The Vizio SB36512-F6E is a semi-wireless 5.1.2 audio system that comes with a soundbar, wireless subwoofer and rear speakers in the box. It’s also, unusually at this price, Dolby Atmos compatible and has two upward-firing drivers on top of the soundbar to add height to the surround-sound image. Generally, soundbars are a single long speaker with several drivers inside but some come with external subwoofers for extra low-end extension and rear speakers for surround sound effects whereas others are compatible with other speakers from within the manufacturer's brand. If floor-shaking bass is high on your priority list then these are models you'll want to consider.

The absence of an in-built voice assistant and the decision not to include a remote sting a little, particularly given how much the Dione costs, but in terms of style and performance, few standalone soundbars get close to the Dione. For standard movies with surround sound, the Vizio Elevate was more than up to the task. In the 2005 version of King Kong, the bi-planes swirling around Kong on the Empire State Building were thrilling. The machine guns seemed to come straight at us with the sound of propellers clattering around our heads. Audio is just as important as visuals when watching TV, but a lot of manufacturers overlook sound quality when producing televisions. By buying one of the best soundbars, you will significantly enhance your audio experience while watching movies, sports and TV shows. Dialogue will sound clearer, sound effects more impactful and music much richer. The Multibeam 1100 looks as good as it sounds, too, with an attractive and relatively compact design that houses a beautifully detailed LED display. Sadly, that display is positioned on top of the bar rather than on the front of it, meaning you can’t see it when watching TV. That minor gripe aside, there’s very little not to like about the Multibeam 1100. The absence of DTS:X support will be an issue for those with large Blu-ray collections, and adding rear speakers and a subwoofer for true sonic envelopment is costly, but neither issue prevents the Multibeam 1100 from rising above almost all of the single-speaker solutions on the market. Still, when it comes to diminutive soundbars capable of room-filling sound, you won’t find a better option than the MagniFi Mini AX. Just make sure that it will fit underneath your TV, as although it’s extremely narrow, it’s a little taller than many other soundbars on the market.Some soundbars will come with pre-programmed modes for different types of content. In our experience, soundbars with cinematic modes often use 'spatial' processing that can introduce high-frequency artefacts. In contrast, 'music' modes will usually have a bass and treble-heavy EQ that can sound a little brash. We tend to favour a flat standard mode, if one is available, that we manually adjust to our liking. But there is no one size fits all approach that will work for every room and listener. It’s worth keeping in mind, also, that 5.1 is no longer the pinnacle of sound quality – that title belongs to spatial audio formats like Dolby Atmos. While 5.1 can give you a plane of sound, Dolby Atmos immerses you in a sound field with top-firing speakers that provide a height channel to the mix. Those bars are more expensive than what Vizio is offering here, obviously, but they’re worth investigating if you feel like you might be interested in having a larger sphere of sound. Fortunately, most soundbars have speech enhancement feature settings that will typically raise the volume of the centre channel and crispen up the EQ to help improve dialogue audibility. Not every brand implements this with sophistication, and sometimes these modes can sound thin and harsh, but once again, it's always worth experimenting to find what works for you and your space. How we test soundbars How we test soundbars With its wide range of supported audio formats, the A7000 excels itself and includesDolby Atmos(in both the Digital+ and TrueHD formats),DTS:X, LPCM, hi-res wireless audio and Sony 360 Reality Audio. There are a few options to improve your TV sound that range from the budget to the expensive, but a soundbar is one of the simplest ways as they are typically compact and require minimal cabling. They often also have added benefits, such as wireless streaming over Bluetooth or WiFi.

Next, features and connectivity. Many modern TV soundbars boast ARC and eARC-enabled HDMI ports, which can handle high bandwidth multichannel audio formats as well as optical inputs for older TVs. If your TV has ARC/eARC, you'll be able to control the volume of your soundbar with your existing remote control. It's worth considering if having a separate physical remote for the soundbar is important to you or if you're comfortable with controlling settings from a smartphone app. However, this is a speaker with practicality and affordability in mind. Its ultra-compact dimensions, tapered build and forward-facing speakers mean it takes up little space and removes any need for a clear line of sight for upward- and side-firing drivers, making it a practical choice for small rooms and even desktops. As well as wired connections, many soundbars also support Bluetooth for wirelessly connecting phones and tablets and some also have Wi-Fi, allowing for higher-quality music streaming, potential integration in a multiroom wireless speaker network and support for digital voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant.

A great value for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound

Physical buttons, a remote, a companion app and voice assistant support mean you’re spoilt for choice in terms of control, while Chromecast built-in, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect provide wireless streaming options to complement the numerous physical ports. Sennheiser’s Ambeo feature is the Plus’ only real weakness, with its more spacious presentation detracting from the bar’s otherwise laser-focused and detailed delivery. But even with this shortcoming, there’s no price-comparable alternative that performs as well as the Ambeo Soundbar Plus. The key thing to know about optical is that it's restricted in bandwidth compared to ARC/eARC. So if you have the choice between the two and opt for optical, you might not be making the most of the audio decoding built into your soundbar. The most advanced immersive formats optical can handle are compressed Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 surround sound, so that means no Dolby Atmos or DTS:X.

In addition to Atmos support, the Stage 360 offers a decent range of connection options, including two HDMI 2.0 inputs and Bluetooth, and isn’t short of audio options either. There are four sound modes to choose from: Music, Movie, Wide and Night, along with near-field and far-field profiles which take into account how close you are to the bar. If you want to enjoy Atmos content but can’t stretch your budget to a true surround sound system, the Creative Stage 360 is your best bet. In addition to testing out a soundbar’s ability to deliver sound to accompany onscreen action, we take time to try out any wireless streaming capabilities it may have, be that via Tidal over Bluetooth or Spotify Connect over a Wi-Fi network. Content is also streamed via features such as Chromecast built-in and AirPlay 2 to ensure they work as intended. If you’re part of the Alexa smart home ecosystem and want an affordable soundbar to slot neatly into it, the Polk React is the best choice around. If you’ve got a bit more cash to play with and want superior audio quality, we recommend you take a look at the Sonos Beam 2. Unfortunately, ARC/eARC can sometimes introduce a slight audio lag resulting in lipsynching issues that can vary depending on your TV-soundbar combo. However, many brands include controls to adjust the delay on a soundbar's app, and sometimes there's also an option to modify it on a TV's settings.

Upgrade your television’s sound with our pick of the best soundbars you can buy

Close attention is paid to sound reproduction across the frequency spectrum, with a focus on the three cornerstones of soundbar performance: bass response, dialogue clarity and crispness of treble. If there are different EQ presets available, we’ll try these out with appropriate content and all tests are run at a variety of volume levels, including maximum volume to push the product to its limits. Sports mode is one of four EQ presets available, with movie, music and night modes also on offer. They all do a good job at enhancing your audio experience when watching the content they’re designed to cater to, while Polk’s Voice Adjust technology allows you to increase how prominent dialogue is in the audio and works very well. The Arc supports Dolby Atmos (although only via eARC) as well as both Google Assistant and Alexa. It can be fully integrated into a Sonos multiroom audio system and controlled via the excellent Sonos S2 app. The only caveat is that physical connectivity is limited to a single HDMI ARC/eARC port, with no HDMI or optical digital input available. Otherwise, this is an astonishing achievement in AV audio engineering. So how does it sound? Well, that depends on what you’re used to. If you’re coming from your TV’s built-in speakers, you’re going to be blown away by the Vizio V-Series 5.1 Sound Bar. It amps up the mid-range to make dialogue very easy to hear and even throws in a few floor-shaking thumps every once in a while as well.

There is little more frustrating than not being able to hear dialogue when watching a TV show or movie, but inevitably, varying levels of speech clarity combined with how busy the soundscape is and the overall style of the mix can mean that whispery, mumbly vocals hinder even a top-quality, room-tuned soundbar. The size of the soundbar is primarily down to the larger-than-enough drivers Sennheiser has managed to fit in, and the result is a sound big enough not to need its own subwoofer, with clear, direct dialogue and detail and subtlety in spades. The way it stretches the sound around you creates a great atmosphere and really draws you into the action.As we note in our review: "While some soundbars with external subwoofers go deeper, the bass here is delivered with weighty gusto and seamless integration. This is what helps the Sennheiser achieve the sort of effortless, natural tonality and texture that most rivals can’t begin to match." But the best thing about the Ambeo Max's sound? How little attention it draws; "there's none of the beamy, nasal harshness found in many other soundbars and on the whole, the processing is natural and convincing."

A basic 5.1 soundbar system that offers a solid value

At more reasonable volume levels, however, the SB36512-F6E sounds great and it delivers Atmos height effects with surprising authority. I used the official Dolby Atmos test disc to put it through its paces to start with and was immediately impressed with how convincing the various clips sounded, in particular the 747 takeoff, which sounded – as it should do – as if the plane was roaring immediately overhead rather past at ear level. We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in London, Reading and Bath, where our team of experienced, in-house reviewers test the majority of hi-fi and AV kit that passes through our door and allow for plenty of listening time as well as running them in before we begin reviewing.