Forum Home
PC World Chat
 
Thread ID: 138400 2014-11-24 05:50:00 Soundbar VS Surround Sound System learning (5137) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
1388739 2014-11-24 05:50:00 I am weighing the idead of getting a Soundbar instead of a full on Home theatre system

I know a Soundbar can never replace a Surround system.

I am not well versed in the whole 5.1 / 7.1 surround home theater terminology and setup but as I understand setting one up would require running wires??
Which is why I prefer to get surround bar with wireless bass speaker.

Do Surround bars come pretty close to these home theater systems? How much of difference is there between the 2 and should i look for something specific when getting a soundbar?

Any recommendation on the specific make /model of soundbar out there?
learning (5137)
1388740 2014-11-24 06:23:00 As I understand it, a Soundbar is better for a computer based sound system as it requires a lot less power. I hope to be corrected if I'm wrong. Greg (193)
1388741 2014-11-24 07:33:00 Relating to your 2nd to last question, have a read of www.which.co.uk Scroll down, and theres the pro's and Con's of all.

Keep in mind you can get wireless speakers these days = More $$ (usually).
wainuitech (129)
1388742 2014-11-24 07:43:00 I love my pair of Mission M75's I have not yet found a surround set up that gets anywhere close to the sound they give. gary67 (56)
1388743 2014-11-24 07:51:00 I have a Phillips sound bar. It is no remplacement for a proper home theater system. I got mine for space reasons and am pleased with it fir what it is. Do not go for a cheap one. Mine I think was $800 on spencil. Blue tooth is great for mobile devices and the computer. I have hooked mine up via optical from tv. It also has two hdmi in and one out. Not enough for me so optical was best solution. plod (107)
1388744 2014-11-24 07:52:00 If you want tidy and no wires a soundbar is probably a good option. I have a reasonable 5.1 setup with wharfedale diamond 9 series speakers and while I love it it's really only the occasional movie that truly makes good use of the rear speakers.
Almost all the sound comes from the centre speaker in most movies and the left and right are used for positioning sound and for effects. A decent quality soundbar would give you most of the experience I think.

For music I have mixed feelings about 5.1, I think stereo recordings sound better in stereo but my receiver defaults to spreading it around all the speakers and that also can be pretty effective depending on your listening position.
On the other hand I actually use a pair of bookshelf speakers and a stereo amp on my PC and find it blows away any PC speaker set I've ever heard.

In the end any decent set of speakers, whether surround or stereo or somewhere in between, will sound hugely better than a TV.
dugimodo (138)
1388745 2014-11-24 11:53:00 Ooo Duggy, I had a knee trembler reading that. :D Wharfdale speakers dang!

I have a Yamaha surround sound system bought (of course) just before they added a USB port. However a 3.5 plug works for MP3 players etc.

Anyway: its good, even great. Lots of buttons to confuse the unwary meaning only my son and I (on a good day) can operate it. To get the best out of Blueray different inputs have to be selected and the right surround sound mode - Hall, Live, Night etc. There is one button somewhere (unknown even now) which kills the whole system which a friend accidentally found and we thought it had died.

Wires and speakers in all directions run under carpets but never completely out of sight. The centre powered bass speaker can shake the house but utterly drowns out everything else so it has to be delicately adjusted for each movie meaning in reality it gets set at low.

I do like the Yamaha system and its quality but its not simple.

By comparison my son at university bought a simple 3 speaker powered system for his MP3/computer from Harvey Norman for $50 (on sale) and it produces astonishing sound. Logitech maybe.

All in all, next time I'll seriously look at a sound bar.
Winston001 (3612)
1388746 2014-11-24 19:59:00 ......it's really only the occasional movie that truly makes good use of the rear speakers.
Almost all the sound comes from the centre speaker

+1
The centre speaker does the vocals, so thats the most important speaker for surround movies. The rear speakers are only for the occasional wiz bang boom effect.
And if the room is too small, 5.1 can just turn musshy & non defined .
I dont even bother turn on the 5.1 for most movies now, if the movie is good then it doesnt matter.
A sound bar is a great idea, just dont expect great sound, the speakers in them are often small, cheap & nasty (unless you spend $$$).
1101 (13337)
1388747 2014-11-25 04:52:00 Any recommendation on the specific make /model of soundbar out there?Great question as this is something I've been looking at too.

I'm getting the impression you should avoid the cheapest sound bars, but does anyone have make/model recommendations?
Jen (38)
1388748 2014-11-25 05:17:00 Great question as this is something I've been looking at too.

I'm getting the impression you should avoid the cheapest sound bars, but does anyone have make/model recommendations?
www.noelleeming.co.nz
This is what I have.
plod (107)
1 2