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HomeTheaterGuys - sound bars? (1 Viewer)

nirad3

nirad3

Footballguy
Back in my bachelor pad days, I had the sweet surround sound setup, but now that I have two terrifying toddlers (how's that for two instances of alliteration!).... it's not happening.

We have a decent-sized HDTV (like... 40"?) that's wall-mounted over our mantel / fireplace (which we don't use, FWIW). The speakers on said TV SUCK. Some shows/movies require the TV be turned almost all the way up.... and sometimes there's a good bit of distortion even at a normal volume.

What am I getting at? Well, I have a few hundred bucks in my PayPal thanks to a couple of big dynasty league wins and I'm itching to make a purchase of electronics.

The mantel, probably 5ish inches in depth, would provide for a nice spot to put a sound bar.

Are these things worth the coin? I don't want to break the bank here, despite my urge to blow my PayPal balance. Maybe $150ish? I did some brief research on Amazon, looks like there are some decent options in the $100-150 range. Anything to look for? Avoid? Do they provide a decent "surround" type of sound? Any kind of low-end / bass?

Thanks in advance for your sage wisdom. :thumbup:

 
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It's been a while since I've looked, but when it comes to this stuff, AVS Forum is the place to look. Start here.

 
We purchased a sound bar and a wireless bass for our new home when we moved (left behind a sweet wired/installed 5X1 system with installed speakers flush in the wall). After 4 days of the bass continuously cutting out due to interference (was told it could be our wireless internet, our neighbors, our cell phones, etc), we just returned it, upgraded the TV and put the old TV in the boys room.

Don't feel like we are in a theater, but works for us as we are getting older.......... ;) .

 
I have a Vizio 5.1 soundbar and think it sounds excellent. I think if you look around, you can find a 40" one or so slightly more than the price range you listed (maybe $180-190?).

 
Do you want a standalone sound bar, or one with a subwoofer? Figure this piece out first according to the logistics of your space, then continue on researching brands and model numbers.

Example Standalone - http://www.harmanaudio.com/jbl/JBL+CINEMA+SB200.html

Example w/ Subwoofer - http://www.harmanaudio.com/jbl/JBL+CINEMA+SB350.html

If you're looking for something small and simple, the JBL Boost TV is an interesting item. It will connect to the TV via digital optical cable, but it can also connect to your phone/tablet via Bluetooth to play music or whatever.

 
When my stereo receiver's HDMI board went out, I bought a cheap Vizio soundbar and it sounded considerably(light years) better than the TV but it was nowhere near as good as the surround sound of the stereo.

Surround sound >>>>>Soundbar >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>TV speakers

Granted, I did not have a soundbar model with an external subwoofer.

 
Man in the yellow hat said:
I cranked this Yamaha up at Costco and thought it sounded great: http://www.costco.com/Yamaha-ATS-1050BL-Bluetooth-Soundbar.product.100222941.html

I ended up going with this one, however, after taking into account budget and sub-woofer. I'm happy with it so far:

http://www.costco.com/Vizio-SB3821-C6-38%22-2.1-Bluetooth-Soundbar-with-Wireless-Subwoofer.product.100161746.html
Click to expand...
Thanks for all of the replies.

The bolded is right in line with what I'm looking for, and my parents are Costco members so maybe I'll just have them pick it up for me. :excited:

 
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I am looking at a soundbar in the next couple days because my speakers are in the process of dying. They are Bose video roommates (had them since 1988 - so I guess I got my $$$ out of them! :excited: )

I have a 55" Vizio in a great room divided between living area, eating area, and kitchen. The room is roughly 35' x 15'. I'm not sure whether to go 5.1 or 2.1. I'm leaning 2.1 since a portion of the listening is not done sitting in front of the TV. I am either in the kitchen, or on a desk in the back left corner. Also the couch is pushed against the long wall in the back, so I wonder how the 'rear stereo' sounds will feel on the couch.

What has been your luck with situations like this?

 
Mr. Ected said:
I am looking at a soundbar in the next couple days because my speakers are in the process of dying. They are Bose video roommates (had them since 1988 - so I guess I got my $$$ out of them! :excited: )

I have a 55" Vizio in a great room divided between living area, eating area, and kitchen. The room is roughly 35' x 15'. I'm not sure whether to go 5.1 or 2.1. I'm leaning 2.1 since a portion of the listening is not done sitting in front of the TV. I am either in the kitchen, or on a desk in the back left corner. Also the couch is pushed against the long wall in the back, so I wonder how the 'rear stereo' sounds will feel on the couch.

What has been your luck with situations like this?
Click to expand...
Get the Vizio 5.1 soundbar I linked above. You won't regret and it pairs well with the Vizio TV.

 
Man in the yellow hat said:
I ended up going with this one, however, after taking into account budget and sub-woofer. I'm happy with it so far:

http://www.costco.com/Vizio-SB3821-C6-38%22-2.1-Bluetooth-Soundbar-with-Wireless-Subwoofer.product.100161746.html
Click to expand...
I got this one as well.  About a month in and I absolutely love it.  For $150 the sound is downright incredible.  Our living room is about 15' x 20', connected to a 15' x 15' kitchen so you can get an idea of the space....

The sub is tiny and bluetooth so just plug it in anywhere.  I was absolutely astonished by the quality of the low end from such a small and seemingly inexpensive woofer.

Massive upgrade over the TV speakers. 

Back in the day I would have gone big with the rear surround and what-not, but as a budget-conscious guy with kids this was absolutely perfect.  Cannot endorse any more... A-plus.

 
nirad3 said:
I got this one as well.  About a month in and I absolutely love it.  For $150 the sound is downright incredible.  Our living room is about 15' x 20', connected to a 15' x 15' kitchen so you can get an idea of the space....

The sub is tiny and bluetooth so just plug it in anywhere.  I was absolutely astonished by the quality of the low end from such a small and seemingly inexpensive woofer.

Massive upgrade over the TV speakers. 

Back in the day I would have gone big with the rear surround and what-not, but as a budget-conscious guy with kids this was absolutely perfect.  Cannot endorse any more... A-plus.
Click to expand...
Got the Vizio 2.1 last week as well.  Yep, it's good sound and looks pretty good too. Very happy with the purchase for the price.   The only drawback is that the quietest settings are not that quiet, at least with others sleeping.  On weekend mornings, I have to pick between volume of (1) just enough for me to make out what is going on or (2) wake up the house.  We don't have carpet or rugs in that room yet which is part of my first world problem. 

 
Brony said:
Got the Vizio 2.1 last week as well.  Yep, it's good sound and looks pretty good too. Very happy with the purchase for the price.   The only drawback is that the quietest settings are not that quiet, at least with others sleeping.  On weekend mornings, I have to pick between volume of (1) just enough for me to make out what is going on or (2) wake up the house.  We don't have carpet or rugs in that room yet which is part of my first world problem. 
Click to expand...
Totally agree.  I also haven't figured out how to control the volume using my DirecTV remote, but not sure I want to anyways.  For kids shows and for when the wife is watching her shows, I think they just prefer to have the regular TV sound. 

I've been using the soundbar when I watch sports or movies when the wife is out with her girlfriends.  I watched the 2nd installment of the Divergent series :bag: the other night and the sound was awesome.

 
Brony said:
Got the Vizio 2.1 last week as well.  Yep, it's good sound and looks pretty good too. Very happy with the purchase for the price.   The only drawback is that the quietest settings are not that quiet, at least with others sleeping.  On weekend mornings, I have to pick between volume of (1) just enough for me to make out what is going on or (2) wake up the house.  We don't have carpet or rugs in that room yet which is part of my first world problem. 
Click to expand...
Does lowering the volume on the TV have any affect? Just a thought.

 
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