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Soundbars good or bad for audio world ?

U

ultumax

Super Member
I am not a big fan of these but they clearly are the top selling fad now , since the mostly demise of the HTIB.

I dread tv speakers even more then these hideous looking stretched center channels.
I doubt even the top sound-bars hold a candle to full sized speakers .

First it was mini hifi , htib , now there smaller cousin sound-bars.

Will these help or just be another nail in the coffin of audio world and the fact that speakers keep getting smaller .

Your opinions ?:angel:
Will it get more people into high end audio or will it further the demise of home theater .

I see countless ignorance we’re people think smaller speakers sound better without any comparison and despite he exact opposite being true . Causing people to donate , sell and throw old vintage speakers in the trash.
You coulda add an audio Misconception to your explanation or opinions!!!

Thanks!
 
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Soundbars are a byproduct of huge screens that are so flat and thin, there is no space for decent speakers.

It kind of defeats the entire purpose if you have to buy another box to stick on the wall or TV unit below the panel to get partially respectable sound.

Personally, I wouldn't be seen dead with a soundbar. They are an anathema to high fidelity. But I can see why people lap them up in vast numbers.
 
I think the introduction of soundbars were a very clever marketing invention by the TV manufacturers - put tinny, useless speakers in the TV, which will then force people to buy a product that previously didn't exist.

For general/casual TV viewing I think they are now a necessary evil. I replaced a small TV in our kitchen area a while ago, and am considering a soundbar because the built-in speakers are so hard to hear, and the cheap computer monitor speakers I've plugged in are starting to fail.

For more serious TV viewing (eg. movies on a bigger screen) they are more essential. Some will produce a reasonable sound, and the expensive models will be optimised for dramatic cinema sound. But that's not the most detailed audio reproduction. In my lounge, I take the audio out from the TV and put it through my 2-channel stereo when I want quality TV sound (music video/concerts, movies, etc).
 
We had a soundbar for a while. Someone had blown the speakers on our TV, and it was a quick solution to a bit more volume (without turning on anything else, important for my wife). What's been said above is true, they're louder, for sure.. but that's really about it.

Smaller speakers are easier to live with, I get it.
 
Big fan here. Instead of the wife and kid firing up the multi-hundred watt amp and pre-pro, they can have decent sound watching the plasma. One button and they are happy. Sound? They just don’t care. One more button and they can switch from satellite to Netflix/Amazon. Win win for everyone.

They are not weird like me and you; they don’t have the dominant SQ gene.
 
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I love my soundbar speakers .
 
Mrv8q said:
Big fan here. Instead of the wife and kid firing up the multi-hundred watt amp and pre-pro, they can have decent sound watching the plasma. One button and they are happy. Sound? They just don’t care. One more button and they can switch from satellite to Netflix/Amazon. Win win for everyone.

They are not weird like me and you; they don’t have the dominant SQ gene.
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Terrible tv speakers and htib creates a need for a soundbar ?
:jump:
That’s a smart idea, less power used . Tv speakers are dreadful so only really bad soundbars are worse.
Satellites speakers probably were precursors to soundbars some of the Samsung ones were super slim like a


As long as kids aren’t audiophiles like I was even at young age. Old projector TVs had way bigger speakers then today’s flat screens and often you could add more speakers To Its amplifier.
R.I.P. when TVs had real speakers .

My dad won’t even buy a soundbar I dread led tv speakers the most hey hurt my ears. Tinnitus is activated from treble mostly .

I saw a guy on Facebook selling a seismic sub and paradigm soundbar for $1500 almost lol.
My god so much for cheap ??
 
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RichPA said:
I've heard some very good-sounding soundbars at friends' homes. Not what I'd want for serious music listening, but quite nice for casual TV viewing.
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Bingo.

We have a soundbar for our bedroom 46in. It is a cheapo from Best Buy and it sounds amazingly good actually. The down firing speakers dont sound that good on the TV and the bar makes it so easy to hear......and we also dont do HT listening for Live PD etc. My Mother In Law has an LG bar with subwoofer that I set up for her the last time we saw her........truly amazing how good they can sound when set up right.

Sound bars are yet just another whipping boy that audio snobs love to beat up on.

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I stayed in a rental vacation home recently in AZ, and the main TV setup was a Sonos soundbar with two Sonos surrounds. I was really surprised by how decent it sounded, and how little space it took up. I am not their target audience, but it sounded better than 90% of the Home Theater in a box solutions I ever heard, and stayed out of the way. The only downside was each speaker needed an outlet, but all in all I would be ok with one for TV watching purposes and background noise.
 
If there isn't a reflective surface to aim the sound forward you are pretty much sunk with todays TV sound. So the sound bars provide a viable answer especially if the TV is in a secondary location where a sound system is not needed or wanted. I like M&K sound bar with a small sub. Klipsch sound Bars were great for larger rooms. But there has to be a point where you are better off with a small stereo system than spending big money on a sound bar. I don't know where that. crossover point is. But buying nice pre-owned Nad unit with two semi efficient speakers of your choice would be a better alternative for me. I bought a 5.1 M&K system for the RV with a NAD Combo unit and the sound is great but so was the price being close to $3300.00 dollars. and that was dealer cost. If I were just watching TV and not playing CD;s or Blu rays a sound bar would have worked perfectly. In fact I'm thinking I'm going to install one in the bed room when I replace my current 24" tube TV, with a 32' LED.TV.
 
ultumax said:
Will these help or just be another nail in the coffin of audio world and the fact that speakers keep getting smaller
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It will probably be a little bit of both.
Some people may buy a soundbar for their movies and then want better audio elsewhere in their home.
Others will use the same soundbar for music rather than buying components and speakers and think it is as good as it gets.

I have both a soundbar and full surround sound setup hooked up to our TV. Not all shows and movies need the full, shake the room surround sound but most do need better than the TV speakers.

I haven't ever played music through it but I know people that do. For them it is a significant step above their phone speaker and until companies like Sony figure out that there is an option they could sell between a low end 5.1 surround sound in a box system or selling everything separate where the customer has to figure out what they want/need, people will opt for soundbars.
 
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invaderzim said:
It will probably be a little bit of both.
Some people may buy a soundbar for their movies and then want better audio elsewhere in their home.
Others will use the same soundbar for music rather than buying components and speakers and think it is as good as it gets.

I have both a soundbar and full surround sound setup hooked up to our TV. Not all shows and movies need the full, shake the room surround sound but most do need better than the TV speakers.

I haven't ever played music through it but I know people that do. For them it is a significant step above their phone speaker and until companies like Sony figure out that there is an option they could sell between a low end 5.1 surround sound in a box system or selling everything separate where the customer has to figure out what they want/need, people will opt for soundbars.
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5.1 systems are just a trashier version of the old surround stereo systems that did not need a sub , powerful main speakers.
Soundbars are better then htib less annoying wires to plug in and often junk passive subs .

Most mini hifi systems we’re lot better then todays soundbars.

What are these look good ? Cheap https://www.rockvilleaudio.com/tm15...oCoGTd3tgtRIjK6KIiu4htMkxA0wmoSxoCSXYQAvD_BwE
 
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