High-quality audio no longer requires multiple speakers and eye-wateringly expensive products. Instead, you can elevate TV shows and films with a soundbar.

Soundbars are long, slim speakers that can be mounted on the wall beneath your TV or placed flat on a TV stand, and enhance the audio of your TV's built-in speakers.

While they may sound fancy, getting hold of a good one needn't cost you a fortune – so we've handpicked the 12 affordable designs, all under £250.

Featuring big-name retailers such as Amazon and Curry's, each offer easy assembly and speedy connectivity.

This highly-rated Denon soundbar has more than 500 reviews on Amazon. One happy shopper said: "The sound is rich and punchy with a solid bass from the subwoofer, and the power of the unit is more than enough to fill the room (21ft by 12ft). The sound quality far exceeds that of my hi-fi and has basically made it redundant."

This soundbar provides excellent audio but also allows you to stream movies and TV shows through Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney +, ITV Hub, All4, Apple TV+, Prime Video, NOW TV, BT Sport and more. You can also set it up with Alexa or Google Assistant to use voice control for changing channels, volume and power.

Another top-rated device on Amazon, this soundbar is less than £100. Thanks to its powerful subwoofer, you can enjoy high-quality, immersive audio, including deep bass. You can also use it to connect your smartphone and gaming via optical, AUX, Bluetooth, and USB audio.

Bring blockbuster sound to your home with this soundbar from Sonos. With fast WiFi connectivity, music streaming capability and a simple setup, it's a great all-rounder for less than £250. Use it to stream your favourite albums or TV shows ASAP.

This slick speaker has two speakers inside and a separate subwoofer to ensure you can enjoy immersive audio at all times. It connects to your TV via a HDMI or optical cable, and can also be used to stream music from your smart device via Bluetooth.

This Samsung soundbar left John Lewis customers impressed. Here's one review: "Purchased this to go with recent purchase of Samsung TV. I have noticed straightaway that the sound level is vastly superior. Wherever I position myself in my sitting room I experience the same consistency of sound. It is quite compact and fits unobtrusively in front of my TV."

For less than £50, this LG soundbar is an absolute bargain. It's minimalistic and compact, has adaptive sound control to automatically adjust the volume and bass on your music, and can be controlled via remote or Bluetooth.

Whether you're a film buff or music-lover, this JBL soundbar is a brilliant affordable option. It delivers immersive audio thanks to the Dolby Digital and JBL Surround Sound, connects wirelessly using Bluetooth and has a low profile design.

This Yamaha soundbar delivers 100W of high-quality audio thanks to its built-in subwoofer and adaptive audio. It can be wall-mounted too and save valuable floor space in smaller homes.

This is the most affordable soundbar we've spotted, retailing at less than £30. It delivers 24W of sound power, wirelessly streams music using Bluetooth, has optical, coaxial and aux inputs and comes with a wall mounting kit.

This cost-effective soundbar from JVC is a bargain buy and will come in handy ahead of festive dinner parties with friends and families. It's designed with a pair of built-in 15 W full-range speakers and can stream music straight from your phone or tablet via Bluetooth.

.A worthy investment for movie night, gaming or streaming your favourite artist, this Polk soundbar provides surround sound, built-in Alexa for voice control, and is compatible with any brand of HD, 4K and 8K TV.

Jailed Philippine human rights campaigner Leila de Lima was briefly taken hostage Sunday during an attempted breakout by three detained militants who were shot dead by police, authorities said.

Ballistic missiles with mock nuclear warheads meant to deliver strong message of war deterrence

Sled dog breeder David Daley lives at the gateway to the Canadian Arctic, occupying a front-row seat to the march of global warming, and he senses calamity ahead.

Hackers backing Iran's wave of women-led protests interrupted a state TV news broadcast with an image of gun-sight crosshairs and flames over the face of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in footage widely shared online on Sunday.

Air France and Airbus will go on trial Monday on charges of involuntary manslaughter over the fatal 2009 crash of a jet heading to Paris from Brazil, killing all 228 people aboard.

The Indian rupee could drop to 84-85 to the dollar by March due to rising crude oil prices, high trade deficit and depleting foreign exchange reserves, Elara Global Research said in a note Monday, when the currency hit a record low of 82.6825. "The rupee, so far, has borne the brunt of aggressive global tightening as a hawkish (U.S.) Federal Reserve and interest rate differentials weigh on its outlook," Garima Kapoor, an economist at Elara, said. "Elevated trade deficit prints and the recent surge in crude oil prices add to the near-term headwinds."

Here is a round-up of sports events and developments in Singapore in the past week (3 to 9 October).

Jaishankar says India‘s relationship with Russia ‘certainly served our interests well’

Heatwaves will become so extreme in certain regions of the world within decades that human life there will be unsustainable, the United Nations and the Red Cross said Monday.

The Japanese Grand Prix was red flagged in heavy rain on the third lap Sunday, delaying Max Verstappen's bid to clinch his second straight world title.

Large Indian lenders are reluctant to process direct rupee trade transactions with Russia months after the mechanism was put in place for fear of becoming the target of sanctions by the United States and Europe over the invasion of Ukraine, sources said. Two smaller lenders have moved to adopt the system after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in July that it had set up an arrangement for international trade settlements in Indian rupees with immediate effect. Western sanctions to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine are trying to limit Moscow's access to foreign exchange, particularly the dollar.

Two CNN journalists reportedly entered Thailand on tourist visas, later revoked by officials

Arsenal's 3-2 win over Liverpool seemed to suggest, rather poignantly, that the Reds' glorious era might be slowly coming to an end, says Neil Humphreys.

Mourning families knelt Sunday outside a Thai nursery where their children were murdered, performing a Buddhist ceremony to put their souls at rest.

It all came down to one last match, but the defending champions showed up to keep their title. Here's a recap of the action.

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and his family are in early discussions with investors, including Singapore investment firms Temasek and GIC, to raise at least $10 billion to fund its expansion into clean energy, ports and cement businesses, Mint newspaper reported on Monday. Adani Group will invest more than $100 billion over the next decade, most of it in the energy transition business, its Chairman Adani said last month, as the ports-to-energy conglomerate accelerates an already aggressive expansion plan. Adani family members and top group executives held talks with several potential investors, the report said, citing two people with direct knowledge of Adani Group and the Adani family's plans.

Mulayam Singh Yadav narrowly missed becoming prime minister as he lacked political support

When a goal is scored in the Qatar Stars League, Khalil al-Balushi makes sure viewers feel the full force of the moment as he dials up the decibels to make their TV sets tremble.

Launch is latest in country’s barrage of weapons tests

France's TotalEnergies said Sunday it would advance annual pay talks with unions if they dropped a blockade of fuel depots and refineries that has slashed petrol supplies across the country.