Finding the right soundbar for your needs is no easy task, especially if you are on a tight budget. Let’s find the best soundbar under 100 dollars.

Of course, you could go without a soundbar, but if you have a rather small TV this often means an overall weaker sound system, so a dedicated soundbar can drastically improve the audio quality of TV shows, movies, and even music in no time. 

Most TV manufacturers nowadays even design their TVs with the idea in mind that you’re using a soundbar, so having a good quality soundbar is the best way of ensuring you’re enjoying a movie or TV show as it was intended. However, these big brand names and compatible soundbars can often be pricey.

While most models in this price range may not come available with premium features and can be limited on their connectivity options, they’ll definitely be able to upgrade your current TV speakers and enhance your TV-watching experience.

Some budget-friendly soundbars even come with their own subwoofers which greatly improves their bass performance.

However, even the soundbars without a subwoofer offer great results, as do soundbases (which are often cheaper). Meanwhile, some battery-powered soundbars double up as portable speakers for outside use. 

So whether you’re looking for a soundbar to enhance your TV watching experience, or get the party started with some music, these soundbars are sure to do the trick while sticking to your budget. 

1. Vizio SB3820-C6 38-Inch 2.0 Channel Sound Bar

At just one penny under $100 the Vizio SB3820-C6 soundbar is ideal for those looking for a soundbar on a budget, but one that has all the same capabilities as soundbars on the higher end of the market.

In fact with its stylish design and room-filling, crystal clear sound you would be forgiven for thinking this was one of the more expensive soundbars out there. 

Even without a subwoofer, it produces clear, resonant dialog and an impressive bass thanks to its two 2.75-inch drivers. The 38 x 3 x 3-inch unit helps to create a wide, powerful soundstage sure to fill your room with sound.

One test of a good soundbar is its ability to not only provide high-quality sound for watching TV and music but how it holds up playing music. Even the higher-end soundbars struggle with this, but the Vizio SB3820-C6 more than delivers with its music speaker and premium Dolby Digital audio. 

The built-in Bluetooth makes for a completely wireless experience and offers a wide range of options for you to connect media to your TV. This soundbar also comes with a handy remote, which is a rarity among the cheaper soundbars.

Pros:

• Full bass and crisp treble – Although this soundbar lacks the subwoofer that comes with more costly soundbars, you won’t be missing out thanks to the deep bass modules.
• Wide sound – This soundbar boasts 100 dB of room-filling sound all the while ensuring 1 percent total harmonic distortion.
• Great for music – The SB3820-C6’s music speaker gives it the edge over other budget-friendly soundbars.
• Bluetooth compatibility – This allows you to connect any device to your TV with the touch of your finger.
• Suitable for larger TVs – The impressive width of the soundbar matches well with larger TVs, but it’s sleek design also complements smaller to medium-sized TVs too.

Cons:

• Lacks HDMI – Like most budget-friendly soundbars, despite having excellent Bluetooth capability, it does lack an HDMI input. 

2. Vizio SB2920 29-inch Soundbar 2.0 system

We return to Vizio for our next soundbar that is ideal for smaller TVs. This compact, solidly built soundbar may be smaller than most at 29 x 3 x 3-inches but just like its larger counterparts, it still makes an impact with its wide sound field.

Loud enough to fill the room with its DTS technologies that simulate surround sound and with full-range stereo speakers, this soundbar is sure to enhance any TV or movie.

While it lacks a subwoofer, the solid bass performance still ensures clear, resonant vocals to immerse yourself in whatever TV show or movie you’re watching.

Bluetooth capability makes streaming music easy and convenient with no wires, and setting up the soundbar is just as easy.

This soundbar comes with everything you need for a quick and easy setup, along with table-stand or wall-mount options to suit your preferences and an ergonomic remote.

All you need to do to enhance your audio experience is connect the soundbar to your TV with one of the included cables. 

Pros:

• Clear vocals – DTS Sound, DTS TruVolume, and DTS TruSurround ensure a crisp, clear sound.
• Deep bass without a subwoofer – While you can boost the bass with an external subwoofer, the already deep bass means you can live more than happily without one.
• Lots of input options – The Bluetooth capability gives you plenty of wireless input options.
• Suitable for smaller TVs – This compact soundbar is perfect for smaller TVs.
• Ergonomic remote – This remote not only lets you conveniently control volume, input, and audio but is also comfortable to use. 

Cons:

• No HDMI ports – Despite its wide range of input options, the lack of HDMI means you can’t connect video sources directly to the soundbar.
• Subpar music audio – While this soundbar provides high-quality audio for movies and TV, the quality of music audio is rather average when streamed over Bluetooth. The vocals can often become lost and sound unclear.

3. Pyle PSBV600BT

If you want better sound but don’t have room for a soundbar, a soundbase such as the Pyle PSBV600BT may be just what you need. Soundbases fit under your TV stand, and the PSBV600BT is one of the cheapest on the market.

Its 12-inch depth includes a woofer in the unit for powerful, booming bass – perfect for filling a large room with sound.

The unit can also support TVs weighing up to 110lbs and thanks to its optical digital, 3.5mm AUX, stereo RCA wired connections, and wireless Bluetooth compatibility is compatible with most TVs. 

On the compatibility front too, the built-in Bluetooth allows you to stream wirelessly from virtually all Bluetooth-enabled divides such as iPhone, Android, iPad, and most other smartphones, tablets, and PCs. 

The ported tube design of the bottom-mounted subwoofer allows for extended bass performance, and the 4 full-range speakers give you a crisp, clear, full-bodied sound.

This soundbase also includes a remote control to change inputs, adjust volume, and control your Bluetooth device from anywhere in the room. 

Pros:

• Big, booming bass – The powerful bass is sure to fill the room with full-bodied sound.
• Includes subwoofer in the main unit – This soundbase has the edge over most budget-friendly soundbars in that it has a subwoofer in its main unit.
• Bluetooth compatibility – This soundbase’s compatibility with a wide range of smartphones, tablets, and PCs makes connecting your Bluetooth-enabled devices easy.
• Can support TVs up to 100lbs – This soundbase is perfect for larger TVs, especially if you do not have the space for a soundbar.

Cons:

• Bass can be overwhelming – The bass may sometimes be too powerful, overwhelming the treble and midrange, and losing dialogue and vocals in the mix.
• Remote not useful – While the remote can be handy, it may not be particularly useful if you’re not using Bluetooth-enabled devices and it is quite small.
• No HDMI – While this soundbar boasts compatibility with most devices it lacks an HDMI input. 

4. BOWMAKER Odine II

With a 50W RMS, the BOMAKER Odine II soundbar boasts more power than other 2×52-inch mini soundbars, promising deep bass, clear vocals, and CD quality sound.

This sleek soundbar has 3 EQ modes to choose from –  General, Voice, and Treble, in order for you to tailor the sound for the most immersive experience possible. You can choose from these 3 modes by using a handy remote control. 

This soundbar is also space-saving with a computer speaker measuring 16 inches and 2 full-range speakers measuring 2.25 inches, and providing clear sound and deep bass in a 2.0 channel field.

The sound-field positioning is made as accurate as possible thanks to the dual passive radiator, built-in DSP, and 3D surround sound technology. This all makes for a totally immersive experience with crystal clear vocals. 

There are also multiple input options, such as Optical Input and AUX, as well as being highly Bluetooth compatible.

Not only can you easily connect to a wide range of devices such as a TV, laptop, or PC but this soundbar is also portable and comes with all the cables needed for outdoor use. 

Pros:

• Capable of high volumes – This small but powerful soundbar can get impressively loud thanks to the 50W RMS.
• Bluetooth compatible – Stream all your favorite movies, TV shows, and music easily via Bluetooth.
• Dialogue enhancement feature available – The 3 EQ modes available includes a dialogue enhancement feature that makes vocal-centric audio even clearer. 

Cons:

• Lacks bass – Due to the small width of the stereo soundstage, this soundbar doesn’t pack much of a punch when it comes to bass.

5. Wohome Sound Bar S88 20-Inch 50W Audio Stereo Home Theater Soundbar Speaker

This ultra-slim 20-inch soundbar is perfect for use under a TV or a desktop monitor, and can even be placed on a cabinet or mounted on the wall thanks to the supplied mount screw.

This fashionably designed soundbar comes with two built-in powerful full-range speakers and a bass reflex tube, so whether you’re listening to music, watching TV or a movie, or even gaming you can enjoy crystal clear sound and deep, thrumming bass. 

Designed with DSP technology, this soundbar comes equipped with music, dialogue, and movie equalizer modes for you to choose from that are all supported by 3D surround sound.

So whatever the media you won’t be missing out on a fully immersive audio experience.

With this soundbar, you can also stream audio from your phone, tablet, PC, or even a projector. For a wireless connection, there’s Bluetooth 5.0 which you can use on any Bluetooth-embedded device.

For wired connections, you can take your pick from HDMI-ARC, AUX, Coaxial, USB, and Optical. With an HDMI-ARC connection, you can even control volume with your regular TV remote or a universal remote. 

Pros:

• Bluetooth capability – Stream audio easily and wirelessly with this Bluetooth-compatible soundbar.
• No Battery required – No need to worry about changing batteries with this soundbar!
• Super affordable – At $59 this is one of the more affordable soundbars on the market.
• Remote included – Comes with a handy remote control to easily increase and reduce volume. 
• Compatible with an Apple TV remote – Not only is this soundbar compatible with a standard TV remote but an Apple TV remote too.

Cons:

• Manual not clear – This soundbar does not guarantee quick and easy set-up as the instructions in the manual are quite unclear.

Buyer’s Guide

Hopefully, the above soundbars have given you an idea about what is available on a budget, but you may still be wondering which ones are for you, if there are any particular features to look out for, and if there are any you can compromise on.

Bass

For example, very few soundbars under $100 feature a subwoofer, which does impact the bass. If the spine-tingling rumbling bass of action movies or the thumping bass of hip-hop or EDM music is something you’re looking for, then you can buy an external subwoofer so you don’t miss out.

But as we’ve seen, some budget-friendly soundbars can more than deliver on the bass front. 

Remote control

You may also require a remote in order to easily turn the volume up or down, or turn the soundbar on and off. As we have seen, some budget-friendly soundbars come equipped with a remote, but this is not a given for every soundbar.

Connections

It is also important to consider the audio outputs on your TV. Most budget-friendly soundbars are not available with HDMI but do come with optical or coaxial digital audio which can be the next best thing.

However, if your TV does not have these alternative inputs then you can also look for a soundbar with RCA or 3.5mm inputs.

If a wireless connection is more of a priority though, then there’s no need to worry – as most budget-friendly soundbars are Bluetooth compatible.

Size

The size of your TV is also an important factor. A good rule of thumb is that your soundbar should be in proportion with your TV, as larger TVs look and sound better when paired with larger soundbars.

However, if you have a large TV but limited space to put a soundbar then a small one will do. After all, a small soundbar is better than no soundbar at all.

Alternatively, a soundbase could work too, such as the Pyle PSBV600BT, as these can often fit under your TV stand. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a soundbar?

A soundbar is usually a rectangular-shaped speaker accessory that is designed to compliment your TV. 

Unlike the speakers that are built into modern TV sets that are sometimes stuck on the back of the display and have to work alongside other components, the soundbar is dedicated to delivering full-bodied, surround sound audio. 

They are able to do this because they’re not integrated into the TV. They can sit in front of it, or can even be mounted onto the wall above or below the TV, or wherever you choose to deliver the best surround sound experience.

Who makes soundbars?

As soundbars have grown in popularity in recent years, TV manufacturers now make and sell soundbars that are compatible with their TVs. For example, Samsung now creates soundbars that are made in collaboration with their latest QLED TVs.

As the two products are often designed with each other in mind, it is definitely worth investing in a soundbar that matches the brand of your TV for extra compatibility and easier setup.

However, these can often be very expensive, and as we have seen, there are plenty of budget-friendly soundbars out there.

For compatibility, without having to buy brand-compatible, often expensive soundbars you can also look to brands like Sonos.

What they lack in same-brand compatibility they more than make up for in high-spec outputs and enhanced features for playing music.

How much do soundbars usually cost? 

The products we have discussed today prove that a cheaper soundbar does not mean a lesser product and some can hold up to even higher-end soundbars.

These soundbars will definitely enhance integrated TV speakers but may lack more premium features such as Dolby Atmos, and some may not be available with a built-in subwoofer.

While the best and the most expensive soundbars can cost above $700, the average price for a high-quality soundbar is usually about $600. 

Are soundbars worth it?

Yes!

As we have discussed, most TV manufacturers now design their TVs with the idea that you will buy the accompanying soundbars. This is so you can experience your TV’s audio the way it was intended.

Overall, investing in a soundbar is definitely more cost-effective than buying a new TV to ensure you’re getting the latest and best in audio quality, especially with how quickly technology moves. 

Thanks and good luck with your search for the best soundbar under 100 dollars.

Last update on 2023-02-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API