Guides · 11 August 2026

Expandable soundbar systems: adding rears and subs later

Some soundbars are a complete system in one box. Others can grow: you start with the bar and add rear speakers, a subwoofer, or both later. The comparison table shows this in the Is Extendable column, which lists the add-on speakers each manufacturer names for the model. This guide explains how the manufacturers describe these systems and what to check before you plan an upgrade.

What "extendable" means in the table

The Is Extendable column lists add-ons by name, with an icon for the type:

Surrounds: a rear speaker kit made for the soundbar, such as Samsung's SWA-9500S.
Speaker: a standalone speaker that can also work as a rear speaker, such as the Sonos Era 100.
Subwoofer: a separate subwoofer, such as the Bose Bass Module 700 or the Sonos Sub 4.

Some systems already include rear speakers and a subwoofer. The table shows those as "No (full setup included)", for example the Samsung Q990B. The Is system extendable filter keeps every soundbar that has any entry in this column, full setups included. See all extendable soundbars.

Manufacturers publish compatibility lists for these add-ons, so the right add-on depends on the exact model.

Sonos: surrounds and Sub

Sonos turns its other speakers into surrounds. According to Sonos, a home theater speaker can use two Sonos speakers of the same model as surrounds. Two Sonos Ones work, but a One and a Play:1 do not. Some related models, such as One and One SL, can be paired.

What Sonos says about surrounds:

They connect to the soundbar wirelessly. The soundbar and the speakers must be in the same room, with line-of-sight to the home theater product.
Both speakers must have the same orientation, vertical or horizontal, and go behind and to the left and right of the usual listening position.
A speaker used as a surround loses some of its own features: AirPlay, Bluetooth playback, line-in and subwoofer output are disabled.

For bass, Sonos has the Sub (Gen 1 to 3), the Sub 4 and the Sub Mini. Sonos says the Sub (Gen 1, 2 and 3) works with all Sonos home theater speakers, and the Sub 4 with all of them except Playbar and Playbase. Arc Ultra and Beam Ultra can use two Subs. The Sub Mini list includes Arc, Arc Ultra, Beam (Gen 1 and Gen 2), Beam Ultra and Ray.

In the table, every Sonos soundbar lists Sub, Sub 4 and Sub Mini, plus the speakers that can work as rears. The Sonos Ray, the smallest of them, lists the same three Subs. See all extendable Sonos soundbars.

Bose: Bass Modules and Surround Speakers

Bose publishes a compatibility list on each add-on's product page. The Bose Bass Module 700 lists, among others, the Smart Ultra Soundbar, Smart Soundbar 900, 700, 600 and 300. Two entries have a condition: the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar and the Bose TV Speaker work with it by wired connection only.

The Bose Bass Module 500 has a similar list, and Bose states that it is not compatible with the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar. Bose gives its surround speakers a wireless range of 30 feet.

The table follows these lists. The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 lists Bass Module 500, Bass Module 700, Surround Speakers and Surround Speakers 700. The Bose TV Speaker lists only the two Bass Modules, and its Has wireless subwoofer value is no, which matches the wired-only note. The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar lists the Bass Module 700, the Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer and the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker.

Samsung: rear speaker kits

Samsung sells wireless rear speaker kits under SWA model numbers, and each soundbar works with specific kits. In the table:

The Samsung Q700B and the Samsung Q800B list the SWA-9500S.
The Samsung Q600B lists the SWA-9100S and SWA-9200S.
The Samsung S60B lists the SWA-9100S and SWA-9200S rear kits plus the SWA-W510 subwoofer.

The kit numbers change from one model year to the next, so check the Is Extendable column for the exact model rather than going by the series name.

Wireless or wired

Two columns show how the extra speakers connect: Has wireless surrounds and Has wireless subwoofer. See soundbars with both wireless surrounds and a wireless subwoofer. Wireless still means mains power: Sonos tells you to connect the Sub to power in the spot where it will stand.

What to check before you buy

The add-on list for your exact model. Compatibility is set by the manufacturer per model, as the Bose and Samsung lists show.
Connection type. Some combinations work by cable only, like the Bose TV Speaker with a Bass Module.
Pairs. Sonos surrounds must be two speakers of the same model.
Room setup. Sonos asks for surrounds in the same room as the soundbar, with line-of-sight to it.

Adding speakers changes how sound reaches you. Systems with room correction can be tuned again afterwards: see Room correction. For what the channel numbers of a full system mean, see Soundbar channel numbers explained.