Soundbar Recommendations

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samshells

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#240520 12-Sep-2018 08:32

Am on the look out for Soundbar recommendations, costing around the $600 - $700 dollar mark.

Wanting to basically downsize from an amp and speaker setup ( weird I know)...

Currently looking at the SonosBeam. But I see there are so may speakers out there now...

I have a Sony TV, and like the Sony brand, so am interested to know if they produce decent Soundbars around the stated price.

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7773 posts

Uber Geek

#2087979 12-Sep-2018 08:46

I would suggest you stick with Sony, because you should then be able to control the Soundbar via your TV remote (assuming they are connected via HMDI ARC).

Mike

dafman

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#2087992 12-Sep-2018 08:57

It's a pity you didn't ask last week - I purchased a HT-CT800 from the Sony store on special for $350 (RRP$800). I just checked online - they have it listed for $800 now, but you could contact them directly to see if they will repeat price. I think it is a end of line product and doesn't have Dolby ATMOS which the newer soundbars have (not a issue for me). The Sony was also appealing as it has Bravia Sync which is compatable with my Sony TV - which means the Soundbar will work with the TV remote without requiring a second remote.

I also looked at the SonosBeam as I currently have a couple of Sonos Play 3's in the same room as the TV, so the Beam would have played nicely with these. I didn't go with the Beam for two reasons: (1) No subwoofer (and I didn't want to pay an additional $1,300 for the Sonos sub). (2) The Beam is a smart speaker. Call me old-fashioned, but I'm not interested in having a speaker that is connected to the internet and constantly listening 24/7. And Sonos are increasingly showing signs of becoming an information gathering company, presumably as a way of increasing revenue. Their recent insistence that users be forced to register products or lose functionality irks me.

samshells

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2087994 12-Sep-2018 09:01

Oh funny, a week out haha

How do find the sound on that model?

dafman

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#2088086 12-Sep-2018 10:43

samshells:

Oh funny, a week out haha

How do find the sound on that model?

Only received it yesterday and won't set up until weekend. Reviews are pretty universally positive.

alasta

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#2088100 12-Sep-2018 10:59

Bose have just announced a couple of new soundbars which might be worth a look. They will support Airplay II, and can be expanded with a subwoofer and/or rear speakers if you decide to do that down the track.

I think they also come with a universal remote.

Amosnz

567 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#2088128 12-Sep-2018 11:17

dafman:

samshells:

Oh funny, a week out haha

How do find the sound on that model?

Only received it yesterday and won't set up until weekend. Reviews are pretty universally positive.

How did you only get yours yesterday? Mine arrived Thursday last week after I ordered it on Tuesday.

Setup took all of about 15mins. I'm pretty happy with the sound from it (we're also downgrading from a separate receiver/crappy speakers). It has appears to have a chromecast audio built (couldnt cast videos to it), and my 2yo son accidentally found out how to run spotify on it without casting from a device (I haven't read the manual yet to find out what else it does) but connected over ARC its much nicer to only have 1 remote again.

Speedtest

kryptonjohn

2523 posts

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#2089178 12-Sep-2018 12:01

MikeAqua:

I would suggest you stick with Sony, because you should then be able to control the Soundbar via your TV remote (assuming they are connected via HMDI ARC).

Generic stuff like power/volume should work for any brand HDMI/ARC compatible device?

Annoyingly, MySky decoders are not HDMI ARC. Grrr...

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Blurtie

468 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2089183 12-Sep-2018 12:04

I'm in the same boat as the OP so following this with interest.

I did have a look at the Sony soundbar at the Riccarton Sony Store in Chch last Friday, and I can confirm that it was still on offer at the clearance price of $350 despite the website showing the full price of $800. I must say I was pretty tempted, but decided to wait...

Will try and pop in today to confirm if it's still the case.

But I'd be interested to hear everyone's thoughts on that particular soundbar and any pro/cons in jumping from a receiver set up to the soundbar.

MikeAqua

7773 posts

Uber Geek

#2089186 12-Sep-2018 12:05

kryptonjohn:

MikeAqua:

I would suggest you stick with Sony, because you should then be able to control the Soundbar via your TV remote (assuming they are connected via HMDI ARC).

Generic stuff like power/volume should work for any brand HDMI/ARC compatible device?

That's the idea, but not always the reality.

I've always gotten lucky with ARC, but people can have trouble with it.

Mike

dafman

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#2089207 12-Sep-2018 12:12

Blurtie:

I'm in the same boat as the OP so following this with interest.

I did have a look at the Sony soundbar at the Riccarton Sony Store in Chch last Friday, and I can confirm that it was still on offer at the clearance price of $350 despite the website showing the full price of $800. I must say I was pretty tempted, but decided to wait...

Will try and pop in today to confirm if it's still the case.

But I'd be interested to hear everyone's thoughts on that particular soundbar and any pro/cons in jumping from a receiver set up to the soundbar.

There hasn't been an offer as good as the $350, and I have been looking for quite a while.

dafman

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#2089209 12-Sep-2018 12:12

Amosnz:

How did you only get yours yesterday? Mine arrived Thursday last week after I ordered it on Tuesday.

Sony got the address wrong, was with NZ Couriers for a week.

Blurtie

468 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2089215 12-Sep-2018 12:22

dafman:

There hasn't been an offer as good as the $350, and I have been looking for quite a while.

Thanks. Maybe wait was the wrong term... I know it's a great deal.. I guess I'm still debating internally whether I need the soundbar and what disadvantages (if any) I will get with downsizing from my current set up.

My amp is pretty old and due for replacement, but there's a small part of me that thinks that i should just put up with the current set up for now..

Dial111

978 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2089217 12-Sep-2018 12:22

dafman:
Blurtie:

I'm in the same boat as the OP so following this with interest.

I did have a look at the Sony soundbar at the Riccarton Sony Store in Chch last Friday, and I can confirm that it was still on offer at the clearance price of $350 despite the website showing the full price of $800. I must say I was pretty tempted, but decided to wait...

Will try and pop in today to confirm if it's still the case.

But I'd be interested to hear everyone's thoughts on that particular soundbar and any pro/cons in jumping from a receiver set up to the soundbar.

There hasn't been an offer as good as the $350, and I have been looking for quite a while.

I got the CT800 on a Boxing Day sale for $550 which I was stoked on... $350 is a absolute steal. Great sound bar

Blurtie

468 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2089285 12-Sep-2018 14:02

Right, so I can confirm that the Sony HTC-800 soundbar is still available from the Sony Store for $349.

I was impressed with the CSR, he was really helpful, answered all my questions and wasn't pushing me into buying it at all. He mentioned that it will be at that price until they've cleared the stock (there's still about 30 odd left). So if the OP is interested in this soundbar, I would suggest contacting the store directly...

He did mention that a cool feature - which was not widely marketed in NZ for some reason - where you can add wireless rear speakers to the system for surround sound. The speakers themselves can be used individually and are pretty pricey - $400 each. But he said they did have clearance sales on them from time to time, so you can pick up for $200 each...

Based on this positive interaction, I decided to bite the bullet and buy one! Now to wait for delivery...

samshells

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2089296 12-Sep-2018 14:12

Wow, thats good.

Was this the Online store?

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