Sound Bar Advice

[Dave3000]

I was planning on buying a pair of bookshelf speakers and a receiver but might change my mind and buy a sound bar instead. I already tried 2 different sound bars and I didn't like the sound. There was no substance to the sound. I want a sound bar with a volume display, some sound bars don't have a volume display. I'm considering now the Yamaha YAS-207. I was reading the PDF manual for the YAS-207 and one thing that has me concerned about it is the frequency range of the cones on the sound bar. They only go down to 180 Hz which I understand because of the small size of the cones. The subwoofer that comes with it goes up to 180 Hz. Is the 180 Hz from the sound bar really something I should be concerned about? Also I'm looking for a sound bar that's no longer than 36" but this one is slightly longer than 36" but if the sound is good then I don't mind the sound bar being slightly longer than my dresser drawer that my 40" TV is sitting on. I want decent midrange and decent bass and a volume level indicator for both sound bar and subwoofer.

 

[mdram]

read these
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-soundbar/

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

 

[sdifox]

I doubt sound bars can get down to 180hz

 

[Dave3000]

Will the sound be more balanced if I purchase a sound bar without a subwoofer than one with a subwoofer. I noticed in my last two sound bars I purchased, the subwoofer was too dominant and I had to turn down the subwoofer's volume greatly as I thought it sounded terrible with the subwoofers at default volume. I was thinking about these sound bars that I saw today at Best Buy:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-2-0...gital-amplifier-black/5376100.p?skuId=5376100

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/vizio-2-0-channel-soundbar-with-bluetooth-black/4969606.p?skuId=4969606

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/insign...gital-amplifier-black/4849500.p?skuId=4849500

I prefer more balanced sound than just having bass and highs and terrible midrange. I actually prefer a lack of bass but good midrange and highs over having good bass and good highs but terrible midrange.

 

[sdifox]

Will the sound be more balanced if I purchase a sound bar without a subwoofer than one with a subwoofer. I noticed in my last two sound bars I purchased, the subwoofer was too dominant and I had to turn down the subwoofer's volume greatly as I thought it sounded terrible with the subwoofers at default volume. I was thinking about these sound bars that I saw today at Best Buy:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-2-0...gital-amplifier-black/5376100.p?skuId=5376100

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/vizio-2-0-channel-soundbar-with-bluetooth-black/4969606.p?skuId=4969606

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/insign...gital-amplifier-black/4849500.p?skuId=4849500

I prefer more balanced sound than just having bass and highs and terrible midrange. I actually prefer a lack of bass but good midrange and highs over having good bass and good highs but terrible midrange.

Soundbar makes noise, it is one step above tv speaker, nothing more.
You cannot produce lower frequencies with those tiny speakers without a crapton of power and it would burn it out if you try since the speaker cannot move the membrane that far nor can it dissipate the heat.

There is no defeating physics. You need a tweeter and a midrange at least. Add a woofer or subwoofer if you want deep bass.

 

[Dave3000]

Okay today I purchased a Vizio 2.1 soundbar. The main issue I have with it is that I find that the volume changes too drastically between volume increments. I can't seem to get the exact volume I want most of the time, depending on what I'm watching, so most of the time I end up setting the volume a bit quieter than I want or increase the volume a notch then it's bit louder than I want it to be. I also had to turn down the subwoofer significantly because it seemed to be overtaking the sound just like the other subwoofers that came with the other soundbars I tried. I might return it because of the volume changes between increments I find a bit too drastic. I could set the audio out to variable instead of fixed on my TV as a workaround for the imprecise volume changing on this soundbar but then I lose sound quality this way as the S/N ratio decreases.

 

[Dave3000]

Today I returned the Vizio soundbar because the volume change was too drastic between increments meaning if I wanted the volume a little higher, the next volume increment was a little too loud for me and vice versa.

 

[Dave3000]

I recently tried a Yamaha YAS-207 soundbar and the subwoofer would only kick in during certain instances like the bass would come in an out when set at the subwoofer volume to low settings and didn't feel like it blended well with the rest of the sound as a result. I also tried an Insignia 2.0 Soundbar but the issue I had with it was that the volume changing was too much between volume levels and as a result I could not get the volume I felt comfortable with, just like the Vizio one I tried out. Also the Insignia one I purchased had a hissing sound at past halfway volumes on the auxilary input, a faint propeller noise with hissing on the RCA input and a hissing sound in the bluetooth input if I put my ear near the sound bar, but the optical input was the only input on this soundbar that I did not hear any hissing or weird noises at past halfway volumes. Actually the Insignia I thought sounded ok through the optical input considering it did not come with a subwoofer and I paid $49.99 on a sale for it and if it weren't for the drastic volume change with each press on the remote I would have kept it or exchanged it for the same one if it was defective. However, I did return the Insignia one because of the drastic volume change for each volume level as the main reason and I did mention the propeller noise on the RCA input to customer service. I'm running out of options for soundbars. I want one with very gradual volume control and not wider than a 40" TV. My budget is $500 for a soundbar. What about this one:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsun...eless-subwoofer-black/5754512.p?skuId=5754512

 

[sdifox]

I keep telling you you are not going to be happy with a soundbar.

 

[vi edit]

Up your budget to $700 and just go for the Sonos soundbar. I own one and it is one of the most used and best tech purchases I have made. It hits fairly deep for a soundbar, sounds very good, and has one of the best music/app integrations in the industry. It doesn't have a visible volume on the front, but the app does. Increments of adjustment are also very small so you can hone it in to your needs easily. It's 36" wide and fits your dimensional requirements.

I have a full theatre setup in my basement but for 90% of my TV and music needs, the Soundbar does exactly what I need.

 

[Oyeve]

Dude, I got one of these a few years ago for dirt cheap and it sounds great. I'm not trying to be a DJ with my TV.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/insign...gital-amplifier-black/4849500.p?skuId=4849500

 

[Craig234]

I bought a Yamana YSP-4100 soundbar - it had like 46 speakers. Before I opened it, it was stolen in a burglary. Apparently about the best one ever made and they no longer make ones like it.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Just got a cheap Vizio soundbar and subwoofer for my 4K monitor Lenovo Workstation desktop PC. It shock me how good it was. I return my Bose SoundTouch that was $1,000. LOL! This Vizio was on sale at Target for $99!

 

[sdifox]

Just got a cheap Vizio soundbar and subwoofer for my 4K monitor Lenovo Workstation desktop PC. It shock me how good it was. I return my Bose SoundTouch that was $1,000. LOL! This Vizio was on sale at Target for $99!

Bose, enough said.

 

[mdram]

for the 1k cost of the bose (overpirced imho)
you can do a decent 2.0 setup, or budget 3.1 setup
much better sound than a soundbar

 

[Craig234]

Well, if I don't decide I want to keep the Klipsch soundbar I just ordered (see my thread), there might be that for sale that's affordable and has a big subwoofer