We did the research comparing dozens of models and determined the best soundbar under 100 dollars is the VIZIO SB3820-C6. This was our Editor's Choice due to the high build quality, multitude of connection options and stellar performance for the price.
As for the runner-up under $100, the lesser-known MEGACRA S9620 is a decent buy. This soundbar offers more integrated speakers than the VIZIO above. However, it lacks DTS and Dolby Audio support. Being from a lesser-known brand it may fall short in long-term reliability and warranty claims.
If you need the best 2.1 channel soundbar under 100 dollars, the AmazonBasics 2.1 is the only available option. By integrating a dedicated subwoofer in the design, this soundbar allows you to achieve better bass reproduction. It falls short when comparing build quality and features.
Our best cheap soundbar is VIZIO's SB2920-C6, the sibling to our Editor's Choice and similar in quality. The significant difference is a shorter length (resulting in lower loudness) and the lack of DTS/Dolby Audio support.
Editor's Choice
VIZIO SB3820-C6
A high-quality and solid performing 2.0 soundbar from a trusted industry brand.
For the past five years, VIZIO has been one of the top manufacturer's for consumer soundbars and digital surround sound systems. Their SB3820-C6 packs just the right amount of features and high craftsmanship while remaining within a $100 budget.
Runner-Up
MEGACRA S9620
An off-brand soundbar that packs solid specs without breaking the bank.
The MEGACRA is a lesser-known audio brand that offers a soundbar with six integrated speakers for enhanced performance although the lack of support for DTS and Dolby make it less desirable than VIZIO's soundbars.
Recommended For 2.1 Channel Audio
AmazonBasics 2.1
An Amazon-branded soundbar offering 2.1 channel functionality for a reasonable price.
AmazonBasics is the company's generic in-house brand that often utilizes similar technology and manufacturing as some of the more high-end brands at a more affordable cost. This model is the only soundbar under 100 dollars that includes support for 2.1 channel audio.
Most Affordable Option
VIZIO SB2920-C6
A smaller, budget version of our Editor's Choice soundbar pick with less features & performance.
Falling well under the 100 dollar budget, VIZIO's SB2920-C6 is a smaller soundbar than our Editor's Choice thus taking up less room on your wall or TV stand. The features are still impressive, but the lack of Dolby support isn't ideal for consumers who want to be able to utilize this advanced technology.
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You may have stumbled upon this guide coming from Google in your search for the best sound bar under 100. This buyer's guide will help point you in the right direction. We will cover several recommended soundbars offering different sizes and budgets.
For those of you who have a lingering questions and isn't answered in this article, feel free to leave us a comment below this guide. Someone from our team will do our best to aid or address your concerns as soon as possible.
Why Invest In A Soundbar?
For some, this may be your first time purchasing a soundbar for your television. There are many benefits to owning a soundbar, and we will cover a few of the best reasons below:
1) Soundbars Improve Audio Quality & Offer The Best Content Immersion
By adding a sound bar, you'll often experience crisper audio that can improve your visual experience. This will help to enjoy TV shows, movies or video games better as you'll become more immersed in the content.
Television manufacturers often design their newest models to offer a thinner, sleek profile. This doesn't leave the ample room needed for high-quality speakers to be integrated within these slim TVs.
What this results in is more appealing TVs that suffer from poor sound quality. For many consumers, they would rather settle for a thicker TV than sacrifice audio capabilities yet a sound bar can solve this dilemma.
2) Added Visual Appeal & Essence Of A True Home Theater System
A soundbar isn't a necessity to everyone. Adding one to your TV can make your home theater look much more complete and impress any guests or family.
Most soundbars (including the best models recommended in this guide) can either be mounted to your wall or placed on a TV stand. This allows you to reap the benefits of a soundbar without taking away from the elegance of the room.
3) Useful For Listening To eBooks, Music or Podcasts Via Bluetooth
Many choose to listen to their favorite audio content via a Bluetooth speaker. Purchasing a soundbar can achieve this without needing to invest in a dedicate Bluetooth speaker.
All of the soundbars recommended within this guide offer support for Bluetooth. This allows you to wirelessly connect via a compatible mobile device. From there you can play your favorite music, eBook or podcast through the soundbar.
This results in better sound quality and loudness when compared to a native speaker found in your mobile device.
Best Soundbars Under $100 In 2019
VIZIO SB3820-C6 Soundbar
Pros
- Sleek design with silver accents
- Deep bass modules offer great bass without an external subwoofer
- Support for Dolby Digital, FTS StudioSound, DTS TruVolume and DTS TruSurround
Cons
- Does not offer a built-in Chromecast (like the VIZIO's higher-end models)
- Not a true 2.1 channel soundbar despite bass modules
VIZIO came onto the scene about 15 years ago. Their products have become a success due to their high quality, competitive features and affordable price.
Their SB3820-C6 is the company's best soundbar under 100 and our Editor's Choice. Measuring in at 38-inches, this model ties for the longest design on this list. The added length allows for larger more powerful speakers to be used within. A downfall is that it'll need more tabletop or wall space for mounting.
This soundbar utilizes a two-speaker design that is capable of producing up to 100dB of sound with less than 1% of total harmonic distortion. There is no dedicated subwoofer. Instead it offers deep bass modules which help provide strong bass performance.
If you want a dedicated subwoofer, this model does support the use of an external sub as long as it falls within the compatible connections. This is a nice option for an add-on purchase down the road for those who want to further improve their listening experience.
VIZIO packed the SB3820-C6 to be compatible with Dolby Digital, DTS StudioSound, DTS TruVolume and DTS TruSurround. This makes this model the most widely supported of all the surround sound formats available in soundbars under $100.
The sleek silver and black appeal is part of the high build quality that VIZIO is known for. Each unit comes with a dedicated remote (you may be able to program your existing remove in some cases such as with DISH). There are integrated buttons for power, input source, Bluetooth connectivity and volume levels found on the top center of the unit.
MEGACRA S9620 Soundbar
Pros
- Highly competitive specs
- Six speaker array offers dedicated
- 18-month manufacturers warranty
Cons
- Lesser-known, foreign brand that may not have reliable support
MEGACRA is a foreign brand that isn't all that well-known, but that doesn't mean that their soundbar isn't one to consider. Coming in under 100 dollars, the S2620 looks rather impressive on paper. It touts six high-quality speakers versus the two used in most of the soundbars within this guide.
Remember, more speakers does not necessarily mean that the quality is better. In this case, it does allow them to segregate individual speakers to specific frequencies to better suit a broader spectrum of sound. Loudness matches the VIZIO above with 100dB of sound output with the same 1% total harmonic distortion.
This soundbar doesn't offer an integrated subwoofer yet it does harness two reflex tubes to improve bass performance. Unfortunately, this soundbar doesn't provide any sort of support for an external subwoofer. Keep that in mind if were thinking of taking advantage of this at a later point.
As expected, this soundbar supports Bluetooth 4.0 for wireless audio playback from compatible devices up to 33 away. There are bass and treble buttons that allow you to increase or decrease these levels based on your own specific taste.
MEGACRA offers an 18-month warranty on their S9620 soundbar. Like any product from a lesser-known, foreign brand, you do run a risk of issues with support or warranty claims should anything go wrong.
AmazonBasics 2.1 Soundbar
Pros
- Actually offers 2.1 channel audio
- 3 built-in sound modes
Cons
- Cheap build quality
- No support for DTS or Dolby audio formats
AmazonBasics is the e-commerce giant's native brand. This allows them to sell similar products to their brand name competitors at a lower price. In this case, this is the best soundbar under $100 that offers 2.1 channel surround sound.
This means that beyond the two speakers with separate channels, this soundbar offers a dedicated subwoofer. The benefit of this is improved bass performance over the reflex tubes found in the other soundbars listed in this guide.
However, there are some downsides to this sound bar. First off, it doesn't support any DTS or Dolby formats which may not be an issue for some. To others, it may be considered a dealbreaker.
The Amazon reviews are very mixed for this model with an overall rating of 3.5/5 stars over 1,600 reviews. This makes us believe that due to the low cost, the quality control is not the best.
This means that it could be a gamble whether you get a perfect, fully-working unit or a dud. You won't find another 2.1 channel soundbar under 100 dollars so you must be willing to take the risk of getting a defective unit.
VIZIO SB3220N-F6 Soundbar
Pros
- Supports DTS Virtual: X
- Compact design
- Newest sound bar under $100 from VIZIO
Cons
- Loudness drops to 97dB due to smaller size
Our second VIZIO soundbar model on this list with a lower price and weaker than our best choice. The main difference with the SB3220N-F6 is the drop from 38 to 32 inches. This makes it more manageable for smaller TV, walls or entertainment stands.
This is the newest 2.0 soundbar priced below $100 from VIZIO as it is their 2018 model. While the difference in size is present, the resulting loudness isn't affected by all that much. Their testing shows a drop from 100dB to 97dB while maintaining less than 1% total harmonic distortion.
The internal design offers two speaker drivers and no dedicated subwoofer. You are can connect an after-market subwoofer to this soundbar as long as it supports the same connections types.
The SB3220N-F6 supports Dolby Audio as well as DTS TruSurround and DTS TruVolume. Unlike competing $100 soundbars, it offers support for one of the newest and best formats, DTS Virtual: X, which was released in the past year.
LG SK1 Soundbar
Pros
- Compact form-factor
- Offers Dolby Digital decoder support
Cons
- Can be hard to find in-stock
The only soundbar that made this list from LG is the SK1 which retails for under 100 dollars. Smaller than most of the competing soundbars in this guide, this SK1 measured in at only 28 inches. This makes it ideal for compact spaces.
Performance wise, the LG SK1 has 40W of total output power and offers a 2.0 channel design. There is support for Bluetooth, but no compatibility with Dolby Atomos, Hi-Res audio or DTS formats.
The SK1 is a sleek and elegant sound bar. With the matte black finish and short length, it looks excellent alongside TV with a display of 32″ or larger.
VIZIO SB2920-C6 Soundbar
Pros
- Compact form-factor
- Offers DTS Studio Sound, DTS Tru Volume and DTS TruSurround
Cons
- No Dolby audio support
- Smaller design results in drop in loudness
Our best budget choice for someone looking to save as much money as possible while still getting a decent soundbar. The SB2920-C6 from VIZIO is their lowest-end 2.0 model that is also the smallest measuring in at 29″ in length.
Due to the compact size, it does have a lesser volume output than its older siblings offering 95dB with less than 1% of total harmonic distortion. This sound bar offers Bluetooth support for wireless listening with compatible devices.
Internally, you have two integrated speaker drivers, there is no dedicated subwoofer. There is a subwoofer out port thus allowing you to connect a compatible sub for increased bass performance.
From a cosmetic standpoint, this looks like the other VIZIO models on this list in a smaller package. It offers same integrated center buttons, logo-branded silver end caps and front left LED indicators.
Support for surround-sound formats includes DTS StudioSound, DTS TrueVolume, and DTS TruSurround. There is no Dolby support on this budget model.
AmazonBasics 2.0 Soundbar
Pros
- Affordable price-point
- Comes with a three preset sound settings
Cons
- Cheap build quality
- Only 90 dB of sound output
- No support for DTS or Dolby formats
Our second model from Amazon's in-house brand, this soundbar is cheaper than the 2.1 model. This is because it drops the dedicated subwoofer and remains a 2.0 channel system. Measuring in at 31 inches, it is only a half an inch shorter than its more expensive sibling.
The 2.0 version is less sleek than the 2.1 model with a more square design that is thicker in depth. This model includes a dedicated remote as well as integrated buttons on the top center of the soundbar and integrated Bluetooth.
The AmazonBasics 2.0 channel soundbar does not have a dedicated subwoofer, and it lacks any support for connecting an aftermarket sub. The two internal speakers offer up to 90dB of loudness which is not the best but plenty for most consumers. Unfortunately, there is no support for DTS or Dolby formats.
Final Verdict
Our team researched and evaluated dozens of different soundbars. We ultimately determined that the best soundbar under 100 dollars is VIZIO's SB3820-C6.
We've come to the end of this guide and have shared our knowledge and recommendations soundbar market under $100. We hope that you have found this article to be helpful and learned some valuable knowledge to help you decide on the right sound bar.
Some of you may have read this guide and still find yourself confused or unsure of which sound bar is best for your needs. Leave a comment below to get in touch and we will offer advice or a more detailed soundbar recommendation based for you.
Top Choice Under $100
