Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Here’s a conversation I imagine happening at various speaker companies:
[Scene opens in conference room.]
Market researcher: “Research shows every living room now has a soundbar to go with the large TV in it. Our work here is done.”
Executive: “Excellent. We’ve won.”
Junior admin: “Wait, I don’t have a soundbar.”
Market researcher and executive, at same time: “WHAT.”
Junior admin: “I don’t have enough space for one.”
[Light bulb goes off over engineer’s head. End scene.]
I’m pretty sure that’s how the mini soundbar was born. Regardless of its origin story, the mini soundbar is a speaker whose time has come. A crossover between a full-size soundbar and a Bluetooth speaker, a mini soundbar is small enough for any Manhattan apartment but still greatly improves the terrible sound that comes out of your TV or monitor. These small sound machines come with inputs such as HDMI or digital optical audio for a digital connection to your video source, and can decode surround sound (though, like their larger soundbar kind, the experience doesn’t compare to a true home theater system with at least 5 separate speakers and a subwoofer).
The mini soundbar means you no longer have any excuse to suffer subpar sound while streaming shows and movies. The harder choice is picking the one that’s best for you. Here are four good choices; hopefully you can put one of those gift certificates Santa left in your stocking to good use!
Polk MagniFi Mini
This $300 speaker is an auditory illusion — it’s hard to believe that a sound so big and wide comes out of a 13.5 x 4.25 x 3-inch speaker. The MagniFi Mini’s secret weapon is a wireless subwoofer that creates a satisfying rumble during explosions and adds resonance to dialogue. It sports a cornucopia of connections, with HDMI, digital optical audio, and a 3.5mm analog wired inputs, along with Bluetooth and Google Cast audio wireless connections. It also sounds great with music, too, making it a candidate to be the single sound system in your small space.
Who should get one: If you have a small space that needs better sound from your TV and can afford a speaker that costs $300, buy this one.
JBL Boost TV
For those on a smaller budget, the $200 Boost TV does a good job at a soundbar’s core purpose: making TV shows and movies sound better when you’re watching on a small screen. The 14.8 x 4.8 x 3.3-inch speaker is still small enough to fit almost anywhere. It connects to your TV or monitor via digital optical audio or 3.5 mm analog, and includes Bluetooth for wireless audio streaming. It doesn’t include an option for a subwoofer, but produces enough bass on its own to get by.
Who should buy it: If you have a small space but can’t afford the MagniFi Mini, get the Boost TV.
Razer Leviathan
If you have slightly more room, the 20-inch long Razer Leviathan delivers a lot of sound for a reasonable price. The larger size helps spread the sound better than the Boost TV. The soundbar normal runs close to $200 (but it’s currently $139.99 at Amazon.com, as of this publish date) and comes with a wireless subwoofer, which adds a lot of low-end to the mix. Razer is well known in the gaming community, and this speaker is oriented to improve sound up close; that’s probably why it lacks a remote. Because of that, the Leviathan might be the right choice for people who use their computer monitor for watching entertainment, too.
Who should buy it: If you have a larger space and sit near your monitor, the Leviathan’s a good choice.
Creative iRoar
This Swiss Army knife of a speaker, while not technically a soundbar, plays the role well if you want it to. The iRoar is foremost a portable Bluetooth speaker, but comes with a digital optical audio input so you can connect it to a monitor or TV. And since it has 20 hours of battery life, you don’t even need to keep it plugged into the wall. This sort of flexibility comes at a cost, though: at $370 the iRoar is the most expensive mini soundbar in this group, and that doesn’t include the optional $150 subwoofer.
Who should buy it: If watching TV is a “nice-to-have-feature” but you’re really interested in a Bluetooth speaker, here’s the one. Oh, and you have a lot of cash, too.
[Buy the Creative iRoar on Amazon.com]
Michael Gowan impatiently waits for somebody—anybody!—to stream the complete Moonlighting series. You can follow him on Twitter @zebgowan.
