THE BORE

General => The Superdeep Borehole => Topic started by: Great Rumbler on October 05, 2013, 09:46:22 AM

Title: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: Great Rumbler on October 05, 2013, 09:46:22 AM
Meaning, those things you put in front of your TV that have two speakers in them and they're supposed to produce sound that is pleasing to the ears. I'd like to get one because the way my room is setup kinda of leaves out the option of having a fancy, surround sound system, but I also don't want to put down money on a soundbar that's going so sound all tinny and rubbish. Anybody tried one of these things or know which ones are supposed to be good?
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: Reb on October 05, 2013, 11:11:58 AM
I'm in the Sonos ecosystem and I love their soundbar.
Bit pricey, but no separate sub-woofer, and it has the ability to be paired with other Sonos boxes for surround sound.
It's also a good audio system for you living room, since it works with Spotify, TuneIn, etc.

http://www.sonos.com/introducing/playbar
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: Great Rumbler on October 05, 2013, 11:14:29 AM
Heh, $700 is a bit too pricey for me! Something $200 or less is about the price range I can reasonably afford, unfortunately.
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: MCD on October 05, 2013, 11:16:40 AM
Why not 2.1 systems? PC ones like Logitech and Bose do the job just fine if not better than soundbars.
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: huckleberry on October 05, 2013, 11:20:46 AM
if you are in a small space, don't have a huge tv and don't want spend alot of money then get this:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=19037536 (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=19037536)

it's only 60 and supposedly sounds pretty damn good.

don't spend alot on soundbars. they generally sound like shit for the "premium" price you are going to pay. If you want something that sounds really good then just find an old stereo receiver on Craigslist and pair it with a couple of bookshelf speakers. will blow the shit out of ANY sondbar out there. ultiimately its your money so get what you want but soundbars are just not a great investment - great for replacing the shitty speakers in most modern tvs but terrible for anything else.

Here is some good reading on the subject:

http://www.reddit.com/r/zeos (http://www.reddit.com/r/zeos)
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: Quaker on October 05, 2013, 01:42:16 PM
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-budget-soundbar/
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: cool breeze on October 05, 2013, 03:06:33 PM
^I bought that Sony one a few weeks ago for under $200, so it's probably not the best yardstick for judging soundbars.  I like it.  Sound quality is a big upgrade from my TV's crummy speakers.  Don't expect virtual surround sound to sound like surround sound...you kind of get the effect but it sounds unnatural and cheap.  Consider it if you want a simple, solid 2.1 system. 
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: huckleberry on October 05, 2013, 03:30:59 PM
one nitpick i have about sound bars is that not one that i have found (i'm an expert) has a headphone out jack. it's a small nitpick but damn it drives me nuts since my piece of shit samsung doesn't have one, only an optical out.
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: Eel O'Brian on October 05, 2013, 04:28:53 PM
Get one with Bluetooth so you can stream Spotify and shit from your tablet! They have a vizio one at Wal-Mart for $99.
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: Eel O'Brian on October 05, 2013, 04:29:41 PM
This one:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/VIZIO-2.0-Channel-Home-Theater-Sound-Bar-with-High-Performance-Bass/23990928
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: bork on October 06, 2013, 01:21:59 PM
I have a Vizio soundbar that I got on the cheap at Costco a few years ago.  It does the job pretty nicely and delivers much better sound than the TV speakers do, so it works for me- putting a surround sound set up into a small apartment just seemed stupid.  There's even a simulated surround sound option that works pretty decently.  It's not gonna sound anywhere near as good as a real speaker set up would, but if you want something decent for a budget price, it's worth it.
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: Hitler Stole My Potato on October 06, 2013, 01:30:00 PM
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-budget-soundbar/

I have this one for my office and I think it's actually kind of impressive, especially for $200.  Honestly it's almost equal to the Bose system in our bedroom and being able to hook up my phone and ipad via blue tooth is a nice feature.

Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: bork on October 06, 2013, 01:31:59 PM
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-budget-soundbar/

I have this one for my office and I think it's actually kind of impressive, especially for $200.  Honestly it's almost equal to the Bose system in our bedroom and being able to hook up my phone and ipad via blue tooth is a nice feature.

Where are you seeing it for $200?  The MSRP is $300 and Amazon has it for $248.  And anyway, the Vizio Eel posted is only $100.
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: Hitler Stole My Potato on October 06, 2013, 07:12:10 PM
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-budget-soundbar/

I have this one for my office and I think it's actually kind of impressive, especially for $200.  Honestly it's almost equal to the Bose system in our bedroom and being able to hook up my phone and ipad via blue tooth is a nice feature.

Where are you seeing it for $200?  The MSRP is $300 and Amazon has it for $248.  And anyway, the Vizio Eel posted is only $100.

Well we got it for $200 last spring. I thought they dropped the price on the unit but maybe we just caught a sale. 

Still, $300 isn't a bad price for that sony soundbar especially since it sounds just as good as ones that two or three times more expensive.
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: cool breeze on October 06, 2013, 07:53:24 PM
yeah, it was going for around $200 recently.  I assumed it was to clear out for the newer model (not sure what's different).  but both are going for $250 right now.
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: huckleberry on October 11, 2013, 06:03:34 AM
just picked up the 29 inch version of the one Eel posted. i'm pretty damn impressed. Sounds great (needs a subwoofer), fits my tv stand perfectly since its smaller than the others and the bluetooth works flawlessly with my phone. can't go wrong with something that sounds this good for only $80.

(http://media.gdgt.com/img/products/487/ag65/ag65-800.jpg)

http://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-S2920w-C0-29-inch-Definition-Bluetooth/dp/B00CO07C5A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381485515&sr=8-1&keywords=VIZIO+S2920w-C0 (http://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-S2920w-C0-29-inch-Definition-Bluetooth/dp/B00CO07C5A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381485515&sr=8-1&keywords=VIZIO+S2920w-C0)
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: Great Rumbler on October 11, 2013, 08:41:17 AM
I almost got that one, but the slightly longer version [for $100] came with built in "Deep Bass" so I figured the extra $20 was probably worth it.
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: huckleberry on October 11, 2013, 08:48:19 AM
i love surround sound but hate all the setup and equipment it requires...this little bugger works great. played some borderlands 2 last night and was blown away at what an improvement it is - in every fucking way.

how is the larger one working out for you? or have you got it yet?
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: Great Rumbler on October 11, 2013, 08:52:44 AM
Yeah, I just bought it in-store at Wal-Mart. I think it's basically the same as the one you got except for it being slightly long and having the built-in base. It's a good fit for my TV, though, and aside from having to wrangle with different cables, it's working out pretty well. There's a definite improvement in overall audio quality right away, everything sounds crisper and richer.
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: huckleberry on October 11, 2013, 09:18:47 AM
yeah. i hesitated on buying a soundbar forever because of all the reviews claiming they (so many different ones) were only a marginal improvement over their tv speakers. i have a 46 samsung and the speakers are complete complete shit. this thing is worth every penny.

now to get a subwoofer.
Title: Re: Bros, let's talk about soundbars.
Post by: AdmiralViscen on October 12, 2013, 08:52:27 AM
So something like this is not worth the extra expense?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00446JJ5S/ref=gno_cart_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I've seen it lower in the 300 range on Amazon