Upgrade Your TV With the Roku Streambar, Now a Prime Day Deal [CNET]

You don’t need to buy a TV to get better audio from your existing setup.

The best deal obviously doesn’t mean the best product. During Black Friday a few years ago I scored a 65-inch 4K TV for only $250, and as much as I was excited to get such a great deal, I soon faced a very real truth: You get what you pay for.

After a few months, I already had pretty major issues with the TV: The audio from the speakers was bad, the smart TV interface was lagging terribly, and lots of apps were missing from the built-in app store. I knew it would have some compromises, but I didn’t think the truth would hit this hard this quick.

The TV felt almost unusable, and I was considering getting a new one, but I was still pretty happy with the size and resolution, so instead I thought it might just be better to update the aspects I felt were lacking.

And that’s where the Roku Streambar comes in, which is currently $118, or 9% off, for Prime Day.

Unlike your regular streaming player, the Roku Streambar is both a streaming device and a high-quality soundbar. The Streambar features Roku’s streaming player, which offers 4K HDR streaming for your TV, along with a library of applications like Max, Disney Plus and Netflix, and you can get live and local TV channels, as well as live sports. The Roku streaming interface doesn’t lag like the one on my TV, and it also has many of the apps that were missing, so that’s two upgrades right there.

And on the audio side, you have a four-speaker soundbar with Dolby Audio. I placed the Roku Streambar right in front of my TV, and the difference in sound is stark: the dialogue is crisper; sound effects are louder and clearer. I feel much more immersed in the shows and movies I watch than when using the built-in speakers.

The Roku Streambar does lack a bit of the bass I wanted, so I paired it with a Roku Wireless Bass (there’s a bundle package you can get, currently $219) for the low tones. You can even add multiple Roku Wireless Speakers ($149) for a full surround sound experience, but that’s overkill for my apartment, so I’m happy with just the Streambar and Wireless Bass, which have both upgraded my watching experience — and I didn’t even have to get a new TV.

Not yet, anyway.