The battle for the best soundbar grows more competitive every year. But even amidst the throngs of high-end contenders offering theater-like immersion, the Yamaha YAS-109 has won the inaugural Tom's Guide Soundbar Award for its superior value and performance.

The Yamaha YAS-109 builds on the already excellent YAS-108, offering rich sound, 4K pass-through, and intuitive controls in a sleek, compact design. The soundbar features a built-in subwoofer for deeper bass and crisp detail in your favorite movies and shows.

The YAS 109's low-profile, minimalist 35" wide design looks great mounted under most TVs or on the wall, and its 120 watts of output can easily fill most living rooms with great sound. The soundbar's Clear Voice feature helps bring dialogue to the forefront, and built-in DTS Virtual:X support brings virtual 3D surround sound to the mix.

But what really makes the YAS 109 stand out from its predecessor is the introduction of Alexa voice control. This allows users to control the soundbar using only their voice, whether it be playing music on Spotify, listening to the latest news, or controlling connected smart devices in the home.

And while good soundbars are generally expensive, the YAS-109 can usually be found for as low as $199. With its great sound quality, attractive design, and clever voice assistant, the Yamaha YAS-109 sets the standard for soundbar value, and it was a clear winner of this year's Tom's Guide Award.