Best sound bar for $200?

[Ray Jackson]

I'm not an audiophile and my ear for sound isn't that finely tuned, so I'm not worried about the argument that sound bars suck compared to authentic surround sound speaker setups.

And I don't have the budget to spend $500-$1000 on a really high end sound bar. $200 is the limit I set for myself.

I just purchased a $200 Toshiba soundstrip from Best Buy and I like it well enough, only the warranty is only 90 days and I've read a lot of reviews about the subwoofer crapping out after a few months. My experience with Best Buy is that they will only do the bare minimum as far as returns on broken items. Their customer service is awful in that regard.

Yesterday I found a couple of sound bars at Costco for less than $200 with one-year warranties and Costco's return policies are excellent.

One is a Samsung, one is a Yamaha and the other is a Vizio that actually comes with two rear speakers, along with the sound bar and the subwoofer.

Any thoughts or recommendations on which one I should go with?

[callas01]

Would you be willing to spend $300 ish in a better setup?

http://www.accessories4less.com/make...d-ready/1.html
http://www.wavecrestaudio.com/produc...udspeaker-pair

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by callas01

Would you be willing to spend $300 ish in a better setup?

http://www.accessories4less.com/make...d-ready/1.html
http://www.wavecrestaudio.com/produc...udspeaker-pair

Not really.

I don't have a very refined audio palette and I was pleased with the sonic upgrade resulting from the Toshiba sound bar I'm testing out.

My needs are small.

...and so is my budget.

Plus I like the idea of keeping it simple. These sound bars are so simple to set up and operate.

[ImPulSive]

http://electronics.woot.com/offers/v...ef=cnt_dly_img

Sat Feb 7 2015 1-day only sale at Woot $190 Refurb
VIZIO S4251w-B4C 42" 5.1-Channel Home Theater Bluetooth Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer & Wired Rear Satellite Speakers

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by ImPulSive

http://electronics.woot.com/offers/v...ef=cnt_dly_img

Sat Feb 7 2015 1-day only sale at Woot $190 Refurb
VIZIO S4251w-B4C 42" 5.1-Channel Home Theater Bluetooth Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer & Wired Rear Satellite Speakers

They've got this out at Costco and I was really tempted by the addition of the surround sound speakers.

But I read reviews that said the speakers are pretty weak and you can barely hear the sound from em unless you're standing right in front of them.

...do you have an opinion on that?

[ImPulSive]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

They've got this out at Costco and I was really tempted by the addition of the surround sound speakers.

But I read reviews that said the speakers are pretty weak and you can barely hear the sound from em unless you're standing right in front of them.

...do you have an opinion on that?

No. I don't do sound bars, either TV speakers or full on receiver+speakers for me. No experience with that unit or any other sound bar units. Just posted it in case it was a good deal, brought price down to your $200 level. Nothing more.

[halloween5309]

check out the zvox v220 has a built in sub,front display, can use your tv remote, has dialogue enhancer

[bundyblu]

A little over your budget, but this Sony is supposed to be really good for the price.

http://www.consumersearch.com/sound-bars/sony-ht-ct260

[JBishop]

I have the Vizio soundbar with the rear speakers hooked up through my PS3 with an optical cable. Works great for me.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by JBishop

I have the Vizio soundbar with the rear speakers hooked up through my PS3 with an optical cable. Works great for me.

You feel like you get good quality sound projection from the rear speakers?

How's the subwoofer on that thing?

How long have you had it?...any issues or problems so far?

[Ray Jackson]

A guy at Target today tried to sell me on the 60W Sony ct60bt for $140.

Said for my size TV (32" flatscreen) set up in my bedroom, that anything over 60 watts wouldn't be necessary or useful. I tend to find his opinion credible, because I was asking about sound bars that cost a hundred dollars more and he said I didn't really need it...60W Sony was enough for my situation.

...anyone agree or disagree with that assessment?

Here's the one I'm considering:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-HT-CT60BT-Bluetooth-Subwoofer-Theater/dp/B00HQXIFYW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423351021&sr=8-1&keywords=sony+sound+bar+ct60bt

[JBishop]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

You feel like you get good quality sound projection from the rear speakers?

How's the subwoofer on that thing?

How long have you had it?...any issues or problems so far?

I've had it for about 8 months. No problems so far. It is true that the rear speakers are not as powerful, but you can hear them just fine. It came down between the Vizio and Sony for me. I decided on Vizio. The subwoofer is great. It will rattle the windows and shake the floor no problem. Good clear sound too.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by JBishop

I've had it for about 8 months. No problems so far. It is true that the rear speakers are not as powerful, but you can hear them just fine. It came down between the Vizio and Sony for me. I decided on Vizio. The subwoofer is great. It will rattle the windows and shake the floor no problem. Good clear sound too.

Two questions for yah:

1. How many watts does it have? Do you feel like 300 watts is unnecessary for a small tv in a bedroom?

2. What's the wiring situation like with those rear speakers? Do they come with their own wires in the box? Are they short wires, so it's difficult to figure out where to place them?

Actually I have one more question:

Was the setup difficult or is it pretty basic?

How bout the audio calibration?

It doesn't do it for you does it?

Thanks so much.

[prozacnation1978]

I have a good sound bar in my bedroom

Come march I need another one for my living room

I live in a apt. So home theater is too much sound.

I would like to get a 5.1 sound bar my other one isn't
But it does have dts encoded.

My budget would be around 350

[JBishop]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Two questions for yah:

1. How many watts does it have? Do you feel like 300 watts is unnecessary for a small tv in a bedroom?

2. What's the wiring situation like with those rear speakers? Do they come with their own wires in the box? Are they short wires, so it's difficult to figure out where to place them?

Actually I have one more question:

Was the setup difficult or is it pretty basic?

How bout the audio calibration?

It doesn't do it for you does it?

Thanks so much.

I'm no expert on these things so I would hate to lead you in the wrong direction as far as wattage goes. I'm honestly not sure how many watts it is. I use it in my living room. It is more than enough. It comes with all the wires and took about 5 minutes to set up. The wires for the satellite speakers run from the subwoofer, and are plenty long enough. It does not auto calibrate.

[Blu-rob77]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

A guy at Target today tried to sell me on the 60W Sony ct60bt for $140.

Said for my size TV (32" flatscreen) set up in my bedroom, that anything over 60 watts wouldn't be necessary or useful. I tend to find his opinion credible, because I was asking about sound bars that cost a hundred dollars more and he said I didn't really need it...60W Sony was enough for my situation.

...anyone agree or disagree with that assessment?

Here's the one I'm considering:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-HT-CT60BT-Bluetooth-Subwoofer-Theater/dp/B00HQXIFYW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423351021&sr=8-1&keywords=sony+sound+bar+ct60bt

my son has that in his 12/12 bedroom it's sound decent.

[Ray Jackson]

I bought the Vizio sound bar with rear surround speakers today for $200 at Costco.

The sound bar and the subwoofer sound fine, relative to the price I paid.

The rear speakers, however, are kind of a joke. You can barely hear them unless you put your ears right up to them. More of a gimmick than anything else...a selling point to make people think they're getting something that a normal sound bar doesn't have.

...doesn't really enhance the audio experience in any significant way in my opinion.

[squijee]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I bought the Vizio sound bar with rear surround speakers today for $200 at Costco.

The sound bar and the subwoofer sound fine, relative to the price I paid.

The rear speakers, however, are kind of a joke. You can barely hear them unless you put your ears right up to them. More of a gimmick than anything else...a selling point to make people think they're getting something that a normal sound bar doesn't have.

...doesn't really enhance the audio experience in any significant way in my opinion.

You can adjust the sound level on the rears, sub and front. Unfortunately the only way to do it is but your own ear. But just adjust the setting and see what's sounds best to you.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by squijee

You can adjust the sound level on the rears, sub and front. Unfortunately the only way to do it is but your own ear. But just adjust the setting and see what's sounds best to you.

I believe I was able to turn the volume of the rear speakers to max levels using the remote control.

...still has very weak sound.

[Nowhere Man]

Hello!

I just purchased a Vizio SB4051-C0 5.1 soundbar system from Costco for $250. I have a Samsung PN60FS5300 plasma tv (B model), a Sony BDPS3200 blu-ray player, and an Apple TV. I am wondering how to best connect all these devices to my soundbar and what sound settings to use on my blu-ray player and tv.

I had been using the optical cable from the television to the soundbar, but I don't think the surround sound was working properly. When I popped in the Disney WOW disc to do some audio tests, the speaker identification test wasn't working ideally. When it said "Left Front," I could hear the audio coming through the Left Front as well as coming through the Center and Right Front speakers on the soundbar. I had similar results when it said "Center" or "Right Front;" I could hear it all over the soundbar. When it said "Right Surround," I could hear this through both the Right Surround and the Left Surround. When it said "Left Surround," I could hear this through both the Left Surround and the Right Surround. Something is definitely wrong, I know. When I do the soundbar's own speaker test, everything is identified properly with no extraneous speakers sounding off when they shouldn't.

What should my audio settings be for the following devices?

Sony BDPS3200 Blu-ray Player Audio Settings:
Digital Audio Output - Auto or PCM?
BD Audio MIX Setting - On or Off?
Dolby D Compatible Output - On or Off?
Audio DRC - Auto, On, or Off?
Downmix - Surround or Stereo?

Samsung PN60FS5300 Plasma Audio Settings:
Sound Mode - Standard, Music, Movie, Clear Voice, or Amplify?
DTS TruSurround - On or Off?
DTS TruDialog - On or Off?
Speaker Select - TV Speaker or External Speaker?
Auto Volume - Off, Normal, or Night?
Digital Audio Out Format - PCM, Dolby Digital, DTS, or DTS Neo 2:5? (Some of these are greyed out :/ )
Audio Delay - Should this be at 0?

Any help is much appreciated!