One of the hottest trends in audio is sound bars. These long, speaker-looking devices sit below a television with the goal of offering better sound than what’s available from the TV itself.
In that regard, they succeed. They aren’t, however, decent audio.
Lets first start with the benefits, and work our way down from there. The speakers in a TV are an infinitesimal fraction of the total TV price, and are always squeezed in wherever they can fit. With today’s sub-1″ thin TVs, this isn’t likely to be anywhere useful.
They don’t offer anything close to decent sound quality, and in most cases sound horrible. There is only so much tiny underpowered drivers can do, regardless of what electronic trickery is claimed to be driving them. Audio is an afterthought in TV design, and anyone looking for a quality experience at home would do well to think of all TVs as simply monitors (as in, not having speakers at all).
Stepping up to a sound bar is a small step in the right direction. Sound bars, for the most part, offer larger drivers than what’s in a TV, and hopefully a bit more power as well. So as I said earlier, that is an improvement.
But that’s where the positives end. Most HDTV broadcasts, and nearly all DVD and Blu-rays have surround sound. This is a big part of the experience, and one that sound bars just can’t reproduce on their own. Some sound bars do offer a fake surround sound. Yamaha’s Digital Sound Projectors
Some sound bars come with surround speakers, often wireless. These will at least solve the surround problem.
Stereo separation is another issue, though falls in a similar category. Because the drivers in the bar are necessarily close together, it sounds like everything is coming from one speaker. In some cases this is ok, but in others you’re losing out on the basic concept of stereo. Some bars, as I mentioned earlier, do try to make the sound seem wider just using the speaker drivers themselves. They won’t be able to mimic the sound stage of a pair of correctly positioned speakers, but these models will at least sound “larger” than the basic sound bars that don’t attempt any sort of wider sound.
Self-powered sound bars, as in the ones that don’t need a separate receiver, are going to be underpowered. You’ll probably be able to get enough volume to fill your room, but they’re not going to have the dynamic range of even a low-end receiver and some speakers. Explosions aren’t going to rock your room. Worst case, at higher volumes the bar will distort.
Then there’s the problem of bass. Stand-alone sound bars aren’t going to have the bass of even mid-range bookshelf speakers. Most sound bars have subs (often wireless) available, and if you’re going the sound bar route, you owe it to your ears to get a sub.
The stand-alone sound bars have another problem: switching. Most people have multiple HDMI sources, like a Blu-ray player, cable/satellite box, PS3, Apple TV, etc. Some sound bars will have HDMI inputs to switch these, but most don’t. For those that don’t, you’ll have to run audio cables from your TV to the sound bar. Not a huge deal, but it does make setup somewhat more difficult. It’s also not as convenient as a receiver with HDMI switching, where all the audio and video switches with just the touch of a button.
Ok, not all of them suck.
There are a few sound bars that aren’t that bad. Not surprisingly, these come from companies that make speakers.
Polk makes several models that use similar technology as their “real” speakers. Take for example the SurroundBar ($480.00, 49% off)
Other solid bar options are:
Definitive Technology Mythos SSA-42 Speaker ($799.00)
Atlantic Technology FS-7.0-GLB 7-channel surround bar ($800)
With either of these two, you’ll need to get a sub like the Definitive Technology ProSub 800 ($399)
You don’t need to get a sub with the same brand as the sound bar, but package deals are available if you do. Then you’ll need some surround speakers. I still recommend the Polk F/X
These aren’t self-powered models, so you’ll also need to get a receiver. You don’t need to go overboard here, but you should get something with HDMI switching.
The models below offer HDMI 1.4 switching and come from companies that have been making excellent receivers for decades. Don’t obsess about power ratings, all receivers have more than enough power to drive sound bars and/or 5-7 speakers.
Denon AVR-391 ($206.96, 17% off)
Onkyo TX-SR308 ($194.81, 35% off)
Pioneer VSX-520 ($179, 28% off)
Yamaha RX-V367BL ($165.86, 34% off)
I’ve got more recommendations for receivers below.
But in reality, for similar or less money you could get a pretty decent Home Theater in a Box that would give you potential upgradeability, more features, and better sound. Onkyo makes some great HTIBs, like the HT-S6300 ($499.99, 33% off)
One thing to keep in mind with HTIBs like this, is that sometimes the receiver is specially EQed to work with the speakers, meaning you can’t really upgrade either without adversely effecting sound quality. Check out my HTIB article for more info.
Or you can mix and match your own system. Here’s a great Marantz receiver with HDMI switching, Audyssy room equalization, and plenty of power for any room. Mate that with Polk’s TL1600 or Definitive Technology’s ProCinema 600 sub/sat system and you’d have a fantastic sounding home theater for movies, TV, and even music.
If I was to go out today with around $1,000 to spend, I’d buy something along these lines.
Marantz NR1601 – $599
or
Denon AVR1910 – $389.88 (29% off)
with
Polk Audio TL1600 – $399.95 (20% off)
or
Definitive Technology ProCinema 600 – $799.95
â€â€Geoff Morrison
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Hi all,
Just getting to the article. I have purchased a Polk N1 Sound bar with the hopes of getting some kind of receiver later and a tweeters and a sub (seeing as a dorm room doesn’t merit 7.1 surround sound). I have been trying to find models capable of using the 7.1 with the sound bar, and then having a standalone sound bar option for when I am watching less demanding video. Can this be done with one of the above systems?
Old article I realize but thanks for the advice.
Unfortunately my apartment doesn’t warrant getting into a receiver/speaker set up, so I was more inclined to look at alternatives to my crappy flat screen speakers.
I ended up getting a refurbished Vizio sound bar. It’s certainly much better than my tv speakers, and quite good at dialogue which I have a hard time hearing in movies lately. As for the rest of the sound…hmm, mediocre but acceptable enough that I don’t piss off my neighbors.
I grew tired of riding the volume control just to hear someone speak, only to turn in way down when some action happens in a movie.
This helps tremendously.
Although I’m sure with a dedicated hdmi receiver, I would tweak the center channel.
I have a 5 to 1 Onkyo HTIB and the sound is very good. I also had previous to the 5 to 1 a Onkyo 7 to 1 HTIB….there is a very big difference in the sound in the two systems.
My wife decided the 7 to 1 was to big and wanted the smaller 5 to 1. So we returned the 7 to 1 to the store. Biggest mistake ever.
If you are going to get a HTIB make it a 7 to 1 system. You won’t regret it.
You can also add the B&W Panorama to the list of good soundbars. Sounds great, even though I’m not a big fan of soundbars.
You are correct, Thin TVs / Small Speakers = Bad Sound. Speakerbars do offer a bit more in cone area which equals more air movement and wider bandwidth. But they serve a greater purpose and the only time we use the soundbar is for this purpose, and that is when the TV is mounted on a articulating mount. This give the front LCR a chance to localize correctly to the TV position. In all other situations, the speakers are either box type, in-wall, free standing or ceiling mounted. Design is KING.
Geoff: Fair point. One pet peeve of mine, though: speakers don’t move air. As a speaker designer friend of mine once reprimanded me (having just said something similar), if a speaker is moving air, it’s pretty horribly broken. Speaker cones compress and rarefy air. They make waves, they’re not a fan.
I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised and very impressed with the Yamaha soundbar … and I assumed I’d hate it. I got a demonstration in the store and will buying one soon for my apartment here in Bangkok.
Great article. Sound bars will never provide the audio experience a good 5.1 system can. Warning: Long post lol
Coincidentally I am in the market for my first 5.1 system. Over the past week or so I have done an insane amount of research, originally had my heart set on the Denon 391XP but the deal breaker (One thing though you may want to add to the article for potential buyers) is that it DOES NOT allow standby passthru for audio. I can’t afford to have a 5.1 system booming at 7 AM while I watch the morning news, TV speakers will suffice in this instance.
So as I continued my research I found the next level up was a Denon 591BA with Boston Acoustic speakers, more powerful receiver, and a BA sub, which you may want to include as an alternative. Also it has standby audio passthru!
However as I soldier on visiting forum after forum it seems that I instead may end up building my own system, and am now interested in custom subs, SVS, Lava, and other small high quality brands made by people with a passion for great audio and great price. Some of these small companies formed from a bunch of guys on an audiophile forum getting together, which in my eyes is pretty stellar.
Once again, great article and great timing!
Geoff: One thing to remember, SPL is SPL, or volume is volume in other words. If the volume is loud enough to hear it, then it doesn’t matter if it’s coming from a center channel or TV speakers. The only difference is the bass from the sub, which may carry through walls. But in this case, if you’re watching news there’s not likely to be much in the way of bass. Just something to keep in mind.