I’ve been PCMag’s home entertainment expert for over 10 years, covering both TVs and everything you might want to connect to them. I’ve reviewed more than a thousand different consumer electronics products including headphones, speakers, TVs, and every major game system and VR headset of the last decade. I’m an ISF-certified TV calibrator and a THX-certified home theater professional, and I’m here to help you understand 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and even 8K (and to reassure you that you don’t need to worry about 8K at all for at least a few more years).
The onn. Roku Smart Soundbar is a less expensive, Walmart-only version of the standard model, but cuts a few important corners to reach its lower price.
The $179.99 Roku Smart Soundbar is a very capable all-in-one sound system that incorporates a 4K media streamer in a stereo soundbar. The onn. Roku Smart Soundbar, available only at Walmart, appears to be the same exact device, but for a more affordable $129. While the two soundbars look the same, there is a distinct different in audio performance and remote functionality. After testing the two of them, we feel the standard model is worth the extra $50.
The onn. Roku Smart Soundbar is physically identical to the standard model, only black instead of dark gray. It measures the same 2.8 by 32.2 by 3.9 inches (HWD), weighs the same 5.5 pounds, and has the same trapezoidal profile with a cloth grille that wraps around the front and sides and a matte black plastic case that runs over the top and back. A multicolored LED indicator behind the front grille lights up to show when the soundbar is receiving a remote command or is in setup mode.
The back of the soundbar holds an HDMI input that supports audio return channel (ARC), an optical audio input, a USB port, a power connector (power, HDMI, and optical cables are included), and a reset button. The ARC support is important; it lets you connect the soundbar to your TV over HDMI and send all TV audio through it without running a separate optical cable. However, like the standard Roku soundbar, it doesn't have any HDMI inputs to let it serve as an HDMI switcher (like the JBL Link Bar).
The included remote is the first indication that this is a cheaper version of the Roku Smart Soundbar. The onn. version looks almost indistinguishable from the standard Roku soundbar's remote, except for the telltale lack of a pinhole near the top, between the Power and Menu/Back buttons. This is a simple Roku remote, not a Roku Voice Remote, so it doesn't have a pinhole microphone for using Roku's voice search features. More importantly, it doesn't wirelessly connect to the soundbar like the Roku Voice Remote. It only uses infrared transmissions, so you need to point the remote directly at the soundbar for it to work. The Roku Smart Soundbar, and most Roku TVs and higher-end media streamers, don't need line of sight with their remotes to function, which is significantly more convenient.
The rest of the remote is standard Roku fare. It features a prominent purple direction pad; playback controls; and dedicated service buttons for Hulu, Netflix, Roku Channel (Roku's own free content channel), and Vudu). A volume rocker and mute button sit on the right edge.
Aside from the remote, the onn. version of the Smart Soundbar cuts corners to get to its lower price by trimming the power output. This soundbar has the same stereo drivers as the Roku Smart Soundbar, but they're driven by a peak of 40 watts compared with the standard model's 60 watts.
For media streaming, the onn. Roku Smart Soundbar offers all of the same features as the regular Roku model. It's a 4K media streamer that can access most major services and plenty of different apps through the Roku Channel Store. The biggest video and music names are here, including Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Music, Apple TV, Google Play Movies & TV, Hulu, iHeartRadio, Netflix, Pandora, SiriusXM, Sling TV, Spotify, Tidal, and YouTube. Google Play Music and Twitch are missing from Roku's library, but it's otherwise a very good selection, with hundreds of other channels (Roku's term for apps) with much more specific focuses based on interest, network, region, and subject.
The onn. Roku Smart Soundbar supports 4K video with high dynamic range (HDR). It is compatible with HDR10, but not Dolby Vision.
Don't expect a great deal of bass at this price. The bass drum hits in our test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout," started to distort at only half volume, and sounded more like harsh pops. Of course, the Roku Smart Soundbar started distorting at just a third of its volume range, which tracks with the peak power difference between the two models. Either way, this distortion is most noticeable on tracks with very heavy sub-bass, and most other music isn't be affected nearly as much.
Like the standard Roku Smart Soundbar, you can augment the onn. model with a wireless subwoofer for the same price of the speaker itself. The onn. Roku Wireless Subwoofer is $129 and features the same 10-inch driver as the $179.99 Roku Wireless Subwoofer, but like the onn. soundbar, its peak power has been scaled back from 250 watts to 150 watts.
The lower power output of the onn. soundbar compared with the standard model doesn't seem to affect the bass response at all. Instead, it comes with more of a loss of some crispness in the high-mids and highs. This is unfortunate, because it gives the soundbar a slightly more crushed, blunt sound than its pricier sibling.
Yes' "Roundabout" sounds balanced on the onn. soundbar, though it isn't quite as clean as it is on the more powerful standard model. The opening acoustic guitar plucks get a bit of string texture, but they sound slightly flattened in the higher frequencies, as do the hi-hat and guitar strums. The bass and drums sit slightly in front of the other elements in the mix, but the vocals can still be clearly discerned. It isn't a bad sound, but it's a little more low-mids-focused than the regular Roku Smart Soundbar.
Video games and shows sound powerful on the onn. soundbar, thanks to its low-mids balance. Gunfire in The Outer Worlds is punchy and forceful, and dialogue from characters comes through clearly in conversations, but can be obscured in the middle of fights. The game's often ethereal orchestral soundtrack swells and sounds full here, offering a tangible improvement over TV speakers.
Watching The Flash with the onn. soundbar brings the lower parts of the soundtrack and various sci-fi sound effects to the forefront. It's a room-filling sound, but the whoosh when the Flash runs doesn't have the edge it should. Dialogue can be clearly discerned, but higher voices come across a bit flat.
The onn. Roku Smart Soundbar looks like a great deal, but it doesn't measure up to its pricier, non-Walmart sibling. It offers a number of the same features for $50 less, but that discount comes at the cost of a much more functional remote and crisper, cleaner high-end response. If you want a combination media streamer and soundbar, the standard Roku Smart Soundbar is a superior model across the board, and a PCMag Editors' Choice. And if you really want thunderous bass, the $180 TCL Alto 7+ is a surprisingly powerful soundbar that comes with its own wireless subwoofer out of the box.
The onn. Roku Smart Soundbar is a less expensive, Walmart-only version of the standard model, but cuts a few important corners to reach its lower price.
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I’ve been PCMag’s home entertainment expert for over 10 years, covering both TVs and everything you might want to connect to them. I’ve reviewed more than a thousand different consumer electronics products including headphones, speakers, TVs, and every major game system and VR headset of the last decade. I’m an ISF-certified TV calibrator and a THX-certified home theater professional, and I’m here to help you understand 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and even 8K (and to reassure you that you don’t need to worry about 8K at all for at least a few more years).
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