The Best Soundbar

Wirecutter.com

The ability to enjoy a theatrical movie experience at home is more desirable than ever. The low-quality speakers built into most TVs can’t approach the performance of a theatrical sound system—but a good soundbar can. We think the Vizio Elevate offers the best way to create a truly immersive, high-quality surround-sound experience, and it has just about every feature and connection option you could want.

The Vizio Elevate is the best soundbar for those who want a complete system that includes a subwoofer and rear speakers. The design of this Dolby Atmos–capable soundbar is unlike anything else available right now: In addition to the dedicated Atmos surround speakers, the bar itself includes a pair of motorized front speakers that automatically turn upward to bounce sound effects off the ceiling when playing Dolby Atmos content. With music or standard 5.1-channel movie soundtracks, the motorized speakers face forward to expand the sound. The result is one of the clearest, most dynamic soundbars we’ve auditioned. The wireless 8-inch subwoofer reproduced deep bass better than any other soundbar subwoofer in our tests, too. The Elevate is packed with great features, including two 4K HDR-compatible HDMI inputs, Bluetooth and Chromecast music streaming, numerous sound adjustments, and a dedicated signal-sensing input that lets you connect an Amazon Echo Dot, Amazon Echo Flex, or Google Home Mini so that the soundbar works as a smart speaker. Its remote control is also much easier to use than the one that came with our previous top pick, the soon-to-be-discontinued Vizio SB46514-F6.

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