Sound Bars any Good?

[BlueVision]

Have a nice HD TV and Blu-ray player in our living room, but unhappy with playing sound through the TV. Don't want speakers & wire all over the place - are sound bars (or other single speaker housings) any good? Don't expect to recreate a full 7.2 system mind you, but do want much better than TV sound.

The "YAMAHA YSP-900BL Digital Sound Projector Single" seems pricey, and the "Boston Acoustics TVee Black Home Theater System w/ wireless subwoofer" looked good until I saw it only has phono inputs. Just examples - what are your experiences with these types of systems? Are any of you using full wireless speaker systems?

[Steve]

Most sound bars are considered to be only minor upgrades over your TV's speakers. It's generally recommended to go with a "real" 2.1 or 3.1 setup rather than a soundbar. This would produce much greater results than a soundbar and also eliminate having to run the wires for surround speakers. You can use any receiver in a 2.1 or 3.1 setup. Just because it has 5.1 or 7.1 capability doesn't mean you HAVE to hook that many speakers up to it.

[aramis109]

"Are soundbars better than TV speakers?" Hell yes, but that's like saying a tortoise is faster than a snail. It's not saying much, basically.

I've heard some pretty decent soundbars, but they in no way will recreate an accurate 5.1 setup. Instead of looking at it as "wires all over the place" I would recommend to look into wall mounting or in-wall speakers, running wires behind walls or behind baseboards, and as mentioned consider a 3.1 setup- two front speakers, one center, and a discreet subwoofer. You would get a much greater improvement. Also consider in-wall/ceiling or wall-mounted surrounds.

[Scooby Blu]

If you get one get the best!

link:http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/01/16...rama-soundbar/

[Drew664]

There are sound bars that by review (because I've never heard one in person) are great at what they do - imitate a surround system. A couple things to consider when looking at whether or not to go this route.

-Do you have a rectangular room or at least a room with straight lines?

-Budget? Good sound bars can be had for ~$600, but at that price point you have other alternatives.

And here is an example of a sound bar. The Yamaha YSP-1100SL.


http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YSP-110...9061979&sr=8-7

$627.72 shipped.

Just remember these things imitate what a 5 speaker set up would provide at similar cost. However, in some applications and personal tastes, like not seeing wires, clean, minimalistic, etc.. a sound bar can be a good solution.

[jomari]

i think we had a discussion like this previously in our general section...

anyways, soundbars are a great alternative to using the television speakers. they're not as precise as a true 5.1 system, but we all have our needs and constraints in our living quarters.

in regards to wireless, i personally dont prefer them, and would rather go the long route and properly wire everything. but thats the reason we do want them right? anyways, there are alternatives, but it is another path to get rear surrounds in place. dont forget to consider that most of these speakers also need individual power sources, so a plug in close proximity is in order. or a lot of batteries.

[Sylin]

I'd invest in a nice pair of surround-capable headphones before I bought a soundbar.

But I also agree with fireman325 that a good 2.1 or 3.1 setup will out-perform a soundbar (and certainly out-perform your TV speakers).

Heck, there's Logitech PC surround speakers that will easily out-perform TV speakers.

[jomari]

hear hear on computer speakers. they work for what theyre supposed to do, all you need is a y adapter, and we are in business.

[Drew664]

PC speakers might be an option, except I think the OP wants surround sound in some form or fashion. Maybe, maybe not, but it'd be nice to know his priorities other than better than TV speakers.