SOUNDBAR or RECEIVER? | Home Theater Philosophy 101

SOUNDBAR or RECEIVER? | Home Theater Philosophy 101

The age old question these days when it comes to home theater: Is it better to get a soundbar, or go with a traditional wired system powered by a receiver? Well, it's a little more complicated than just picking between the two. A lot of factors are involved, including your lifestyle. I'll go over some scenarios, and hopefully it'll make the decision a little easier for you. Check it out!

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MY HOME THEATER SETUP
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65” LG CX OLED TV

Marantz SR7015

Outlaw Audio Model 7000x Amplifier

Peachtree Nova300 Stereo Integrated Amp

Emotiva BasX A3 Amplifier

FRONT LCR
Aperion Audio Verus III V8T Towers

Aperion Audio Verus III Grand V6C Center Channel

FRONT WIDES & VOICE OF GOD
Aperion Audio Novus Slim N6SC LCR

SURROUNDS
Aperion Audio Verus III Grand V5B Bookshelf

SURROUND BACKS
Aperion Audio Novus N6T Tower Speakers

ATMOS HEIGHT SPEAKERS
Aperion Audio A5 Height Module

LG UBK90 4K Blu-ray Player

AppleTV 4K (4th Gen)

Nintendo Switch

14 AWG Copper Speaker Wire

Monoprice Low Profile 22 Lb Capacity Speaker Mounts

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MY VIDEO GEAR
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Audio Interface – Focusrite Saffire Pro 40

Sennheiser MKE600

Sony A7 II Full Frame Mirrorless Camera

Canon EOS Rebel T5i

DJI OM 4 SE

Shure KSM32 Cardioid Condenser Microphone

XLR Male to Female Microphone Cable

JOILCAN 81" Tripod

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LINKS
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Everything you need can be found at the link below! Woohoo!

#soundbar #hometheater #dolbyatmos

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DISCLAIMERS
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[jeffleonard]

Once you get bit by the home theater bug it doesn’t let go! It’s a good bug to get bit by!

[jamesprada]

Had to move to a smaller place and once I heard the sound bar of my choosing, I didn't care if my reveiver and speakers had higher quality. Instead I focused on my sound bar's quality which I approved. Get one with surround speakers. I'm so over the wires and having to check those wires and placing bulky speakers strategically, especially the tower speaker. Life is too short and too busy to not get myself a sleek looking sound bar to the point that I've accepted that I might just be giving my speakers and receiver away instead of the hassle of trying to sell such stuff today. I'm good on these wires coming loose and being visible too. It would be one thing if you listened to tons of music at home and wanted the best of the best sound, but even then, you have to place everything in just the right spot which may not even look good if you're lucky enough to have the speakers in the best spot to begin with. I'm relieved to be done with it. I thought it looked cool, but now I enioy not seeing it. Plus yea, who with kids would want that stuff around anyway. It's more important that your computer tower can connect to your TV than a receiver. Personally, I'm a wireless keyboard and mouse from a coffee table in front of couch/computer tower HDMI to TV guy vs. the rest of what ppl do, but the sound bar was a great addition to my preferences. I only use the internet to watch TV so don't need a remote for more than powering on the TV and adjusting the volume. My flat screet is equally the computer moniter, as it is the TV, so It only makes sense. Still prefer a TV on a piece of furniture eye level from the couch here the sound bar does not block the bottom of the TV when placed below it on a peice of furniture, in case you wondered, with so many ppl wall mounting their tv amd sound bar today. Not sure if all sounds bars are the same height, but I'm sure that most are.

[archwaytech]

Thats a good way of looking at it... Kinda like PC vs Mac. If you want to change out components and upgrade it piece by piece then go for traditional system but if you want ease of use but still great sound then a Soundbar fits the bill. Great Video Ealan 😊

[dontronge]

Great video! I entered this hobby in April when I upgraded my old 50" 1080p TV to Samsung 86" 4K UHD and went with the Q950A. That 950A was so good and couldn't believe how it changed my movie watching experience by the end of April I was putting together a true discrete 5.1.4 running from Denon 4700.

[kingcrimson]

Soundbars have their place, but for me, it's a proper HT setup all day long. Discrete amps, quality traditional speakers, a couple of subs. Soundbars can't compete with the sound!

[fotophotographer]

I think you should do a whole 101 series. Great video as always.

[bronstet]

Excellent point in this video. Too many purchasers are focused on which is "better" and forget to ask themselves which is better for THEM. I.E. What is more important to them, the ease of setup or the ability to expand. It's similar to buying a games console over a modular gaming PC.

I spent a long time researching soundbars and AV receivers and was quite close to buying the Samsung Q950A which is a fantastic soundbar. I ended up going with a Denon 3600H 9.2 receiver with 5.1.4 speakers which I then expanded 4 times: adding another vintage subwoofer, upgrading the speakers to bipolar ones, adding two more surround speakers to make it a 7.2.4 system and finally adding a mini-amplifier to drive the Atmos height speakers separately. 🔊 It all worked out for the best.

[pokehunter]

Also, where soundbars you only need to set it up once. With an AV system you have the flexibility to make different tweaks, such as changing the speaker cables, power cables using spikes under the speakers, in order to tune the sound to which you prefer.

[sigczr]

Tom Green never ceases to amaze me... So multi-talented...

[killermaniam]

I use soundbar for my compact main living room. I have 25 years old Bose home theater systems with Sony receiver and Technics equalizer for my home theater room. Am still amazed with my home theater room after all these years! More so with gigantic smart tv!

[fragranceandcooking]

You are a great inspiration for those who dreamed about the Dragon 11.4.6 system! The way you explain things helps get people excited about the launch !

[kenshinesca]

In a smaller room I would go with a soundbar. If you're in a bigger living room where your couch is up against the backwall your soundbars upfiring speakers will not reach you unless you angle your soundbar which is kinda janky imo, or move the soundbar closer to you but that kind of defeats the purpose of the convenience of a soundbar.

[bobreichel]

I've got a Denon receiver does atmos, dts x, and auro 3d running 9 speakers 2 subs but since I'm seeing soundbars with earc wondering weather to scrap my home unit and get a soundbar 7.2.4 with earc. My living room is small and I'd have less clutter plus I'm not all that happy with the sound separation I'm getting.

[robertjoseph]

I've realized that you're never done upgrading, because here in South Africa we have electricity loadshedding, which causes your electronics to blow out. My Sony home theater receiver is giving problems and I need an upgrade after 12 years. That said, I don't think I can afford a new avr because they're very expensive here. For example, if an avr costs $500, it converts to about R15000 (South African Rand). So it's not easy to upgrade my avr, not even over time.

[Renan_Cas]

Ealan!!! As usual, you nailed it, man! Short and simple! Great video!

[mikebushert]

Well presented and helpful. Your subliminal "Progressive Approach" answer and graphics, did reveal some alternatives I had not contemplated. I just upgraded our Television to an LGOLED EVO C3 77" and own an older 5.1 AV Receiver with reasonable Paradigm speakers. There are some interesting 'matching' Soundbar options out there I did research. However, I believe a good mid range AVR with 8K, eArc, more speaker terminal options, dolby atmos, etc. and perhaps a couple of surround speakers to start, is the way to go for a fab entertainment experience for me.

[byronhadley]

Thanks for reading the comments you get on your channel! I really appreciate all you do

[knightowl]

Another thing to add to this when wondering what you should get is: Do you live in a house or a apartment/townhome because then a soundbar might be the better option as you're not going to be able to use the power from a dedicated home theater without pissing off the neighbors....

[adinnugroho]

I still have Stereo Active Speakers, and I feel like I can make it Home Theater, but with smaller device called "Dolby/DTS Decoder" 😅. Much less expensive but still provide decent surround sound

[sammyrothrock]

Receiver is superior more power, more control, more flexibility, sound bars are great for the non technical