Are soundbars and Bluetooth speakers killing hifi ?
- Thread starter KingAzazel
- Start date
-
- Tags
- bluetooth sound bars
fill35u
Super Member
The main design headache is that "bar" implies a fairly short height limitation. Too short for a decent diameter (efficient) mid-range with a tweeter over it. Mounting the tweeter to the side causes horizontal lobing issues.
Obviously requires a subwoofer, although I can't see getting seamless integration unless crossed fairly high at 120-150Hz with fast slopes. We're certainly not trying to call 3" or 4" drivers "woofers", are we?
If for some reason I needed a sound bar, I'd make my own with coaxials. At a first glance, either the B&C 4CN36 or Dayton CX120-8. Although I'm sure the car audio world has many fine offerings to choose from.
Obviously requires a subwoofer, although I can't see getting seamless integration unless crossed fairly high at 120-150Hz with fast slopes. We're certainly not trying to call 3" or 4" drivers "woofers", are we?
If for some reason I needed a sound bar, I'd make my own with coaxials. At a first glance, either the B&C 4CN36 or Dayton CX120-8. Although I'm sure the car audio world has many fine offerings to choose from.
You are nuking it like an audiophile. That’s not a sound bars intended purpose And that’s what a lot of people are saying on here, you have to take them for what they are.
Gnesen
Super Member
Yep, it's like why people rob banks. That's where the money is.
When did headphones become not Hi-Fi. I know my headphone set ups definitely are
fill35u
Super Member
Well, yes?
A sound bar's intended purpose (to the consumer) is to sound better than the TV's speaker, which my approach probably would. A sound bar's purpose to the *manufacturer* is to make them money. I would prefer to trade a little of my labor for a better end result.
I'm just laying out the way I would get the best sound for the money, given the height limitation.
My point is that they can be *better* than what they are, even within the limitations. People don't have to accept popular solutions at high profit margins, especially with lesser performance.
Come to think of it, there's another dimension we don't talk about much with sound bars- depth. Deep enough and you could fit four 8" woofers downfiring to cover the range from 120 to 50Hz or so, to give a more solid octave of crossover to the sub. Maybe offset and opposed, two in the middle firing up with two on the ends firing down, to keep the thing from bouncing around...
the skipper
Professional Curmudgeon
Well, yes?
A sound bar's intended purpose (to the consumer) is to sound better than the TV's speaker, which my approach probably would. A sound bar's purpose to the *manufacturer* is to make them money. I would prefer to trade a little of my labor for a better end result.
I'm just laying out the way I would get the best sound for the money, given the height limitation.
My point is that they can be *better* than what they are, even within the limitations. People don't have to accept popular solutions at high profit margins, especially with lesser performance.
Come to think of it, there's another dimension we don't talk about much with sound bars- depth. Deep enough and you could fit four 8" woofers downfiring to cover the range from 120 to 50Hz or so, to give a more solid octave of crossover to the sub. Maybe offset and opposed, two in the middle firing up with two on the ends firing down, to keep the thing from bouncing around...
But we are the only .0001% of the buying public that care.
And I do get what you are saying. I have Klipsch BS’s and a class d Amp/DAC for my TV.
fill35u
Super Member
Yeah, and that's more to the crux of this thread.
But they must care *some*, if they're buying a sound bar(system) at all. I guess the question is, if 99.9999% of the population are OK with setting the bar(!) so low, is there no hope for ever getting them interested in higher fi? I think our best bet is to invite others to hear our systems so they know what's possible, then offer them cost-effective paths to improvement.
Of course, I've been talking about stuffing $200 worth of *drivers alone* into a custom cabinet. Add three channels of amplification and crossovers, it would have to sell for at least $1000 to be commercially viable. Hmmm, I get your point.
When did headphones become not Hi-Fi. I know my headphone set ups definitely are
I don't consider anything Blose ever made real hi-fi.
They do care about how it sounds. It’s sounds good to them, even great. “We” are the ones that can’t get over ourselves.
“showing” them only works if they are interested, I do it all the time with my daughters friends and Sailors I work with.
IMO/E @Aaron Hayman hit the nail in the head in an earlier post. “Hi-Fi” has to trigger that release of some chemical in our “Audiophool Brain cell”.
My brother and sister are a prime example. They grew up in the same house I did, pops and uncles having high end systems (they still do), and they love music just as much as we do. My sister has a huge vinyls collection and does not think twice of dropping $500 on a remastered box set. She plays them on a Corsley TT with built in speakers? I took a complete system to her house one Thanksgiving... “oh that sounds great” ... “ you can have it” ... “no, I like my turntable, it’s easy”. My brother has a $2000 sound bar set-up, in the garage, in storage he has a nice Sansui separates system and some Infinity speakers that our uncle gave him
Some of us can’t get over ourselves and don’t get it, they don’t get us either.
I don’t not own Bose HP’s. And at the end of the day it’s only your opinion anyway
My point was about HP’s in general
Im happy to get my entertainment here on a friday night. I wont be out getting into trouble!!! My local record store emailed me saying they are selling out of sonos equip. as sonos is only gonna be selling to online and big box stores soon. They did'nt renew selling the sonos in records stores.
The other place is proving to be entertaining
Exactly... but for some reason “audiophiles” can’t get over what other people like and are fine with
jcg1112
Active Member
Well, yes?
A sound bar's intended purpose (to the consumer) is to sound better than the TV's speaker, which my approach probably would. A sound bar's purpose to the *manufacturer* is to make them money. I would prefer to trade a little of my labor for a better end result.
I'm just laying out the way I would get the best sound for the money, given the height limitation.
My point is that they can be *better* than what they are, even within the limitations. People don't have to accept popular solutions at high profit margins, especially with lesser performance.
Come to think of it, there's another dimension we don't talk about much with sound bars- depth. Deep enough and you could fit four 8" woofers downfiring to cover the range from 120 to 50Hz or so, to give a more solid octave of crossover to the sub. Maybe offset and opposed, two in the middle firing up with two on the ends firing down, to keep the thing from bouncing around...
Still overthinking this. A soundbar is just that, a bar. When I bought my Klipsch setup, the demo let me know just what I was getting. Plopped it down in front of the big screen, optical to the tv and Bluetooth to the sub. Boom, done.
The most I have to think about is the sub level and do I want to use the 3D mode (which I do).
Jayrosc
Super Member
Has anyone else seen the recent documentary on Neil Young? On HBO or Showtime or one of those places? In it he says he only really likes listening to music in his car. Neil says he doesn't care if it comes out of a shitty 3 inch speaker, he will know if he likes it or not. Didn't the same guy try to market sone hi end audio device a few years ago? Pogo?