AVR appears to have died, replacement or alternative?

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Disrespective

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#208845 1-Mar-2017 22:25

I bought a Denon X3200W AVR early last year and it appears to have moved onto AVR heaven. *sadface*

Regardless of any replacement options, warranty or otherwise, i'm now reconsidering my needs at home. Without going into details on my specific setup as far as input/output needs, the options that I see are:

1. Replace the AVR with the same, or similar unit.
2. Replace the AVR with a soundbar.

I watch a lot more movies (5.1 and 7.1 encodes) and TV episodes than use it for music and as such have a 5.1 setup in the living room. However I have two boys under 3yrs old at home so watching anything at a loud volume is nigh on impossible, and won't be for some time. What I wonder is whether a soundbar can come close to an average 5.1 setup in regards to sound immersion.

Has anyone used a soundbar and are happy with it? What one do you have? Pro's cons? Can anyone see an alternative option so I can still enjoy some decent sound when watching movies?

richms

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#1728559 1-Mar-2017 22:33

If you only got it last year, then surely its a CGA situation?

Anyway, no Soundbar horrible compared to a couple of nice big full range speakers. My LG one - Bass constantly needs adjusting as its a fine line between booming and not enough bass. Seems to be a void around the crossover freq between the bar and the "sub" and the wireless sub keeps dropping out.

Richard rich.ms

Dunnersfella

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#1728629 2-Mar-2017 08:11

Good soundbars are actually pretty decent and they tend to blend in well / disappear. Which really, is the point of a sound system in a typical house.

richms experience is sadly consistent with many of the TV branded soundbars, despite the marketing and fancy display stands in-store, they need to stick to making panels, not sound gear. The big names in soundbars are big because they're good at what they do.

I'd happily have a soundbar downstairs in my home, with my theatre pre / amp combo upstairs.

ilovemusic

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#1728793 2-Mar-2017 10:52

who makes a good soundbar ?

good compared to the tiny speakers built into a modern tv

but good compared to two decent speakers, properly setup ?

trig42

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#1728803 2-Mar-2017 11:04

Bose make a pretty good one. Some people do not like their gear, but to most people, it just sounds good, and it works. Sonos as well. The Bose and Sonos products these days actually seem quite similar - both wireless with seperate (as in purchased seperately) Subwoofers.

I saw a Polk Audio Sub/Bar pack the other day at JB - http://www.jbhifi.co.nz/home-theatre/polk-omni/sb1-omni-sound-bar-subwoofer-system-sku-295690/ Didn't turn it up, but what I heard was pretty decent. YMMV.

Dunnersfella

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#1728807 2-Mar-2017 11:26

The new Bose and Yamaha 2700 are very similar in concept... slimline, multi-room audio capable + beam steering for surround effects - with a wireless subwoofer.

The Sonos is older tech now, no DTS support or HDMI's... plus it's bulkier. The positive is that it can be rotated for cleaner wall mounting.

What sounds best?

Well, that's all about the demo I suppose.

If you want something with slightly less mid-range going to the subwoofer, look at a Denon or Klipsch.

If you want a full-on soundbar, look at the Atmos capable Yamaha - but it's rather LARGE (and in charge).

mattwnz

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#1728854 2-Mar-2017 12:20

Dunnersfella:
Good soundbars are actually pretty decent and they tend to blend in well / disappear. Which really, is the point of a sound system in a typical house.

richms experience is sadly consistent with many of the TV branded soundbars, despite the marketing and fancy display stands in-store, they need to stick to making panels, not sound gear. The big names in soundbars are big because they're good at what they do.

I'd happily have a soundbar downstairs in my home, with my theatre pre / amp combo upstairs.

Yes but to buy a decent one you are paying a big premium. There only reason I would recommend a soundbar over a conventional setup is if space is limited

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Dunnersfella

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#1728871 2-Mar-2017 12:47

Price premiums are like anything, subjective.

Most people struggle to hear dialogue, I believe that most decent soundbars are more than fine in that arena. As the OP doesn't want high SPL in order to avoid waking the kids, clear dialogue and a decent soundstage from a good manufacturer should be the ticket.