The best affordable soundbar is back down to its lowest price
Give Dad the gift of hearing what's actually on TV for Father's Day.
Credit:
Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar
Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.
Not to target all the dads out there, but I feel like mine is always turning the volume all the way up on the TV just so he can hear the latest game or the watch most recent episode of South Park on demand at what is ear-splitting volume for the rest of the family.
Now, now. It’s not entirely his aging ears' fault. Most TVs—even the nicest ones—don’t have the best built-in speakers, which causes poor sound projection and makes it harder to actually hear what's happening on the screen. In order for your dad to actually hear what he’s watching, he’s going to want to get a soundbar. They're much easier to install than a surround sound system, and they're generally more affordable too, especially when they go on sale.
The sale details
The Polk Audio Signa S2, for instance, is the best soundbar under $200 that we've ever tested. Right now, it’s even more affordable with a $50 discount on Amazon that knocks the price down to just $149. This is also the same price it was on Black Friday, making it a great time to get your dad a Father’s Day gift he actually needs and will love using.
Why is this soundbar one of our favorites?
We loved this model in particular because, for less than $200, you can get a reasonable soundbar/external subwoofer combo that looks good while still sounding incredible. It also has Bluetooth, different modes for movies, music, or night audio, and three different "Clear Voice" settings to make watching TV shows and movies more enjoyable. Basically, it will make things audible whether your hearing isn't as sharp as it used to be or you have noisy kids runnings around or you live on a busy street.
Is it for more than watching TV?
Yes! When it comes to listening to music (smooth jazz anyone?), our tests also revealed that the Polk soundbar had a great bass that was clear and distortion-free. Even better, when we cranked up the volume, there wasn’t any distortion or imbalanced frequencies—unlike many of the other entry-level soundbars we tested.
Basically, using a soundbar will make whatever you're watching a more immerse and better experience. While there are more expensive soundbars out there that may offer more of a "surround sound experience," we still think the Polk soundbar is the best option for most people, especially with this incredible discount.