Best Soundbar for Movies vs Gaming: What to Look For

Not all soundbars are built for the same job. A soundbar that makes movies sound incredible isn't always the best pick for gaming, and vice versa. Here's what actually matters for each use case, and which PRISM+ soundbar fits.

What Matters for Movies

For an immersive, cinema-like experience at home, look out for:

• Dolby Atmos & Dolby TrueHD support — these formats create height and directional audio, so sound moves around (and above) you instead of just left-to-right.

• More channels — soundbars with up-firing and side-firing speakers (not just a front bar) spread sound more convincingly around the room.

• eARC support — this passes uncompressed, high-bitrate audio from your TV to the soundbar, which is what Dolby Atmos and TrueHD need to sound their best.

• Power output — more peak power generally means more headroom for loud action scenes without distortion.

What Matters for Gaming

Gaming has different priorities:

• HDMI passthrough (HDMI In ports) — lets you plug your console directly into the soundbar, which then passes video to your TV. This is handy if you want to connect multiple sources (console, streaming box) without hogging your TV's HDMI ports.

• HDMI 2.1 / eARC — needed to keep up with next-gen console features like 4K at high refresh rates, without a bottleneck on the audio return path.

• Bluetooth version — a newer Bluetooth standard (5.3 vs 5.1) generally means a more stable wireless connection, useful if you're pairing other audio devices alongside your setup.

PRISM+ Soundbar Comparison

All four models come with a wireless subwoofer.

Which One Should You Get?

For movies: The Symphony is the clear pick if you want the full home cinema effect — 5.1.2ch with side-firing and up-firing speakers, Dolby Atmos and TrueHD support, and 760W of peak power for room-filling sound. If you want the same Atmos/TrueHD experience at a lower channel count and more accessible price, the Rhythm is a strong alternative.

For gaming: If you want to plug your console straight into your soundbar and pass video through to your TV, go for the Ripple or Symphony — both offer HDMI passthrough with ARC/eARC. If you're connecting your console directly to the TV instead and just want strong audio return, the Rhythm's HDMI 2.1 output with eARC keeps up nicely.

For casual use: If you mainly want an upgrade over your TV's built-in speakers without needing full Atmos immersion or HDMI passthrough, the Flow covers the essentials — Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus support, HDMI ARC, and a wireless subwoofer, at a more accessible peak power of 240W.

At the end of the day, whether you're chasing explosions in surround sound or you want your