Roku’s new $179 soundbar doubles as a streaming device, works with most TVs

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  Roku's new Wireless Soundbar and Wireless Subwoofer. [credit: Valentina Palladino ]

Last year, Roku came out with wireless TV speakers so Roku TV users who wanted a better audio experience for their at-home movie marathons could have it. But the speaker duo only works with Roku TVs, severely limiting the number of people who could use one.

The company's latest audio endeavor is more democratic, and it offers more value. The new Roku Smart Soundbar is exactly what it sounds like—a soundbar that replaces your dull, built-in TV speakers with a higher-quality audio experience. It also has the technology of a Roku Ultra inside, so it acts as both an audio device and a streaming device that serves up 4K content and can do everything a regular Roku set-top box, stick, or TV could do.

But the best thing about the Roku Smart Soundbar is that it works with almost any television. It connects to your TV using either an HDMI ARC port or an optical audio port, both of which are commonplace on the newest TVs and TVs that are many years old. Once plugged in and set up (the setup process is just like that of a Roku streaming device), you can use the included voice remote to navigate Roku OS just like you would if you were using any other Roku device.

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