Soundbars: the downsides, first

Tom's Guide's one con is that a full setup quickly becomes very expensive: the Sub 4 adds $799 and a pair of Era 300 rears adds $900. CNET and PCMag both list it as expensive, and PCMag also calls it large. Amazon's review summary says some owners feel it doesn't justify the price.

Wirecutter could get it working with an iPad but not with a Samsung Galaxy S10 Android phone, and never got the Sonos Sub 4 to connect, so it isn't a pick. Amazon's summary says some owners report connection issues.

CNET found movie sound less expansive than the original Arc's. Tom's Guide found that the Advanced Trueplay room tuning cut the bass, so it had to be added back with EQ, and the EQ has only two bands. The only TV connection is HDMI eARC: there's no optical port.

Wirecutter calls it pricey and says the 48.5-inch bar may not fit between a TV's legs. Its compact sub measured 5.6 dB (mid-bass) and 4.2 dB (low-bass) less than the Vizio Elevate's and isn't likely to shake your couch. A 2-star Amazon reviewer found the sub basically useless.

Wirecutter says the front display scrolls only four characters at a time, so you end up using the SmartThings app, which takes more time than grabbing a remote.

RTINGS found much of the performance unchanged from the HW-Q990F. It says the new Sound Elevation feature lifts dialogue at the cost of horizontal clarity, and it picks the discounted Q990F as the better value. A few early Amazon reviewers were disappointed with the sound and soundstage.

Wirecutter says there's no remote, so adjustments go through Vizio's app. Using the app requires a Walmart account, and it takes 5-10 seconds to connect each time. A 5-star Walmart owner also wished it came with a remote.

It has one HDMI eARC port and no HDMI, optical or analog inputs, so you need a TV with ARC or eARC. Streaming is Bluetooth only (no AirPlay or Google Cast), and the USB port starts playing music with no way to skip or stop (Wirecutter).

Wirecutter says Vizio systems arrive with the sub and surrounds turned up far too loud, and voices were a little bright until adjusted. It's sold only through Walmart and showed as out of stock there on 2026-10-11. The two-surround Elevate 5.1.4 Pro is sold only at Sam's Club.

Low-star Walmart reviews describe an HDMI connection that drops regularly (Oct 2026), a sub that's hard to connect to the bar, a subwoofer that stopped working after re-pairing and resets, and a bar that developed a doubled, reverb-like sound after a few months.

Wirecutter says it can't match the volume and envelopment of pricier soundbars. RTINGS says it plays only stereo, with some compression at max volume. A few Walmart owners say it isn't loud and they can't hear the bass.

Wirecutter had to stand up to read the bass and treble indicator on top of the bar. There are no HDMI inputs and no Wi-Fi, and the app's AI Sonic room tuning made little audible difference.

PCMag says there isn't much deep bass without the optional, pricey subwoofer. Wirecutter says it doesn't play as loud or offer as much bass as the Arc Ultra, and RTINGS calls it less stellar than the Arc Ultra.

Amazon's review summary says some owners report connectivity issues, the app gets mixed reviews ranging from very good to awful, and some owners can't control the volume properly. PCMag hit a few Wi-Fi hiccups during setup.

PCMag lists no Bluetooth support and notes there's no remote (you use the app or the TV remote). It also says height effects can't bounce off the ceiling because there are no angled drivers.

CNET found dinosaur and King Kong roars underwhelming until it added the $899 Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer. PCMag says bass response could be better. Wirecutter says the bar alone isn't as enveloping as its Vizio and Samsung picks unless you add the optional surrounds.

Wirecutter and PCMag note there's no physical remote. Wirecutter says the only TV connection is HDMI eARC, with no optical or analog input, and there's no DTS support. PCMag lists no aux input.

CNET says the Bose app isn't as slick or sophisticated as Sonos', there's no native Apple Music in the app, and its multiroom is 'more of an appetizer than an entree' next to Sonos'.

RTINGS says it lacks treble detail, so voices sound muffled, and without a sub there's no low-end thump. Tom's Guide lists 'sometimes tinny'. Amazon's summary calls sound quality and volume mixed, with some saying it's mediocre or not loud enough.

Tom's Guide says it sometimes doesn't turn on automatically with the TV. Amazon's summary says some owners report Bluetooth trouble staying connected and remotes that don't work.

Tom's Guide notes there's no surround sound and you can't add a sub or rears later. RTINGS says its virtual surround isn't very convincing, and there's no DTS, HDMI input or Wi-Fi.

PCMag found it didn't sound much different from its TV's speakers, with modest bass, a narrow stereo field and heavy distortion at max volume. Its surround mode was harsh with music.

Amazon's summary says owners find the volume has to be set pretty high and moves only in steps of 2. Some report connection issues and a TV remote that doesn't fully control the bar. PCMag had to turn it to 90% to match rivals at 40-70%.

PCMag says it has no Fire TV features, no Alexa, no companion app and no Dolby Atmos, and can't be expanded with a subwoofer.