Audio Equipment Devices
Soundbars, speakers, and audio interfaces.
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Polk Audio Signa S4 (2023)
The Polk Signa S4 is an entry-level 3.1.2 Dolby Atmos soundbar with a wireless subwoofer and Polk’s VoiceAdjust dialog-boost processing. Its single HDMI port supports eARC — handing off uncompressed Atmos from a modern TV over one cable — while optical TOSLINK and a 3.5mm analog input cover older sources. The rear USB-A port is…
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Samsung HW-Q600F Soundbar (2025)
Samsung’s 2025 mid-range 3.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos soundbar pairs with a wireless subwoofer for proper low-end. The bar has one HDMI input with pass-through and a separate HDMI eARC output for connecting to the TV — so a single source can route through the bar without sacrificing the eARC return path. Pass-through tops out at 4K@60Hz,…
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Samsung HW-Q700C (2023)
This mid-range 3.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos soundbar provides one HDMI input and one HDMI eARC output, but the input is limited to HDMI 2.0b — meaning no 4K 120Hz passthrough for gaming consoles. For the best gaming experience, connect your console directly to the TV and route audio back via eARC. An optical input adds backward…
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Samsung HW-Q990D (2024)
Samsung’s 2024 flagship 11.1.4-channel soundbar finally adds full HDMI 2.1 passthrough with 4K 120Hz at 10-bit 4:4:4 color — a major upgrade for PS5 and Xbox Series X owners. Two HDMI inputs with 40 Gbps bandwidth handle everything from gaming consoles to Blu-ray players without forcing a direct TV connection. The eARC output delivers lossless…
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Samsung HW-Q990F Soundbar (2025)
Samsung’s 2025 flagship 11.1.4-channel Dolby Atmos soundbar comes packaged with a wireless subwoofer and dedicated wireless rear speakers. Two HDMI 2.1 inputs handle 4K@120Hz pass-through with VRR, ALLM, Dolby Vision and HDR10+, while a third HDMI port serves as the eARC output to the TV. Network connectivity is Wi-Fi only — there is no built-in…
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Samsung HW-S800D (2024)
At just 40 mm deep, this ultra-slim 3.1.2-channel soundbar sacrifices connectivity for form factor. The only audio connection is a single HDMI Mini (Type C) port with eARC support — Samsung includes a Mini-HDMI-to-HDMI cable in the box. There is no optical input, no HDMI passthrough, and no analog audio jack. All other media sources…
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Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Max (2019)
The AMBEO Soundbar Max is Sennheiser’s flagship single-piece Atmos bar, with thirteen drivers powering a 5.1.4-channel virtual surround field calibrated to your room. Its rear jack pack is the most generous in the AMBEO line: a single HDMI 2.1 eARC output to the TV plus three HDMI 2.0 inputs that pass 4K HDR through, an…
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Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus (2022)
The AMBEO Soundbar Plus delivers a 7.1.4 virtual surround experience from a single bar with nine drivers and dual built-in subwoofers. Its HDMI 2.1 eARC output handles uncompressed Dolby Atmos TrueHD from the TV, while two HDMI 2.0 inputs pass 4K HDR signals through for source devices. A mono RCA subwoofer pre-out lets you add…
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Sonos Arc (2020)
Sonos’s flagship soundbar packs 11 drivers including dedicated height channels into a single bar for Dolby Atmos playback without rear satellites. A single HDMI eARC connection handles all audio from your TV, but there’s no HDMI passthrough — so you lose one TV port. Ethernet and Wi-Fi keep it connected for AirPlay 2 and Sonos…
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Sonos Arc Ultra (2024)
The Arc Ultra is Sonos’s most capable soundbar, featuring the new Sound Motion woofer that replaces three conventional drivers with a single flat transducer — delivering dramatically deeper bass from the same form factor as the original Arc. Its HDMI eARC port is rated for HDMI 2.1 bandwidth at 48 Gbps, ensuring lossless Dolby TrueHD…
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Sonos Beam Gen 2 (2021)
The second-generation Beam adds HDMI eARC and virtual Dolby Atmos to Sonos’s compact soundbar in a package that fits under any 40-inch or larger TV. The upgrade from ARC to eARC means it can now receive lossless Dolby TrueHD audio from Blu-ray players and gaming consoles routed through the TV. At 651 mm wide, it’s…
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Sonos Ray (2022)
This compact soundbar connects to your TV exclusively through an optical digital audio cable — there is no HDMI port of any kind. The optical connection supports Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS surround sound, but cannot carry Dolby Atmos or lossless audio formats. A 10/100 Ethernet port on the rear panel provides wired network connectivity…
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Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 (HT-A9000, 2024)
Sony’s 2024 flagship 13-channel single-bar Dolby Atmos / DTS:X soundbar replaces the HT-A7000 at the top of the lineup. Both HDMI ports are HDMI 2.1 with full 8K@60Hz / 4K@120Hz, VRR, ALLM, and Dolby Vision pass-through — one acts as the eARC output to the TV, the other as a passthrough input for a console…
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Sony HT-A7000 (2021)
Sony’s 2021 flagship 7.1.2-channel soundbar was one of the first to feature dual HDMI 2.1 inputs with full 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz passthrough — excellent for connecting gaming consoles and Blu-ray players simultaneously. The rear panel offers an unusually complete port selection for a soundbar: optical, 3.5mm analog in, USB, Ethernet, and a proprietary S-Center Out…
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Sony HT-A9000 (2024)
Sony’s BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 packs 13 speaker drivers into a single soundbar with full HDMI 2.1 support including 4K 120Hz, VRR, ALLM, and Dolby Vision passthrough — ideal for routing a PS5 through the bar. Notably, there is no optical input, no Ethernet port, and no USB port; all networking is wireless only. An…
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Sony HT-S400 Soundbar (2022)
Sony’s entry-level 2.1-channel soundbar pairs with a wireless subwoofer for budget home cinema. The rear panel keeps things minimal: one HDMI ARC output to the TV (HDMI 2.0b, no eARC), an optical TOSLINK input as an alternative, and a USB-A port that is for firmware updates only. There is no HDMI passthrough input, so source…
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Sony STR-AN1000 (2023)
Only two of the six HDMI inputs support full 8K and 4K@120Hz — a notable limitation compared to rivals that offer three or more high-bandwidth ports. Both HDMI outputs are 8K-capable though, which is great for dual-display or Zone 2 setups. There’s no built-in phono preamp, so turntable owners will need an external one. Four…
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Sony STR-DH790 (2018)
The STR-DH790 is Sony’s entry 7.2-channel A/V receiver — a budget option that still ships with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding plus 4K HDR + Dolby Vision passthrough on every HDMI input. Four HDMI 2.0b inputs feed a single HDMI 2.0b output with eARC, four stereo RCA inputs cover legacy sources, and there is one…
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Vizio Elevate P514a-H6 (2020)
Vizio’s Elevate was the first soundbar with rotating up-firing speakers that physically tilt upward when Dolby Atmos content is detected. Two HDMI inputs support 4K Dolby Vision HDR passthrough from source devices like gaming consoles and Blu-ray players. The eARC output sends lossless Atmos audio from TV streaming apps back to the soundbar. A 3.5mm…
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Vizio M-Series Elevate M512E-K6 (2022)
Vizio’s mid-range 5.1.2 system pairs a soundbar with motorised height speakers that physically rotate up for Dolby Atmos and forward for music or dialogue, plus a wireless subwoofer and two wired rear satellites. The bar offers HDMI 2.0b — one input and one eARC output — with 4K HDR and Dolby Vision passthrough on the…
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Vizio M-Series M512a-H6 (2022)
This 5.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos soundbar packs a surprising amount of connectivity into a mid-range package. Two HDMI ports handle video passthrough and eARC, so you can route a single cable to your TV and get lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio back. A dedicated 3.5mm voice assistant input lets you wire an Echo or…
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Yamaha Aventage RX-A6A (2021)
Yamaha’s 9.2-channel Aventage flagship combines a stiff anti-resonance chassis with a back panel that few rivals match — eleven channels of pre-out for external amplification, balanced XLR stereo out, a phono input with built-in MM stage, and seven HDMI inputs with three outputs across two zones. Three of those HDMI inputs run full HDMI 2.1…
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Yamaha RX-A2A (2020)
Three of the seven HDMI inputs are HDMI 2.1 with 8K@60Hz and 4K@120Hz support, while the other four run at HDMI 2.0 speeds — note that the 2.1 ports are capped at 24Gbps, so higher-bandwidth features rely on Display Stream Compression. The single HDMI output handles eARC for lossless Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD from your…
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Yamaha RX-A4A (2021)
Every one of the seven HDMI inputs on this AVENTAGE-series receiver is full HDMI 2.1 with 8K@60Hz and 4K@120Hz support — no compromises on which port you plug your console or media player into. Three HDMI outputs (two main plus one dedicated zone) make multi-room or dual-display setups straightforward. Dual optical and one coaxial digital…
