Do I need a soundbar?
Yes for a living-room TV: LG's 2026 sets ship with 20 W speakers, and a 300 W soundbar with a subwoofer costs £129.99. Who needs one, by room, and what to buy.
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A living-room TV needs a soundbar; a small bedroom TV usually does not. LG's UK spec sheets list 20 W of 2.0-channel sound on its 2026 mid-range sets, while the LG US40T adds 300 W and a subwoofer for £129.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026).
Thin TVs have little room for drivers, and LG's own sheets show the 50QNED70B6C and 55NU800B6LA firing their speakers downwards. The TV picks are in Best TV UK 2026, and the rest of the shopping list is in What do I need for a new TV?.
| Room or use | Need a soundbar? | Pick | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedroom, 32 to 43-inch TV, news and series | Optional | Sonos Ray | £160.00 |
| Living room, 50 to 65-inch TV | Yes | Sony HT-S400 | £199.99 |
| Films and sport | Yes, with a subwoofer or Dolby Atmos | Sonos Beam (Gen 2) | £350.00 |
| Dialogue hard to follow | Yes, with a speech mode | Sonos Ray | £160.00 |
| Budget under £150 | Yes, a 2.1 bar with a subwoofer | LG US40T | £129.99 |
How do TV speakers compare with a soundbar?
A 2.1 soundbar rates at 15 to 16.5 times the output of a 20 W TV. LG lists 20 W on the LG 55NU800B6LA, LG 50QNED70B6C and OLED B6, and 40 W across 2.2 channels on the 65-inch OLED evo C6. LG publishes speaker output for every one of these UK models, which makes it a clean baseline.
| Product | Type | Rated output | Channels or drivers | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG 55NU800B6LA | 55-inch Nano UHD TV | 20 W | 2.0, down-firing | £349.00 |
| LG 50QNED70B6C | 50-inch QNED Mini LED TV | 20 W | 2.0, down-firing | £379.00 |
| LG OLED55B65LA (OLED B6) | 55-inch OLED TV | 20 W | 2.0 | £1,199.00 |
| LG OLED65C65LA (OLED evo C6) | 65-inch OLED TV | 40 W | 2.2 | £1,899.99 |
| LG US40T | 2.1 soundbar | 300 W (15x a 20 W TV) | 2.1, three speakers plus subwoofer | £129.99 |
| Sony HT-S400 | 2.1 soundbar | 330 W (16.5x a 20 W TV) | 2.1, wireless subwoofer | £199.99 |
| Sonos Ray | Compact soundbar | Not published | 4 amplifiers, 2 tweeters, 2 midwoofers | £160.00 |
| Sonos Beam (Gen 2) | Dolby Atmos soundbar | Not published | 5 amplifiers, 1 tweeter, 4 midwoofers | £350.00 |
Watts are maker ratings, not a loudness test, and Sonos publishes none, so the Sonos rows list drivers instead. The difference that matters is the subwoofer: the Sony HT-S400 gives 130 W of its 330 W to a separate wireless box, according to Sony, and no TV in this table has one. A flagship such as the LG OLED65C65LA narrows the gap with 40 W and a 2.2 layout, so its owners gain less from a basic bar than from a Dolby Atmos one.
Dialogue is the second gap. Down-firing speakers aim sound at the stand or wall below the screen rather than at the viewer, and a front-facing bar with a speech mode targets that directly: Sonos says Speech Enhancement on the Sonos Ray and Sonos Beam (Gen 2) boosts voice frequencies, and Night Sound on the Sonos Ray reduces the intensity of loud effects for late viewing.
The bedroom is the one room where TV speakers often suffice. The screen is smaller, the seat is closer and late viewing keeps the volume low. A buyer who still wants clearer voices there should choose a compact bar such as the 557 mm Sonos Ray rather than a 2.1 set with a subwoofer box to find floor space for.
How much does a soundbar add to the cost of a TV?
A 2.1 soundbar adds a third to a half to the price of a mid-range TV, and a sixth or less to an OLED. The LG US40T costs 34.3% of the £379 LG 50QNED70B6C, and the Sony HT-S400 costs 16.7% of the £1,199 LG OLED B6, at Amazon UK prices on 6 October 2026.
| Soundbar | Price | Share of LG 50QNED70B6C (£379) | Share of LG OLED B6 55 (£1,199) | Per rated watt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG US40T | £129.99 | 34.3% | 10.8% | 43p |
| Sonos Ray | £160.00 | 42.2% | 13.3% | n/a |
| Sony HT-S400 | £199.99 | 52.8% | 16.7% | 61p |
| Sonos Beam (Gen 2) | £350.00 | 92.3% | 29.2% | n/a |
The LG US40T is the cheapest rated watt here at 43p, against 61p for the Sony HT-S400. The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) costs 92.3% of a 50-inch QNED, so it makes most sense beside a TV kept for years: an OLED or a set with a long software life, as covered in How long do TVs last?. A soundbar also outlives the screen, since it moves to the next TV over the same HDMI cable.
Will a soundbar connect to my TV?
Every TV in the table has HDMI eARC, so any HDMI soundbar connects with one cable and follows the TV remote. Optical is the catch: LG's spec sheets list no optical output on the LG 50QNED70B6C or LG 55NU800B6LA, and the Sonos Ray connects by optical only.
| TV | Audio outputs listed by LG | Soundbars that connect |
|---|---|---|
| LG 50QNED70B6C and LG 55NU800B6LA | eARC (HDMI 2); no optical output listed | LG US40T, Sony HT-S400, Sonos Beam (Gen 2) |
| LG OLED B6 and LG OLED evo C6 | eARC (HDMI 2) and one optical output | All four, including the optical-only Sonos Ray |
Screen size changes the case too: a bar wider than the TV looks odd, and the Sonos Ray is 557 mm wide against 900 mm for the Sony HT-S400. Buyers still choosing the screen should start with What size TV do I need?.
Which soundbar should you buy?
The Sony HT-S400 is the soundbar most living rooms need, at £199.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026). Sony rates it at 330 W across a 2.1-channel bar and wireless subwoofer, with HDMI ARC, optical and Bluetooth, so it connects to every TV in the table.
Sony HT-S400 specifications (Sony)
- Output: 330 W total (bar 200 W, subwoofer 130 W)
- Channels: 2.1
- Wireless subwoofer: Yes
- HDMI ARC: Yes
- Optical input: Yes
- Bluetooth: 5
- Dolby Atmos: No
- Bar width: 900 mm
The wireless subwoofer needs only a mains socket, so it can sit beside the sofa rather than under the TV. The compromises are format and streaming: no Dolby Atmos, no Wi-Fi and no AirPlay. Buyers who want height effects for films should pay £150.01 more for the Sonos Beam (Gen 2).
Sony HT-S400 - pros and cons
Where to buy
Check price
Three alternatives cover other rooms and budgets, at Amazon UK prices on 6 October 2026.
Also consider
Radar · 0-100 scores
- HT-S400 2.1ch Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer
- US40T 2.1ch Soundbar
- Ray
- Beam (Gen 2)
Verdict
A living-room TV needs a soundbar, because a 20 W TV has no subwoofer and a 2.1 bar rates at 15 times the output. The Sony HT-S400 at £199.99 suits most rooms, and the LG US40T at £129.99 suits a tight budget. The TVs to pair them with are in Best TV UK 2026, and the full setup list is in What do I need for a new TV?.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a soundbar for my TV?
A living-room TV of 50 inches or more benefits from a soundbar; a small bedroom TV can manage without one. LG's UK spec sheets list 20 W of 2.0-channel sound on the 2026 LG 50QNED70B6C and LG OLED B6. The LG US40T adds 300 W and a subwoofer for £129.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026).
Are TV speakers good enough without a soundbar?
For news and series in a small room, yes. Mid-range TVs carry modest speakers: LG lists 20 W, 2.0-channel, down-firing speakers on the LG 50QNED70B6C and LG 55NU800B6LA. Flagships do better, with 40 W across 2.2 channels on the LG OLED65C65LA, but none of these LG TVs comes with a separate subwoofer box for film and sport bass.
Does a soundbar make dialogue clearer?
A soundbar with a speech mode does. Sonos says Speech Enhancement on the Sonos Ray boosts voice frequencies to clarify dialogue, and Night Sound reduces the intensity of loud effects. The Sonos Ray costs £160.00 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026) and connects to the TV's optical output, so the TV needs one.
Do I need a soundbar with a subwoofer?
A subwoofer matters for films, sport and games, where bass carries explosions, crowd noise and music. The Sony HT-S400 pairs a 200 W bar with a 130 W wireless subwoofer, rated by Sony, for £199.99. The LG US40T is the cheaper 2.1-channel option at £129.99, with 300 W in total, both on Amazon UK in October 2026.
How do I connect a soundbar to my TV?
Most soundbars connect to the TV's HDMI ARC or eARC port with one cable, which also lets the TV remote control the volume. Older or compact bars use optical. LG's spec sheets list HDMI eARC but no optical output on the LG 50QNED70B6C and LG 55NU800B6LA, so the optical-only Sonos Ray suits the LG OLED B6 instead.
Is a Dolby Atmos soundbar worth it?
For films, yes. Sonos says the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) uses advanced processing to create phantom height channels for Dolby Atmos content, from five amplifiers in a 651 mm bar. It costs £350.00 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026) and needs the TV's HDMI eARC port to receive Dolby Atmos from TrueHD sources.