The Compact Soundbar That Changed My TV Experience Is on Sale Again for Black Friday

Black Friday deal: The Roku Streambar SE is on sale for $79, $25 down from its usual price, at Amazon as part of its Black Friday sale. It already won me over thanks to its excellent sound quality, but now that it’s dropped in price, it’s a no-brainer for your home cinema setup.

When I reviewed Roku’s Streambar SE last year, I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this mini soundbar that has Roku’s entry-level 4K HDR streamer integrated into it. Given its compact size and relatively low price, I wasn’t expecting much, but it performed better than I imagined it would, so I thought I’d highlight it again given that it’s on sale for Black Friday as a limited-time deal on Amazon for $79, or 25% off its list price of $100.

When I say mini soundbar, I really do mean mini (Roku stopped making its top-end Streambar Pro speaker, which was substantially bigger). About the size of a small Bluetooth speaker, the Streambar SE measures 9.6 inches wide by 3.5 inches deep by 2.4 inches tall and weighs 2 pounds (907 grams). It’s designed to be paired with a smaller TV in your bedroom, home office or dorm room, and not your main living room TV (unless you have a tiny living room). I hooked it up to an old 42-inch Vizio I have in my home office, and it’s been a solid upgrade over my TV’s built-in speakers.

Roku Streambar SE specs

Here are the details about this compact soundbar.

• Streaming Resolution: 4K HDR/HDR10 Plus
• Drivers: Two 1.9-inch full-range drivers and a single bass port
• Compatibility: Works with any TV with HDMI-ARC or HDMI and optical ports
• Dimensions: 9.6 inches by 3.5 inches by 2.4 inches
• Weight: 2 pounds (907 grams)
• Included: Standard Roku remote and 2 AAA batteries, power adapter, high-speed HDMI cable, optical cable
• Wireless headphone support: Bluetooth 5.0
• Expandability: Can connect to a Roku Wireless Bass subwoofer for a 2.1 setup
• Additional features: Works with Roku Smart Home, Apple AirPlay, HomeKit, Google Home and Amazon Alexa
• Universal remote: Included Roku remote controls most TVs

My Roku Streambar SE setup

Setup is straightforward: It’s basically the same process as connecting any video streamer to your TV, although it helps to have an HDMI-ARC port to simplify things. (Most TVs released in the last 10 to 12 years have one HDMI port that’s labeled HDMI ARC or HDMI eARC.) If you don’t have ARC, there’s a workaround using an HDMI cable and an optical cable, but I didn’t have to deal with that.

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An upgrade over my TV speakers’ sound

I have Spectrum TV, and Roku has a Spectrum TV app that allows you to turn any Roku streamer into a cable TV box. For my listening test, I spent some time watching a few action movies, including Ant-Man and Nope, along with NFL Redzone, CNN and a bit of a Friends episode. I also used Roku’s Apple TV app and Peacock to watch an English Premier League match.

Maybe because my expectations were low, I was surprised by the amount of sound this little speaker was able to produce. While the Streambar SE doesn’t offer the greatest sound — it can output only so much bass through its dual 1.9-inch full-range drivers and single bass port — the speaker produces better audio than you’d think given its very compact size. It’s particularly strong in the midrange, producing loud, clear dialogue, and it delivers better sound than what you get from most TV speakers (by that I mean the speakers built into your TV). If you want more bass, you can link the speaker with Roku’s Wireless Bass subwoofer, but that separate sub will set you back $130.

I can’t say that the Streambar SE has the widest soundstage or that you get a whole lot of stereo separation. It doesn’t have the side-firing speakers of the step-up Streambar ($130), which earned a CNET Editors’ Choice award in 2023, nor can you pair it with Roku’s wireless rear speakers to create a surround system. But the quality is good enough to leave you feeling like you got a good deal, particularly if you were already going to shell out $30 or so for Roku’s Express 4K Plus or Streaming Stick 4K.

As far as sound modes go, you get a few presets to choose from, including Dialogue, Movie, Music, Night and Standard, and the speaker will cut the volume down on loud commercials. The soundbar is also equipped with Bluetooth, so you can connect headphones to it, plus Spotify Connect and Apple AirPlay support.

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I should note that the bundled remote is Roku’s more basic remote and not its step-up voice remote that lets you issue voice commands and voice search. However, you can download Roku’s mobile app for iOS and Android, which does support voice commands.

The Streambar SE offers 4K HDR10 and HDR10 Plus video streaming, but it doesn’t have support for Dolby Vision. My old Vizio isn’t even a 4K TV, so the Streambar SE’s video streaming capabilities are more than enough.

Why Roku’s Streambar SE makes a great gift

While Roku’s step-up Streambar ($130) certainly delivers better sound quality, the Streambar SE’s more compact size and affordable price give it a distinct appeal, particularly for those of us looking to upgrade the sound of a more modest-size TV, perhaps an older model like mine. The Streambar SE isn’t fancy, but the price is right for what it does.

To compare this with other options, check out our current list of the best soundbars available. And for more discounted tech, peruse our list of the best deals going on as we speak.