New Soundbar advice

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sxz

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#255591 19-Aug-2019 20:01

Hi guys!

I'm no audiophile. I have an aging Sony Bluray Player with 5.1ch sound, all on a shelf under my TV (i.e. not surround). Sounds great to me, and cost be about $400 7 years ago. We only use the sound system when seriously watching movies - not regular TV.

We are now looking at minimalism, putting the TV on the wall, and replacing the sound system with a soundbar. There will be no table or cabinet or other room for Blueray players (etc.). I'm struggling to decide what soundbar to replace it with.

I like the idea of this JBL 5.1ch soundbar, with twin battery powered rear speakers: https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/shop/audio/home-audio/sound-bars/jbl-jblbar51blkas-bar-5-1-4k-ultra-hd-soundbar-with-true-wireless-surround-speakers/prod182656.html

Has anyone tried this one or similar? I struggle to believe whether the rear speakers will be that good for the few times we feel like watching with full 5.1. Otherwise battery is fine for me, since we would only use the sound system when seriously watching movies.

Our house isn't well laid out to run speaker wire and wall mount rear speakers, and the spouse isn't keen on ceiling mounted speakers, so we are also just tossing up just getting a good quality 3.1ch soundbar instead. Has everyone been happy with their similar devices?

Cheers!

eracode

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#2301973 19-Aug-2019 21:02

Have look at Sonos Beam soundbar which comes in black or white. Two Sonos Play Ones for satellites. Add a Sonos Sub if budget allows and if you want the go the whole hog. Despite the occasional scorn from some here on GZ, they’re excellent speakers.

It’s not cheap - especially with the sub - but you don’t really need to have the sub. The Beam plus two Play Ones will give you the wireless rears you’re looking for - apart from mains power to each Play One. The Beam connects to TV via HDMI ARC (preferably) or fibre optic/Toslink cable. Beam supports Alexa - with Google Assistant coming I believe.

See these recent threads:

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=34&topicid=253098&singlepage=yes

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=34&topicid=233625&singlepage=yes

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

1024kb

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#2301977 19-Aug-2019 21:11

I second that advice. I really didn't expect the ease of setup & use of Sonos nor the very acceptable sound quality, it's better than I anticipated.

My setup is as suggested above - Beam with 2 x Play One. It's clean & tidy - not flashy at all, fully expandable & very versatile.

Megabyte - so geek it megahertz

sxz

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Ultimate Geek

#2301992 19-Aug-2019 21:51

1024kb:

I second that advice. I really didn't expect the ease of setup & use of Sonos nor the very acceptable sound quality, it's better than I anticipated.

My setup is as suggested above - Beam with 2 x Play One. It's clean & tidy - not flashy at all, fully expandable & very versatile.

Thank you both. I doubt I'd ever be willing to drop $1k for the sub, but you say you are happy not having the sub?

Is it pretty good with just the sound bar (no surrounds)?

Again, I'm no audiophile, but if I'm watching Top Gun I love to hear the jets roar past...

Ge0rge

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#2302000 19-Aug-2019 22:31

I've got the bar and two one's as rear speakers. Works really well and I have only considered the sub because it would be "the set", not because it's needed. Haven't brought it yet, setup has very high WAF for over three years now.

Dunnersfella

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#2302304 20-Aug-2019 11:14

The Beam without a subwoofer struggles with bass - the price of the subwoofer is ridiculous when you consider the price of the Beam.

I would suggest there's a HOST of other options that will give you better bang for buck.

If you don't want Alexa / Google snooping on your conversations look at basic bars from Polk, JBL, Denon, Yamaha (beware, there is a Polk and Denon unit on the market that are the same, but have different badge... yet the Polk costs far less).

The YAS207 is rated extremely well.

https://www.whathifi.com/yamaha/yas-207/review - Despite my distaste for What HiFi? they do seem to echo a lot of positive reviews for the bar.

https://www.techhive.com/article/3244136/yamaha-yas-207-review.html

https://www.cnet.com/reviews/yamaha-yas-207-review/

https://www.toptenreviews.com/sound-bars-yamaha-soundbar-review

If you want to upgrade to a bar with WiFi rears, the next Yamaha up the range (Bar 400) can allow you to add on MusicCast 20's as surrounds. But then you're getting into Sonos money... and that may well be something you're looking to avoid?

The Polk Signa sounds great.

The JBL kit offers great bang for buck.

https://au.pcmag.com/speakers/50751/jbl-bar-31 - These sound good, but the sub may be a little on the HUGE side?

The bars also decode DTS soundtracks for your DVD and Blu-ray movies, whereas Sonos simple doesn't support DTS audio. Heck, even Bose supports DTS on their new bars!