Soundbars for Australian Homes
A soundbar is the single most impactful upgrade you can make to your television audio. Modern flat-panel TVs are thin by design, leaving very little space for quality speakers, and the built-in audio on even premium televisions is typically thin, quiet, and lacking in bass. A soundbar corrects all of this immediately and noticeably. Browse our range at Everyday Home Living with fast delivery across Australia.
Why Every TV Should Have a Soundbar
The gap between the picture quality of a modern 4K television and its built-in audio is significant. A mid-range soundbar costs a fraction of the television and delivers a transformation in the listening experience for movies, sport, music, and television programmes. Dialogue becomes clearer, music has genuine presence, and the overall experience of watching television shifts from something you tolerate to something you enjoy. For Australian households where the TV is the centrepiece of the living room, a soundbar is a genuinely worthwhile addition.
Types of Soundbars
Stereo Soundbars
A standard stereo soundbar replaces the TV's built-in speakers with a wider, higher-quality speaker array that produces better stereo separation, clearer dialogue, and more presence than the TV's own audio. They are compact, easy to set up via a single HDMI ARC or optical cable, and suit smaller rooms and casual everyday viewing.
2.1 Soundbars with Subwoofer
A 2.1 soundbar includes a separate wireless subwoofer that adds genuine bass to the audio. This makes a substantial difference for movies with action sequences, music playback, and sport where crowd noise and impact sounds are part of the experience. For most Australian living rooms, a 2.1 soundbar with a good subwoofer is the optimal balance of performance and simplicity.
Dolby Atmos Soundbars
Dolby Atmos soundbars process object-based audio to create a three-dimensional sound experience, with sounds placed and moved around you including overhead effects. They are the best choice for dedicated home theatre setups and households that watch a lot of Dolby Atmos content from streaming services and 4K Blu-ray. Models with upward-firing speakers genuinely reflect sound off the ceiling for height channel effects. For the most immersive audio experience short of a full surround speaker system, a Dolby Atmos soundbar is the right choice.
Key Features to Look For
HDMI ARC and eARC
HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) allows the TV to send audio to the soundbar via a single HDMI cable, which also carries the remote control signal so your TV remote can control the soundbar volume. eARC (enhanced ARC) supports higher quality uncompressed audio including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Look for eARC support if you have a Dolby Atmos soundbar and want to pass full-quality audio from your TV's built-in streaming apps.
Wireless Subwoofer
A wireless subwoofer connects to the soundbar without a cable running across the floor, which is a practical advantage in Australian living rooms where cable management can be challenging. Most modern soundbar subwoofer pairs connect reliably at typical living room distances.
Bluetooth and Streaming
Bluetooth connectivity allows you to stream music from your phone or tablet directly to the soundbar. Some models include Wi-Fi and support multi-room audio systems, which suits households that want music throughout the home from a single platform.
Related Collections
Browse our full TV and Home Theatre range, including TVs and home theatre systems.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a soundbar worth buying with a new TV?
Yes, almost always. The built-in audio on flat-panel TVs is a known weakness regardless of price point. Even a mid-range soundbar delivers an immediately noticeable improvement in dialogue clarity, music presence, and overall listening enjoyment. For households that watch a lot of movies or sport, the difference is substantial. Pairing a new TV with at least a basic soundbar is a worthwhile investment that significantly improves the overall viewing experience.
What is Dolby Atmos and do I need it?
Dolby Atmos is an audio format that places individual sounds in three-dimensional space, including height, creating a more immersive listening experience for movies and some music. If you watch a lot of Dolby Atmos content from Netflix, Disney+, or Apple TV+ and have a dedicated viewing environment, a Dolby Atmos soundbar delivers a genuinely different audio experience compared to standard stereo. For casual everyday TV viewing, a well-specified 2.1 soundbar delivers excellent results without the additional complexity and cost of Atmos.
