5.1 Soundbar Recommendations

[samadams12pack]

So I'm looking to find a good 5.1 soundbar for the 55-inch Sony BRAVIA A8F OLED TV and, after looking at several articles, I still have no idea on which one to purchase. What would you all recommend?

[clifford finch]

BOSE SoundTouch 300

[SexySamSosa67]

Polk MagniFi Mini FOOT LONG SOUNDBAR! - REVIEW - YouTube

[twobelowpar]

I am happy with my Nakamichi 7.1 DTS-X. Looks like they have a 5.2 unit.
https://www.nakamichi-usa.com/shockwafe-pro-71/

[noeljon]

Check out Samsung HW-K950/ZA 5.1.4. It features Dolby Atmos technology.

[eko_mister]

I bought the Samsung K950, which has a wireless sub, two wireless surrounds, and an Atmos soundbar.

The sound is pretty good for a soundbar - not the best, but it isn't bad at all. The Atmos is impressive to extremely impressive depending on your ceiling height and seating distance. The subwoofer is decent. Overall, the sound is good, especially if you're interested in Atmos without the ability to build a dedicated Atmos system.

However (and this is a BIG however)...It is one of the most finicky devices I have ever owned. The sub and surrounds constantly lose connectivity with the soundbar. The bar turns itself on without me doing anything (about every hour or so). You have to use a phone/tablet app to connect everything and it is a mediocre app. The ARC capability is sketchy and doesn't work half the time.

Also, the re-syncing button is on the bottom of the soundbar in a depression that is hard to get to. And the soundbar is pretty heavy and cumbersome to flip over. So what this means is that you've got a device that is constantly losing its connection and a re-syncing process that is a major timesuck.

Although the speaker array they managed to get into the bar is pretty impressive (from an Atmos standpoint), I would never recommend this thing to anyone. It's a theoretically cool piece of tech that has ridiculously poor wi-fi capabilities and a nightmare of a UI experience.

Stay away from it.

[slimdude]

Originally Posted by twobelowpar

I am happy with my Nakamichi 7.1 DTS-X. Looks like they have a 5.2 unit.
https://www.nakamichi-usa.com/shockwafe-pro-71/

For $675.00 (including tax), you could've bought a nice economy 7.1 receiver, set of speakers, and a subwoofer. There is no way I would pay that much for a soundbar.

[slimdude]

Originally Posted by eko_mister

I bought the Samsung K950, which has a wireless sub, two wireless surrounds, and an Atmos soundbar.

The sound is pretty good for a soundbar - not the best, but it isn't bad at all. The Atmos is impressive to extremely impressive depending on your ceiling height and seating distance. The subwoofer is decent. Overall, the sound is good, especially if you're interested in Atmos without the ability to build a dedicated Atmos system.

However (and this is a BIG however)...It is one of the most finicky devices I have ever owned. The sub and surrounds constantly lose connectivity with the soundbar. The bar turns itself on without me doing anything (about every hour or so). You have to use a phone/tablet app to connect everything and it is a mediocre app. The ARC capability is sketchy and doesn't work half the time.

Also, the re-syncing button is on the bottom of the soundbar in a depression that is hard to get to. And the soundbar is pretty heavy and cumbersome to flip over. So what this means is that you've got a device that is constantly losing its connection and a re-syncing process that is a major timesuck.

Although the speaker array they managed to get into the bar is pretty impressive (from an Atmos standpoint), I would never recommend this thing to anyone. It's a theoretically cool piece of tech that has ridiculously poor wi-fi capabilities and a nightmare of a UI experience.

Stay away from it.

Personally I wouldn't buy wireless audio equipment and speakers period because, they have an tendency to sound very weak and distant. Wired speakers and other wired audio components sounds much better, and fuller.

[Scarriere]

Originally Posted by twobelowpar

I am happy with my Nakamichi 7.1 DTS-X. Looks like they have a 5.2 unit.
https://www.nakamichi-usa.com/shockwafe-pro-71/

That seems like an excellent recommendation!
I bought an avr, 7 satellite speakers and a sub just yesterday for $1000 (roughly $700 US). If this Nakamichi unit was available at the retailer I was at, I would've s̶e̶r̶i̶o̶u̶s̶l̶y̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶s̶i̶d̶e̶r̶e̶d̶ bought it.

[eko_mister]

Originally Posted by slimdude

Personally I wouldn't buy wireless audio equipment and speakers period because, they have an tendency to sound very weak and distant. Wired speakers and other wired audio components sounds much better, and fuller.

I agree, but reality can force you into sub-optimal situations. For example, young children or a spouse who hates speaker cable may make a traditional setup impossible.

[MarcinL]

Wife gave me a $1000 budget for now. Decided to go for a decent receiver and ok speakers, vs. meh receiver and better speakers.

Got Sony 1080 Receiver $499.99
2 Polk Floor standing towers $89.95 a piece
Pol Center speaker - $74.99
Polk Subwoofer - $124.99
Polk Bookshelfs $59.99 pair
Sony Atmos upfiring $99.99 - Ebay

This is just over $1000 by a bit, but I feel this will be much better than any soundbar and only two I considered were Samsung 950 which was $999 at the cheapest and really bad reviews and Sony 3.1 ZF1 + Pair of rear speakers which would have been $1099.99

No way I'm spending that money on a soundbar.

Now slowly I will be adding better speakers down the road. starting with 2 towers and center speaker first but I can add that piece by piece when I find decent sales

[oddbox83]

Originally Posted by noeljon

Check out Samsung HW-K950/ZA 5.1.4. It features Dolby Atmos technology.

Still no DTS-HD support, let alone DTS: X. Absolute dealbreaker for the price.