Sound bars - what do you think?
2For listening to TV, comparing a Bose Wave Radio (~$350) to a Samsung soundbar (Costco $180), which is the better value, more convenient, better sound? Other options you might suggest?
I just picked up the sound bar and I’m debating return or keep.
- 13 comments, 21 replies
- Comment
I find sound bars appropriate in certain situations - such as a space one, or in a location you are not setting up a 3.1, 5.1, whatever system. If it is a half way decent one it is still going to be better than most built-in television speakers. I use them on 2 TV’s in the house.
p.s. (ninja edit) can’t speak to the wave for that purpose, but would not be my first choice. For that money @jbartus is correct below about receiver and speakers.
I love the Energy speakers for my system I picked up wOOT.
Soundbar vs. Wave Radio is really subjective to be honest, it would require direct comparison of the two models. That said, my recommendation would be to invest that $180 towards an A/V receiver and a decent set of speakers. Craigslist is good for deals.
You won’t get both for that money but for the $350 figure you can probably get a decent set of used speakers and a reasonably high end used receiver. I just picked up a great Yamaha receiver for $180. Just as an example there’s a set of Cerwin Vega DX1s for $75 near me, lots of good deals to be had on Craigslist.
Well, damn, I was gonna say how much I loved going to bars, especially ones with music, but that’s not what this is about.
@lisaviolet I’m with you. Kick it!
I got the Yamaha soundbar (Costco) for my TV when watching news, dumb shows, whatever…
I click on the connected 7.1 channel receiver for movies or music.
The speakers on new TVs are not usable at all.
@daveinwarsh I totally agree with you. The speakers that come with TVs now aren’t good enough for watching Antique Roadshow let alone anything where the sound effects and music are important. I bought my flatscreen back in 2009 and it has great built in speakers. At that time the idea of making speakers so crappy that you could bilk people out of another $200 was still just a glimmer in some junior executive’s eye.
hi - bose makes a sound bar like product – its called a bose solo – makes a flat screen sound great at low and hi volume levels – I’ve had mine for half a year now with no complaints – costs more than the samsung sound bar but it is discounted a lot and i am sure that there are used ones out and about – also supports bluetooth streaming – a nice product that sounds good.
@bayportbob where did you find it discounted? which model do you have?
I love my soundbar. Big sound and simple. No wires – wireless subwoofer and satellites. I’m never going back to AVR, just digging the minimalist vibe this brings.
I have this one, but woot has a deal on the newer model right now.
@ACraigL thanks, that looks nice. are the satelites wired to the wireless subwoofer?
@Yoda_Daenerys Correct. The sub connects wirelessly to the soundbar, and the satellites are wired to it via RCA cables. It gave me so much more flexibility without needing to run wires around the room or ceiling.
@ACraigL I have the same soundbar and it is very nice, especially with a vizio tv.
@thismyusername “Luke, I am your fatherrrrr”
Yamaha SRT-1000 - $150 after rebate from Newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16886971019
It’s NOT full of shill reviews at Amazon either!
http://fakespot.com/product/yamaha-srt-1000-tv-surround-sound-system-with-dual-built-in-subwoofers
Now if you don’t mind running wires for a full 5.1 setup, $240 from Monoprice:
http://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=109&cp_id=10919&cs_id=1091901&p_id=14203&seq=1&format=2
http://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=109&cp_id=10906&cs_id=1090601&p_id=13773&seq=1&format=2
Add in however much speaker wire you’ll need for your room.
@narfcake with each new post, i change my mind again, GAAAAAAA!!!
@narfcake plus you’d have to buy speakers with the wired one, i’m liking the clean look of the yamaha or bose TV stand form factor, but bose is much higher price
@narfcake and how come meh can’t start selling some Energy speakers for the masses. Woot had them for awhile.
@mfladd They’re not Bluetooth.
Best kind of sound bar for obnoxious ads:
Only know the Bose by reputation, but most soundbars are crap, sonically speaking. I got one of those Denon desktop bluetooth speakers from this humble site some time back, which I use as a soundbar. It sounds great, comparatively speaking. Most soundbars don’t have the power or frequency range to do justice to the audio output.
@robson It doesn’t help that their drivers are like 2 inches in diameter.
How about this… Philosophically, most soundbars are basically making your tv louder and a bit better. Whereas receivers/amps will actually make you appreciate the sound of movies (and great music). If you’re mostly fine with tv sound, soundbars are the way to go. If tv sound really grates on you, you’ll likely be better off of spending ~50% more and getting a real setup.
And while I actually do appreciate Bose’s sound quality, they invariably charge a good bit more than other for comparable quality. I’d avoid unless you REALLY like the convenience of the Wave.
/giphy 2¢
decided to do this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16886971019
thanks @narfake and all the others for sharing your thoughts
@Yoda_Daenerys For misspelling my name, you owe this design a vote.
http://shirt.woot.com/derby/entry/95580/every-night
@narfcake No playing favorites!
@ACraigL Maybe I’ll just unvote your design instead, then!
@narfcake meow.
@narfcake that’s the second misfire i’ve had on your name sorry narf a kaka (as irk would say)
what do you win if you get the most votes?
i clicked i want one - that’s a vote?
was that pinky and the brain poppy out of the shirt?
/giphy no longer visit woot
@Yoda_Daenerys Thanks. I don’t win anything beyond a chance to buy it, but the artists get $1k (to split) and if it sells the most in July, an extra $10k bonus.
@narfcake, received the Yamaha TV stand from NewEgg yesterday, looks very nice and sounds pretty good too, nice features to change sound profile based on what you are listening to, all in all a great value for $150 - thanks again for the suggestion!
I have a Bose Wave Radio directly under my TV that I used to use for TV sound. In early 2015 I added a Phillips Fidelio HTL7180/F7 top mounted to the TV, and it sounds much better.
For dialogue, I don’t notice much difference with the Bose vs the 4.1.
Having the surround option is great when we want a better home theater experience.
The bass is the biggest improvement. -I went from having none with the Bose to having that tall skinny thing shake the room!