Best soundbars under £300 (UK)
For most living rooms the Hisense AX5125H is the one to get, a full Dolby Atmos system with subwoofer and rear speakers for around £249. If you only want clearer dialogue for around £99, the Sony HT-SF150 is the pick.
Published 1 Nov 2026 · Last updated 14 Nov 2026
Quick picks
- Hisense AX5125H EDIT'S PICK · Film fans who want real surround sound, with a separate subwoofer and rear speakers, for well under £300 · around £249
- Sony HT-SF150 BEST VALUE · Anyone who just wants clearer, bigger TV sound for around £100 · around £99
- Sonos Ray · Smaller rooms, bedrooms and anyone who mostly wants to hear dialogue clearly, especially if you already own Sonos speakers · around £169
- Creative Stage Pro · Small rooms and desks where you want a separate subwoofer for proper bass, on a tight budget · around £130
No. 1 · EDIT'S PICK
Hisense AX5125H
around £249 (price checked 14 Nov 2026)
A 5.1.2 soundbar system with a wireless subwoofer and two wireless rear speakers. The bar has a dedicated centre channel and two up-firing drivers for Dolby Atmos height, and it decodes DTS:X too. HDMI eARC connects it to the TV, with one HDMI input for a games console or streaming box.
Why we picked it
It's a What Hi-Fi? Award winner, and What Hi-Fi? praises its weight, scale and easy setup. Expert Reviews calls the Atmos and DTS:X performance highly immersive and says the centre speaker keeps dialogue clear. Both reviews find the subwoofer a little woolly or over-eager, and there's no Wi-Fi, no app and no room calibration. The sub and rears are wireless but each needs its own mains socket.
Best for: Film fans who want real surround sound, with a separate subwoofer and rear speakers, for well under £300
Skip it if: You don't have mains sockets behind the sofa for the rear speakers, or you want Wi-Fi streaming and an app.
| Channels | 5.1.2 (bar, wireless sub, two wireless rears) |
|---|---|
| Dolby Atmos | Yes, with two up-firing drivers |
| HDMI | 1 x eARC, 1 x input |
| Other inputs | Optical, 3.5 mm, USB, Bluetooth |
| Soundbar size | 920 x 90 x 60 mm |
Retailer links coming soon.
No. 2 · BEST VALUE
Sony HT-SF150
around £99 (price checked 14 Nov 2026)
Sony's entry-level two-channel soundbar, a single 90 cm bar with 120 W of output, HDMI ARC, optical and Bluetooth, and Sony's S-Force Front Surround processing for a wider sound.
Why we picked it
What Hi-Fi? names it the best soundbar under £100, and one of its writers calls it the only soundbar they'd recommend for £100. TechRadar praises the clear dialogue, solid build and good value. Reviewers say the sound can be slightly muffled, there's no Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, no bass or treble controls, and music over Bluetooth is weak.
Best for: Anyone who just wants clearer, bigger TV sound for around £100
Skip it if: You want Dolby Atmos, deep bass for films, or a decent Bluetooth speaker for music.
| Channels | 2.0 (single bar) |
|---|---|
| Dolby Atmos | No |
| HDMI | ARC |
| Power | 120 W |
| Width | 90 cm |
Retailer links coming soon.
No. 3
Sonos Ray
around £169 (price checked 14 Nov 2026)
Sonos's smallest and cheapest soundbar, 56 cm wide, with Wi-Fi streaming, AirPlay 2 and Trueplay room tuning. It connects to the TV by optical cable only, with no HDMI and no Bluetooth, and it learns your TV remote.
Why we picked it
What Hi-Fi? rates it the best budget soundbar for dialogue, praising vocal clarity and a detailed top end. Expert Reviews calls it the best soundbar it had heard for its size. Both note the limits. Bass is light, the soundfield is narrow, and the optical-only connection means no Dolby Atmos. Sonos lists it at £199, and John Lewis was price-matching it at £169 when we checked.
Best for: Smaller rooms, bedrooms and anyone who mostly wants to hear dialogue clearly, especially if you already own Sonos speakers
Skip it if: Your TV has no optical output, or you want Dolby Atmos or room-shaking bass.
| Channels | Stereo, single bar |
|---|---|
| Dolby Atmos | No |
| TV connection | Optical only (no HDMI) |
| Streaming | Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, Sonos app |
| Size | 557 x 70 x 93 mm |
Retailer links coming soon.
No. 4
Creative Stage Pro
around £130 (price checked 14 Nov 2026)
A compact 2.1 soundbar, 55 cm wide, with a separate subwoofer on an attached cable of about 2 m. It has HDMI ARC, optical, Bluetooth 5.3 and USB audio, so it works with a PC as well as a TV.
Why we picked it
What Hi-Fi? says it exceeds expectations, praising crisp dialogue and powerful, well-integrated bass for the price, and also calls it its best compact budget soundbar. Expert Reviews recommends it as a cheap soundbar too. What Hi-Fi? finds the sound quite localised and says the Wide mode loses definition. It's Dolby Audio only, with no Atmos.
Best for: Small rooms and desks where you want a separate subwoofer for proper bass, on a tight budget
Skip it if: You want Dolby Atmos or a wireless subwoofer you can hide across the room.
| Channels | 2.1 (bar and wired subwoofer) |
|---|---|
| Dolby Atmos | No |
| HDMI | ARC |
| Other inputs | Optical, Bluetooth 5.3, USB audio |
| Power | 80 W RMS (160 W peak) |
Retailer links coming soon.
How we chose
We started with the soundbars that What Hi-Fi? and Expert Reviews rate most highly in their 2026 budget round-ups, then checked which ones are on sale new in the UK now for under £300. That ruled out some strong bars that only dip below £300 in sales, such as the Sony HT-S2000 and JBL Bar 300MK2.
We split the field into bars with and without a separate subwoofer, because that decides how much bass you get and how much space you need. Then we weighed dialogue clarity most heavily, since that’s the most common reason people buy a soundbar, followed by overall sound, bass and ease of setup.
We read Dolby Atmos claims carefully. A bar can carry the Atmos badge because it decodes the format, without having any speakers that fire upwards. We say which picks have real up-firing drivers and which don’t, and we left out the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus because reviewers disagree sharply about how it sounds and we couldn’t confirm a current UK price.
This guide is based on manufacturer specs and on reviews from What Hi-Fi?, Expert Reviews and TechRadar, listed below. We haven’t tested these soundbars ourselves. Prices are typical UK prices on the date shown, not one-day Black Friday deals.
Sources
- What Hi-Fi?: Best budget soundbars 2026
- Expert Reviews: Best budget soundbar 2026
- Expert Reviews: Hisense AX5125H review
- Richer Sounds: Hisense AX5125H
- AO: Hisense AX5125H
- What Hi-Fi?: Hisense AX5125H deal
- John Lewis: Sony HT-SF150
- TechRadar: Sony HT-SF150 review
- What Hi-Fi?: If you want a cheap soundbar, just buy this Sony
- Sonos UK: Ray
- John Lewis: Sonos Ray
- Expert Reviews: Sonos Ray review
- Creative UK: Stage Pro
- What Hi-Fi?: Creative Stage Pro review
- Expert Reviews: Creative Stage Pro Black Friday deal
- What Hi-Fi?: Sony HT-S2000 review
- Richer Sounds: Sony HT-S2000
- What Hi-Fi?: JBL Bar 300MK2 review
- What Hi-Fi?: Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review
- Expert Reviews: Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review
FAQs
Does "Dolby Atmos" on a cheap soundbar mean sound from above?
Not always. Atmos adds height to film soundtracks. Bars with up-firing drivers, such as the Hisense AX5125H, bounce sound off the ceiling. Many cheaper bars, including the JBL Bar 300MK2 and Amazon's Fire TV Soundbar Plus, have no up-firing drivers and fake the height with processing, which reviewers find less convincing. Check for "up-firing" in the specs, not just the Atmos logo.
What is HDMI eARC and do I need it?
It's the HDMI socket on your TV that sends sound back out to a soundbar, and the TV remote can then control the bar's volume. eARC is the newer version and carries the full-quality Dolby Atmos formats. For a basic stereo bar, ordinary ARC or optical is fine. For Atmos, use the TV's eARC socket and the bar's eARC port.
Do I need a separate subwoofer?
Not for dialogue and everyday TV, where a single bar such as the Sony HT-SF150 or Sonos Ray does well. A separate sub, like those with the Hisense AX5125H and Creative Stage Pro, adds the low bass that makes films and games feel weightier. Reviewers say single bars in this price range are light on bass.
Is it worth stretching past £300?
Possibly, if you want Atmos from a single bar. What Hi-Fi? rates the Sony HT-S2000 and JBL Bar 300MK2 highly, but Richer Sounds listed them at around £399 and £379 when we checked, so they only fit this budget in a sale.
Last updated 14 Nov 2026.