10 Best Bass Soundbars Under $500 to Buy in 2024

Here is the list of Best Soundbars Under $500:

Sony HT-CT370 2.1 Channel 300W Soundbar

A company with the pedigree of home entertainment and immersion systems, Sony is a well-known brand for their technological prowess and their services. The HT-CT370 is no different. Just like most other Sony devices, it is feature rich. The i/o is also quite varied (HDMI in/out, Optical in, Aux-in and a 3.5mm analog input).

The trapezoidal design of the soundbar and the subwoofer will also ensure that all eyes stay on it. Since, it is Sony (the house of BluRay) the digital decoding for cinema formats is quite brilliant as well (you’ll hear every step that Godzilla takes, the tremors will be felt in your living room area).

The remote packaged along with this is also quite good and feature rich. Finally, it has a good Bluetooth connectivity and is NFC enabled.

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Q Acoustics M4 Soundbar

The subwoofer in Q acoustics M4 Soundbar is beyond what the form factor of a slim and sleek soundbar could possibly provide. In that case I guess it is good news that it is neither. In case of this one, let us put aside the bad news first.

The design of this soundbar (if you can even call it that) is going to catch some attention, not for any good reason that is. It resembles something that would go along quite well with a CRT telly of the early 2000s. It’s bulky, it’s big and it’s ugly (though that is an oversimplification).

The remote has very little to offer, which in this scenario is the number of buttons, it’s not a good news if you can count them on one hand. Now, the good part. It is a fairly decent soundbar with a very good subwoofer performance. All the frequencies are clear and distinct. It has some nifty features like NFC enabled Bluetooth (which supports aptX lossless codec).

The i/o is also decent (optical, line-in and AUX). Its volume levels won’t blow you away (pun intended) with a measly 100W output. This is for people who enjoy a lossless, encoded digital audio only for its acoustical quality. Not very great for a bombastic cinematic experience.

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Klipsch R-20B Bluetooth Soundbar

The confused king of pronunciation (seriously, say the name. I dare you!) Klipsch brings the R-20B  just under $400. Like mentioned earlier, you start hitting the upper limit to what you get for what you give, this is a prime example for that phenomenon. It has a crystal clear sound, the bass is very good, the frequency separation is very prominent and the build quality is good.

However, it doesn’t have more than what you would get for a sub $300, it just does everything better. The design resembles a sci-fi boombox which is either your cup of milk tea or you’re just lactose intolerant. The i/o won’t break space and time as it has the obvious – line in, AUX, Optical-in and 3.5mm analogue inputs.

The Bluetooth comes with the aptX decoding for lossless audio over wireless. The subwoofer looks like a tiny CRT telly if that’s your thing – more power to you. In the real world, we have a word for it – ugly. High volumes make all of the audio very nasal, the surround sound also feels flat despite getting the job done and the bass does the job but is underwhelming. The remote is the same old’ six button piece’a garbage.

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Sony HTCT780 330W 2.1 Soundbar

Sony understands that the consumer expects true power for the top dollar. The HTCT780 is a 330W powerhouse. Not only is it a loudmouth (which is a good thing in this case) it has the quality to back up its panache. It manages to fit in all that power into a toothpick sized soundbar and packages a powerful subwoofer with it.

The design is an odd-futuristic quadrilateral that skews over backward with a small but intuitive red LED indicator. It’s feature loaded, supports digital decoding (HDCP 2.2), supports long-range Bluetooth and NFC. The i/o at offer is not bad as well – line-in, HDMI (3 ins and 1 out) and optical-in, which is more than you can expect to be honest.

The surround sound is one of the best, a technological union between hardware and software. It supports Dolby digital decoding, Dolby TrueHD, S-force pro for surround sound, clear audio plus an HDMI ARC (for using TV remote). All these features and the hardware isn’t bad either. It’s a breath of fresh air. The HDMI connections enable 4K pass through. Sony for the win!

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LG SJ8 Soundbar

LG is always ahead of the curve in terms of their presentation in terms of consumer electronics. The SJ8 is a slim and flat shaped soundbar. Simply breathtaking to look at. The subwoofer is decent as well with a dense plastic mesh which shows a peek into the system’s speaker. The small LED indicator on top manages to do a good job without hindering with the design aesthetic.

The audio quality at offer is also pretty well done with a good surround sound and punchy bass. The separation between each frequency (mids, lows and highs) could’ve been better. The i/o – HDMI-in & out, Optical-in and not much else. The i/o could’ve been better. It is feature rich – built-in chromecast, 4k pass through and high res playback.

It supports HDCP 2.2 digital decoding for digital audio inputs, Dolby digital and DTS. Sadly, no support for any other surround sound software (TruHD, DCS, etc). It is a complete feature-rich, well built and aesthetically pleasing package in my opinion.

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JBL Cinema SB200 60-Watt Soundbar

The JBL Cinema SB200 despite its shortcomings does belong on this list. However, not sure if it belongs under your telly. It is relatively small to compete with the giants on this list. With a measly 60W output it manages to still be a David to the Goliaths on this list, it gets extremely loud.

It shows a good balance between all frequencies of sound and the bass is decent despite the lack of an external subwoofer. It uses Direct Dialogue to give you crystal clear dialogues. The i/o – Coaxial and Optical-in. There is Bluetooth but it is better left alone.

The surround sound is…lacking. It is a good companion to listen to audio but not for a great cinema experience. The design won’t be winning it any beauty pageant titles any time soon but its built well.

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Sony HTST5 Premium Soundbar

Back in the day, when you looked at HTST5 for the first time you would’ve been like “What is this?” but after a while when you listened to it you would’ve been like “What is this?”. Yeah, that bad. It is one of those rare cases where Sony fails at something but when they do, they make sure it’s just like them succeeding – it is grand.

The design is not great, for both the woofer and the bar. Now, with the price cut its existence is more justified, however. To consider this one once a $1000 device. It has a powerful 380W output. Supports multiple forms of digital decoding techniques – Dolby digital, DTS master audio, DTHD and supports HDMI Arc as well.

It includes two RCAs and two optical ports for some reason along with 2 HDMI ins and one out. It can Bluetooth pair your device over NFC (touch and connect).

It manages to show a very defined and well-produced sound with very good frequency separation and a deep bass. Now with the price, it is in, it’s a steal as it helps you experience an ultra-premium sound system for under $500 price tag.

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Yamaha YAS-706 MusicCast Wireless Multiroom Soundbar

Yamaha YAS-706 is another point in the company’s basket. Though they are known to produce reputable sound devices, the expectation is something that is hard to keep up with and even harder to outperform. Yamaha knows the secret to it all.

The YAS-706 is a masterclass in soundbars and outperforms almost all its competitors in every way, shape or form conceivable. Enough about the book, now let’s talks about the cover – the aesthetics of this device are stunning, Yamaha opts to go for flatter yet slim and stylish externals for the device, the subwoofer isn’t going to make you take a knee but does its job well by blending into the background quietly.

The remote provided with the system might not be a looker but sure is purposeful and intuitive by giving you enough content to work with. All of it is well built and packaged. The i/o – 2 HDMI ins and 1 out, High potency optical in, lossless coaxial digital in and a stereo RCA input all on the device.

The digital decoding in all ports that support it is brilliant. It supports over 10 different wirelessly streaming software – Spotify, Musiccast, Napster, etc. Has Alexa input support. It leaves a little to be desired when it comes to its surround sound for the price but is the best option for music streaming on this list.

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PowerBass XL-800 Amplified Power Sports Bluetooth Soundbar

PowerBass XL-800 is a tough powerhouse of a soundbar. However, if you’re a cinephile it is not for you. It is for those who explore the great outdoors, with a giant soundbar? (talk about a small niche!) I might not know who this is for but it surely isn’t a weak or lacking soundbar in any dimension.

Firstly, it is marine certified (Ummm, which is great I guess?). It pumps out a thermonuclear equivalent of 300W RMS. The tough externals house equally tough, six 3 inch full range speakers, 2 soft dome tweeters and an LED backlit control panel.

It might not blow you away with the quality of the acoustics but it does have built-in DSP processor for audio decoding. There is Bluetooth for music streaming, a weird looking (albeit sturdy) remote and comes with simple 3.5mm AUX inputs, 3.5mm outputs and 2-volt preamp outputs. As a cherry-on-top, it can run on your car’s batteries as well, if that’s what you’re into.

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ZVOK SoundBase 770 42” Soundbar

ZVOK isn’t really for you if you are buying to keep a neat and tied up look for your living room. The Soundbase 770 is another powerhouse from ZVOK that for starters can support just under 150 pounds of raw weight on its body.

It comes with Dolby Digital decoding built in. For fixing the surround sound this time they opted to go for a PhaseCue-II virtual surround sound solution, it works well for the most part.

The big body of the soundbase houses – 5 full range drivers, 3 subwoofers (built-in) and a 125 Watt amplifier. The i/o – 2 optical in, a coaxial, a mini port jack and 2 stereo RCA ports. Its cabinet is made up of rigid MDF (medium body fiberboard). It also supports software like AccuVoice dialogue for clearer mid-tones. It gets really loud, stays very clear.

The bass is powerful, deep and it is one ugly thing. However, “one does not simply buy a ZVOK product and expect it to be a beaut…”  You should get an expectation check.

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