[Technology] Sound Bars

[blue-shifted]

Ultra thin TV means no space for large speakers.

And I don't understand why a TV would need to be so thin it can't have decent sound. It's right next to a wall.

The whole thing strikes me as a stupid middle class must have fad.

Sorry mate, not having a go. Just don't like them

 

[jamie (not that one)]

And I don't understand why a TV would need to be so thin it can't have decent sound. It's right next to a wall.

The whole thing strikes me as a stupid middle class must have fad.

Sorry mate, not having a go. Just don't like them

Fair enough!

 

[Is it PotG?]

All you need for that subtle but perfect TV experience.

 

[schmunk]

All you need for that subtle but perfect TV experience.

View attachment 127656

Subtle, you say?

Well, they're black...

 

[jamie (not that one)]

All you need for that subtle but perfect TV experience.

View attachment 127656

I'm afraid I'll lose them.

 

[mwrpoole]

You're right, I bought an LG OLED TV, because it has (had) the best quality picture, and bought a Smasung soundbar with rears and a sub. They do all work together fine, but it was a faff to set up, and even now sometimes the ARC connection fails and I have to restart the whole thing. Love the Samsung soundbar though, and it has ATMOS which is superb on a 4K Bluray.

I have the same TV but have a Philips soundbar. The soundbar turns on/off automatically when I switch the TV on/off. If I switch the blu-ray on then the soundbar changes from ARC to HDMI IN automatically. I don't think I did anything clever, just connected it up. Before I had the LG TV I had to turn the soundbar on/off which was a real pain.

 

[swd40]

Another vote for Sonos Beam Compact, built in Alexa etc.

 

[Superphil]

I have the same TV but have a Philips soundbar. The soundbar turns on/off automatically when I switch the TV on/off. If I switch the blu-ray on then the soundbar changes from ARC to HDMI IN automatically. I don't think I did anything clever, just connected it up. Before I had the LG TV I had to turn the soundbar on/off which was a real pain.

9 times out of 10 it turns on the soundbar and selects TV-ARC, on the occasions it doesn't it tries to select the optical input which is bizarre because I don't have any optical inputs connected. Then I have to switch the whole lot off, unplug the soundbar, plug it back in, and try again.

 

[getz]

Recently bought a Sonos Beam to accompany a new Samsung TV (with Sky Q mini) in Bedroom - All seamlessly integrates (just require the Sky remote).

The sound bar is superb and represents good value at just £369 https://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/home-cinema/best-soundbars

I also have a Sonos Beam. I do not recommend though. Very disappointed with the sound. Only a smidge better than the TV own speakers.

 

[RandyWanger]

Team Sonos here too. My LG TV is paired with a Beam. Sound quality is good enough for what I want. We don't have a home stereo and it's also paired with my iPhone / iPad / MacBook so can play music through it too.

 

[MJsGhost]

I bought a Canton DM60 about 4 years ago - it's a sound base rather than a sound bar (the TV sits on it - it's about 30cm deep). We chose it because it offered the best sound for the space we needed it to fit into - an alcove that's not wide enough for a longer, thinner soundbar.
Anyway, to cut to the chase.... I've been really pleased with it, having not previously heard of the make. They also make soundbars & the smart soundbar 10 is well reviewed and therefore worth a look I'd say https://www.avforums.com/reviews/canton-smart-soundbar-10-review.16837

 

[Weststander]

K...and yes I know what you mean...a grands a lot...I bought a new one about three months ago...50inch Hisense which suited the size of the room ..and just under £500...I'd already got a Bose (bottom of the range) sound bar..judging sound but also it’s small footprint . ..I’m sure you will get plenty of advice on here

Hi, that all makes Sense.

 

[The Grockle]

I have recently updated to sonos arc with 2 surrounds and a sonos sub. I've had various 5.1 systems over the years and although very expensive the sonos system performs very well. You will need a TV with eArc to get full proper dolby atmos through an external device like a bluray player though

 

[Official Old Man]

Sorry. Why have sound coming from a couple of speakers by the TV?
Has to be full on Dolby Surround 5.1
Mine's a Yamaha, few years old now, but kicks it out. Front, rear, centre and a bass. Sky, DVD & Amazon all hook in with so many audio options.
Yes, my house is detached. Put on Con Air when they land in Las Vegas. Mind blowing.

 

[twowheelsbest]

We’ve got a Wharfedale Vista 200 from Amazon for £110. Sound quality is comparable with units twice the price.
We have a LG tv

 

[disgruntled h blocker]

Surprised no one has discussed Bose yet, but I can remember the old adage "no highs, no lows, must be Bose"

 

[yxee]

I got a cheap Samsung one, probably cost 120 or so including a wireless subwoofer. Optical connection to TV and the Amazon fire remote turns it on and off. Very easy and fast better than the TV

 

[METALMICKY]

The essential question is why you require a sound bar? The biggest error is to assume that a single bar will in any way replicate a dedicated 5.1 or 7.1 system and give you an immersive surround sound effect. For that you will need additional speakers including a subwoofer. And you will need to spend some decent money. Forget any fancy single bars claiming to simulate surround sound with beams being bounced around. They invariably are ineffective and fail to take account of room shape/ size, viewing positions and soft furnishings. A few years back I had a £500 Yamaha YSP800 that promised all sorts and totally failed to deliver.

If you want to simply enhance the sound of your wafer thin TV go and speak to Richer Sounds with a sketch of your room layout and an idea of your budget. As for the need for sound bars is just the pure physics of us wanting such slim TV's

 

[heathgate]

Sonos is akin to Apple, the sheep product.

That's very open minded of you,... my playbar and 5 distributed speakers, covers all my sound requirements... on any speaker in any room, tv, streaming, radio, spotify, amazon... fantastic quality, fantastic user front end... great looking too.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[Chief Wiggum]

Recently bought a small Samsung TV myself. Added the following soundbar which is a great deal in my opinion. I'm no techy - really happy with the quality.
https://shop.bt.com/products/jbl-ba...3_1598383109_e544913ee54b38b4a34d6b4e30025d88