It’s well-known that most TVs nowadays don’t generally have the built-in sound to match the picture quality — especially the more mid-range or cheaper models. This is where one of the best soundbars comes to the rescue, but not everyone has the space or budget for one of the really big and immersive systems.
The humble, all-in-one, compact soundbar is what you need, then — and we had three of the best available in our testing lab: the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), the Denon Home 550 and the Sony HT-S2000, the latter of which has been our best budget recommendation for a while now.
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The Batman
My go-to testing scene for soundbars and TV audio, the Batmobile chase scene from The Batman is a perfect test for all audio elements: sound mapping, bass, speech, Dolby Atmos and surround effects. It’s easily one of my favorite Atmos scenes.
The first thing I noticed was how effective all three soundbars delivered the rumble of the Batmobile’s engine. The Denon had a lot of up-front bass that was well controlled, but the Sonos’ felt that little bit more refined with good space between the low-end of the engine and other elements. While the Sony’s bass was thinner than the other two, it was still decent.
The Denon delivered a surprisingly wide soundstage with plenty of room-filling power. Its virtual Dolby Atmos processing created a dome-like effect despite its compact size. The Sonos also had a wide soundstage with plenty of depth, but it wasn’t quite as convincing as the Denon. The Sony delivered decent Atmos but again felt a bit thinner in the sound overall.
All three soundbars had great accuracy, mapping effects — such as the bullet spray from Penguin’s weapon, swerving tyres and blaring car horns — accurately between the soundbar and the action on screen. Again the Denon was more precise, but the Sonos was a close second. The Sony also sounded accurate, particularly with the flame of the Batmobile’s engine on ignition.
While the Denon mostly shone in this scene, I did find that various sound effects could get cluttered at times, with the score being lost in the explosions whereas the Sonos was able to give each sound element more room to breathe. The Sony had good detail, but felt narrower than the other two, meaning some elements weren’t as clear.
The Mask
A semi-recent addition to the testing lineup, The Mask has excellent sound design with one area in particular standing out: placement and direction of sound. All of The Mask’s zany cartoonish sound effects, especially his tornado, are a brilliant audio test.
Again, all three soundbars demonstrated impressive sound placement, accurately delivering the movement of The Mask’s tornado around his bedroom with real precision. The Denon and Sonos had the edge when it comes to the power of the sound, which made the tornado effect more engaging, but the Sony did a good job in its own right.
While the Denon was bolder and more direct in the scene, the Sonos had a nice width that was perfect for giving more of a sense of space as the Mask careens around the room. This was also evident later as ricocheting gunfire again had more space on the Sonos, but had more impact through the Denon. The Sony again didn’t have the impact of the other two soundbars, but its accuracy can’t be denied — it just wasn’t as exciting.
Wicked
Not just a regular disc for me when testing TV picture quality, Wicked is, of course, great for testing audio, as it’s a musical with plenty of elements to put a sound system through its paces. No song does this better than Defying Gravity, not only with its big score and grand vocals, but also in Elphaba’s movement on the broom.
Elphaba’s vocals are big, bold and powerful, and all three soundbars do her justice. The Sonos had the most clarity in the vocals while the Denon had the out-and-out power, and the Sony actually struck a nice balance between the two.
One thing I was surprised by was how the Sonos handled the rest of the soundtrack — the score itself, the sound of the wind as Elphaba flies on the broom — because these were pushed to the back of the Sonos’ soundstage, with the vocals receiving most of the power. This took away from the soaring, impactful nature of the scene.
The Denon, on the other hand, managed to strike a fine balance between every element, as did the Sony (it just sounded thinner than the Denon).
In terms of the expansiveness of the sound, the Sonos proved to have the most width. The Denon went for a direct approach which meant it didn’t sound as wide in places. The Sony again delivered a broad sound with good space, but not as much as the others.
Oppenheimer
While there are a ton of scenes you could use from Oppenheimer to show off your home theater, both video and audio, it’s actually the scene where Strauss gives Oppenheimer a tour of the University that I used, to test dialogue.
All three soundbars delivered crystal clear speech throughout the scene, even without any speech enhancement features activated. I did find that the Sonos and Sony had the most authentic sound, and by this I mean they accurately delivered the echo-y voices of Strauss and Oppenheimer as they’re in the office. The Denon sounded much cleaner and fuller, but this isn’t really the most film-accurate.
Again, all three soundbars showed excellent tracking as they were able to replicate the voices accurately, whether from behind, off to the side or when both characters were at a distance. I tested all three soundbar’s voice enhancements too, and while they were effective, they limited other aspects of the sound. Frankly, none of them needed these enhancements.
Top Gun: Maverick
Top Gun: Maverick is another reference testing disc with a load of scenes to really let your home theater flex its muscles. A common one I use (and is often used in tech demos by companies) is the Darkstar test flight at the start of the movie, because it’s a perfect Dolby Atmos height scene.
What I really wanted to test on these three soundbars was their virtual Dolby Atmos processing, as none of them have up-firing speakers. I had glimpses in The Batman and Wicked, but really it’s the moment in this scene where Maverick flies over Admiral Cain that will make or break height channels.
Honestly, all three did well considering their compact size and lack of up-firing speakers. They all demonstrated pretty convincing Atmos, providing some sense of the flight path of the Darkstar traveling overhead. While it didn’t fill the room or completely go over my head like I’d had on the Samsung HW-Q990F or the Sonos Arc Ultra, it was a valiant effort.
The Sonos had the greatest sense of space, giving the Atmos room to breathe, while the Denon again had that hit of power which felt the most authentic to the jet. The Sony was arguably the most impressive however, as its virtual Atmos positioning was more effective and convincing than I thought it would be.
Which to buy?
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For their size and price, all three of these soundbars impressed me. While the Sony had a bit of an uphill battle, it’s still a seriously good soundbar for the money. When it comes to price, these soundbars have all been somewhere in the region of $399-$499 / £399-£499 / AU$799-AU$899 before. However, the Denon is generally the priciest in the US, sometimes hitting $699 and as much as I liked it, that’s a big jump over the other two models.
With the Sony tough to get hold of and the Denon that much pricier, the Sonos still reigns supreme in the US. Elsewhere, where prices are closer, it comes down to preference.
The Denon and Sonos apps perform similarly and both have ecosystems and extra speakers you can add, while the Sony is an impressive budget option. For me, if the price was right, I’d pick the Denon and its particular blend of power and positioning skills, but I wouldn’t be upset with any of these soundbars.
The best soundbars for all budgets
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james.davidson@futurenet.com (James Davidson)
