BBy Bikram Nath·Researched from UK Amazon listings·Updated 2026-07-26·6 products compared
The short answer
Our top pick for Soundbars Under £150 in the UK is the Samsung HW-B450 2.1ch Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer.
The most complete package under £150: a proper 2.1 system from a major brand with a genuine wireless subwoofer, ideal as a first serious TV audio upgrade.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This guide contains Amazon affiliate links, and we may earn a commission — at no extra cost to you — but it never changes our rankings.
Flat-screen TVs keep getting thinner, and their built-in speakers keep getting worse — which is why a soundbar is the single best-value audio upgrade for most UK living rooms. The good news is that £150 now buys far more than it used to: wireless subwoofers, HDMI ARC single-cable setups, Bluetooth streaming and even DTS Virtual:X processing all appear in this bracket from mainstream brands like Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Hisense and Panasonic. This guide covers six soundbars sold on Amazon UK that genuinely sit under the £150 mark, from full 2.1 systems with a separate subwoofer to slim all-in-one bars for smaller flats and bedrooms. The key decisions at this price: whether you want a separate subwoofer for proper bass, whether your TV has an HDMI ARC port for one-cable control, and how much shelf space you actually have under the telly.
Buying guide
What to look for in Soundbars Under £150
1HDMI ARC is the connection to prioritise — one cable carries audio from the TV and lets your existing TV remote control the soundbar's volume; optical works fine as a fallback but loses the remote convenience
22.1 systems (bar plus subwoofer) deliver noticeably deeper bass for films and music, but the subwoofer needs floor space and a mains socket; all-in-one 2.0 or 2.1 bars suit smaller UK rooms
3Don't chase Dolby Atmos claims under £150 — bars in this bracket lack the upfiring drivers to do it justice; well-implemented stereo or DTS Virtual:X processing sounds better in practice
4Check the bar's width against your TV stand — compact bars around 45–65cm suit 32–43 inch TVs, while 80–90cm bars pair better visually with 50-inch and larger screens
5A dedicated dialogue or voice-enhance mode is genuinely useful for UK broadcast TV and streaming, where speech is often mixed quieter than effects
6Bluetooth is standard across this price range, so any of these bars doubles as a music speaker for your phone — handy in flats where a separate hi-fi is overkill
Our process
How we choose our picks
We don’t lab-test products ourselves. Instead we synthesise the strongest independent evidence — current Amazon UK listings, verified-buyer feedback, published specs and UK pricing — into clear, honest recommendations. We earn a commission if you buy through our links, but that never changes which products we rank.
Current UK availability
We only shortlist products actively listed and in stock on Amazon UK, checked against live catalogue data — not last year’s models.
Publicly visible buyer feedback
We look at how each product is received by UK shoppers — its overall rating standing and the praise or complaints that recur in public reviews — rather than relying on a single reviewer’s opinion.
Published specs & value
We compare manufacturer specifications, typical UK price bands, warranty and running costs so each pick is right for a real budget and use-case.
UK-specific fit
We factor in UK voltage, plug/fitting standards, CE/UKCA marking and Consumer Rights Act cover — details that generic global lists miss.
Samsung HW-B450 2.1ch Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer
The most complete package under £150: a proper 2.1 system from a major brand with a genuine wireless subwoofer, ideal as a first serious TV audio upgrade.
Channels
2.1 with wireless subwoofer
Audio Formats
Dolby Audio (Dolby Digital 2ch)
Connectivity
Optical, Bluetooth, USB
Sound Modes
Adaptive Sound Lite, Game Mode, Bass Boost
Subwoofer
Wireless, included
What we like
+Included wireless subwoofer delivers real bass depth that all-in-one bars at this price can't match
+Adaptive Sound Lite and a dedicated Game Mode tailor the sound automatically to what you're watching
+One-remote convenience with Samsung TVs, plus Bluetooth multi-connection for phones
Worth noting
–No HDMI ARC — connection is via optical cable, so your TV remote won't control volume on non-Samsung sets
–Subwoofer needs its own mains socket and floor space
The safest budget buy in the UK: Sony's entry bar routinely sells around the £100 mark and delivers clear, wide, well-balanced sound with proper HDMI ARC convenience.
Channels
2.0 with built-in Bass Reflex speaker
Audio Formats
Dolby Digital
Connectivity
HDMI ARC, Optical, USB, Bluetooth
Sound Modes
S-Force PRO Front Surround, Voice mode
Power
120W
What we like
+S-Force PRO Front Surround creates a convincingly wide soundstage from a single slim bar
+HDMI ARC means one cable and volume control from your existing TV remote
+Consistently praised as one of the best sub-£100 soundbars by UK hi-fi press
Worth noting
–No separate subwoofer, so deep bass in action films is limited
–Display-free design means you rely on indicator lights to know which input is active
Creative Stage V2 — A desk-friendly 2.1 bar with a compact wired subwoofer, popular with UK PC and monitor users — great for gaming setups, though its short soundbar suits desks better than living-room TVs.
Majority Bowfell — A British budget brand favourite that regularly sells for well under £50 — a sensible pick for a spare-room TV where even the Panasonic feels like overkill.
Editor's Note
All six bars carry CE/UKCA marking and connect to any modern UK TV via HDMI ARC or optical — check the back of your set before buying, as ARC ports are usually labelled 'HDMI ARC' or 'eARC'. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you have up to six years to claim against an inherent fault, so keep your Amazon order confirmation. A practical note on placement: soundbars sound noticeably worse inside a cabinet shelf than on top of it, and wireless subwoofers behave best within a few metres of the bar and away from room corners, which exaggerate boom in typical UK lounges. Finally, ignore Dolby Atmos badging at this price — none of these bars has upfiring drivers, and honest stereo done well beats fake height effects.
Our Take
The sub-£150 soundbar bracket is one of the few corners of home audio where prices have genuinely fallen: a wireless-subwoofer 2.1 system from Samsung or Sharp now costs what a basic stereo bar did a few years ago. My honest advice is to decide on the subwoofer question first — if you have the floor space, the Samsung HW-B450 or Sharp HT-SBW182 will feel like a far bigger upgrade than any all-in-one. The one thing not worth paying for here is Atmos branding; save that ambition for the £250+ bracket where it's actually delivered properly.
Questions & answers
Frequently asked questions
What is the best soundbar under £150 in the UK?
The Samsung HW-B450 is the strongest overall choice under £150 — a 2.1 system with a genuine wireless subwoofer, Dolby Audio and game mode. If you'd rather spend around £100, the Sony HT-SF150 offers HDMI ARC and Sony's S-Force front surround in a single slim bar.
Is a cheap soundbar better than TV speakers?
Yes, almost always. Even a £60–100 soundbar has larger drivers, more amplifier power and better dialogue clarity than the thin downward-firing speakers built into modern flat-screen TVs. The upgrade is most obvious with speech-heavy content like news and drama.
Do I need a subwoofer with a soundbar under £150?
It depends on your room and what you watch. A separate wireless subwoofer, as on the Samsung HW-B450 or Sharp HT-SBW182, adds real depth for films and music. For small flats or bedroom TVs, an all-in-one bar like the Hisense HS214 with a built-in subwoofer is tidier and still noticeably warmer than a 2.0 bar.
Can you get Dolby Atmos on a soundbar under £150?
Not meaningfully. Genuine Atmos needs upfiring drivers, which start appearing at £250 and above. Under £150 you should prioritise good stereo performance, HDMI ARC and — if possible — a subwoofer. Virtual processing like DTS Virtual:X on the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar adds some spaciousness but is not true Atmos.
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