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A lot of users may prefer using projectors over TVs due to the larger output. It’s also easy to carry around a projector to use in different parts of the house or even when you’re traveling. One downside of most projectors, though, is that the built-in speakers are generally weak and can ruin the viewing experience.

The best way to fix that is to get an external speaker like a soundbar. Soundbars pack in enough punch to fill a big room with immersive sound. However, having spent a good amount of money on a projector, you may not want to splurge again on a soundbar. If that sounds like you, here are some of the best budget soundbars for projectors that you can buy for under $200.

Before we get to the projectors, though, here are some other articles you may be interested in –

Let’s get to the soundbars now!

Don’t go just by the size of this soundbar. It’s tiny, but it packs in a punch when it comes to the sound output. You get powerful 50W speakers that can easily fill up a medium-sized room. you can even use it outdoors when you’re on a picnic. It connects via Bluetooth, RCA, Optical, or an AUX connection making it extremely versatile.

There’s also a USB-A port on the soundbar so you can just plug in a flash drive and start playing music if you want to. Apart from connecting to a projector, you can also use it with a TV. However, there’s no HDMI ARC support, so keep that in mind. The brand also bundles in a remote controller.

The only downside as pointed out by some users is that the volume levels are consistent when switching sources. So, if you’re on low volume and switch from your phone to the projector, it might just blast in full volume which can be annoying. If you can get past it, this is a great Bluetooth soundbar on a budget.

While this isn’t as compact as the Majority Bowfell speaker, the Sony S100F is quite small and can easily blend in with your projector when kept on a table or mounted on the wall. Sony says that this soundbar has something known as the bass reflex speaker for improved lows. It also has a voice enhancement feature that is useful when watching shows or movies.

Since there’s an HDMI port on this soundbar, you can take advantage of HDMI ARC when connected to your projector. Reviews say that the sound quality is generally nice with the bass not being as powerful despite Sony’s bold claims of extra bass. So, if you’re looking for that extra thump, you’re not going to find it with this soundbar.

You get an optical port as well as a USB-A port on the soundbar as other means of input making it quite versatile to use even with a TV.

Needless to say, the highlight of this soundbar from TCL is that it supports Dolby Audio for an immersive surround sound experience. The wireless subwoofer ensures the bass is handled well. The presence of Bluetooth means you can also stream music via your smartphone when you’re not using it with your projector.

Speaking of using it with the projector, you can take advantage of the HDMI ARC support but some users have complained that there was no sound output when connecting it via HDMI. So, they had to resort to using the optical port. As a result, you would have to use two different remotes to control the projector and the soundbar.

Another thing to note is that the presence of the subwoofer means it’s not easy to shift to other parts of your house or you cannot use it outdoors frequently.

The Samsung HW-S50B is one of the best wireless soundbars that you can get for under $200. We say wireless mainly because it has support for Bluetooth multi-point connection; so you can pair more than one device at once to use with this soundbar. If your projector has Bluetooth, you can pair that and a smartphone as well to listen to music whenever you want.

Of course, Dolby 5.1 and DTS audio are the main highlights of this soundbar. If you don’t want to use it in the wireless config, you can always resort to using the HDMI ARC port to connect it to your projector. You can also use it with your TV this way so if you have both devices, you can either switch the cables or connect both via Bluetooth.

The menus for the various settings and modes are slightly hard to figure out as per the reviews but the sound quality is excellent.

Don’t get us wrong, it’s not that the Yamaha SR-B20A doesn’t have any useful features at all. It can connect via Bluetooth, it has an HDMI ARC port, and an optical in to connect to a TV. That is pretty much all you need in a soundbar that you connect to your projector. In terms of sound quality, this soundbar trumps all the other options on this list.

It sounds as good as some other soundbars that are much more expensive so it seems like Yamaha’s expertise in the audio department is evident here. The one slight con mentioned by some users is that the included remote controller only works when you’re directly in line with the soundbar. This is a limitation of the IR receiver so we wish Yamaha provided a Bluetooth controller instead.

Generally, soundbars are placed in front of the screen facing towards you. Try to find a place in front of you where you can keep the soundbar so that the sound output is right in front of you.

Yes, most projectors have a port for audio input. However, ensure your specific model has audio input via the HDMI port, 3.5mm jack, or optical port before you pick up a soundbar. Some projectors can even connect to speakers via Bluetooth.

Watching content on a huge screen via a projector is always an enjoyable experience. However, poor audio can often ruin the experience. To fix that, you can get any of these soundbars for your projector on a budget and improve the sound quality by a huge margin.

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DJI was founded by Frank Wang in 2006.

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