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5 Onn Soundbars: Ranked and Reviewed

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5 Onn Soundbars: Ranked and Reviewed

Key Points

  • The Onn 30-inch 2.0 soundbar is the best overall purchase.
  • Users looking for Atmos sound should pick the wireless 3.1 Onn soundbar.
  • The 2.1 soundbar comes with an included subwoofer.
  • The 5.1.2 sound bar supports surround and Atmos sound.
  • The 2.0 LED soundbar is a great choice for adding some color to your home theater.

Onn soundbars are one of the lowest-cost options to get an external sound solution. The brand itself is an in-house solution for Walmart, making everything from mousepads to televisions. Their soundbars are of particular interest due to the features on offer.

So, today’s guide will be taking a closer look at what Onn has to offer in terms of soundbars, as well as which one is the best bang for your buck. The manufacturer currently has five products available for purchase in terms of soundbars.

Onn soundbars are very much a budget consideration when looking at external audio solutions for your home viewing. Soundbars are a great choice if you are limited in space but still want the power and clarity afforded by external speakers.

Most modern TVs have support for soundbars, provided they have HDMI eARC or other means of connectivity. However, there are soundbars that support wireless connectivity, which Onn definitely does support for Bluetooth connections.

Onn Soundbars: Comparison

Onn 30-inch 2.0 SoundbarOnn 37-inch 3.1 Atmos Soundbar
Channels23 with an additional subwoofer
Speakers26
Included ComponentsSoundbarSoundbar, Wireless subwoofer
WirelessYesYes
InputsAux in, optical audio, RCAHDMI, optical, USB, Aux in
HDMINoYes
Onn 42-inch 5.1.2 SoundbarOnn 20-inch LED Soundbar
Channels52
Speakers102
Included ComponentsSoundbar, SubwooferSoundbar
WirelessYesYes
InputsHDMI, Optical, USB, Aux, EthernetOptical, Aux In, USB
HDMIYesNo
Onn 36-inch 2.1 Soundbar with Built-In Subwoofer
Channels2
Speakers2, additional built-in subwoofer
Included ComponentsSoundbar
WirelessYes
InputsHDMI, Optical, Aux In
HDMIYes

About Onn Soundbars

Now, Onn soundbars aren’t going to be at the top of your list in terms of audio clarity or frequency response. What you do get when choosing an Onn soundbar is an affordable solution to provide some powered audio to your home viewing setup.

Not every user can afford the latest and greatest hardware, so having low-cost options can be great. That said, if you are looking at upgrading, Walmart does have other options to fit a variety of budgets.

  • #1 Best Purchase Overall: Onn 30-inch 2.0 Soundbar
  • Best for Atmos Compatibility: Onn 37-inch 3.1 Soundbar
  • Best for Surround Sound: Onn 42-inch 5.1.2. Soundbar
  • Best for Mood Lighting: Onn 20-inch LED Soundbar
  • Best for Included Subwoofer: Onn 36-inch 2.1 Soundbar with Built-In Subwoofer

#1 Best Purchase Overall: Onn 30-inch 2.0 Soundbar

Sonos Beam vs Bose Soundbar 300
The Onn 30-inch 2.0 Soundbar has 2 internal speakers and a 120W peak output.

©MAV_malaga/Shutterstock.com

Onn’s most basic soundbar is likely its best offering. Sure, it doesn’t provide HDMI connectivity, but it provides quick and easy connectivity. The 30-inch 2.0 soundbar is designed to take advantage of Roku TVs and Roku streaming devices.

If you’re already using a Roku device, this means you should be able to connect to the soundbar wirelessly. It would be nice to see HDMI connectivity, but you could go with optical audio just as easily. The 30-inch 2.0 soundbar is extremely affordable, coming in at just $36.00 new.

ProsCons
It is compatible with Roku devices.This soundbar has no HDMI inputs.
The 2.0 soundbar is easy to set up and use.The wireless reception can be spotty.

Best for Atmos Compatibility: Onn 37-inch 3.1 Soundbar

Budget brands aren’t usually the first thought when it comes to Atmos sound. However, the 3.1 channel soundbar from Onn comes with native support for Atmos audio.

You get access to a lot more speakers than the basic soundbar, with six in total. Onn has also included a wireless subwoofer in the package.

Connectivity for this higher-cost unit is quite good; you get access to HDMI inputs, as well as wireless options. The subwoofer isn’t the best, but given the overall price point of $169.00, it can be forgiven.

ProsCons
It has native support for Dolby Atmos.The included subwoofer is a bit lacking in power.
This soundbar has HDMI inputs.Wireless connectivity can be hit or miss.

Best for Surround Sound: Onn 42-inch 5.1.2. Soundbar

This 5.1.2 channel soundbar is the most expensive in the whole Onn lineup. You do get access to a fully wireless setup in addition to Dolby Atmos and lighter surround sound applications. The bass response is a bit better here than with the 3.1-channel soundbar.

However, if you’re looking for accurate surround sound applications, you might want to look elsewhere. As it stands, this is an affordable entry point into surround sound. It does come with all the requisite inputs to take advantage of modern streaming media.

ProsCons
It supports five channels of audio.The packaged speakers aren’t of the best quality.
The included subwoofer has a pretty solid bass response.This soundbar is higher in cost than the 3.1 channel, with only marginal increases to audio quality.

Best for Mood Lighting: Onn 20-inch LED Soundbar

The 20-inch LED soundbar isn’t of the best quality. As you might expect, the biggest selling point of this soundbar is the included lighting. The LEDs look great and can provide some wonderful accenting to your home viewing area.

This soundbar is perfectly adequate for casual viewing, music listening, and a host of other activities. Users looking for more audio fidelity would likely be better suited to choosing a higher-grade soundbar from Onn.

ProsCons
The LED lights work quite well and look nice.This soundbar is missing vital connectivity for HDMI.
It doesn’t take up a lot of physical space.The quality of the speakers could be better.

Best for Included Subwoofer: Onn 36-inch 2.1 Soundbar with Built-In Subwoofer

The last of the Onn soundbars featured on this list is another simple two-channel option. What really sets the 36-inch one apart from the rest of the product line is the inclusion of a built-in subwoofer. Onn has taken care to make sure this particular soundbar doesn’t take up a huge amount of room in your viewing area.

That said, the included subwoofer is a bit lacking in power, as you might expect from something enclosed in a soundbar housing. The bass response is quite nice, even if there isn’t that low rumble you might expect with boomier sub-bass frequencies.

ProsCons
The soundbar doesn’t take up a lot of room.The subwoofer doesn’t have as much bass response as a dedicated unit.
Onn has built the subwoofer into the enclosure.The speaker quality is average.

Picking the Right Onn Soundbar For You

onn soundbars
HDMI is the most reliable method of connecting to a soundbar.

©Johnnie Rik/Shutterstock.com

How do you pick the right soundbar for your home viewing? This can be a bit of a difficult question to answer, so let’s instead take a look at some considerations. When picking a soundbar, you’ll likely want something that readily integrates into your home theater.

However, not all soundbars are made equal. So, you’ll likely want to keep an eye on a handful of features. These are as follows:

  • Input Ports
  • Audio Codecs
  • Overall Power

Input Ports

Now, input ports are a very basic thing to keep in mind. This is what actually delivers audio to your soundbar. That said, most of the basic offerings from Onn don’t have great input options. As such, it might be worth looking at some of the options over $100 to get HDMI inputs.

The reason you want to aim for HDMI inputs for your soundbar is so you get less overall compression and better sound quality for your viewing experience. HDMI has higher throughput, so it delivers more data at a faster rate than something like an analog auxiliary connection.

Audio Codecs

Now, most of the featured soundbars aren’t going to have great support for the plethora of audio codecs in use by modern TVs. This is to be expected, as Onn mainly creates soundbars for a certain price point. However, they do provide some options with Dolby Atmos support.

As such, you might want to opt for one of the more expensive soundbars if you’d like to move past simple stereo audio. Soundbars aren’t going to give an accurate portrayal of spatial audio, but they do a fair job.

Overall Power

onn soundbars
Soundbars come vary greatly when considering power consumption.

©ronstik/Shutterstock.com

The overall power output of your soundbar can reveal quite a bit about how detailed the audio is going to be coming from the speakers. While higher-quality soundbars generally use more power, it is important to note that more power isn’t necessarily indicative of higher-grade speakers.

Also, you will want to check your electrical system before using a high-output speaker system. Soundbars can use a lot of power, and if you’ve got an older home it might be a concern if you’re not wanting to trip the breakers.

Using a Soundbar: What Is It Like?

Using a soundbar is like using any other sort of external speaker. You’ll need power and a reliable connection. Soundbars are a great choice because they have a much more compact footprint than a set of speakers for surround sound.

Onn soundbars typically come with optical audio or HDMI inputs. Also, most Onn soundbars have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth wireless capability. As such, you can sync it up to a compatible TV and get rolling in no time. You will have to control the volume separately on a soundbar, however.

Onn soundbars aren’t going to top anyone’s list for the best soundbars on the market. Despite this, they are perfectly functional and might be a better choice than the poor speakers found on many TVs. Walmart has a fairly solid return policy, so you could always swap it out if it doesn’t suit your needs.

Summary Table

RankSoundbarKey FeaturesDrawbacks
#1Onn 30-inch 2.0 SoundbarCompatible with Roku devices, easy to set up and use.No HDMI inputs, spotty wireless reception.
#2Onn 37-inch 3.1 SoundbarNative support for Dolby Atmos, HDMI inputs.Lacking power in the included subwoofer, hit or miss wireless connectivity.
#3Onn 42-inch 5.1.2. SoundbarSupports five channels of audio, solid bass response from the included subwoofer.Packaged speakers aren’t of the best quality, higher in cost with only marginal increases to audio quality.
#4Onn 20-inch LED SoundbarLED lights work well and look nice, doesn’t take up a lot of physical space.Missing vital connectivity for HDMI, speaker quality could be better.
#5Onn 36-inch 2.1 Soundbar with Built-In SubwooferDoesn’t take up a lot of room, built-in subwoofer.Subwoofer doesn’t have as much bass response as a dedicated unit, average speaker quality.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Onn soundbars with my PC?

If your PC has compatible outputs, then you certainly can use it.

Do Onn soundbars fare well against other options?

Truthfully, no, they are very average. If you can stretch your budget, options like a Samsung or Vizio could be a better fit.

Are Onn soundbars good for gaming?

They are passable for gaming purposes. If you’re wanting better sound clarity for gaming, a headset might be a great inexpensive option.

Is Onn compatible with Roku devices?

Some soundbars from Onn have native Roku compatibility.

Are Onn soundbars capable of using ethernet cables?

Some are, but most will have optical audio, Wi-Fi, and 3.5mm audio inputs, however.

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