How long do owners say soundbars last?

Is your TV lacking audio punch? So a soundbar is a profitable investment. Of course, a soundbar can’t match a surround sound system, but it’s a simple upgrade that doesn’t take up much space. Most importantly, these compact speakers are dirt cheap, so much so that you can get some of the best soundbars on the market for under $200.

Money is money, so even if you opt for one of the cheaper options, it’s easy to assume that they will fail prematurely. So how long do owners say soundbars last on average? Well, it’s everywhere. The internal speakers rarely fail and can easily last for decades, according to one Redditor. However, for the other internal components, it’s a different story. A Reddit user named justthoughtfromme said that based on personal experience, a soundbar can last over 10 years, but he’s heard of cases where the units died within a year and a half.

This appears to be the case, as one Samsung soundbar owner reports that theirs lasted just over two years. Another complained that his unspecified Samsung died after six years. This latter delay seems to be more common. The biggest concern is that the technology itself is becoming outdated, according to one Redditor, who claims that its 9.2.4 soundbar has enough HDMI ports for now and supports Atmos, DTS, and TrueHD. But they expect their device to become obsolete after five or six years, as new audio standards emerge.

It is generally difficult to find accurate outage reports online. For example, although one user recounts how a subwoofer on their soundbar died within four hours, this isn’t a general concern for most. In fact, the owner who reported this indicated that they likely received a defective product. Most failures are related to connectivity issues.

One user owned a Vizio soundbar for six years before it started “losing inputs.” It wasn’t a total failure, as they reused it for their garage since the Bluetooth connection worked fine. Samsung soundbars are generally considered a good deal (the Samsung HW-Q900F was even voted the best soundbar by Consumer Reports), but many complaints concern connectivity issues.

In a Reddit thread about a Samsung bar failing after six years, one user claims theirs reached a similar lifespan before the subwoofer started having difficulty with the Bluetooth connection. One person managed to fix their subwoofer problem with a firmware update, while others weren’t so lucky. Another user even warns that some models, like the Samsung Q990D, are known for software issues. Still, you should always take these stories with a grain of salt, since people affected by early failures (common with all kinds of gadgets) are more likely to express their frustration online.

While there’s no clear consensus among owners on how long soundbars last, should you worry about them becoming obsolete overnight? Not necessarily. As long as you have something that supports current audio technologies (Dolby Atmos or DTS:X), you can get significant use out of it. It’s the same with connections: according to one Reddit user, as long as you have a soundbar with a newer HDMI standard, you may not need to upgrade, provided the soundbar works.

The same user expressed a generally optimistic attitude, saying that the only legitimate reason to upgrade is to be able to take advantage of the latest technology. Another echoed this sentiment, adding that upgrading is worth it if you’re adding more power or need a particular feature.

Still, with Dolby Atmos being the current standard, there’s no telling when something new will come on the scene. Even now, a soundbar without Dolby Atmos, for example, will simply reproduce the slightly older Dolby Digital signal. So, if you buy a modern soundbar, there is no need to worry about it disappearing soon.