In case you've been living under a rock – or just live far away from your local pub – a little event called the FIFA World Cup is on.
You know who has noticed? TV manufacturers and retailers. As What Hi-Fi?'s resident deals writer, my life over the last few months has been sifting through and sharing TV discounts that have inundated my inbox, been splashed across retailers' homepages and followed me around thanks to uncanny personalised ads.
But you know what deals have been conspicuously absent from most of the World Cup promotions? Soundbars, or, indeed, any form of home cinema sound system. This has thankfully been rectified somewhat by Amazon Prime Day, but in the lead-up to the World Cup, soundbar offers were few and far between and often not discounts worth shouting about.
And it feels like retailers are missing a trick here. While there have been some great TV deals over the World Cup period – notably 52 per cent off the LG C5, and Product of the Year Sony Bravia 8 II getting an £800 discount – and the TV might feel like the obvious upgrade, it might not always be the right one.
Should you buy a soundbar instead of a TV for the World Cup?
It's a personal decision about when you purchase a new TV, so if you want to buy one for the World Cup, feel free – there are certainly lots of great TV deals available now.
However, if you already own a decent OLED or have bought a new TV in the last few years, the upgrades that come from buying a new set may not be worth the hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds a new set could cost. You'd ideally want a substantial size increase or to jump up a price range in that case.
So if you're happy with the screen in your living room, you might want to look at improving another area: sound.
I likely don't need to explain the appeal of a big screen for the World Cup, but it is indeed only half of the audiovisual experience. If you want full immersion, then a good soundbar or sound system can bring the atmosphere of a stadium to your living room – cheers and chants can envelop you, the referee's whistle will cut through the noise and every ball in the back of the net will feel more impactful.
This is especially true if you're still using your TV's built-in speakers. TV audio is getting better – the Sony Bravia 8 II and Philips OLED910, in particular, are standouts – but we're yet to find one that can outmatch our favourite soundbars. And at their worst, even some flagship OLEDs can sound tinny and distorted, which is sure to dampen the experience somewhat, no matter how impressive your TV is.
It can also be far more economically viable to upgrade your sound rather than your TV, as cheap soundbars have gotten a lot better in recent years. Take a look at our best budget soundbars page and you'll see options from as low as £69 – with even Dolby Atmos support from around the £200 mark.
Luckily, thanks to the recent Amazon Prime Day, we finally have some impressive soundbar deals – and most of them are still live. Here are some of the best I've found that are still available:
MORE:
Find the best soundbar deals here
As well as the best Dolby Atmos soundbars
And here are the best TVs right now
