Roku Streambar

The smartest little TV double act since the Chuckle Brothers.

The Roku Streambar is an attractive option if you want 4K streaming and a good (but not great) speaker to enhance your TV’s audio.

Don’t let its size fool you -- the sound it pumps out is much better than most TVs’ internal speakers. If you’re happy with your current television’s picture quality, the Streambar is an excellent way to give its sound a boost. While it lacks thumping bass when using it to play music from your smartphone, it’s hard to deny the convenience of having basically three devices all in one.

This affordable soundbar/streamer is arguably the simplest way to improve your home video and audio at the same time.

If you want real home cinema thrills you still need to spend more than $130 on a soundbar -- although the Roku's ability to add the subwoofer and rear-channel speakers does give you a clear upgrade path if you want. The $130 Roku Streambar is for people who value small size and simplicity yet still want better sound and streaming for their TV. It's easy to connect and set up (one cable!), it's just as easy to use and its streamer behaves like an ordinary Roku in every respect. And that's a good thing.

Compromise is inherent in any two-in-one product. If you can compromise on audio, you’ll find the Roku Streambar to be a very good entertainment value.