I review soundbars for a living – my 2025 top pick isn't Sonos, surprisingly

When I'm not immersed in music via a pair of the best headphones, or spinning tunes from my Pioneer setup, I'll quite often listen to tunes using one of the best soundbars instead.

It'll depend on whether work takes me out of my home office and downstairs for some TV testing, usually. Right now, it's very much TV season, though, with the best OLED models forming an orderly queue for my review process.

Having recently commissioned a piece about the best single-box soundbar solutions that deliver spatial audio, it got me thinking about my personal favourite of the year. Or, quite possibly, ever. And, perhaps to the surprise of many, it isn't a Sonos.

Yes, the Sonos Arc Ultra is clearly a 5-star product, as stated in my review. But then Marshall dropped a bombshell with its Heston 120 newcomer earlier this year – which exceeded my expectations in so many ways and, right now, would be my single-box pick above all else. Here's why:

What are the best single-box soundbars?

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After some back and forth, my experienced audio expert freelancer and I settled on the fact that, if you want a one-box soundbar solution at the moment, then you're going to want either a KEF XIO (very expensive), a Sonos Arc Ultra (expensive), or a Marshall Heston 120 (still expensive, but the least of the three).

There's something of a problem with both the KEF and the Sonos, though: neither has HDMI passthrough. Which, considering their pricing, is quite a shocker, really. The Marshall? It's HDMI 2.1 passthrough caters for 4K at 120Hz, no problems, as it's the current top spec.

Not everyone is going to need passthrough, granted, but its purpose is to take one of the other new-fangled tech boxes you have beneath your TV and, in effect, provide an additional HDMI socket. It's a semi-solution for one of the bugbears I have with modern tellies (see: Dear TVs, We Have An HDMI Problem That Really Needs Fixing).

Not only does the Marshall have this, it's got the usual HDMI eARC port to effortlessly handle audio sync between soundbar and display. That's a current standard that any soundbar at this price point should deliver.

So why is the Marshall best?

A soundbar being best isn't going to be solely related to how many ports it has, mind, but it's the first obvious one-up the Heston 120 has under its belt. The marginally lower price point, too, marks another.

Visually, it's a striking aesthetic too. Not everyone is going to love it, but I'm so here for Marshall's point of difference. Oh, and it's got a unique physical control panel that no other maker offers too.

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But above all else, the Heston 120 is a winner because it sounds bloomin' amazing. You don't need a soundbar with a separate subwoofer if you own one of these, because the bass is just so massive from the one box.

It's no out-of-control bass either: Marshall's many years of experience show, with handling that lends itself well to music or movies, which is a plus point for any soundbar beyond just being good with a TV connection.

There are full surround systems out there, such as the Samsung HW-Q990F, which adds a sub and two rear speaker separates all in the one package. This is great for true surround, of course, as speakers physically sit around you – and no single-box solution can beat that.

But I don't really want a load of speakers plugged in around my living room, as it's not best designed for it. So the Marshall really suits in that regard. Plus, it can decode Dolby Atmos and DTS:X three-dimensional formats, delivering a decent sense of height and width for grander immersion.

The Heston 120's speakers are in a 5.1.2 arrangement, meaning five cater for centre, left/right, side left/right; one is central for bass output; while two true upfiring ones bring the height. It's fully formed, taking on many of the best-of-best large, loud and immersive 'bars on the market.

All of which is why the Marshall Heston 120 gets my vote as soundbar of the moment. It missed the deadline for the T3 Awards 2025, but if there was ever a shout for a 2026 candidate then, well, this is certainly it...