WxHxD): 431x52x132mm
Suitable for TVs: 24-43 inches
Dolby Atmos: Yes
Connections: 2x HDMI (1x ARC); 1x digital optical; Bluetooth 2.1
REASONS TO BUY
+Confident, weighty sound+Specific gaming modes
REASONS TO AVOID
-Lacks outright scale of audio-Can sound rather blunt
The term 'Soundslayer' sounds like a character from Game of Thrones, but don't be fooled: this Panasonic is all business. Despite being the smallest soundbar on the list, the SC-HTB01 fairly blasts out soundtracks with something approaching joy, fitting beneath even the tiniest gaming displays and TVs.
It isn't even close to being described as assertive. When compared to other similar-priced options, the Panasonic lacks a little detail and outright scale, but it compensates with massive scale. Low-frequency stuff isn't generally precisely regulated, but there's a lot of it here. After all, it's not uncommon for a movie or game soundtrack to employ 'bass' as a shortcut for 'excitement,' which makes the Soundslayer a pleasant listen.
Remember, this is the tiniest soundbar on the list - and one of the few with HDMI passthrough, making it a feasible option.
The greatest soundbar for small TVs, according to most people, is
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions (WxHxD): 651x69x100mm
Suitable for TVs: 32-50 inches
Dolby Atmos: Yes
Connections: 1x HDMI (eARC); Ethernet; Wi-Fi
REASONS TO BUY
+Poised, big and well-defined sound+Great app and control options
REASONS TO AVOID
-No HDMI passthrough-Dolby Atmos effect is subtle
In almost every sense, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a no-brainer. While the Dolby Atmos effect isn't as strong as you'd want, and HDMI passthrough is a disappointment, this is the greatest small soundbar on the market in every other manner.
It offers a wide, well-balanced sound that is both surprisingly strong and completely convincing, giving movie soundtracks tremendous depth and width (and even the tiniest suggestion of height to Dolby Atmos content). The structure and finish are of exceptional quality. Because it's a Sonos, it's also an object lesson in ergonomics. It's simple to set up, control, and connect into a bigger Sonos surround-sound or multi-room system, as well as use with Apple AirPlay 2.
