Smart Tv Audio: Which Brand Delivers The Best?

which smart tv has best sound

Smart TVs are internet-enabled devices that allow users to access streaming apps and catch up on films and TV programs. While the market is flooded with options, one of the key considerations when purchasing a smart TV is sound quality. In this regard, the Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED is widely regarded as one of the best-sounding TVs, delivering fantastic picture quality and deep blacks in a dark room. The Hisense U6/U6N is another great option for those on a budget, offering satisfactory performance and decent sound quality for its price. The Roku Pro Series is also worth considering, as its impressive sound and picture quality come at a very affordable price. For those seeking a mid-range option, the Sony Bravia 8 and the Hisense U8/U8N are excellent choices, with the latter delivering surprisingly accurate and vivid sound.

Characteristics Values
Best sounding TV for a bright room Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED
Best budget TV with decent sound quality Hisense U6/U6N
Best-sounding mid-range TV Hisense U8/U8N
Best TV for sound with a mini-LED backlight Roku Pro Series
Best TV for sound with a mini-LED display panel Panasonic Z95A
Best TV for sound with a smart interface TCL S5 S-Class Smart TV
Best TV for sound with built-in Wi-Fi and Fire TV Hisense A4NF Series
Best TV for sound with 4K Ultra HD technology Insignia 65” Class F50 Series LED 4K UHD Smart Fire TV
Best TV for sound with QLED Color displays Hisense QD6 Series
Unique technology that boosts the volume of on-screen dialogue AI sound by scene

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Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED

The Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED TV is one of the best-sounding TVs on the market. It supports eARC and a wide range of audio formats, including DTS:X via DTS-HD MA, which is the most commonly supported format on UHD Blu-ray movies. The TV also has Sony's S-Center speaker input, which allows you to use the TV's built-in speakers as a centre channel when paired with certain Sony soundbars and receivers.

The BRAVIA 9 is also one of the brightest TVs available, making it ideal for well-lit rooms. It delivers deep blacks with minimal blooming thanks to its impressive local dimming control. The TV also produces vibrant and lifelike colours thanks to its wide colour gamut, ensuring an impressive HDR experience for gaming and movies.

The Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED TV offers a superior viewing experience with its IMAX Enhanced content. When paired with compatible streaming services like Sony Pictures CORE or a connected device via HDMI input, you can enjoy the full IMAX Enhanced experience in the comfort of your home. Additionally, the TV's XR Processor™ enhances every scene in real-time, boosting colour, contrast, and clarity.

The BRAVIA 9 is also compatible with various home theatre products, including the BRAVIA Theatre Quad, BRAVIA Theatre Bar 9, and BRAVIA Theatre Bar 8. It also supports voice commands with the Voice Zoom 3 feature, allowing you to control your TV without touching the remote.

With its exceptional sound quality, stunning visuals, and smart features, the Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED TV delivers an immersive and captivating entertainment experience.

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Hisense U6/U6N

The Hisense U6/U6N is a budget-friendly TV that was released in 2024. It is the entry-level model in Hisense's 2024 ULED lineup, sitting below the Hisense U7N and the Hisense U8/U8N. The U6N has a 20W 2.0 channel speaker setup, which is quite surprising for a budget-friendly TV, as most other low-cost options have bad sound. The U6N has a higher contrast ratio and much better black uniformity, delivering deep blacks in a dark room. Its slightly better HDR brightness makes highlights stand out a bit more in HDR content. The U6N also has better SDR brightness, meaning it overcomes more glare in a room with the lights on.

The U6N has a decent stock of gaming features for its budget price range, including VRR (AMD FreeSync Premium included), ALLM, and Dolby Vision gaming. It also has preset sound modes for different categories – Movie, Standard, Sport, and more – plus an Enhanced ACR mode that creates a sound profile based on content. The U6N's design is pretty basic, favoring simplicity. It has solid build quality and uses two support feet as opposed to the pedestal stand used for the U7N. The U6N has a trim bezel and frame, but is thicker than other sets in its price range.

The U6N delivers good performance at a price you'd usually expect to pay for a standard LED model. It offers crisp textures, rich detail, and punchy colors. However, the U6N struggles with motion, requiring some settings adjustment to accurately display action movies and sports. The U6N's speakers sound thin, with a limited soundstage and lacking bass. Therefore, it is recommended to pair the U6N with a soundbar for a more cinematic experience.

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Roku Pro Series

The Roku Pro Series is a smart TV that offers a powerfully simple streaming experience with brilliant 4K picture quality, immersive audio, and an elegant design. The 55-inch smart TV boasts a QLED screen with rich, accurate hues, vivid highlights, deeper darks, and realistic depth, thanks to thousands of mini-LEDs.

The Roku Pro Series TV also features a blazing-fast 120Hz refresh rate, making it perfect for watching live sports and gaming. Additionally, the TV includes the Roku Voice Remote Pro, which has a backlit keypad and hands-free voice control capabilities. The TV's Smart Picture feature automatically optimizes the picture settings based on the content being viewed, and it supports 4K 120Hz input for gaming through its two HDMI 2.1 ports.

One of the standout features of the Roku Pro Series is its impressive sound quality. The TV delivers enveloping sound, ensuring that your entertainment comes to life with clear and powerful audio. The Roku Pro Series provides an immersive audio experience, enhancing your movies, TV shows, and games.

The Roku Pro Series is also known for its affordability, offering excellent value for money. With its feature-rich capabilities, the Roku Pro Series provides a superior entertainment experience without breaking the bank. The TV is easy to set up and adjust, with tool-less height adjustment and built-in cable straps to keep wires organised.

Overall, the Roku Pro Series is a fantastic choice for those seeking a smart TV with exceptional sound quality, stunning visuals, and a seamless streaming experience, all at a very competitive price point.

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Sony BRAVIA 8

Sony's Acoustic Surface+ audio system is a standout feature of the Sony BRAVIA 8, delivering exceptional sound quality that maintains the brand's reputation for being one of the best TVs for audio. The BRAVIA 8's sound capabilities are further enhanced by Sony's exclusive Acoustic Center Sync feature, which allows the TV to connect with Sony's Bravia Theater soundbars, turning the TV into a dedicated centre channel speaker.

The BRAVIA 8's sound system supports Dolby Audio and Dolby Atmos, providing an immersive listening experience with clear and dynamic sound. Additionally, the TV's front-firing main speaker system and two side-firing speakers ensure a rich and spacious soundscape.

In terms of connectivity, the BRAVIA 8 offers HDMI ARC, optical audio, and a headphone jack, allowing users to connect external speakers or sound systems for an even more enhanced audio experience. The TV also includes Sony's Auto Volume feature, which automatically adjusts the volume based on the content being played, ensuring a consistent and enjoyable listening experience.

While the BRAVIA 8 excels in sound quality, it also delivers impressive picture quality. The TV can achieve exceptional brightness thanks to its XR Processor, outperforming its predecessor and competitors in this regard. The BRAVIA 8 also boasts excellent colour reproduction, clear and vivid image quality, and support for 4K at 120Hz, making it a great choice for gamers as well.

Overall, the Sony BRAVIA 8 is a high-performing television that offers exceptional sound and picture quality, along with a range of features that elevate the viewing experience.

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Hisense U8/U8N

The Hisense U8/U8N is a mid-range TV released in 2024, replacing the popular Hisense U8/U8K. It is part of the Hisense ULED lineup, sitting above the Hisense U6N and U7N but below the flagship Hisense UX model. The TV is packed with features like Dolby Vision, local dimming, HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, up to 4k @ 144Hz, and VRR support. The Hisense U8N has very good responsiveness in PC/Game Mode. It has good enough input lag at 60Hz that you don't feel a delay, but it's very low at higher refresh rates, so gaming at 120Hz and 144Hz feels very responsive.

The U8N has lower input lag overall and faster pixel transitions for smoother motion when compared to the U8QG. The U8N also has better contrast for very deep blacks that are approaching OLED territory. The U8N also has better HDR brightness, so highlights in HDR really pop out at you in dark scenes, and very bright specular highlights even stand out in well-lit scenes. The 55-inch model is advertised as having a peak brightness of 1800 nits, so it's not nearly as bright, and it has many fewer dimming zones. The 55-inch model also uses HDMI 3 as its eARC port, so you do lose a high-bandwidth port on that size if you plug in a soundbar.

The Hisense U8 Series Mini-LED TV has up to Peak Brightness 3000 and up to more than double the local dimming zones as last year's model, along with Quantum Dot Color, Dolby Vision HDR, and Anti-Glare Low Reflection panel technology. The U8 delivers unmatched brightness, contrast and detail. And, with Dolby Atmos and a 50w 2.1.2 multi-channel audio system, the U8 creates an immersive cinema experience in your home. The U8 is compatible with the Wifi 6E router protocol and includes a NEXTGEN TV ATSC 3.0 tuner, making the U8 virtually future-proof. The U8 also got more upgrades for the gaming enthusiast, including a 144Hz VRR panel, Dolby Vision Gaming, and FreeSync Premium Pro for an enhanced gaming experience.

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Frequently asked questions

The Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED has the best sound quality, with a 70W 2.2.2 channel speaker system. It also has excellent picture quality.

The Hisense U6/U6N is a great budget option with decent sound quality. It features a 20W 2.0 channel speaker setup.

The Samsung QE55QN85D has modern features, state-of-the-art display technology, and Dolby Atmos audio. The LG 55UT91006LA is also a good option, with good picture and sound quality.

The Hisense A4NF Series smart TV is designed for sports fans and binge-watchers. It has DTS:X surround sound and a voice remote with Alexa built-in.

The Insignia 65” Class F50 Series LED 4K UHD Smart Fire TV is a good option with DTS Virtual-X audio technology and a large 65-inch screen.

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