Soundbar Guide: How to Choose the Right One for Your Living Room
Even if you turn your TV volume all the way up, dialogue can still sound distant, bass may be almost nonexistent, and any noise from the street can overpower the movie. The problem is not necessarily your TV. No built-in speaker, no matter how expensive the screen, has enough physical space to produce truly powerful sound.
A soundbar solves that problem without forcing you to fill your living room with cables or speakers placed in every corner. In this guide, we explain exactly what a soundbar is, which criteria matter when choosing one, and how the AMBEO range addresses each of them.
Your TV speakers are no longer enough
Modern TVs are getting thinner and thinner, and that slim design has a direct impact on sound: less space for speakers, less surface area to move air, and therefore less bass and less vocal clarity. It is a physical consequence of the design, not a specific flaw in your TV model.
A soundbar solves this problem with minimal installation. There is no need to drill holes in the walls or run cables across the ceiling: most models connect with a single HDMI cable and are ready to use within minutes.
What is a soundbar, and how does it work?
A soundbar is a compact horizontal device that combines several speakers in a single unit: tweeters for high frequencies, midrange drivers for voices, and, in many cases, one or more woofers for bass.
The difference compared with a traditional home theater system — such as 5.1 or 7.1, with separate speakers positioned around the room — comes down to the number of physical components. A traditional system creates surround sound by placing a physical speaker in each position. A modern soundbar aims to achieve a similar result through signal processing: it creates virtual speakers that project sound toward the walls and ceiling to simulate those positions, without requiring additional speakers to be installed.
5 criteria for choosing your soundbar
The size of your living room
A soundbar designed for a large room may look oversized in a small apartment, while a compact model may struggle to fill a spacious living room. Before looking at specifications, measure the space: the distance between the soundbar and the sofa affects how much actual output you need.
Placement matters just as much as size. Position the soundbar centered in front of the TV with no objects blocking the sound output. If the model includes a subwoofer, placing it near a wall often reinforces bass without requiring you to raise the volume.
Supported audio formats
Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and MPEG-H are among the formats you will see most often in technical specifications. Each one encodes audio with a sense of height and direction: sounds can be positioned above you, behind you, or to the sides rather than being limited to two front speakers. The real difference becomes noticeable when the content you are watching is also mixed in that format, something that is becoming increasingly common across streaming catalogs.
Connectivity: HDMI eARC, optical, or Bluetooth
HDMI eARC is the option that provides the highest audio quality and also lets you control the soundbar volume using the same remote as your TV. Optical is a reliable alternative for older televisions, although it does not support Dolby Atmos. Bluetooth is mainly useful for playing music from your phone when the TV is turned off.
With or without a subwoofer?
A separate subwoofer can make a major difference in larger rooms or if you enjoy action movies and sports, where bass contributes that physical sense of impact. If your living room is small or you mostly watch series and dialogue-heavy content, a soundbar with integrated woofers may be enough and avoids adding another component to the room.
Ecosystem and updates
A soundbar that receives firmware updates can continue improving after you buy it: new sound presets, compatibility with additional voice assistants, and performance enhancements. Before choosing a model, check whether the manufacturer provides a control app and whether that app continues to receive active support.
What do the numbers mean: 2.1, 5.1, 7.1.4?
When comparing technical specifications, you will come across configurations such as 2.1, 5.1, or 7.1.4. The first number indicates the number of directional audio channels, such as left, right, center, and surrounds. The second number, usually 1, represents the dedicated bass channel, meaning the subwoofer. The third number, when present, indicates additional upward-firing or height channels designed specifically for formats such as Dolby Atmos.
A 7.1.4 soundbar therefore recreates seven directional channels, one bass channel, and four height channels, all from a single device through speaker virtualization.
What is Dolby Atmos, and why should you care?
Dolby Atmos adds a dimension that traditional surround-sound formats do not have: height. Instead of limiting audio to fixed left and right channels, it treats each sound as an independent object that can move throughout the space, including above your head.
Not every soundbar supports it, and soundbar compatibility alone is not enough: the content you are playing must also be mixed in Atmos. Most major streaming services already include Atmos content in part of their catalogs, making compatibility increasingly worthwhile over time.
If you want to understand exactly how it works and what you need to enable it, we explain everything in our guide to what Dolby Atmos is.
The AMBEO family: our answer to these criteria
We designed the AMBEO range to meet these criteria without forcing you to choose between power and ease of installation. There is no single “best” model in absolute terms: each one is designed for a different type of room.
The AMBEO Soundbar Plus is designed for medium and large rooms. With nine speakers and two integrated 4-inch subwoofers, it recreates a virtual 7.1.4-channel configuration without requiring additional components and supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, MPEG-H, and 360 Reality Audio.
The AMBEO Soundbar Mini offers the same virtualization technology in a considerably more compact format, designed for apartments and medium-sized rooms where a larger soundbar could feel disproportionate.
If you already own one of the two and want deeper bass, the AMBEO Sub connects wirelessly and includes its own auto-calibration system, without extra cables running across the room.
The entire ecosystem is controlled through AMBEO OS and the Smart Control app, which receives regular feature updates and new sound presets.
If your priority this year is experiencing every match with stadium-like sound in your own living room, we created a specific guide to help you find the right AMBEO model based on your space.
What to expect at each price range
| Criterion | Entry-level | Mid-range | Premium (AMBEO) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Channels | 2.0 or 2.1 | 3.1 or 5.1 | 7.1.4 virtualization |
| Supported formats | Stereo, sometimes Dolby Digital | Dolby Digital, some with basic Atmos | Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, MPEG-H, 360 Reality Audio |
| Connectivity | Optical, Bluetooth | HDMI ARC, Bluetooth | HDMI eARC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, integrated streaming |
| Subwoofer | Rarely included | Integrated or optional wireless | Integrated, with the option to add an external subwoofer |
| Auto-calibration | Not available | Occasional, basic | Automatic with dedicated microphones |
| Control app | Limited or unavailable | Basic functions | EQ, presets, and ongoing updates |
Frequently asked questions
What is better, a soundbar or a home theater system?
It depends on your space and how much wiring you are willing to deal with. A traditional home theater system with separate speakers provides physical surround sound and can perform better in very large rooms, but it requires installation and multiple power outlets. A modern soundbar with virtualization technology can get surprisingly close to that experience without requiring anything to be installed beyond the TV cabinet.
Do I need a subwoofer with my soundbar?
If your living room is small and you mostly listen to spoken content, probably not. If you care about physical impact in action scenes, bass-heavy music, or football matches, a separate subwoofer makes a noticeable difference that integrated soundbar speakers cannot fully match.
How do I connect a soundbar to my TV?
The simplest method is to use an HDMI cable from the TV's eARC port to the corresponding port on the soundbar. With that connection, you can also control the soundbar volume using your TV remote. If your television does not support eARC, optical is the next-best option. Bluetooth is better used as an alternative for playing audio from other devices rather than as the main connection to the TV.
Which audio format is better: Dolby Atmos or DTS:X?
Neither is universally better; both solve the same problem using different approaches. Dolby Atmos benefits from a more specific speaker configuration to perform at its best and is currently more widespread across streaming services. DTS:X adapts more flexibly to different speaker configurations. In practice, what matters most is that your soundbar supports at least one of them and that the content you watch is available in that format.
Choose the soundbar that best fits your living room
A well-chosen soundbar determines the quality of the sound you will hear with every movie, every match, and every series over the next several years.
If you already know what you need, explore the AMBEO soundbars and find the model that best fits your living room and your budget.
Still unsure which model to choose? Contact our customer service team and we will help you decide.
