![]() ![]() It's very small, and very affordable, and so is somewhat basic compared to the others here. Let's be up front – this is not the most detailed and melodic soundbar of all time. But other options here will deliver clearer audio. However, it features HDMI passthrough despite its limited size, so if what you're looking for is a smart and tiny sound option with a subwoofer you can easily hide, it's still a good option. The Atmos effect is barely discernible either. Tonality is skewed somewhat – the subwoofer does its punchy, if rather monotonal, thing, but the soundbar is a little dull at the top of the frequency range and rather boxy-sounding where the dialogue sits. The trouble is, the LG has sacrificed a lot of what you might want a soundbar for in order to package itself so neatly. Unlike the rest of these soundbars, though, it recognises its physical limitations by partnering a wireless subwoofer (which itself isn’t all that big, yet looks pretty chunky next to the soundbar itself). And yet it still packs in five speaker drivers in an effort to deliver a facsimile of Dolby Atmos spatial audio. Even by the standards of these subwoofers, it’s a tiddler – to be clear, the soundbar is the smaller unit in the image above. There’s small, and then there’s the LG QP5 Éclair. But that doesn't mean it isn't ideal for movies too – as we go into in our full Panasonic SC-HTB01 Soundslayer review. It's especially of interest to gamers, because it has specific sound modes for different genres design to make it easier to stay competitive when you need to, or immersed in the vibes. The movie and/or game soundtrack that uses ‘bass’ as a shortcut to ‘excitement’ is hardly a rare beast, after all, which makes the Soundslayer an exciting listen.Īnd, let’s not forget, all that excitement is derived up by the smallest soundbar in this list – and one of the few that has HDMI passthrough, making it a practical choice. Low frequency stuff may not be controlled with absolute precision here, but by heavens there’s plenty of it. The Panasonic may be giving away a little detail and a little outright scale compared to other similarly priced alternatives, but it makes up for that in sheer scale. Despite being the smallest soundbar in this list, easily able to fit beneath even compact gaming monitors as well as the tiniest TVs, the SC-HTB01 fairly belts out soundtracks with something approaching relish. ![]() ‘Soundslayer’ may make it sound like a character in Game of Thrones, but don’t be fooled – this Panasonic is all business. Here's our full Sonos Beam (2nd Gen) review. And it's a superb speaker for music too, and even has Alexa and Google Assistant built in, meaning it operates as a smart speaker too (if you want). ![]() So if your TV is of modest dimensions, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 will make an immodest difference to its sound. It’s simple to set up, to control, and to integrate into a wider Sonos-based surround-sound or multi-room system, or to use with Apple AirPlay 2 streaming. And because it’s a Sonos, of course, it’s an object lesson in ergonomics. The standard of build and finish is impeccable. Its sound is broad, properly balanced, surprisingly punchy and utterly believable, with real width and depth to movie soundtracks (and even the tiniest suggestion of height to Dolby Atmos content). While its promise to create a Dolby Atmos effect isn't as pronounced as you might be hoping and it's a shame it doesn't have HDMI passthrough, in every other department this is the best small soundbar around. ![]() In almost every respect, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a no-brainer. ![]()
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