A Soundbar Works Without a Sub; Add One for the Lowest Bass

A soundbar sold without a subwoofer is designed to play on its own; adding a sub takes the bass lower. JBL’s own specs show the size of the step: the same bar drivers are rated down to 50Hz alone and to 40Hz with a 10-inch sub. And a sub is not a universal add-on. Each maker we read names only its own wireless subs, and only for listed bars.

What a sub adds, in the makers’ numbers

Of the five makers whose pages we read, JBL is the one that publishes a low-frequency figure for its bars, and it does so for two bars built on the same drivers: five 42×80mm racetrack drivers and four 0.75-inch tweeters. The Bar 300MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) has nothing else, and JBL rates it 50Hz–20kHz. The Bar 500MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) adds a wireless sub with a 10-inch driver, and JBL rates the system 40Hz–20kHz. Both figures are at −6dB, so read them as a comparison between the two, not as the point where sound stops.

Sonos describes the job rather than the number. It says the Sub 4 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) “takes over the lowest frequencies so your paired soundbar or speakers can deliver high and mid frequencies with even greater clarity”, and rates both the Sub 4 and the smaller Sub Mini (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) “as low as 25 Hz”. On the Sonos Arc Ultra page we found no frequency figure for the bar itself, so Sonos gives no number to set beside that 25.

The others say “more”. Samsung’s HW-S60D page: “If you want more bass in addition to the built-in subwoofer, you can add the compatible SWA-W510 Wireless Subwoofer.” Sony on the HT-S2000: add a Sony sub “for more low-end impact”.

Which bars come with one

Labels do not settle it. The .1 in a channel label counts a subwoofer channel, as our explainer on Atmos labels such as 3.1.2 sets out, but Sony sells the HT-S2000 as “3.1ch (Built-in-Subwoofer)” with no separate box, and Samsung calls the 5.0-channel HW-S60D’s bass driver a “built-in subwoofer”. Check the box contents.

Soundbar	Separate sub in the box?	Optional sub the maker names (US list price, 14 Oct)	Lowest figure the maker states
JBL Bar 300MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	No	None named on its page	50Hz (−6dB), bar alone
JBL Bar 500MK2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	Yes, 10-inch	—	40Hz (−6dB), bar and sub
Sonos Arc Ultra (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	No	Sub 4 ($899) or Sub Mini ($499); or two Sub 4s	None for the bar; subs “as low as 25 Hz”
Sony HT-S2000	No	SA-SW3 ($449.99) or SA-SW5	None stated
Samsung HW-S60D (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	No	SWA-W510 ($299.99)	None stated
Samsung HW-Q990H	Yes, with rear speakers	—	None stated
Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar	No	Bass Module 500 or 700 (700: $899); or two of one model	None stated

Sony’s BRAVIA Theater Bar 6 is sold as a 3.1.2-channel bar with a wireless subwoofer in the box, and it is not on the SA-SW3 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)’s list of compatible systems, which names the Bar 7, 8 and 9. Buying a bar with a sub in the box is one decision; buying a bar that can take one later is another, and the averaged scores on our soundbar shortlist do not separate them.

Will another brand’s sub work?

Not on the bars we checked. These subs pair wirelessly, each over its maker’s own link, and none of the makers documents a way to pair a rival’s.

• Sony answers its own FAQ question “Can I use the SA-SW3 with any soundbar?” with “No”, and lists the Sony systems it is designed for.
• Sonos pairs Sub Mini with “most amplified Sonos products” and lists them by name: Sonos speakers, soundbars and components, plus IKEA’s SYMFONISK range. Its article on third-party subwoofers covers the Amp and Connect:Amp, which have a wired RCA sub output with a 50–110Hz crossover on the Amp. It describes no such output on its soundbars.
• Samsung names one compatible sub per model in its spec lists, the SWA-W510 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) for the HW-S60D, and pairs them with an ID SET routine between bar and sub.
• Bose says its bass modules and the Smart Ultra Soundbar “can be mixed and matched”, meaning Bose with Bose.

Before you buy a sub, find it named on your soundbar’s own spec page or support list. A sub from the same maker is not enough on its own: Samsung’s HW-S60D lists the SWA-W510, and Sony’s Bar 6 is missing from the SA-SW3’s list.

When the extra box is worth it

The makers sell subs on bass you feel: Sonos’s Arc Ultra page says to pair a Sub or Sub Mini “to feel every beat, roar, and rumble in your chest”, and its Sub 4 page pitches music as well as films. Where the sub goes matters as much as which one. Bose says to put a bass module on the floor, against the same wall as the TV and bar, not on a shelf; closer to walls and corners for more bass, further out for less. Sonos says the Sub 4 can stand by a wall or lie flat under a sofa, and that its Trueplay tuning measures the room.

A sub connects to the bar, not the TV, so it changes nothing about what the TV can send; that link is ARC or eARC.

Questions people ask

Does a soundbar need a subwoofer?

No, if it was sold without one: Sony, for example, says its HT-S2000 does not need a separate sub. A sub adds the lowest bass. JBL rates the same bar drivers to 50Hz on their own and to 40Hz with a 10-inch sub. Some bars, such as Samsung’s HW-Q990H, come with a sub in the box.

Can I add a subwoofer to any soundbar?

With the five makers we checked, only to one the bar’s maker lists. Samsung names the SWA-W510 for the HW-S60D, Sony lists the SA-SW3 and SA-SW5 for the HT-S2000, and Sonos lists which of its products pair with Sub Mini. If your bar’s spec page names no compatible sub, ask its maker before buying one.

Can I use a different brand of subwoofer with my soundbar?

Not with the bars we checked. Sony answers “No” when asked whether the SA-SW3 works with any soundbar. Sonos documents a third-party sub only on its Amp and Connect:Amp, through a wired RCA output, not on its soundbars. Samsung and Bose name only their own subs.

What does a subwoofer add to a soundbar?

Lower bass, and in Sonos’s description it takes over the lowest frequencies so the bar can concentrate on mids and highs. In JBL’s own figures, adding a 10-inch sub to the same bar drivers moves the rated low end from 50Hz to 40Hz.

Can you use two subwoofers with a soundbar?

On some. Sonos lists two Sub 4s, or a Sub 4 with a Sub (Gen 3), for Arc Ultra, Arc, Beam and Ray. Bose allows two bass modules on the Smart Ultra Soundbar if they are the same model: two Bass Module 700s or two 500s, not one of each.

Where should a soundbar subwoofer go?

Bose says on the floor, against the same wall as the TV and soundbar, not on a shelf or table; closer to walls and corners for more bass, further out for less. Sonos says the Sub 4 can stand by a wall or lie flat under a sofa.