The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 (see image) takes a giant leap at the top because of its versatile features and phenomenal soundstage, allowing for a 360° cinematic experience.
In summary, below are my top picks for the best soundbar without subwoofers:
- Among my three picks, the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 takes a giant leap at the top because of its versatile features and phenomenal soundstage, allowing for a 360° cinematic experience.
- My second favorite is the Sonos Beam Gen 2 because of its unmatched portability and excellent voice enhancement control. It also has a bass and treble adjustment feature to give you more control over your audio.
- Finally, the Yamaha YAS-108 produces well-defined voices and mid-ranges but poorer bass and treble. It also has a darker sound profile than its Bose and Sonos soundbar rivals.
Now, let's take a look at my top 3 best soundbars without subwoofers and their defining features.
Sound Quality
Let me tell you something right off the bat.
The sound quality performance you'll end up getting from a speaker will always depend on your room acoustics - particularly room dimensions and speaker positions.
The impact of the combination of these two is actually so strong that in most cases, it doesn't even make sense to utter a single word on sound quality without speaking of them.
This is also why it's not unusual to see completely different reviews of the same speaker.
In one case the speaker might be placed in a sweet spot inside the room and hence the user might be satisfied. In other cases the same speaker might be ill placed and hence user might even have returned it.
The point most people miss here is that it mostly isn't even about the engineering behind the speaker itself. It's about where you place the speaker inside which room.
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So, in order to solve this problem, I've partnered with an Acoustics and Audio Engineering PhD and created Soundton - a simple, 2D, browser accessible online speaker placement calculator.
With Soundton, now there's a way to figure the sound quality of most speakers before you buy them.
Read more about its working principles at soundton.com.
The end colormap provides you the locations with the best (green) and worst (red) acoustics.
ASAP Science also made a video on the loudest and quietest rooms in the world. A mind blowing example of the importance of acoustics (play time adjusted video below).
Other parameters such as the age/materials of the building, the furniture & carpets in place, etc can and will, of course, have an effect on room acoustics, too. But it's much less compared to other parameters mentioned above.
Also, while you're at it, blast my Hidden Electronic Gems list to test the speakers:
Anyways...
The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 (see image) has an ADAPTiQ room correction feature to modify your audio depending on your room's environment and mood.
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 2.29" x 41.14" x 4.21"
- Weight: 12.68 lbs
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, WiFi, AirPlay, Spotify Connect
- What I liked: Phenomenal soundstage, supports Dolby Atmos content, versatile features
- What I didn't: Lacks bass power, short on bar controls, no extra HDMI port
Bose has done an exceptional job redesigning their earlier soundbar to the Smart Soundbar 900. It's my top pick for the best soundbar without a subwoofer because it has the sweetest and most immersive soundstage compared to the Sonos Beam Gen 2 and the Yamaha YAS-108. That's all thanks to its seven drivers and PhaseGuide technology.
I also had a blast listening to my music playlist and watching my favorite action and thriller movies because of this soundbar's clean and decent sound profile. It delivered premium and crisp sounds even for the tiniest details. It also supports Dolby Atmos content to give you more listening options.
Additionally, the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 has an ADAPTiQ room correction feature to modify your audio depending on your room's environment and mood. It also supports Alexa and Google Assistant voice controls for better functionality.
The only significant downside I found with this bar is that it lacks a bass thump and low register in your audio. However, it wasn't noticeable because of its sweet and expansive soundstage. Another minor con I discovered is its limited HDMI port. Again, it isn't much of a big deal because of its Bluetooth compatibility.
You may check out the Owner’s Guide for Bose Smart Soundbar 900.
Another feature of the Sonos Beam Gen 2 (see image) that I liked is its voice enhancement feature to localize voices and instruments in my audio.
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 2.72" x 25.63" x 3.94"
- Weight: 6.2 lbs
- Connectivity: WiFi, AirPlay
- What I liked: Adjustable bass and treble control, supports Dolby Atmos content, dialogue enhancement feature
- What I didn't: Room correction feature is for iOS only, cannot go very loud, short on low-bass
Coming close to the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 is the Sonos Beam Gen 2. Although it's another Dolby Atmos-compatible soundbar, its features are less versatile than Bose's compact bar. Nonetheless, I appreciated its richer treble, broader dynamic range, and more varied listening experience. It also produces a neutral and clear sound profile.
The most defining difference of the Sonos Beam Gen 2 from the Bose and Yamaha soundbars is its portability. I noticed that it has shorter dimensions and takes up less space. However, I had limited connectivity options because it doesn't support Bluetooth and Spotify Connect.
Another feature of the Sonos Beam Gen 2 that I liked is its voice enhancement feature to localize voices and instruments in my audio. I also appreciated its bass and treble adjustment component since this soundbar sometimes struggles with its bass thump and rumble.
Learn how to set up, use, and care for Sonos Beam (Gen 2), and get a comprehensive look at all the product’s features.
Yamaha YAS-108 (see image) has more connectivity options because it offers Bluetooth and HDMI support.
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 2.125" x 35" x 5.125"
- Weight: 7.1 lbs
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, WiFi, AirPlay
- What I liked: Wide connectivity options, supports Dolby Atmos content, good sounds at high volume
- What I didn't: Short on sub-bass, produces stereo sound, lacking design and style
Lastly, the Yamaha YAS-108 doesn't fall much behind the Sonos Beam Gen 2 because of its similar voice enhancement feature. Because of that, I didn't have trouble getting accurate voices and mid-ranges from my audio. It also has more connectivity options because it offers Bluetooth and HDMI support.
However, the Yamaha YAS-108 has poorer bass, treble, and overall sound profile than the Bose and Sonos soundbars. I also had less control over it because it didn't have an integrated mobile app.
You may also check the Yamaha YAS-108 manual on their website.
Conclusion
So, with their defining features, my top 3 soundbars without subwoofers are as follows:
- Among my three picks, the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 takes a giant leap at the top because of its versatile features and phenomenal soundstage, allowing for a 360° cinematic experience.
- My second favorite is the Sonos Beam Gen 2 because of its unmatched portability and excellent voice enhancement control. It also has a bass and treble adjustment feature to give you more control over your audio.
- Finally, the Yamaha YAS-108 produces well-defined voices and mid-ranges but poorer bass and treble. It also has a darker sound profile than its Bose and Sonos soundbar rivals.