Solo Soundbar Series II

All modern sound bars are mainly designed to hook up over HDMI EARC. The only one Costco sells that's optical only is Bose Solo Soundbar 2. That is the only one I could think of that you could accuse of being too quiet. Try hooking them up over HDMI and if you think they're still too quiet, no snark but you really should think about getting your hearing checked. Almost any soundbar at 100% should be loud enough to actually be in the unsafe levels for your hearing.

I just bought another certified Bose Soundbar II for $90

Bose Solo I've bought refurbished for around 150 USD

You may want to consider either the Bose Solo II from Costco for $179 and often on sale for $149. It’s a bit older, basic system with a small footprint. The Bose Smart Soundbar with Dolby Atmos is a bit wider and with more features for $550. I got one for $399 on sale. Both sound good especially in smaller rooms and at low volumes.

OP,  Bose soundbar solo 2 Its small, sounds good, and if you go on Bose website, they sell refurbished. Full warranty etc, and its like $150cad, so only a little more then $100usd. I have one in my bedroom for the tv, its been great. Highly recommend.

Got this for exactly $150 at Costco. I am impressed with the quality. Has that crisp Bose sound

I finally got my stereo to the point where I don't feel the need to chase unicorns any more and the Klipsch The Sevens unfortunately ended being the odd man out. Since I thought they were great bookshelves and I can't really use a sub in my condo anyway, I got rid of the Bose soundbar, hooked them up to the TV via an optical cable, set the EQ to voice for clarity, and now the bass response actually sounds pretty damn full, plus the dialogue sounds very clear. That's a big deal at my age. Anyhow great soundbar replacement, great speakers, probably hard to do much better unless you're moving into floor standing.

I know this might be a tired question here but I didn't find a conclusive response right now. 500€ is definitely my upper limit, for reasons. The last soundbar I owned was a Bose Solo, which was better than the TV speakers but obviously not all that great. At first I thought about the Sonos Beam 2 however I heard from a friend that his tends to act up because the app sucks. Then I thought about one of the Bose Smart Soundbars, there's one on sale rn for 320€ I've also seen people recommend the Samsung Q600C or the Polk Signa S4. Of those options, which one is the best option? Mainly for watching movies and gaming.

The days of TVs with great picture AND great sound are over. That said, every soundbar I have had is a huge improvement over my TV, so I'm perplexed by your results. I've always had a soundbar with subwoofer or a soundbar with sun and rear surrounds. The sound is fantastic. But even the little Bose Solo bar we have under our 19" kitchen TV sounds waaay better than the TV alone