Bros, let's talk about soundbars.

[Great Rumbler]

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?

[Reb]

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

[Great Rumbler]

Heh, $700 is a bit too pricey for me! Something $200 or less is about the price range I can reasonably afford, unfortunately.

[MCD]

Why not 2.1 systems? PC ones like Logitech and Bose do the job just fine if not better than soundbars.

[huckleberry]

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

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

[Quaker]

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-budget-soundbar/

[cool breeze]

^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. 

[huckleberry]

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.

[Eel O'Brian]

Get one with Bluetooth so you can stream Spotify and shit from your tablet! They have a vizio one at Wal-Mart for $99.

[Eel O'Brian]

This one:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/VIZIO-2.0-Channel-Home-Theater-Sound-Bar-with-High-Performance-Bass/23990928

[bork]

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.

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

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.

[bork]

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.

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

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.

[cool breeze]

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.

[huckleberry]

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://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

[Great Rumbler]

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.

[huckleberry]

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?

[Great Rumbler]

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.

[huckleberry]

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.

[AdmiralViscen]

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