Best audio gear under $500

August 17, 2022 Ty Pendlebury av, headphones, receivers, sony, speaker, speakers

Best soundbar with Alexa


Yamaha YAS-209
    $350 at Crutchfield
    Best headphones for music lovers
    Sennheiser HD 6XX
    $220 at Drop
Best-sounding budget speakers


Q Acoustics 3030i
    $499 at Amazon
    Best turntable
    Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo
    $499 at Crutchfield
    Best wireless stereo system
    Sonos One Two Room Set $400/pair
    $199 at Sonos

    Best subwoofer under $500
    SVS SB-1000
    $499 at Amazon
    Best music software
    Roon
    $120 at Roon
    Best budget DAC/headphone amp
    AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt
    $300 at Amazon

    We’re all under more stress and spending a lot of time at home, and nothing eases the mind like some new music. But what if you want those tunes to sound seriously better? If you’re looking to give your ears and soul a real treat during these troubled times, there’s no better investment than upgraded audio.?
    Here, I’ve chosen audio products that represent the best of their respective categories under $500, with a heavy focus on sound quality. They include my favorite?headphones, music players, receivers,?speakers?and more, and many of them cost way less than half a grand. I’ll update this as I review new products. Enjoy.
    Read more:?Best Wi-Fi speakers of 2020?

Sarah Tew/CNET

Best soundbar with Alexa

Yamaha YAS-209

Dec 2020

    The Yamaha YAS-209 is the best-sounding smart soundbar I’ve heard yet. It performs equally well with movies and music, and the provision of HDMI ports and the ability to command Alexa along the way seal the deal.

Read our Yamaha YAS-209 review.

    $350 at Crutchfield
    $350 at Amazon
    $350 at Best Buy

    Sarah Tew/CNET
    Best headphones for music lovers
    Sennheiser HD 6XX

    Originally manufactured as the high-end?Sennheiser HD 650, this $195 Drop-exclusive update brings the audiophile-friendly headphone to a more affordable level. The sound is smooth, yet still detailed and with plenty of bass, and the fit is crazy-comfortable. The HD 6XX would make a great addition to your home theater — watching TV with these is like nothing I’ve experienced before, as the sound stage is so lifelike. The only thing to note is that they’ll need a good headphone amp or high-end receiver to make the most of them. It pairs exceptionally well with the $175?Massdrop X Alex Cavalli Tube Hybrid Amp.
    Read our Sennheiser HD 6XX preview.

$220 at Drop

Sarah Tew/CNET

Best-sounding budget speakers

Q Acoustics 3030i

Nov 2020

    If you want a set of detailed speakers for not very much money, it’s a toss-up between the Q Acoustics 3030i and the Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2. The Q Acoustics get a slight edge because they are a little more tolerant of budget equipment. Pair these speakers with the system of your choice and they will last you a decade or more.

Read our Q Acoustics 3030i review.

    $499 at Amazon

    Ty Pendlebury/CNET
    Best turntable
    Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo

    With its excellent feature set, solid build and winning sound, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo is the?turntable to buy for under $500. A great record player for the money.
    Read our best turntables under $1,000 roundup.

    $499 at Crutchfield


    Sarah Tew/CNET
    Best receiver for the money

     Sony STR-DN1080

    The Sony STR-DN1080 is a former CNET Editors’ Choice winner. It offers pretty much every feature you want from a modern audio hub — Chromecast, Atmos, Bluetooth — and it sounds great too. At the moment it’s $130 cheaper than our current Editors’ Choice, the?Onkyo TX-NR696, and better still it’s actually in stock..

Read our Sony STR-DN1080 review.

    Ty Pendlebury/CNET
    Best wireless stereo system
    Sonos One Two Room Set $400/pair

    I’ve written a lot about the Sonos One, it’s a great little speaker, but things get even better when you pair two together. If you have a single One, adding a second is the most cost-effective upgrade you can make: The sound is bigger and the bass is punchier. Add in Alexa and Google Assistant capability plus a great app and you have a fully formed, easy-to-use system. (Note that pricing below is for a single speaker.)
    $199 at Sonos

    SVS
    Best subwoofer under $500
    SVS SB-1000

    I’ve used a lot of subwoofers in my time, but nothing has so far matched SVS in terms of value for money. I use the larger?SB-4000 as part of the CNET test system, but the SB-1000 is a great little sub for what you pay. It’s compact and offers satisfyingly deep bass for both movies and music. It makes a great companion to single soundbars with a sub out connection too.
    $499 at Amazon

    Screenshot: Ty Pendlebury
    Best music software
    Roon

    If there’s one audio product I use every single day it’s Roon. It’s a multiroom controller, desktop player, music collection aggregator and a music discovery service all in one, and it’s excellent. Whether it’s listening to music at work, testing a new audio component or putting sleep sounds on for my kid, I’m using Roon. It has gorgeous design and a high level of customization. It combines the contents of your NAS, iTunes and Tidal?or?Qobuz libraries and streams them to whichever wireless speakers you have — Chromecast built-in, Sonos, Apple AirPlay or Roon Ready. Sure, at $120 a year the software costs more than any other comparable player, but that’s because it’s also the best.
    Read our look at Roon.

    $120 at Roon

    AudioQuest
    Best budget DAC/headphone amp
    AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt

    AudioQuest makes three excellent USB DACs — the Black, Red and Cobalt — but as you’d expect the most expensive is also the best. It’s able to drive any headphone you throw at it resulting in a powerful, confident performance. If you’re working from home, it’s one of the best upgrades you can make for listening to music.
    Read our AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt hands-on.

    $300 at Amazon



    Best universal remote

     Logitech Harmony Elite Remote

    It’s not an audio product per se, but a universal remote improves the experience of using an AV receiver so much, it’s pretty much a required accessory in my book. There are plenty of remote options out there — Caavo, Amazon Cube — but as a long-term Harmony user the one I like best is the Harmony Elite. Unlike the competitors it doesn’t require you to rewire your system, just add a little IR hub and fire up your smartphone. It works with almost every product on the market, and it’s easy to use.

Read our Logitech Harmony Elite review.

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