Audio soundbars - verdict?
#1
Audio soundbars - verdict?
Hi all,
I'm not at all an audio authority, but my wife and I have been thinking about enhancing our TV experience and possibly going for a surround sound system.
Lately been noticing these sound bars more and more which could be a cheaper option.
Are they any good? Or should we stick with a surround system.
Not after anything too fancy or complex and can probably spend in the vicinity of $500-$1,000.
Any thoughts, comments or recommendations would be appreciated (and good locations to buy from).
I'm not at all an audio authority, but my wife and I have been thinking about enhancing our TV experience and possibly going for a surround sound system.
Lately been noticing these sound bars more and more which could be a cheaper option.
Are they any good? Or should we stick with a surround system.
Not after anything too fancy or complex and can probably spend in the vicinity of $500-$1,000.
Any thoughts, comments or recommendations would be appreciated (and good locations to buy from).
#2
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2008
Location: Manly, NSW
Posts: 313
Re: Audio soundbars - verdict?
i am looking at the sony htct-660 which is supposed to be very good, and a bargin at the moment at harvey norman for $350.
#3
Re: Audio soundbars - verdict?
Hi all,
I'm not at all an audio authority, but my wife and I have been thinking about enhancing our TV experience and possibly going for a surround sound system.
Lately been noticing these sound bars more and more which could be a cheaper option.
Are they any good? Or should we stick with a surround system.
Not after anything too fancy or complex and can probably spend in the vicinity of $500-$1,000.
Any thoughts, comments or recommendations would be appreciated (and good locations to buy from).
I'm not at all an audio authority, but my wife and I have been thinking about enhancing our TV experience and possibly going for a surround sound system.
Lately been noticing these sound bars more and more which could be a cheaper option.
Are they any good? Or should we stick with a surround system.
Not after anything too fancy or complex and can probably spend in the vicinity of $500-$1,000.
Any thoughts, comments or recommendations would be appreciated (and good locations to buy from).
Would a sound bar do a more than adequate job, be easier to set-up and be more atheistically pleasing. Probably yes.
If you're not 'in to' Hi-Fi then a sound bar will do a perfectly acceptable job, especially if its going to be used primarily with the TV.
Yamaha invented them and are probably still the best at it, especially if you include bang for you buck in the equation.
Something like a YAS-152 might be enough for your needs, or the YSP-1400 if you want to spend a bit more.
Last edited by TheCreature; Jan 5th 2014 at 7:14 am.
#4
Re: Audio soundbars - verdict?
Ive bought a sony 5.2 amp with a pair of decent floorstanding speakers.Does the job a treat...tv sounds great (find it impossible to listen to the poxy tv speakers now) music channels and dvd/cd/ bluray sound incredible :-D
#5
Re: Audio soundbars - verdict?
Bought a Yamaha YAS-100 from Bing Lee, it's supposed to be entry level but does a brilliant job. I hate surround sound systems that involve laying spaghetti all round the lounge room. The Aldi $99 sound bars with a separate sub woofer are also fairly good for a spare TV and miles ahead of the crappy speakers in modern thin TVs.
BTW the syringe is the anti-crow water pistol
Also if you want to enhance your viewing experience and have WIFI get a smart TV dongle, thousands of free shows and movies out there.
BTW the syringe is the anti-crow water pistol
Also if you want to enhance your viewing experience and have WIFI get a smart TV dongle, thousands of free shows and movies out there.
#6
Re: Audio soundbars - verdict?
Provided you have the amp near the screen (the usual for people) it's only the rear satellites where you need to either lay wires, or go for a wireless speaker solution.
Real speakers, particularly a proper 5.1 system with speakers behind you and a decent sub will push the quality significantly over anything a soundbar can manage.
Oh, and not all soundbars are equal. Some are complex audio engineering designed to use time of flight, narrow audio beams and other tricks to give you a wide sound stage. And some are 3 or 4 slightly better than TV quality speakers pumping the high frequencies out in every direction.
#7
Re: Audio soundbars - verdict?
Quick update - appreciating all the feedback here - very informative.
I might pop into an audio store (or the audio department at Myers or DJ) and ask for some demos. Valuable advice there guys
My wife just had our first child 5 weeks ago so we've been lying low at home (and I had a couple of week's paternity leave). So we've both been watching a lot of DVD box sets, in between all the feeding, caressing, drives in car to calm him down etc. Been realising how cr*p our defaulty TV speakers are!
I might pop into an audio store (or the audio department at Myers or DJ) and ask for some demos. Valuable advice there guys
My wife just had our first child 5 weeks ago so we've been lying low at home (and I had a couple of week's paternity leave). So we've both been watching a lot of DVD box sets, in between all the feeding, caressing, drives in car to calm him down etc. Been realising how cr*p our defaulty TV speakers are!
#8
Re: Audio soundbars - verdict?
The problem is Oz is not blessed with great audio options. The small selection of choices is generally massively overpriced with only real muppets selling them. Hell, I think everything I have came from the UK - it ended up being the more sensible option, even with the size. If this were the UK I'd send you down to Richer Sounds for a cheap bundle in one of their many sales - here the same thing would cost 3 times as much, if you could get it at all.
Don't neglect the amp either, if you want to benefit from True HD audio on Blu Rays, you need something that can deal with it.
#9
Devil's Advocate
Joined: Feb 2008
Location: Mandurah
Posts: 2,269
Re: Audio soundbars - verdict?
Two thoughts rom me (who has spent some silly money in the pasts on this hobby):
1) Do not go to Myer or JB HiFi. Go to a proper HiFi shop. They do not cost more and will offer infinitely better service.
2) Im no expert on sound bars but I believe you need to some reasonable reflective walls to bounce the sound to get the 3D effect so if you are open plan is may not work.
1) Do not go to Myer or JB HiFi. Go to a proper HiFi shop. They do not cost more and will offer infinitely better service.
2) Im no expert on sound bars but I believe you need to some reasonable reflective walls to bounce the sound to get the 3D effect so if you are open plan is may not work.
#10
Re: Audio soundbars - verdict?
OP maybe interested in these deals, on at the moment:
http://www.videopro.com.au/p-6773-pi...re-system.aspx
http://www.harveynorman.com.au/tv-ho...re-system.html
you can certainly do better than these if you spend more cash, but they are pretty good for the target market. Easily available in Oz and you ought to be able to talk them down in price.
Of the two I'd tend towards the Yamaha system, it maybe a lowly spec amp (basically a RX-V375), but still good and if you find you want to upgrade the front speakers later, it's possible. I might also see if I could source the Yamaha YHT-399 rather than YHT-299 as above, in Oz. That one comes with network connection which enables playback of audio from a NAS, or Internet Radio. Bing Lee do it, but getting a sensible price is the problem.
http://www.videopro.com.au/p-6773-pi...re-system.aspx
http://www.harveynorman.com.au/tv-ho...re-system.html
you can certainly do better than these if you spend more cash, but they are pretty good for the target market. Easily available in Oz and you ought to be able to talk them down in price.
Of the two I'd tend towards the Yamaha system, it maybe a lowly spec amp (basically a RX-V375), but still good and if you find you want to upgrade the front speakers later, it's possible. I might also see if I could source the Yamaha YHT-399 rather than YHT-299 as above, in Oz. That one comes with network connection which enables playback of audio from a NAS, or Internet Radio. Bing Lee do it, but getting a sensible price is the problem.
#11
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jul 2008
Location: My happy place
Posts: 3,043
Re: Audio soundbars - verdict?
I'm not looking at any of this right but will when we're back in Oz, but I haven't seen anyone mention Sonos, no good?
It's funny really because as a musician (I use that term loosely!) I've always been more interested in playing than listening. I have two low output Class A amps that are biased to within a mghz of their life. I used to record from mic placements but nowadays I'm just a home noodler so do a lot of stuff via a BE10.
Stereo wise I've never been that fussed as I simply don't spend a lot of time listening to what already has been written and time is better spent writing stuff of my own, but I did have a little PianoCraft unit that was ok (still have the speakers) but it was a clunky set up compared to today's offerings.
Soundbars seem to be the best solution for someone like me. Having said that I am about to buy a HDMX Jam Plus because they're just so cheap (and cute looking).
It's funny really because as a musician (I use that term loosely!) I've always been more interested in playing than listening. I have two low output Class A amps that are biased to within a mghz of their life. I used to record from mic placements but nowadays I'm just a home noodler so do a lot of stuff via a BE10.
Stereo wise I've never been that fussed as I simply don't spend a lot of time listening to what already has been written and time is better spent writing stuff of my own, but I did have a little PianoCraft unit that was ok (still have the speakers) but it was a clunky set up compared to today's offerings.
Soundbars seem to be the best solution for someone like me. Having said that I am about to buy a HDMX Jam Plus because they're just so cheap (and cute looking).
Last edited by Tr1boy; Jan 7th 2014 at 9:10 am.
#12
Re: Audio soundbars - verdict?
I'm not looking at any of this right but will when we're back in Oz, but I haven't seen anyone mention Sonos, no good?
It's funny really because as a musician (I use that term loosely!) I've always been more interested in playing than listening. I have two low output Class A amps that are biased to within a mghz of their life. I used to record from mic placements but nowadays I'm just a home noodles so do a lot of stuff via a BE10.
Stereo wise I've never been that fussed as I simply don't spend a lot of time listening to what already has been written and time is better spent writing stuff of my own, but I did have a little PianoCraft unit that was ok (still have the speakers) but it was a clunk set compared to today's offerings.
Soundbars seem to be the best solution for someone like me. Having said that I am about to buy a HDMX Jam Plus because they're just so cheap (and cute looking).
It's funny really because as a musician (I use that term loosely!) I've always been more interested in playing than listening. I have two low output Class A amps that are biased to within a mghz of their life. I used to record from mic placements but nowadays I'm just a home noodles so do a lot of stuff via a BE10.
Stereo wise I've never been that fussed as I simply don't spend a lot of time listening to what already has been written and time is better spent writing stuff of my own, but I did have a little PianoCraft unit that was ok (still have the speakers) but it was a clunk set compared to today's offerings.
Soundbars seem to be the best solution for someone like me. Having said that I am about to buy a HDMX Jam Plus because they're just so cheap (and cute looking).
If all you want is something that bit better than the average TV will put out, then a sound bar is fine.
#13
Re: Audio soundbars - verdict?
And in any case, $379 for 5 speakers, an active sub, and a separate AV amp isn't exactly HiFi snob territory.
#14
Just Joined
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 4
Re: Audio soundbars - verdict?
Hi all,
I'm not at all an audio authority, but my wife and I have been thinking about enhancing our TV experience and possibly going for a surround sound system.
Lately been noticing these sound bars more and more which could be a cheaper option.
Are they any good? Or should we stick with a surround system.
Not after anything too fancy or complex and can probably spend in the vicinity of $500-$1,000.
Any thoughts, comments or recommendations would be appreciated (and good locations to buy from).
I'm not at all an audio authority, but my wife and I have been thinking about enhancing our TV experience and possibly going for a surround sound system.
Lately been noticing these sound bars more and more which could be a cheaper option.
Are they any good? Or should we stick with a surround system.
Not after anything too fancy or complex and can probably spend in the vicinity of $500-$1,000.
Any thoughts, comments or recommendations would be appreciated (and good locations to buy from).
I would recommend a surround system rather than a sound bar as this is what i have been using for the last few year. A few friends have sound bars i don't think they have the same effect.