What are the best soundbars (and entertainment centers – our list) for apartments or smaller rooms?
Yamaha YAS-108Yamaha YAS-109Bose Solo 5Polk Signa S1JBL Bar 3.1 Wohome S19Wohome S9920Wohome S28Wohome S18VIZIO SB3820-C6VIZIO SB2821-D6
There are some amazing soundbars on the market, and rather than a traditional surround sound setup, you will get more bang for your buck in your small space with a soundbar. No matter your budget, your current technology, or your specific preferences, there is a great soundbar that will heighten your entertainment experience.
Yamaha YAS-108
Yamaha is a multinational corporation that was founded in 1887 in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan. It sells a wide range of products, including musical keyboards and instruments, speakers, electric riding vehicles, audio/video products, golf products, automobile components, and more.
Pros
The Yamaha YAS-108 is stylish, thin, and powerful. It includes dual built-in subwoofers that keep a minimalist design while providing top-notch bass, and it has two built-in tweeters. You can enjoy clearer voices in your entertainment from an enhanced vocal frequency range. The YAS-108 comes with DTS Virtual:X for a truly immersive surround sound experience in your small space, and you can easily connect wirelessly through Bluetooth for streaming. Bluetooth streaming is also easily switched between two devices. Connect your desired components with an HDMI in and out (ARC), a subwoofer out, an optical, and an AUX. The YAS-108 can be mounted or sat on top of your furniture.
Cons
There’s not much to complain about for the YAS-108, but it does lack the ability to connect with smart home devices (more on other tricky connections in our tutorial). At a few hundred dollars, it is not the cheapest on the list, but it is very well-made for the price.
Yamaha YAS-109
Pros
The Yamaha YAS-109 is another top-notch choice for small rooms, but it is more of a mid-ranged buy at over $200. It includes dual built-in subwoofers, clear voice technology, DTS Virtual:X integration, and even a controller app for your smartphone. You can connect a subwoofer via the subwoofer out, and it has an HDMI in and out (ARC), in addition to the optical and AUX. Like the 108, the design is slim, but it is a powerful soundbar.
Cons
The Yamaha YAS-108 hits all the marks with tech integrations. However, if you’re a Google Assistant fan, you will be disappointed, because it is not compatible.
Bose Solo 5
If you love audio products, you know Bose. The Bose Corporation primarily sells audio equipment, including headphones, speakers, and wearables. It is headquartered in Framingham, MA and was established in 1964. Check out the article I wrote that’s all about Bose audio products and their uses in home entertainment centers today.
Pros
The Bose Solo 5 is a soundbar that can either come by itself or with a wall mount for an additional price. It is known for its ability to deliver great dialogue enhancements with dialogue mode, so you can hear every word and detail in your content. Enjoy Bluetooth streaming and a universal remote for your TV, bass, Bluetooth, and beyond. It is simple to set up and use, and it is stylish and compact. If you like simplicity and love dialogue clarity features, this soundbar is for you.
Cons
Like the other low-end budget soundbars on this list, there are only a few connections to this soundbar including aux like the Echo Dot (this is our how-to article), so it is also lacking an HDMI connection. It also doesn’t connect to smart home devices, and it isn’t compatible with Dolby Digital or DTS.
Polk Signa S1
Polk Audio focuses solely on manufacturing audio products and is a top brand for home and auto speakers. It manufactures a broad range of other audio products, as well and was founded in Baltimore, MD in 1972.
Pros
The Polk Signa S1 is a great buy from a trusted brand and includes a lot of great features. It comes with its patented Voice Adjust technology and 5.1 Dolby Digital decoding, in addition to a few different modes to enjoy: movie mode, music mode, and night mode. It can be mounted or sat atop of your furniture. It has two 1.25 inch by 4.4-inch mid-range drivers and the 5.25-inch compact subwoofer. It is easy to set up and has a minimalist design — only 2″ tall. Enjoy Bluetooth streaming paired with a powerful sound from the external subwoofer. It is universally compatible with an optical cable. It is tuned for performance and great for producing high-quality sound in small rooms.
Cons
While the Signa S1 is packed with great features, it is lacking HDMI connections and smart home device compatibility.
JBL Bar 3.1
JBL is an audio equipment manufacturer that produces speakers, headphones, home theater systems, and more. They have been in business for over 70 years and provided speaker components for Woodstock, Grateful Dead performances, and its own JBL Fest.
Pros
The JBL Bar 3.1-channel soundbar is a mid-range priced soundbar and at the higher end of this list for small rooms. It comes with a lot of great features, including JBL surround sound, 450W of power, a 10″ wireless subwoofer, Bluetooth streaming, and true 4K connectivity with three HDMI inputs and one HDMI output (ARC). The three HDMI connections allow you to connect three 4K devices for an enhanced entertainment experience. Plus, enjoy clear dialogue, JBL SoundShift technology to easily shift between devices, and compatibility with your TV remote. It can be mounted or sat atop of your furniture.
Cons
Wohome S19
Pros
The Wohome S19 is the lowest priced soundbar on this list, but it is packed with great features. It has four 15W full-range speakers, plus two 10w tweeter drivers, totaling 80W and 100dB of output power. Enjoy a Bluetooth 4.2 wireless connection for streaming, as well as wired connections to AUX, optical, and USB. Its sound technology includes DSP with adjustable bass and treble, plus voice clarity. You can mount it or place it on your entertainment center. It is a good fit for TVs 34″ and above.
Cons
In addition, it does not support Dolby or DTS, so you will have to disable them on your TV. It also isn’t compatible with a universal or TV remote.
Wohome S9920
Pros
The Wohome S9920 comes with four 15W full-range speakers and two 10W tweeters with 105dB of powerful sound to fill your room. Enjoy two bass reflex tubes for rich bass in all of your entertainment. It is equipped with DSP technology for clear, precise sound and three sound modes: movie, news, and music. There are RCA, USB, and optical inputs, and you can connect wirelessly with Bluetooth 4.0. It can be mounted or set atop of your entertainment center (our top 8 list with fireplaces), and it is great for TVs 40″ and bigger.
Cons
Like the S19, the S9920 is truly a great buy with its high-quality speakers, power, and technology. However, it also doesn’t connect with your smart home devices for hands-free controls and is missing an HDMI connection. Like the S19, it doesn’t support Dolby Digital or DTS and isn’t compatible with your universal or TV remote.
Wohome S28
Pros
If you love bass at a low price, you’ll love the Wohome S28. It includes two built-in 3-inch subwoofers for deep bass to help bring out the low tones in all of your entertainment. It also includes two 3-inch full-range speakers and two 1-inch tweeter speakers for 105dB of power for your small room. This 38-inch soundbar is a great fit for TVs 40″ and above, and it also includes DSP technology, four sound modes, and adjustable treble and bass. Stream music through Bluetooth 4.2 and connect to it through digital optical, RCA, AUX, and USB.
Cons
Like the other Wohome soundbars, there’s not much to complain about. However, if you want hands-free controls with smart home devices, this isn’t the soundbar for you. It’s also missing an HDMI connection, doesn’t support Dolby Digital or DTS, and isn’t compatible with other remotes.
Wohome S18
Pros
The Wohome S18’s main selling point from the other Wohome soundbars is its 5.5-inch wired subwoofer, which in itself creates 60W of power. It also includes four 15W built-in speakers and two bass reflex tubes to hone-in on low-frequency sounds, bringing a room-filling sound. With the S18, you get 120W of power and a 95dB output. Whether you love music, movies, or both, you’ll enjoy the sound from the Wohome S18, and it is still extremely cheap compared to the majority of other soundbars, which makes it perfect for a small space. Like the other Wohome soundbars, it comes with Bluetooth streaming and AUX, optical, and USB connections. It is 34 inches long and is able to be mounted if desired. It is best with TVs 42″ and above and is compatible with most TVs on the market.
Cons
This is a great soundbar for the money, but it does have the same few downfalls as other Wohome soundbars: no HDMI connection, no Dolby Digital or DTS compatibility, no smart home compatibility, and no other remote compatibility.
VIZIO SB3820-C6
VIZIO is a designer and manufacturer of high-quality TVs, soundbars, speakers, and the award-winning SmartCast™. It is headquartered in Irvine, CA and is a trusted name in the home entertainment industry.
Pros
The VIZIO SB3820-C6 is a great buy for a small room. It is equipped with 100dB of room-flooding sound and deep bass modules that eliminate the need for an external subwoofer. Connect wirelessly to the SB3820-C6 with Bluetooth and enjoy audio technology like Dolby Digital, DTS Studio Sound™, DTS TruVolume™, and DTS TruSurround™. The SB3820-C6 can either be mounted or placed on your furniture and has less than one percent total harmonic distortion for a top-notch sound at a very low price. It is 38 inches long and is compact and lightweight.
Cons
VIZIO SB2821-D6
Pros
For those who love bass in their small space, the SB2821-D6 is a great, low-priced buy from a top manufacturer. Enjoy a wireless 5.25-inch subwoofer for a top-notch 2.1-channel system. Enjoy Bluetooth streaming, 95dB of sound power, and less than 1% total harmonic distortion. It boasts of a clear, room-filling sound that attempts to mimic a classic surround sound setup. It is equipped with Dolby Digital, DTS TruSurround, and DTS TruVolume. It is 28 inches long and a stylish touch to any room.
Cons
Conclusion
For your small space, you have a wide range of options as far as pricing and features, but with all of these options, the quality is top-notch. The right choice for you will depend on how much you want to spend and your must-have features. Whatever choice you make, you will love the room-filling sound that you will get from these top soundbar options.
