Warentest listens very carefully
Good soundbars don't have to be expensive
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Stiftung Warentest tests 14 new soundbars. Only a device that costs around 500 euros will be considered good overall; no speaker sounds better than satisfactory. The foundation's database also contains soundbars that not only deliver great sound but are also inexpensive.
The easiest way to boost the thin sound of most TVs is to use soundbars that stand or hang in front of them. The offering here is already huge and it continues to grow rapidly. Stiftung Warentest tested 14 new devices that cost between around 130 and 850 euros.
Subwoofer is usually a must
Only the one that costs around 500 euros Samsung HW-Q610GC/ZG achieved a good quality rating (2.4). However, it was only rated satisfactory (2.6) in the most important category, sound. Expensive soundbars like this also share the same fate Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar mini (725 euros) or that Bose Smart Ultra (850 euros). This shows that an external subwoofer is usually required for good sound, but this is not included in the scope of delivery of these devices.
Almost all of the 38 soundbars in the Stiftung Warentest list that are still available and rated well overall have a subwoofer. The big exception are the high-priced German Nubert speakers. One of them, that Nubert nuPro AS-3500, is one of the three test winners who received an overall grade of 1.9. The soundbar, which costs around 995 euros, sounds good (2.0), is easy to handle and uses little power.
At 1050 euros it is LG DS95QR even more expensive. In addition to a subwoofer, it also offers two wireless satellite boxes for surround sound. It sounds a little better than the Nubert device (1.9) and is also good in the other two categories. The sound of the approximately 750 euros LG DS90QY was rated just as well. Since it has no additional speakers apart from a subwoofer, it requires less energy, which Stiftung Warentest found very good.
Samsung delivers the best sound, LG delivers a bargain price
With an individual rating of 1.8, they deliver the best sound Samsung HW-Q935B/ZG and the Samsung HW-Q935GC/ZG, which cost 825 and 895 euros. They also have satellite speakers for surround sound, but swallow significantly more than their LG competitors. Therefore, they were only rated adequately in this category and only received a quality rating of 2.2 overall.
In the product test charts you can also find some devices under 500 euros that are almost as good as the test winners. This is a price-performance champion LG DSP8YA, which can be found online for an average of 370 euros. It achieved an overall grade of 2.1 with good sound (2.1), good handling and good power consumption. The LG DSPD7Y It only costs around 345 euros. Although it only delivers a just good tone (2.5), it uses very little power.
