Should You Buy A Soundbar?

Soundbars are all the rage these days among folks who are unsatisfied with their TV's weak built-in speakers - but does it make sense to buy one?





Intro Theme: Showdown by F.O.O.L from Monstercat - Best of 2016

[paintballercali]

They need to make a video comparing sound bars and surround sound at various price points.

[Hotsaucehotshot]

I think id get more use out of a vodka bar.

[OSalviano]

Don't know if I need a soundboard, but I really need an epic SpaceX shirt

[traceyclaver]

"Like Michael Bay movies." 😂

[forgotn]

I bought a nice samsung with a wireless sub that sits next to my comfy movie watching chair and I freaking love it. It's also got great sound when playing music and the bluetooth connectivity means I can use my phone as a stereo any time I want.

[davidperry]

For bedrooms, efficiency apartments, and college dorm rooms, soundbars rule. For living rooms either a traditional surround sound setup or a pair super high quality stereo speakers.

[samgray]

Yes! We have a Bose soundbar, and it works surprisingly well, and because I have a hearing issue which causes me to not be able to hear certain sounds based on the range of sound. It also took the giant 20-year-old speakers off the wall.

[drng]

If you have Sony BRAVIA, ours were W600B, you don't need sound bar, you only need an active subwoofer. You can connect the subwoofer input from the 3.5mm headphone jack of the TV and to the rear connector of the subwoofer, our Boston Acoustics Subwoofer has 4 inputs for left and right channel. I do need to cut the other end to expose the wires, add some ferrules and then connect them to the sub. Set the headphone jack settings as a subwoofer and boom, low frequency sounds will be router to the headphone jack to your subwoofer while the TV speakers will be the one to provide high frequency.
You can also buy their Sony BT Subwoofer but it's not worth it and kind of expensive.

[rollingtroll]

Two active speakers, they're cheap these days, you get proper stereo and setting them up is as easy as a soundbar.
I don't really get them, unless you really have no space.

[imakuniaw]

Watch at 1.25x for a better experience.

[ybra]

I would say you are probably better off buying a pair of stereo speakers (and maybe a subwoofer). Yes, the speakers in the soundbar are bigger than the speakers in your tv, but they are still pretty small. Soundbars are pretty expensive for what you are actually getting.

[macinman]

I currently have the ViZio 36" SB3651-e6 model sound bar system in my bedroom and living room, and I find it a good balance of performance and simplicity for a smaller environment such as an apartment. It supports all the typical formats Dolby 5.1, DTS 5.1, Dolby Plus 5.1. It won't receive a bitstream of the lossless codecs such as TrueHD, or Master Audio from DTS. However, it will receive lossless audio if it's sent as PCM 5.1 say having the Blu-ray player decode the audio, and send it as PCM vs sending it as a bitstream. These systems have a wireless sub, and rear speakers so they provide a genuine 5.1 experience vs simulated. I've been quite happy with the performance. and they are well priced for what you get. They also come with Google cast Audio built in so you can stream music to the sound bar directly as well. Bluetooth is also an option. One other thing, they do support cast multi device so they will also work with a music group for multi room audio.

[Codexual]

Always been a head phones type of guy. But I guess I’ve been considered to get a sound bar. I just need two of them and use them as headphones! Vol 100 please!

*ears bleeding out*

STILL WORTH IT

[michaels]

I got an LG soundbar when i got the 'smart' TV, and it sounds great.I had a sound card, speakers, etc, etc, and it was a mess, although it sounded fine.It's just too much complication for the amount of TV I watch, and I am fine with good sound, so the LGs are clear, quick, and adequate, taking up little space in comparison.I have studio and audiophile gear, and most of the time, I dont even use any of it, unless I am recording.I came up in the time when DJing meant carrying crates, amps, preamps, speakers, and like with home audio, it just doesnt need to be complicated, expensive, and mysterious.Just get it, try it, and see if it works for you, or take it back..easy...

[SaltAndVi]

I HIGHLY recommend getting a sound bar if you have a multiple devices. But not just a soundbar, get one that's comes with a separate Bluetooth subwoofer. It's an absolute game changer. First of all the sound bar gets extremely loud. If I want the base, it's there. Secondly, you can connect multiple devices easily. I have my tv and computer right next to each other so I only have to worry about one audio system. It has so many ports ranging from auxiliary, HDMI, optical, and even USB. It also has Bluetooth and comes with a remote allowing for easy control and switching from one syatem to another. I mainly use my computer and tv, never at the same time though so I don't even have to worry about switching inputs, mine does it automatically.

Yes it can be expensive, but I've used mine every single day and have never once run into a problem with it in the 3 years I've had it now.

Edit: I also want to add that they take up very little space as it can just sit under your tv, or you can even mount it under your tv on the wall

[coloniellizardt]

Yes and no. If you want less wires and more simplicity then yes soundbars are good if you get the right one. Otherwise soundbars were never meant to replace A/V receivers and other proper speaker setups, so obviously if you want better more convincing surround sound whether you're aiming for 5.1, 7.1, or Atmos/DTS:X then just get a receiver and your choice of speakers/subwoofers and enjoy.

[Pasi]

I already have a surround setup. And my 32" Sony Trinitron widescreen CRT TV has pretty good built in stereo speakers and it even has a built in subwoofer.

[sambarnes]

I just came from your apple refused to fix my imac pro part 2 video

[MrEditsCinema]

I bought an LG sound bar for £70 on sale, the subwoofer adds so much more detail to explosions, gun sounds etc (not overkill though) sound is also more clear when people talk.. huge upgrade. night and day difference. I can't stand tv speakers now.. imagine if i upped my budget to £150-£200😮

[HKTed]

A few years ago i bought my whole family soundbars, they're great improvements for a not to much price tag.