Best Soundbars Under $500
Top-scoring soundbars you can buy for under $500. Independent benchmarks, no sponsored picks.
Ranked by the weighted Specdex score — 0-100 composite of real-world and synthetic benchmarks.
- #1Sonos
Sonos Beam (Gen 2)
Dolby Atmos · HDMI eARC · Compact
The right-sized Atmos bar for most living rooms — compact, elegant, Sonos-expandable.
- #2
- #3
- #4
- #5
- #6
Head-to-head
The two highest-ranked products compared side-by-side.
Frequently asked
What is the best soundbar right now? +
Sonos Beam (Gen 2) leads our Best Soundbars Under $500 list. The right-sized Atmos bar for most living rooms — compact, elegant, Sonos-expandable.
How does Specdex rank products? +
Specdex does not run benchmarks in-house. Rankings reflect editorial judgement based on manufacturer-published specs and public reviewer consensus. See the methodology page for sources and how the verdicts are formed.
How often is this list updated? +
The ranking is regenerated on every page load from our live D1 database. Scores re-calibrate whenever we add new products or firmware updates change benchmark results.