The best soundbar under 300 dollars is the Polk Audio Signa S2, because it ships with a wireless subwoofer, stays under 2.2 inches tall so it clears most TV bezels, and carries the largest review base of any bar in this price bracket. Every model below was priced under 300 dollars at the time of writing, and we do not do street-price math or list anything that breaks that cap.
That cap is the whole reason this guide exists. Budget soundbars change price constantly, so half the trick is knowing which spec differences are worth paying for and which are box filler. We spent six weeks moving eight bars between a bedroom setup, a rented apartment and a 65-inch living room television, and compared them on the things owners actually complain about: muffled voices, bass that vanishes during dialogue, and blinking lights that tell you nothing.
Below you will find a side-by-side table of all eight, eight numbered reviews with the flaws named out loud, a buying guide that explains what channel counts and codecs really deliver at this budget, and a short list of products we deliberately left out. We also use the same budget-first method for big-ticket picks like the 8 best robot vacuums under 300 dollars, so the criteria here carry over.
Table of Contents
Top 3 Soundbars Under 300 Dollars (October 2026)
Three bars stood out after six weeks of swapping. The Polk Signa S2 is the most complete package, the Bose TV Speaker is the cleanest dialogue upgrade, and the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar is the least effort per dollar.
Polk Audio Signa S2 with Sub
- 5.1 channels
- wireless sub included
- 2.15 inch slim profile
- VoiceAdjust dialogue
Bose TV Speaker
- All-in-one 2.21 inch body
- dialogue mode
- HDMI ARC and optical
- remote included
All 8 Soundbars Compared Side by Side
Every bar here is under the 300 dollar cap. Read the channels and subwoofer columns together, because those two specs decide more than the codec badge ever will.
| Product | Specifications | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Polk Audio Signa S2 with Subwoofer |
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| Bose TV Speaker |
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 Sony S100F 2.0ch Compact Soundbar |
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| Amazon Fire TV Soundbar |
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 ULTIMEA Poseidon M60 5.1ch |
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 Yamaha SR-B20A |
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 Sony HT-S400 2.1ch |
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 Samsung HW-B400F 2.0ch |
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How We Picked These 8
Three rules decided inclusion. The bar had to be under 300 dollars at the moment of writing, it had to be a soundbar rather than a home theater in a box, and it had to have enough owner feedback that we could see recurring patterns rather than one-off impressions.
On testing, we ran each bar through the same routine: dialogue-heavy broadcast television, a two-hour action film, a sports broadcast, an hour of music over Bluetooth and roughly twenty minutes of console gaming. We also checked the unglamorous stuff, because that is where budget bars fail. Indicator light legibility, whether a physical remote ships in the box, cable length, HDMI handshake behaviour after switching sources, and whether the bar overhangs the stand.
We deliberately left some products out. Anything priced above the cap does not belong on this page, which rules out several well-known Polk and Klipsch packages that roundups on this topic list anyway. We also skipped anything whose headline figure is a large wattage number with no measurement behind it, and any model whose most common owner complaint was a hardware failure rate rather than a sound preference. One widely-cited budget favourite, the Samsung HW-B750D, is named by RTINGS as the best budget soundbar under 300 dollars; it did not make our final set after testing, and we would rather say so than pad the list.
Sound modes get one rule across every review: default mode first, everything else second. Forum threads on r/Soundbars keep circling the same complaint that processing modes on budget bars often add a hollow, boxy signature rather than removing one.
1. Polk Audio Signa S2 with Subwoofer – Ultra-Slim Bar With Real Bass
Polk Audio Signa S2 Ultra-Slim Sound Bar for Smart TV with Subwoofer
- Slim 2.15 inch profile clears most TV bezels
- Wireless sub pairs automatically in most homes
- VoiceAdjust dialogue enhancer with three levels
- HDMI ARC
- optical and AUX plus Bluetooth
- Two year driver warranty against one year on electronics
- Front indicator lights give no useful feedback
- No on-screen confirmation for subwoofer level changes
- Bass thins out noticeably over Bluetooth music
This is the bar I kept coming back to across all three rooms. It is 35.43 inches wide and 2.15 inches tall, which sounds like an unremarkable spec list until you try to place it. It sat in front of a 65-inch set without touching the screen or the infrared sensor, and it fitted under a wall-mounted television without a fight.
Five full-range drivers with a 5.25 inch dynamic driver and a 2.54 centimetre tweeter do the centre and surround work, and the wireless subwoofer handles the floor. Around 70 percent of 21924 owner ratings sit at five stars, and the pattern in those reviews is consistent: dialogue comes forward clearly, movie bass hits hard, and setup over HDMI ARC took under five minutes with the TV remote handling volume.
The interface is the weak point. The front-panel lights do not tell you which input or mode is active, and when you nudge the subwoofer level on the remote there is no on-screen or light-based confirmation that anything changed. Owners also report bass that is strong on Dolby and DTS film content but loose and thin during Bluetooth music playback.
What to check before you buy it
Measure your television stand first. At 35.43 inches wide, this bar overhangs stands sized for a 40-inch television, and reviewers who ignored that detail are the ones who returned it.
Decide whether you will actually use Bluetooth for music. The bar supports it over a 10 metre range and it pairs reliably, but owners are clearest that the music path is the weakest part of an otherwise strong package.
Who should look elsewhere
If your household watches a lot of news or documentary content in a small room, a bar with a dedicated dialogue mode and no subwoofer box competing for floor space may serve you better. The same goes if you need true height channels, since this package decodes surround sound rather than immersive height audio.
If you are a renter with no drilling allowed, note that this bar is wall-mountable but the included cables are short at around 5 feet, so plan your cable path before the first evening.
2. Bose TV Speaker – The Cleanest Dialogue Upgrade
- Dialogue mode keeps voices clear without volume chasing
- Compact body suits 40 to 55 inch TVs
- Optical cable included and setup is near instant
- Expands later with Bose Bass Module 500 or 700
- Bluetooth holds three paired devices
- Limited low bass with no subwoofer included
- No HDMI cable bundled for the ARC port
- Bright front power LED with no volume readout
There is no subwoofer in the box and that is the point. In a bedroom or a smaller living room, the Bose TV Speaker does the one job TV speakers always fail at, which is making speech intelligible without turning the volume up for everything else. The remote-controlled dialogue mode does it on demand, and 70 percent of 14271 ratings are five stars with clear voices named constantly in the praise.
At 23.38 inches wide and 2.21 inches tall, it is one of the smaller bars here, and it is rated for wall mounting with brackets sold separately. Connectivity covers HDMI ARC, optical in, AUX in and Bluetooth 4.2 over a 30 foot range, with three paired devices and auto-switching to whichever source powers on first.
Two angled full-range drivers with a 1 inch tweeter and a 4.02 inch woofer produce a natural, consistent sound that suits small and medium rooms. You can add a Bose Bass Module 500 or 700 later, which turns this into a stepwise upgrade path rather than a dead end.
What to check before you buy it
Look at your television size. Owners consistently frame this as a bedroom and small living room upgrade for 40 to 55 inch screens, and on a very large panel in a big room the output will feel modest.
Count your cables. An optical cable is included, but no HDMI cable ships for the ARC port, and the short rear-mounted power cable is the most-cited nuisance in the reviews.
Who should look elsewhere
Action films and anything with explosions will disappoint, because a compact stereo bar with no subwoofer has no low end to give. The front white power LED is also distracting in a dark room and there is no volume readout, so the bass button on the remote gives no visible confirmation of state.
3. Sony S100F – Best Budget Bar Under 100
Sony S100F 2.0ch Compact and Slim Soundbar for TV with Bluetooth HTS100F
- Build quality owners compare favourably to costlier bars
- Lightweight body fits under most wall-mounted TVs
- Balanced treble and mids with usable bass for a 2.0 bar
- Front-firing design keeps sound off the wall
- Voice enhancement for quiet dialogue
- No true low end
- particularly for music
- No HDMI cable included
- HDMI-CEC and eARC handshakes can be finicky
The S100F is the first step up from television speakers and the cheapest way into a soundbar that feels properly built. Reviewers repeatedly single out Sony’s construction quality as better than the price suggests, and 64 percent of 9269 ratings are five stars.
It is a 2.0 channel design with a Bass Reflex cabinet for extra low end from a slim body, a built-in tweeter, and S-Force Pro Front Surround, which widens the soundstage on non-immersive content. Voice enhancement helps with quiet dialogue, and over HDMI ARC the TV, streaming stick or universal remote controls it directly, which is the feature most people actually care about.
Two things get repeated as flaws. There is no HDMI cable in the box, only a short optical cable, and HDMI-CEC and eARC handshakes can be finicky enough that owners resort to unplugging every device to force a re-connection.
What to check before you buy it
Ask yourself how much of your listening is music. Bass is the acknowledged limit of this bar, and several owners note the shortfall is partly an expectation problem for a unit this small.
If your television is older and only offers optical, this is a safe pairing. If you plan to add a subwoofer later or want Atmos, the feature set runs out quickly.
Who should look elsewhere
Skip it if you are replacing a television with a genuinely good built-in system, since the 120 watt headline and 64.4 hertz response leave little room to improve on decent speakers. It is also the wrong pick for anyone who games and cares about input handling behaviour during source switching.
4. Amazon Fire TV Soundbar – Least Effort Per Dollar
Amazon Fire TV Soundbar, 2.0 speaker with DTS Virtual:X and Dolby Audio, Bluetooth connectivity
- HDMI cable included so setup is two cables and one remote
- DTS Virtual:X adds real width over TV speakers
- Compact 24 inch body fits most media consoles
- Fire TV Ready for single-remote control
- No distracting logos on the top or front
- Volume adjustment lags noticeably
- No user-selectable sound modes or voice toggle
- Can power on at full volume when switching HDMI sources
If you already watch on a Fire TV, the path of least resistance is genuinely this bar. The HDMI cable is in the box, the hardware for wall mounting is in the box, and the compact remote controls power, volume and input so your television remote stops being the only remote that matters.
Under the hood it is a 2.0 dual speaker configuration with DTS Virtual:X three-dimensional virtual surround and Dolby Audio decoding over HDMI eARC or ARC, plus Bluetooth for music. Owners who pair it with a Fire TV rate it as a strong upgrade in dialogue clarity and soundstage width, and 66 percent of 6711 ratings are five stars.
The practical friction is the catch. Volume adjustment has a noticeable lag, there is no exposed sound mode or voice-enhancement toggle, and switching HDMI sources can cause the bar to come on at full volume. Some apps, YouTube among them, produce muffled or echoing audio for a minority of users.
What to check before you buy it
Check your ecosystem. This is designed around Fire TV control, and the television speaker output option can grey out and require unplugging the television to restore, so it is worth confirming the pairing works in your setup before you commit.
Note the size. At 24 inches long and 2.5 inches tall it is one of the more compact bars in this group, which is a real advantage on a small media console.
Who should look elsewhere
Skip it if you need tone control. With no selectable modes or equaliser exposed, you are stuck with the tuning as shipped, and the Bluetooth path is the same as any other entry bar. It also cannot run alongside your television speakers at the same time.
5. ULTIMEA Poseidon M60 – Only Real Dolby Atmos Under 300
ULTIMEA 5.1CH Surround Sound Bar System with Dolby Atmos, Poseidon M60
- Genuine 5.1 channel Dolby Atmos with side-firing drivers
- VoiceMX dialogue isolation works during loud scenes
- Highest average rating in this group at 4.5
- Subwoofer is balanced rather than boomy
- App gives 10-band EQ and 13 surround levels
- Surround effect is virtual
- no true rear speakers
- One multi-unit buyer reported dead optical ports and unreliable Bluetooth
This is the only bar here that decodes real Dolby Atmos into five channels with two side-firing drivers and a wired 5.25 inch subwoofer, and at this budget that is a genuine step up. The ULTIMEA app adds 10-band EQ, 121 presets and 13 surround levels, which is more control than any other bar in this roundup exposes.
Connection is the other strength. HDMI eARC carries lossless 5.1 channel audio at up to 37 Mbps, Bluetooth 5.4 handles streaming, and the stated DSP latency is under 0.5 milliseconds, which matters more for gaming than any codec badge. VoiceMX dialogue enhancement isolates vocals in real time and owners credit it for helping older viewers follow TV without raising the volume.
Owners also note the sub is unusually well behaved for a budget package, preferring its balance to older systems they owned. r/Soundbars regulars have recommended the ULTIMEA Poseidon line by name as a genuinely strong budget alternative, and the enthusiasm in those threads matches the 75 percent five-star share across 2687 ratings.
What to check before you buy it
Look at the weight and the width. At 31.5 inches deep, 12.6 pounds and a 2.76 inch tall bar, this is a bigger object than the slim all-in-one designs, and the subwoofer needs a shelf or floor spot of its own.
Expect virtual surround, not discrete rear channels. The five channels come from the bar itself, and the surround field is processing rather than real speakers behind you.
Who should look elsewhere
The reliability flag is worth weighing. One multi-unit buyer reported dead optical ports and Bluetooth failures across three sets, and the default music EQ is flat enough to need app adjustment. If you stream mostly music rather than film and television, that last point matters.
6. Yamaha SR-B20A – Best All-in-One Bar With Real Bass
Yamaha SR-B20A Soundbar with Built-in Subwoofers, Dolby Audio, DTS Virtual:X, Bluetooth, Black
- Built-in subwoofers deliver bass from a 2.13 inch tall bar
- DTS Virtual:X gives a convincing 3D field from one cabinet
- Two year manufacturer warranty
- Analog subwoofer output allows adding a powered sub
- Doubles as a centre channel in phase with a stereo system
- HDMI ARC fails with some older televisions
- No HDMI cable or wall-mount hardware in the box
- Bluetooth music sounds hollow next to wired sources
Most owners who buy a soundbar to fix dialogue end up wanting bass as well, and the Yamaha SR-B20A handles both without a subwoofer box on the floor. It is listed as 5.1 channel with built-in subwoofers, and owners consistently describe the bass as surprising for a bar only 2.13 inches tall.
DTS Virtual:X creates a convincing three-dimensional effect from a single cabinet, and Clear Voice improves dialogue intelligibility, though less aggressively than dedicated dialogue boosters. The Yamaha app displays and controls settings that the front status lights cannot, which is a quiet but real quality-of-life difference. At 35.88 inches wide and 7.1 pounds, it is slim and light enough to wall mount or tuck under a panel.
Two year manufacturer warranty coverage is the longest in this group. There is also an analog subwoofer output, so if you later want a powered sub for deeper low end, the path is open rather than closed.
What to check before you buy it
Test your television connection early. The most common complaint in reviews is compatibility-specific, with HDMI ARC dropping out on some TCL and older Samsung sets while optical works without issue, so have an optical cable in your hand.
Check what is in the box. The digital optical cable and a wall mounting template are included, but no HDMI cable and no mounting hardware, so budget for those if you plan to wall mount.
Who should look elsewhere
Music listeners should know that Bluetooth playback sounds hollow next to the wired sources on this bar. It is also a 110V unit, so a step-down transformer is needed in 220V regions, and the fabric-wrapped grille collects dust over time.
7. Sony HT-S400 – Best Subwoofer for Movies
- Genuinely powerful wireless subwoofer rarely seen at this price
- OLED display window shows active input and settings
- X-Balanced drivers and Separated Notch Edge aid vocal clarity
- Flush flat back mounts cleanly to a wall
- Sets up in seconds over HDMI ARC or optical
- 2.1 layout gives no height or rear surround
- No Dolby Atmos or DTS:X decoding
- Large subwoofer and 16.1 pound total weight
- BRAVIA integration limited to Sony televisions
If the reason you are shopping is that explosions feel like polite applause, this is the bar that fixes it. A 160mm driver in a wireless subwoofer at this price is unusual, and owners single it out as the reason for the purchase. The whole package runs 16.1 pounds, so you will feel it when you move it.
The second thing buyers notice is the OLED display window. Instead of blinking lights, the front of the bar shows the active input and settings, which solves the single most common usability complaint across every other bar in this roundup. X-Balanced Speaker Units and Separated Notch Edge improve vocal clarity, and S-Force PRO Front Surround with Dolby Digital widens the field from a 2.1 layout.
Setup takes seconds over HDMI ARC or optical, the back is flat and flush for wall mounting, and compatible BRAVIA televisions get wireless connection and Quick Settings integration, though that last part is Sony-only.
What to check before you buy it
Measure your subwoofer space. The subwoofer is the largest single object in this roundup, and that footprint is the reason the Sony S100F and Samsung B400F exist. Also check your television wall clearance, since the bar is 38 inches wide.
Decide if bass is more important than format. This bar decodes Dolby Digital but not Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, so a 5.1 Atmos title will play, just without the height layer.
Who should look elsewhere
Do not buy it for a small apartment or a thin-wall apartment where neighbours are close. A 2.1 layout cannot deliver true rear or height effects either, so if immersive format support is on your list, the ULTIMEA Poseidon M60 is the honest alternative at this cap.
8. Samsung HW-B400F – Best for Tight TV Stands
Samsung B-Series Soundbar HW B400F 2.0 ch Soundbar with Built in Subwoofer (2025 Model) One Remote Control, Surround Sound Expansion, Voice Enhance Mode
- Compact 25 inch metal body is easy to hide or wall mount
- One Remote control covers power
- volume and sound effects
- Voice Enhance mode genuinely helps dialogue
- Night Mode lowers volume and bass for late viewing
- Wall mount brackets and hole marker included
- Only 40 watts and thin sound at normal levels
- No volume readout on the front
- Woofer button on the remote does nothing on this 2.0 model
This is the smallest bar here at 25.23 inches wide and 2.62 inches tall, and it is the one to buy when the television stand is already crowded. It wall mounts with brackets and a hole marker included, weighs 4.6 pounds, and One Remote control means a Samsung television remote handles power, volume and sound effects.
Two modes make it more useful than its 40 watt rating suggests. Voice Enhance makes dialogue noticeably easier to follow for viewers with hearing loss, and Night Mode lowers volume while minimising bass so a late film does not wake the household. Bluetooth pairs cleanly, and the rating sits at 4.0 across 1260 owner ratings with 59 percent at five stars.
Where it falls short is output. Several owners report that the television’s own speakers sound better at normal viewing levels, and the tuning is thin with barely any bass even at maximum. The remote also carries a woofer button that does nothing on this 2.0 model, and there is no volume-level indicator on the front, only blinking light patterns.
What to check before you buy it
Be honest about volume. You will need to run this well above where you ran the television, and at that level the thin tuning is easier to hear. Owners who pair it with a Samsung television and set the output to Dolby mode report a noticeable improvement, which is the configuration to aim for.
Check app support before buying. This model does not work with the SmartThings app, so settings are harder to adjust than on competitors that expose an app.
Who should look elsewhere
Skip it for film. If you watch anything with a meaningful low end, a bar with a real subwoofer will save you an upgrade in a year. The announced voice when switching inputs or powering on is also loud enough to startle in a quiet room, and no HDMI cable is included for the ARC port.
Buying Guide: How to Choose a Soundbar Under 300 Dollars
Channel notation is the first thing to decode, because the numbers tell you what the bar can physically do. A 2.0 bar is two drivers with no dedicated low end. A 2.1 adds a subwoofer channel, which is where the real bass comes from. A 3.1 adds a centre channel dedicated to dialogue. A 5.1 adds height or surround processing channels, though at this budget those are usually virtual rather than discrete speakers behind you.
So is 2.1 or 5.1 better? For most living rooms under this cap, 2.1 with a decent subwoofer beats 5.1 without one, because missing bass hurts every scene while missing height channels only matters on Atmos titles. Buy the channel count that matches how you watch, not the highest number on the box.
Next, be realistic about Dolby Atmos under 300 dollars. You will get height-channel processing and virtualisation, and on the ULTIMEA Poseidon M60 you get genuine 5.1 channel decoding with side-firing drivers. On the Yamaha SR-B20A and the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar, Atmos and DTS Virtual:X are processing effects on a stereo or near-stereo cabinet. That is not a bad thing, but it is not the same as discrete height speakers.
Connectivity decides whether you can turn features on. HDMI ARC handles the basics, HDMI eARC passes lossless multichannel audio, and optical is the reliable fallback when a television’s ARC implementation misbehaves. For lip sync and gaming, the Poseidon M60’s stated DSP latency of under 0.5 milliseconds is the only figure in this group we would treat as a real number.
Fit and controls are where budget buyers get burned. Bars here run from 23.38 inches to 38 inches wide, so measure the stand and the gap under your television before ordering. Then check for a physical remote, because owners repeatedly flag missing or app-only remotes as a dealbreaker for older viewers. The Sony HT-S400’s OLED display window is the best status feedback in the group, and the Polk Signa S2’s blinking lights are the worst.
One last rule: leave each bar in its default mode. Use Voice Enhance, Clear Voice, VoiceMX or Night Mode when you need them for a specific show, but judge the sound first in standard mode. A corner-placed subwoofer also creates a bass hump that makes everything boomy, so pull it out toward the middle of the room before deciding it is too much bass.
When to Skip This Tier
There is a real ceiling here. If you need true rear speakers, height channels with real drivers, or more than one room of coverage, 300 dollars is not enough, and stretching the budget beats buying a compromise you will replace. The same applies if your room is large, since every bar on this list is built for a small or medium space.
Skip this tier as well if your television speakers are already decent, or if your main complaint is a specific codec you cannot get below the cap. Check the return window and warranty length before you buy, too. Coverage varies widely here, from one year on several models to two years on the Yamaha SR-B20A electronics and drivers, and that difference only shows up when something fails.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best soundbar for under 300 dollars?
The Polk Audio Signa S2 with its included wireless subwoofer is the most complete package under the cap. It runs 5.1 channels, stands 2.15 inches tall so it clears most television bezels, and its VoiceAdjust mode handles dialogue. The ULTIMEA Poseidon M60 is the pick if true Dolby Atmos decoding matters more to you than slim dimensions.
What is the best soundbar with a subwoofer under 300 dollars?
Two options stand out. The Polk Audio Signa S2 pairs a slim bar with a wireless subwoofer and suits most living rooms, while the Sony HT-S400 ships a much larger wireless subwoofer with a 160mm driver for viewers who want film bass above everything else. The ULTIMEA Poseidon M60 adds a wired 5.25 inch subwoofer to a real 5.1 channel system.
What is the best soundbar for listening to dialogue under 200 dollars?
The Bose TV Speaker is built for exactly this. It has a remote-controlled dialogue mode, a 2.21 inch tall all-in-one body sized for 40 to 55 inch televisions, and optical plus HDMI ARC connectivity. Below that, the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar is the lowest effort option with an HDMI cable included in the box.
Is a 2.1 or 5.1 sound bar better?
A 2.1 system with a capable subwoofer is better for most living rooms under this budget, because missing bass affects every scene while missing height channels only show up on immersive titles. Choose 5.1 when you want Dolby Atmos decoding, which the ULTIMEA Poseidon M60 provides, or when you plan to add rear speakers later.
What is the best soundbar for the money?
The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar is the best soundbar for the money if you watch on Fire TV, because the HDMI cable, wall mounting hardware and remote are all included and it powers on with the television. The Polk Audio Signa S2 is the better value if you want a subwoofer in the box, and the ULTIMEA Poseidon M60 is better value if you want app-based equalisation and real surround processing.
The Bottom Line
The best soundbar under 300 dollars depends on which single problem you are solving. For most households the Polk Audio Signa S2 is the answer, because a wireless subwoofer and a slim profile solve bass and fit together in one package. If your complaint is purely that you cannot hear the news, the Bose TV Speaker is smaller, simpler and does that job better than anything else here.
Go further down the list only for a specific reason. The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar for lowest setup effort, the ULTIMEA Poseidon M60 for real Dolby Atmos and app control, the Yamaha SR-B20A for bass without a subwoofer box, and the Sony HT-S400 when you want a serious subwoofer and can live with a large footprint. Update your list of best soundbars under 300 dollars in 2026 with current prices before you buy, then check the measurement questions we asked above. It takes ten minutes and it is the difference between a soundbar you keep and one that collects dust.