Why You Can Trust CNET Soundbar sale: The Polk Command Bar with Alexa is back down to $199
This voice-activated TV speaker includes a wireless subwoofer. Plus: Get an external CD/DVD burner with USB-C for $14.
Broken-record time: A good soundbar will elevate your TV- and movie-watching experience like few other accessories. Ah, but which one? Here's a good option at a particularly good price. For a limited time, and while supplies last, Amazon once again has the Polk Audio Command Bar for $199, a savings of $100. There are cheaper soundbars, to be sure, but this one has two great perks: a wireless subwoofer and built-in Alexa .
Although Amazon's ubiquitous assistant can be found in various smart-TV accessories (most notably the Fire TV Stick), she's still a fairly rare addition to soundbars. You can issue Alexa commands to the Sonos Beam, for example, but that costs $399.
I haven't tried this speaker myself, so I'll turn you over to CNET's Polk Command Bar review. Verdict: The subwoofer elevates overall sound quality above that of the Beam and helps make this "the best Alexa-compatible sound bar yet." Granted, that was back in 2018, but it was based on the $299 price tag.
It's also worth noting the surprisingly mixed Amazon customer reviews, which average out to just 3.6 stars. For what it's worth, the average is 4.2 stars at Best Buy (where, incidentally, the Command Bar is also on sale for $199.99). So if you've had any hands-on experience with this, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Read More: The best soundbar for 2020
Get an external CD/DVD burner with USB-C for $14 (Update: Sold out)
Very few laptops these days have optical drives, which is problem if you have CD or DVD media you want to access (or create). Problem solved: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Amazon seller The Avengers Technology Co. (now that's a company name!) has the Kingbox USB 3.0 portable external CD/DVD burner for just $14 with promo code HRDM45HO. That's a 50% discount and the lowest price on record. (Update: Sorry folks, this sold out soon after I posted it.)
The drive has a dual-plug connector -- USB 3.0 Type-A and USB-C -- that stores conveniently in a slot on the underside, meaning this thing is about as portable as they come. No drivers required, no power supply; it's totally plug-and-play.
With it you can read and write CDs and DVDs. The drive is compatible with Windows and Mac systems, though I'm not sure about Chromebooks.
There are dozens of similar drives available via Amazon, but the vast majority sell for at least $20. Here's your chance to score one on the cheap.
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