Are Soundbars Worth It? Best Soundbars under 10000 in India

People are getting crazy for soundbars because they are easy to install and deliver good sound quality if chosen wisely.

These reasons are enough for many people to buy a soundbar.

But the question is, Is it worth buying a soundbar? Are soundbars worth the price or a waste of money?

In the era where you have too many options in the audio category, do you need to invest in a soundbar or buy a home theater system instead?

If you are planning to buy a new soundbar and have these questions in your mind, then we have a straightforward guide for you on whether a soundbar is worth buying or not.

Do soundbars make a difference?

No matter how good your TV’s in-built speaker is, it can never match the loudness and bass to the external speakers.

Coming to soundbars, it makes a huge difference in sound quality, whether it’s treble, vocals, bass, or loudness.

If you own a good quality soundbar and listen to the music at 80-90% volume, surely your neighbors will come to ask you to lower the volume.

In addition, many soundbars come with a sub-woofer so that music lovers don’t miss the bass. 

You can feel the vibration because the bass is so heavy on many soundbars, which most people eventually love.

Note that we here are comparing a soundbar to the TV’s inbuilt speaker, not to an external home theater system.

Is soundbar better than speakers?

This one is a tricky question that is not so easy to answer.

As we praised soundbars in the above section doesn’t mean that these can outperform speakers that easily.

Let’s imagine you have a good quality 5.1 speaker or home theater. 

Now, you have placed a subwoofer right in the front with one speaker, two speakers beside the TV, and the remaining two speakers beside your sitting place.

The moment you start listening to the audio, you will immediately fall in love with the sound because it will be so immersive.

Because the drivers have more space to move, they will produce a richer sound with more bass. 

This system will definitely produce better sound compared to a budget soundbar.

Now imagine you have only a 2.1 channel speaker. Will it sound better than a soundbar?

In this case, a soundbar can sound better.

How much better? Well, not that much if both the speaker and soundbar are of good quality.

But,

In the budget segment, what we have seen is that many soundbars can go significantly louder than speakers, provided that both have the same number of channels.

So concluding everything, the 5.1 or 7.1 speakers sound better than a soundbar, but 2.1 or 4.1 channel speakers sound more or less similar to the soundbar.

Quick Note: You can check people’s favorite soundbars here.

Is it worth buying a soundbar?

If you want a truly immersive experience, then a traditional 5.1 or 7.1 speaker system produces better sound for sure.

But the installation process is complex.

Furthermore, what if you had a proper setup of all speakers, but now, you want to move your TV to another location?

You will need to redo all the setup again, which will take time and maybe some money also.

On the flip side, installing a soundbar is super easy. Just place it below the TV and connect the cable. That’s it. The setup is complete.

Coming to sound quality, many soundbars do have a subwoofer, which enhances the sound and bass a lot.

Furthermore, some soundbars also come with an extra pair of BT speakers/channels that you can place behind you to get an immersive sound experience.

Combining all these features, we believe that buying a soundbar is worth it.

Just make sure to buy one wisely. If you do so, then Soundbars don’t end up being a waste of money.

To make it easier for you, we have listed affordable soundbars in the latter part of this article.

Or you can directly check these impressive soundbars and save some time.

Is it worth buying a Dolby Atmos soundbar?

The idea behind Dolby Atmos is to deliver a 3D sound experience with object-based audio. What does it mean?

If an object is moving on the screen, the sound will also move in the room you are sitting in.

If a car goes by side on the screen, you will feel it crossing by you. The floating object feels like they are floating over your head. It’s the Dolby Atmos effect.

It requires at least six separate channels to get this effect. In soundbars, we have all the channels integrated into one bar.

But the thing is, some soundbars mimic the surround sound by placing the channels upwards and to the sides to give you an illusion of sound coming from different directions.

How effective is it?

To be honest, you can’t compare the Dolby soundbars to a proper Dolby setup, but you can get some sort of virtual Dolby Atmos effect.

Now coming to the question, Is it worth buying a Dolby Atmos soundbar?

If you can’t spend much, then don’t expect a premium Dolby Atmos experience.

But the fact that most people haven’t experienced the true Dolby Atmos audio makes it worth buying a Dolby Atmos soundbar as most people will be happy with the output.

Just make sure that the soundbar has separate channels to give you a 3D sound effect.

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How much should you spend on a soundbar?

Premium soundbars cost more than a lakh or two, and audiophiles are happily buying them.

But of course, everyone can’t spend this much premium.

So how much should you spend as a normal user?

You can spend at least Rs 8-10000 on a non-Dolby soundbar. Such a soundbar can give a good experience with loud sound and heavy bass.

It is the least amount of money that you should spend. You can spend more if you want more premium sound output.

If you are interested in tower speakers, then check these immersive tower speakers under 10000.

Affordable and Best Soundbars under 10000 in India

As most people have a budget of under 10000, we have listed the three best soundbars under 10000 that you can buy without thinking twice.

1. boAt Aavante Bar 2050 (160W)

 Main Highlights

In the competition with JBL or Blaupunkt, boAt has gained a respectable spot in the soundbar segment.

boAt is one of the best BT speaker companies that offer great products at a budget price.

Out of various soundbars from boAt, we think that the Aavante Bar 2050 is by far the best value for money soundbar that you should buy.

What’s so special about the Aavante Bar 2050? You will know that in a moment, but first, have a look at the box content.

• Soundbar
• Subwoofer
• Remote control with two batteries
• One AUX cable
• Two screws to mount the soundbar on the wall
• User manual & warranty card

Starting with the build quality, the Aavante Bar 2050 is a sturdy soundbar that feels premium. Despite the body being made of plastic, it feels solid overall.

The weight of the soundbar, which is 6.6 kg, adds to its build. 

The given sub-woofer is also made of wooden and plastic material, which can handle accidental falls with ease. 

Although, we recommend you to handle these types of equipment with care.

Connecting the soundbar to a TV is simple as you have different connectivity modes like AUX, HDMI, optical, and Bluetooth.

The inclusion of an additional USB port is convenient to play music with a pen drive. The pen drive must not be larger than 32GB.

The most amazing part about the Aavante Bar 2050 is the sound quality.

Yes, it delivers an excellent sound quality with great loudness and punchy bass.

We should thank the separate subwoofer that helps in enhancing the bass to a great extent.

The vocals are surprisingly clear, and the treble is pleasing. It’s not too harsh to the ears. In fact, at higher volumes, it still feels pleasing.

As the soundbar comes with a dedicated subwoofer, it sounds just amazing. The bass is deep and gives you the bass vibration but to the extreme.

It’s not mandatory to use the subwoofer with the soundbar. You can use the bar individually.

The good thing is that the subwoofer is wireless. You can put the subwoofer behind you to get the surround sound effect.

As the total sound output is 160W (80W on soundbar + 80W on the subwoofer), it gets so loud that most people won’t put it on the full volume.

The moment you don’t want bass, you can reduce the bass to -5, which eliminates the bass completely.

So, the overall sound output is impressive for the price with different modes to customize the sound.

Verdict: If you want to invest your money on a soundbar that is worth every single penny you spend on it, the boAt Aavante Bar 2050 is the right choice. It’s one of the best soundbars under 10000 for some great reasons.

Pros and Cons

• Solid build quality
• Sleek and good looking design
• Excellent sound quality for the price
• Deep bass & clear vocals
• No compromise on loudness 
• Seamless connectivity
• Easy control buttons on remote

• Connecting subwoofer with soundbar might not be convenient for some

You might also like the Soundbar vs Home Theater comparison.

2. LG SL4 (300W)

 Main Highlights

LG needs no introduction. They have been fading away from the smartphone market, but they still rule in other categories.

LG has been making some of the best TVs in the business, but the in-built speakers on most of them are below average.

That could be the one reason LG has launched great sounders on a budget so that your TV’s speakers don’t sucks anymore.

The LG SL4 is a soundbar that has given tough competition to other makers. 

Opening the box introduces us to the box contents, which are:

• Soundbar
• Subwoofer
• Remote control
• Power cord
• Screws to mount the soundbar on the wall
• Optical audio cable

The build quality is plastic but feels premium. The heft of 7.4 kg assures that the soundbar isn’t made of cheap material.

One thing that disappointed us a little was the absence of an HDMI ARC port. It means you have to rely on the Bluetooth or optical audio cables to connect the bar to the TV.

However, the process of connecting the soundbar to the TV is simple. Further connecting the subwoofer to the bar requires a long press on the button given on the subwoofer.

After the setup is done, it’s time for the sound test.

The first thing you will notice is how loud the sound output is. The total output is 300W, where 100W is from the soundbar and 200W is from the subwoofer.

Having more output from the subwoofer doesn’t mean that you only get super heavy bass.

Yes, the bass is heavy, but the vocals and treble remain clear no matter what kind of audio you listen to.

If you find the bass on the heavier side, you can decrease it. But for the most part, you don’t need to change it. But still, if you want, you have an option.

We have found that the Cinema Mode works best for all types of audio. 

In this mode, the sound goes to the balanced profile with slightly heavy bass that suits every type of scenario.

Another good thing is that the subwoofer is wireless. Just put it behind your sitting place to get a surround sound effect.

Despite having Bluetooth 4.0, there is no disconnection problem as such. But it would have been great to see a newer version of Bluetooth.

Verdict: The LG SL4 is definitely a great soundbar. Yes, it isn’t as feature-rich as rivals, but its sound quality is impressive, making it one of the best soundbars under 10k.

Pros and Cons

• Sturdy build quality
• Good looking design
• Great sound quality for the price
• Deep bass & clear vocals
• Sound gets too loud
• Different sound modes
• No connectivity problem
• Easy control buttons on remote

• Older Bluetooth 4.0
• No HDMI ARC input
• No AUX

3. boAt Aavante Bar 1500 (120W)

 Main Highlights

The Aavante Bar 1500 is for those who have a limited budget of under 7000 but still want a good quality soundbar.

It’s a downgraded version of the boAt Aavante Bar 2050.

How many downgrades will you see on the Bar 1500?

Not much. In fact, these downgrades are justified for the price.

A few of them are:

• The output is now 120W compared to 160 on Bar 2050. But still, the sound is loud enough to fill a sizable room.

• The subwoofer doesn’t have a Bluetooth connection, which means you need to connect the subwoofer with the soundbar using the given wire. 

These two are the noticeable downgrades on the Bar 1500. Other than that, both the soundbars are the same.

The soundbar 1500 has the same build quality and design. It also feels sleek and premium.

The box contents are also the same, which are:

• Soundbar 1500
• Subwoofer
• Remote control with two batteries
• One AUX cable
• Two screws to mount the soundbar on the wall
• User manual & warranty card

One might think that the lower output on the Bar 1500 can make a significant difference in sound quality.

Well, it’s correct, but entirely.

The difference is there, but it’s as noticeable as one may think.

The Aavante Bar 1500 doesn’t go as loud as 2050, but still, it’s loud enough to shake the things you have in the room.

From vocals to bass, all the sound signatures are well-tuned and feel pleasing while listening to the music.

The bass is slightly less because of the 60W output compared to the 80W, but it doesn’t lack deep punchiness.

As said earlier, the subwoofer is wired, which means you can’t place it behind you to get a surround sound effect.

However, in a small room, you can do so because the wire of the subwoofer has a good length.

You can connect this soundbar in multiple ways, like using USB, BT, AUX, Optical, and HDMI(ARC).

Verdict: The boAt Aavante Bar 1500 slightly lacks some features, but when it comes to sound quality, it delivers its best. You will not be disappointed with the sound output of this soundbar.

Pros and Cons

• Solid build quality
• Sleek and good looking design
• Excellent sound quality for the price
• Deep bass & clear vocals
• Even at 120W, the audio is so loud
• Seamless connectivity
• Easy control buttons on remote

• Wired subwoofer

Final Verdict

So, Is it worth buying a soundbar? We are sure you know the answer now.

The ease of use soundbars offer is unmatched among the TV audio equipment.

You can pick any of the mentioned soundbars to get the best audio experience without spending a lot.

Still, if we had to recommend the best out of these, then we suggest you put the boAt Aavante Bar 2050 on first of your priority list.

If you like any other, you buy that one without worrying much because all the aforementioned soundbars are worth buying.

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Now we are sure you have a good idea of whether a soundbar is worth buying or not.

If you still have any doubt, then feel free to ask us. We would love to help you out.

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