Soundbar vs Home Theatre

bunmanchi

bunmanchi

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looks like i get to go on a shopping spree on the insurance man's dime. ( thanks hurricane sandy )

I've already got the tv figured out, a Sharp Aquos 60" 1080p smart tv, but im having trouble
figuring out if i should go for a soundbar, or a home theater system.

I love having true surround sound, but the wires are a PITA
with a soundbar, the wires would be behind the tv.

also, do you need a receiver with a soundbar ? whats the deal
i'm looking around the $500 or less mark. so nothing too insane
which one do you have, or what one would you pick, and why ?
 
bunmanchi said:
looks like i get to go on a shopping spree on the insurance man's dime. ( thanks hurricane sandy )

I've already got the tv figured out, a Sharp Aquos 60" 1080p smart tv, but im having trouble
figuring out if i should go for a soundbar, or a home theater system.

I love having true surround sound, but the wires are a PITA
with a soundbar, the wires would be behind the tv.

also, do you need a receiver with a soundbar ? whats the deal
i'm looking around the $500 or less mark. so nothing too insane
which one do you have, or what one would you pick, and why ?
Click to expand...

Skip the soundbar. If you are into audio there's no way they're good enough even with a powered sub.

If you don't want to do surround, build yourself a good 2.1 system. Receiver, towers/good bookshelfs, sub. $500 isn't a huge budget so you'll have to score some major sales to get something half decent.
 
No comparison between the two.

This
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is the way to go. Hide 99% of the wires and your good to go. Plus depending on how smart you do it and where your doing it will add value to your house.
 
Could always get Wireless speakers. Samsung makes the champagne stand looking wireless ones.
 
bunmanchi said:
looks like i get to go on a shopping spree on the insurance man's dime. ( thanks hurricane sandy )

I've already got the tv figured out, a Sharp Aquos 60" 1080p smart tv, but im having trouble
figuring out if i should go for a soundbar, or a home theater system.

I love having true surround sound, but the wires are a PITA
with a soundbar, the wires would be behind the tv.

also, do you need a receiver with a soundbar ? whats the deal
i'm looking around the $500 or less mark. so nothing too insane
which one do you have, or what one would you pick, and why ?
Click to expand...
You arent going to get much of anything for $500 or less. Forget about surround sound for that price.

Soundbars are OK depending on brand. They are more for replacing the tv speakers with something that actually sounds half decent and has some bass. Most dont require a separate amplifier.

I have had pretty good luck with the Polk Audio Surroundbar series. We sell the 6000 pretty often. I have used the Panasonic, Sony, and Sharp ones. They are all crap. Stay away from BOSE as well.

A stereo speaker setup would be preferable, but again, you aren't going to get anything good for $500. The cheapest speakers I would recommend are PSB Alpha B1's. They are small bookshelf speakers, cheap, and sound amazing. You'd still need an Amplifier and Subwoofer to go with them though, which would push you over $500.

nfq said:
Could always get Wireless speakers. Samsung makes the champagne stand looking wireless ones.
Click to expand...
They still need to be plugged into a wall outlet, so they are in fact not wireless.
 
N3WMAN said:
You arent going to get much of anything for $500 or less. Forget about surround sound for that price.

Soundbars are OK depending on brand.
.
Click to expand...


that sounds a little crazy. when i clicked on the Home theater section on Bestbuy's website, there were maybe 20 systems under 500.
you cant possibly imply that they are all garbage, there must be something decent in there.

im not an audiophile, or a sound technician, so it all sounds ok to me.
 
If you are looking for true surround sound then the sound bar wont do it (no rear speakers). If you just want to enhance the tv sound or add a subwoofer for the 'boom' then they work ok. I had a tv in the basement that had crappy sound and I couldnt hear it. I got a cheap Phillips sound bar from Walmart and it does what I need it to do, the sound is better than the tv and the subwoofer adds some thump to some things. Cost me less than $100.

Having said that, I have a decent surround sound amp/speakers on the main tv that make the soundbar sound like a plug in radio. It all depends on what you really want and expect
 
bunmanchi said:
looks like i get to go on a shopping spree on the insurance man's dime. ( thanks hurricane sandy )

I've already got the tv figured out, a Sharp Aquos 60" 1080p smart tv, but im having trouble
figuring out if i should go for a soundbar, or a home theater system.

I love having true surround sound, but the wires are a PITA
with a soundbar, the wires would be behind the tv.

also, do you need a receiver with a soundbar ? whats the deal
i'm looking around the $500 or less mark. so nothing too insane
which one do you have, or what one would you pick, and why ?
Click to expand...

Im curious.... why Sharp?

As for Polk Audio.....we sell and install Polks.. Speakers is all they do, and they sound great.

With the budget you describe..... stick to sound bar. If you want fantastic surround sound....can't beat a proper surround system with all the speakers in the right places and a proper amp.

I used to spend big $$$ on speakers for my personal home theaters. On my current set up, I just went with a Polk surround sound bar. For what it is and what it does, its perfectly fine. And yes, buy a proper sound bar that requires an amp to drive it, and a separate subwoofer. Skip the "all in one in a box" type sound bar/amp/sub set ups.

.
 
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Meh,
Ive got an LG surround sound system for tv upstairs to play PS3 on and watch movies, and it works just fine.

Ive got another LG with wireless rear speakers downstairs. I would rather plug into an outlet, than run wires all the way around the living room.
They sound just fine for what i need them to do.
 
It all depends on the quality of the sound you want. The sound bars sound ok but for great sound nothing beats a hard wired surround system with good speakers.

I don't mind pulling wires especially when my basement has a drop ceiling. I have a 7.1 system in my living room and 5.1 in the basement, the living room (better receiver and speakers) sounds amazing especially with the surround speakers (not rears) so close to where I sit, environmental effects are so real.
 
Go to a decent home audio store (not a big box store). Listen to a soundbar system and then a component system (a decent store will have a budget comp system to demo). Bring in your own media (music, movie, whatever). Once you listen to both if you feel the soundbar is just fine for you then go ahead and get one.
I hate running wires also. But I hate bad sound more and with that said I'd never go with a soundbar. Kijiji can be your friend to piece together a great sounding comp system on a budget.
 
bunmanchi said:
that sounds a little crazy. when i clicked on the Home theater section on Bestbuy's website, there were maybe 20 systems under 500.
you cant possibly imply that they are all garbage, there must be something decent in there.

im not an audiophile, or a sound technician, so it all sounds ok to me.
Click to expand...
They are all garbage. You don't have to be an audiophile to know decent sound from complete garbage. It's not only sound quality with those units either. Their control systems are terrible.

You people are confusing more speakers with better sound. 5 bad speakers will sound exponentially worse than 2 decent speakers. Spend more money on less equipment and you'll get better quality.
 
For that budget I would just get one of the packaged sets. They are not the greatest, but far from terrible in the most part. Speakers themselves will run you close to your budget, and you still need a receiver.

I picked up a pair of tower speakers, Polk T600 that were on sale, for 2 it was $450 with tax, and thats just 2 speakers. If I was in your shoes I would get a package deal like this:
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product...spx?path=ff81bdbae47cb7f7a9a6f09f15c3bec2en02
 
i went through the same decision, tried both, hated the sound bar...the bar, when matched with a decent sub, gives you way better sound than what comes on TV's nowadays. however, you want that movie quality sound, the soundbar merely gives you better highs and lowers and sound quality over the TV, but a true 5.1 system just knocks your socks off...you have far greater customization, actually, let me correct myself there, you actually HAVE customization over your sound when going with a receiver and 5.1 speaker setup.

now if $500 is your budget and you are wondering what you can get...well, with a little patience, snoop around kijiji and you will find some outstanding deals...i picked up a nice Harmon Kardon unit with a paradigm cinema 90 system for all in $400...yes, it took about a month, but well worth it...for instance:

these i get for $150
http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-...ON-KARDON-5-1-AVR-RECEIVER-W0QQAdIdZ426227729

and for speakers:
http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-...-Home-Audio-Speaker-System-W0QQAdIdZ427002007

and the rest, you go for a sub...

you won't regret the hunt, it's so worth the difference getting a full proper system than a soundbar...hey, you don't like cables...well, there are wireless systems too for the rear speakers...
 
OP, just to confirm, I guess, for 500 (new) you won't get anything good, especially 5.1. What you call 'home theater' is really called HTiB - home theater in a box. It's garbage. In a bike world comparison, it's like a Chinese-made multitool, which is supposed to do everything, but does not do anything right. A really good suggestion above was to go with a proper 2-channel, maybe 2.1 (2 speakers + subwoofer) system.

Of course, a sound quality, just like many other things, is a very subjective matter, but I've been in audio for many many years and I have never heard a decent HTiB. Same goes for the surroundbar, it's just sound effects, but not sound quality. A good 2.1 system setup properly will outperform any of these so-called 5.1 theaters any time.

Start slow, maybe go used (canuckaudiomart has really good classifieds), go to your local audio stores (not big box stores) for demo. Start with a good receiver or a good pair of speakers, then build up the system.
Many audio stores (for example, Audio One) have a used equipment section. I got my first pair of used good speakers from Audio One, they were mint (7-8 years old at that time), came with original box and they let me demo the speakers with the system of my choice (to match my home theater) with my own CDs for over an hour without any interference. You can find what your local dealers are by checking on canuckaudiomart ads or asking on their forums.
 
If you love sound enough to start this thread then stay with a 5.1 and stay clear of soundbars. Yep, more work involved for sure but the end results are worth it. For smaller rooms I have fallen in love with Polk audio TL3'S paired with their psw111 subwoofer. Its small but packs punch!. Pair it with a nice new Yamaha receiver and bam not only you have great sound, but you can use your smartphone to control the system.

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I have had good experiences with Update TV and Stereo. He stocks a few different sound bars as well as a ton of TV's and some speakers/amps. They are at Leslie and Elgin Mills. I think he has 1 or two sound bars for ~$500, the rest go up from there. It is a decent place to listen to a bunch of different systems and see how you feel about each one. His prices are very good, he works on volume, not markup.

If you are looking for something that sound better than a TV, a soundbar is a viable option, if you are looking for a home theatre experience, I recommend saving for a while longer.
 
The home theatres in a box, while not the best out there, are far from terrible and supremely better then a tv's built in speaker. You get what you pay for, but if its just surround sound with a pleasing sound, a home theatre in a box will suit you fine.
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