Best Soundbar for PS4, Xbox One and PC Gaming

Nowadays, the speakers of screens and monitors that we use for the game are of mediocre quality, which reduces the feeling of immersion in a video game.

Despite the fact that small speakers are connected to our PC or TV, as we do not have several channels and poor quality, the sound is usually not very exciting.

The solution to this problem is to buy a soundbar for a PC and a computer and use it as an audio system instead of the one we connected.

Each soundbar is different from the others, if one of them is the best Bluetooth soundbar, then the other is the best wireless soundbar, but they have one thing in common: they are all the best soundbar for gaming. And for you not to waste time surfing the Internet for such models, we’ve prepared this guide.

In making this choice, we took into account four factors: value for money, design, sound quality, panel connections, and compatibility with multi-channel audio formats. I hope you find this helpful.

How to connect soundbar

Here are the options you may connect your device to:

• To PC

You can simply connect the soundbar to your PC using a standard 3.5 mm jack. Connect the devices together using a cable and connect the 3.5 mm jack to the 3.5 mm jack on the PC. Your soundbar is now ready for use as an external speaker.

You can connect your soundbar wirelessly. To do this, connect the power cable to the soundbar outlet and press the power button to turn it on. Now you can activate Bluetooth on your computer by typing Bluetooth in the computer’s search bar. Follow the instructions to turn on Bluetooth by opening the Bluetooth menu. Scan any nearby Bluetooth devices. After the soundbar is found by the PC, you click “Connect.” You can use the soundbar as the external speaker of your computer after establishing a Bluetooth connection.

• To PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

You cannot connect the Bluetooth speaker to the PS4 wirelessly, but you can do it in other ways.

Most Bluetooth speakers have an additional output that can be connected to the PS4 using a 3.5 mm audio cable. To connect the speaker to the PS4, connect it to the 3.5 mm input of the DualShock controller, and make sure that the settings are configured to play sound from the controller. You can also connect the speaker to the TV, and it will automatically play sound through the HDMI connection on the PS4.

Best soundbar for gamers reviews

Here is the list of choices for you to choose your gaming soundbar. Note: all models in the ranking have Bluetooth support.

Sonos Beam - best compact

A year after the release of the Playbase soundbar, the renowned acoustic manufacturer Sonos introduced the world its new creation - the Sonos Beam soundbar. The novelty allows you to control the TV with the help of a smart assistant Alexa, provides rich cinematic sound, can broadcast music from almost any source, and is the best compact soundbar for pc gaming.

Sonos Beam has an elegant, modern, and stylish design that blends in well with most TVs and decors. The build quality is not bad. It is hard plastic with fabric on the sides. Materials do not feel cheap. Behind the smooth fabric, the grille is one tweeter, four full-range woofers, and three passive bass drivers, each of which was developed by Sonos specifically for Beam. On the top of the case, there are touch controls similar to the Sonos One and an array of microphones for voice commands. All ports, as expected, are neatly hidden behind.

There are 3.0 built-in channels. On the back of the Sonos Beam is an HDMI port with ARC support, which had not previously been installed on other products of the company. Using this port, you can control some functions of the TV, including the volume using voice commands.

For these and other functions, the TV must support HDMI ARC technology and have an ARC-compatible HDMI port. For older TVs, there is an optical adapter in the kit; however, with this connection, the voice control of the TV will not work.

Compared to the PlayBar and PlayBase, Sonos Beam creates a richer sound. While watching movies, the voices of the heroes distinctly sounded from the LG E8 OLED TV, even though soundtracks were played, and countless sounds of nature were heard.

Despite the external simplicity, everything is very complicated inside - this is the signature feature of Sonos. For example, five microphones are installed in the case, which are responsible for interacting with voice assistants and for the operation of the DSP system, but the noise reduction system directly affects the sound quality.

There are four mid- and low-frequency drivers, one tweeter, each with class D amplifiers. Three bass reflexes here also managed to be hidden. The photo below shows how it all looks inside.

Yamaha YAS-207 - best with subwoofer

Yamaha announced that the YAS-207 soundbar with subwoofer supports the latest surround sound format DTS Virtual:X. The mentioned format is designed to provide a more realistic sound with an imitation of ceiling speakers without actually using them.

Unlike soundbars that support the similar Dolby Atmos format and have upward-facing speakers for this purpose, the YAS-207 has a traditional layout. On the front panel, there are four woofers with a diameter of 1.75 inches and a couple of inch tweeters. An exciting sound effect based on DTS:X soundtracks is achieved through a sophisticated signal processing algorithm.

DTS Virtual:X provides “visualization” of sound in several dimensions and supports any input source from two-channel stereo to 11.1 (configuration 7.1.4). The new processing technology allows you to support one or more functions at the same time: virtual overhead speakers, virtual surround sound, and bass boost. Of course, the soundbar is also capable of handling simpler surround formats.

The YAS-207 has digital optical and analog inputs in addition to the HDMI input with support for 4K 60 Hz and HDR. The HDMI output has an ARC return channel for receiving stereo or multi-channel audio signals without the need for additional cables. In addition, the YAS-207 supports wireless playback of files via Bluetooth, and system control is available not only using the included remote control but also through applications for iOS and Android devices.

The acoustic arsenal is noticeably wider than that of budget soundbars. In the central unit, there are four 45mm mid-frequency heads and a pair of 25mm tweeters, on which 100 watts of power are distributed. The subwoofer is equipped with a similar amplifier, supplying one low-frequency speaker with a diffuser with a diameter of 16 cm. There is also a wider range of audio tracks that the device is able to convert while maintaining localization. In addition to the standard Dolby Digital, natively supported DTS. As a result, it is difficult to draw parallels in sound with those stereophonic inherently monoblocks, which are usually soundbars of the initial and intermediate levels.

Yamaha YAS-108 - best budget

In the YAS-108, Yamaha decided to move from rectangular shapes to smooth lines. The edges of the soundbar got a neat rounding. Most of the outer surface is covered with an acoustically transparent cloth. To prepare the review, a black model came, but the company managed to release limited versions in red and dark green. Black is extremely versatile and goes well with any technique and color schemes in the room. The dimensions of the device are very compact: length - 89 cm, height - 1.31 cm, and thickness - only 5.3 cm.

The flat surface of the front side in the middle is complemented by a glossy panel with indicators and touch buttons. Due to this, the most popular functions for adjusting the volume and switching the sound source can be used without a remote control.

The best budget soundbar Yamaha YAS-108 provides one type of wireless connection for sound sources and three types of wired. By air, work is carried out using Bluetooth technology version 5.0 EDR with an A2DP profile and SBC codec. The declared range is standard - 10 m in direct line of sight. In practice, approximately this is the case in the absence of obstacles. Connectors for wired connections are concentrated on the back of the device. Next to them, white paint is marked accordingly.

The YAS-108 soundbar, or as it is classified by Yamaha - a digital sound projector, is a three-way bass-reflex system with independent treble/midrange amplification (two 30 W each) and low-frequency parts (60 W).

The soundbar is assembled very high qualitatively. In addition to sixteen screws fastening the halves of the case, some points inside are additionally fixed with a black viscous sealant. In addition, all places of contact of plastic are glued with a vibration-insulating material, and the wires are wrapped with foam rubber to exclude spurious sounds of vibrations. The power supply, amplifier board, and main control board are separated, and the first two are also shielded.

Samsung HW-Q90R - for surround sound

Samsung's HW-Q90R soundbar is the flagship model of 2019 among similar devices with an additional subwoofer. The uniqueness of the best computer soundbar for surround sound is that the specification contains Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

Despite its size, the HW-Q90 manages to remain modest in appearance. You will need a lot of space to place it under the TV, but if this is a problem, there is also the possibility of wall mounting.

There is a simple LED display that lights up when the soundbar receives a command, providing basic information. In the upper central part of the soundbar, there are several controls for turning on and off, selecting inputs and adjusting the volume.

However, what sets it apart from other “bars” that you saw earlier is the ability to deliver these object audio formats using a genuine 7.1.4-channel setting, rather than resorting to acoustic radiation or psychoacoustics.

To achieve this, there are 12 speakers (including a subwoofer) using a total of 17 drivers. The front three channels use three drivers - two subwoofers and a broadband tweeter, and all other channels are based on one driver.

The speakers are divided into 12 channels: front left and right, center, two sides, two rear parts, two front heights, a pair of rear heights, and a subwoofer. All these speakers are equipped with a built-in amplifier with a power of 512 W, and the claimed frequency response of the system is from 34 Hz ​​to 17 kHz.

One criticism of the HW-Q90 is that, despite the complexity of its object-oriented decoding and multi-channel delivery, the actual setup is pretty simple. Although this simplifies installation, it means that getting the best out of the system can be a little difficult.

As for the connections, there are two HDMI inputs and an output, each of which supports 4K / 60p, 4: 4: 4, Rec.2020, wide dynamic range (HDR10, HLG, HDR10 and Dolby Vision), 3D and HDCP 2.2. This should ensure that Samsung can handle anything.