Soundbar recommendations around the $600 mark

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soggychups

35 posts

Geek

#270035 20-Apr-2020 14:51

Kia ora,

Want to delve into the world of soundbars. So many options out there and not sure which brand to get etc

Want to stick around the $600 mark.

Will be hooked up using HDMI ARC if that makes a difference

Cheers!

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533 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2466299 20-Apr-2020 14:56

I use this one. Bought it a couple years back. Its pretty good. https://www.jbhifi.co.nz/headphones-speakers-audio/sony/sony-ht-rt3-5-1-channel-home-cinema-system-with-bluetooth/314668/

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alsta

276 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2466312 20-Apr-2020 15:05

If you use Apple kit at home for music, highly recommend the Sonos Beam - becomes an Airplay target even if the TV is off

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sm1ff

122 posts

Master Geek
Inactive user

#2466314 20-Apr-2020 15:06

A full av reciever and speakers not an option? I highly recommend going that way for more immersive sound. What will you doing using for? Movies, netflix etc can help with the decisions

soggychups

35 posts

Geek

#2466317 20-Apr-2020 15:09

sm1ff: A full av reciever and speakers not an option? I highly recommend going that way for more immersive sound. What will you doing using for? Movies, netflix etc can help with the decisions

Like the look and simplicity of the soundbar. Will just be using for movies/netflix/sport

dejadeadnz

2394 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#2466381 20-Apr-2020 16:09

soggychups:

Like the look and simplicity of the soundbar. Will just be using for movies/netflix/sport

Consider the Sony HT-X8500. Mauricio did a review of it and as an owner of this soundbar, I agree with his conclusions on the sound. Of course people can do better with dedicated systems etc etc but this is pretty good as a compromise.

wratterus

1687 posts

Uber Geek

#2466386 20-Apr-2020 16:17

Don't own one myself but a friend bought one of these, I had a listen and to be honest was pretty impressed.

Edit - he paid a heck of a lot less than that from PB Tech though, but I see they are currently out of stock. I would consider getting one the same brand as your TV - often you'll be able to easily control both with the one remote etc, although these days most things work nicely together.

soggychups

35 posts

Geek

#2466392 20-Apr-2020 16:26

wratterus:

Don't own one myself but a friend bought one of these, I had a listen and to be honest was pretty impressed.

Edit - he paid a heck of a lot less than that from PB Tech though, but I see they are currently out of stock. I would consider getting one the same brand as your TV - often you'll be able to easily control both with the one remote etc, although these days most things work nicely together.

Interesting, Have a samsung tv. Will look into these

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wratterus

1687 posts

Uber Geek

#2466395 20-Apr-2020 16:28

With your budget I'm sure you could jump up a model or two as well.

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#2466447 20-Apr-2020 17:13

I'd recommend buying a sound bar from a manufacturer who makes audio equipment, not a TV brand looking to tack on a sale then end support 6 months later when they release a new model *cough* Samsung's ATMOS bar *cough*.

At the same time, don't fall for ATMOS as a spec that matters, especially at the price you're considering - it's marketing rubbish designed to give the sales staff 'something to talk to customers about'.

Basically, begin looking at brands like:

Polk, Denon, Yamaha, Klipsch, Sonos etc.

Figure out if you need a subwoofer or not (wired or wireless) and whether you'd like to add wireless rear speakers at some time in the future.

spmiller

41 posts

Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2466484 20-Apr-2020 17:31

I got the Sony HT-X8500 based on the good reviews. It seems to work pretty well, and is certainly a good step up from the TV speakers.

One small problem is that my TV doesn't pass through 5.1 sound from the other HDMI input to the soundbar when connected via ARC. When plugged in directly to the soundbar, 5.1 audio works fine though. To be honest though, my ears aren't sophisticated enough to really notice the difference!

sm1ff

122 posts

Master Geek
Inactive user

#2466526 20-Apr-2020 18:35

spmiller:
I got the Sony HT-X8500 based on the good reviews. It seems to work pretty well, and is certainly a good step up from the TV speakers.

One small problem is that my TV doesn't pass through 5.1 sound from the other HDMI input to the soundbar when connected via ARC. When plugged in directly to the soundbar, 5.1 audio works fine though. To be honest though, my ears aren't sophisticated enough to really notice the difference!

If you dont notice a difference to 5.1 surround vs stereo you definitely need to have your ears checked!

spmiller

41 posts

Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2466573 20-Apr-2020 19:40

sm1ff:

If you dont notice a difference to 5.1 surround vs stereo you definitely need to have your ears checked!

The HT-X8500 is only a 2.1 soundbar, so my ears might be still be ok 😄

soggychups

35 posts

Geek

#2472431 27-Apr-2020 21:28

Still looking around. Is the Sonos beam worth it? Looks pretty mint from the reviews iv seen

bendud

313 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2481369 11-May-2020 17:00

Sonos released a new (Atmos!) sound bar the other day - the Arc, a snip at $1600! Looks very smart. They have dropped the Base and the Playbar as a result - these are both very good products and may well be available at a reduction. Of the two the Base will have support for longest.

There's a lot of frothing currently about Sonos - they have dropped support for some (decade old) products and there has been much flouncing on social media (including here). Compared to pretty much any other tech firm I think they are exemplary in providing support for older kit (but not as good as a pure hi-fi firm with non-firmware controlled kit e.g. speakers or analogue amps from last century often still great). They handled their recent initial announcement badly, and have to their credit sorted it out in a reasonably grown-up manner.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Sonos if you want good multiroom done well. Others are available but not as mature. Other hardware is possibly better, but with worse software. If it's just you in one room, there's no reason to go for a multiroom product IMO.

(I have had four Sonos items but sold an old Play:5 a few years back. My Connect is Gen 1 so will go out of support for the new OS this year, and I haven't quite decided what to do about that yet).

From the Antarctic Riviera

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#2481401 11-May-2020 17:28

The ARC sound bar, sigh.

How many people have a perfectly flat roof and square walls either side of the listening position (without curtains to muffle the reflected sound) to get the best out of reflective ATMOS? And out of those people, how many people actually watch ATMOS content? Let alone how many people will then spend $1600 BEFORE investing in a subwoofer...

Probably a lot.

It reminds me of Ticketmaster...

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