why all the hate for soundbars?

[DesiPower]

Because even ancient speakers sound better than soundbars.

But they need amplifiers :thumbsdown:

Ones with inbuilt amps are more expensive than soundbars

 

[DesiPower]

They aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. I have a friend in Manhattan working as a software engineer making 120k+ a year who lives on ramen noodles and has a ancient sound setup with $100 speakers. It happens when your 1 bedroom studio rent is $4,000 a month (apparently this isn't even considered an upscale studio in Manhanttan) and you have to pay student loans.

He needs to live in the surrounding shitholes and travel one hour each way in overcrowded trains and then walk for 10 -15 mins in hellish weather. Then he will be able to afford $10,000 HT

 

[007ELmO]

Sure, but that is what is so nice about a modern sound system- just about every home theater receiver comes with an automatic speaker setup and calibration system. They won't make a sub-optimal setup perfect, but I have heard them make a family room sound much better than anything a soundbar can do.

Doing the math only applies if you want perfection. The truth is 30% of perfect is still better than a sound bar.

True, to get back on topic, I would recommend more speakers than just a sound bar, but I don't always recommend more speakers than putting your money into 2.1.

Most of us in this thread I imagine have upgrade-itis, your setup will be better if you put money where it belongs - i.e. I prefer my front channels and subwoofer to be higher quality than possibly my rear speakers, than middle of the range speakers all around.

ELmO

 

[poofyhairguy]

True, to get back on topic, I would recommend more speakers than just a sound bar, but I don't always recommend more speakers than putting your money into 2.1.

Most of us in this thread I imagine have upgrade-itis, your setup will be better if you put money where it belongs - i.e. I prefer my front channels and subwoofer to be higher quality than possibly my rear speakers, than middle of the range speakers all around.

ELmO

To me it comes down to what you want it for. If you are just watching TV shows, sporting events or casually listening to Pandora the sound bars are fine.

But if you watch a lot of movies, having a good center channel (so you don't have to keep turning up and down the volume between dialogues and explosions) in a 3.1 setup is a HUGE upgrade over a soundbar. 5.1 is nice, but that center channel is like magic when so many blockbusters are measured by explosions per minute.

 

[HeXen]

Well then, you are simply a person that doesn't care about quality sound.

And there's nothing wrong with that, not a thing.

For music but I don't listen to music on my TV. Instead I use my TV to listen to people talk along with some computer generated sound effects like whoosh or pew, pew. I never was too awed by feeling my butt shake when things go boom or hear some faint wind blowing through some hopes and dreams actress's hair. No sir I just want to hear wtf that guy just said so I know why he killed his wife /example

Plus I rarely watch TV. This forum alone is more entertaining than the 20 channels of reality TV that plays 24/7.

 

[Midwayman]

Sound bars are a compromise at best. They'll never replace real speakers for surround sound. They don't have enough separation for a really good soundstage. They generally aren't large enough to produce low frequencies well. As a low cost TV speaker alternative compared to the speakers in flat screens they're okay. They'll fall flat compared to even a HTIAB type setup. Given that most programs are broadcast in 5.1 now, having a real surround system seems worthwhile. What really confuses me however are the high end speaker bars. $1k for a bar would get you a pretty descent 5.1 setup. I guess the trouble is everyone expects speaker drivers to be a 4" cube anymore. People rarely tolerate real speakers.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Sound bars are a compromise at best. They'll never replace real speakers for surround sound. They don't have enough separation for a really good soundstage. They generally aren't large enough to produce low frequencies well. As a low cost TV speaker alternative compared to the speakers in flat screens they're okay. They'll fall flat compared to even a HTIAB type setup. Given that most programs are broadcast in 5.1 now, having a real surround system seems worthwhile. What really confuses me however are the high end speaker bars. $1k for a bar would get you a pretty descent 5.1 setup. I guess the trouble is everyone expects speaker drivers to be a 4" cube anymore. People rarely tolerate real speakers.

Someone has never listened to any of the Polk SDA surround bars...

 

[sdifox]

Someone has never listened to any of the Polk SDA surround bars...

Soundbar <> SDA.

 

[DesiPower]

What is SDA?

 

[sdifox]

What is SDA?

Stereo Dimensional Array

 

[BurnItDwn]

Soundbars tend to be more expensive and inferior sounding when compared to reciever/amp and speakers. I think most people see them as overpriced and underperforming, thus, the hate. Sort of like how people here tend to dislike Bose. (though many of us bose haters recognize that their headphones appear to be quite good)

 

[Midwayman]

Someone has never listened to any of the Polk SDA surround bars...

I don't care how much processing they do to it, it doesn't sound the same as real speakers. No matter how many 2.5" drivers it has, the Fs of those drivers is way too high for even reasonable mid bass. That means sounds meant for CLR speakers get moved to the sub and localized in the wrong spot. Size matters in speakers. location matters. Furthermore you could get a real 5.1 htiab for that much.

 

[Midwayman]

What is SDA?

Marketing BS for psycho-acoustical audio. IE trying to fool you into thinking sounds are coming from somewhere else by adjusting the delay and applying a filter of some sort.

 

[DesiPower]

I don't care how much processing they do to it, it doesn't sound the same as real speakers. No matter how many 2.5" drivers it has, the Fs of those drivers is way too high for even reasonable mid bass. That means sounds meant for CLR speakers get moved to the sub and localized in the wrong spot. Size matters in speakers. location matters. Furthermore you could get a real 5.1 htiab for that much.

Most people have difficulty arranging/placing speakers in a living room setting. They want to keep it clean, putting 4 5 speakers around the room is not an option. For them soundbar is the best solution, they want better than TV speaker sound with no additional visible speakers. Most out of them also have some form of media/game or den room where they have their real x.1 HT

 

[Oyeve]

I make 100k+ and bought the cheapest soundbar insignia makes and it is worlds better than the built in speaker that my 50" LG tv has. The soundbar was 70 bucks and has optical in hich is why I bought it. Sounds good enough to me. When I want the full 7.1 effect from my BR player I use my 7.1 hifi system.

The ONLY thing I hate about a lot of soundbars is the price. I have seen some in the 500+ area and find that ridiculous. At that price point you should have a full fledged sound system.

 

[Bman123]

I got my Samsung set as a gift that was purchased from the pawn shop for $70 that was a good deal and it sounds way better then the speakers in my 60 inch vizio tv for sure

 

[Exterous]

The sound bar I have blows the tv speaker's out of the water by a long shot.

Thats a pretty low bar to beat which is why many like soundbars as a large part of the population will spent $800-1200 on a TV but balk at spending $300 (or even $100) on sound.

The ones that don't though tend to really like how something sounds. And many, sadly for their wallets, have noticed that great sound does cost money and realizes how much difference there can be between various price points

 

[Midwayman]

Thats a pretty low bar to beat which is why many like soundbars as a large part of the population will spent $800-1200 on a TV but balk at spending $300 (or even $100) on sound.

The ones that don't though tend to really like how something sounds. And many, sadly for their wallets, have noticed that great sound does cost money and realizes how much difference there can be between various price points

Yup. The whole thin TV craze has completely decimated even halfway competent speakers from being included in a TV. I bet my speakers on my crappy old DLP set I moved to a bedroom sound better than most soundbars. It has the depth needed for real speakers. A crappy driver in a well designed enclosure usually sounds better than a good driver in a crappy enclosure.

 

[Raduque]

Yup. The whole thin TV craze has completely decimated even halfway competent speakers from being included in a TV. I bet my speakers on my crappy old DLP set I moved to a bedroom sound better than most soundbars. It has the depth needed for real speakers. A crappy driver in a well designed enclosure usually sounds better than a good driver in a crappy enclosure.

I've always liked thin TVs, but then I've always used an external audio system even back to when I had a 1080i RPCRT HDTV. It had one DVI and about 12 Component inputs!

But getting back on track, yes TV speakers are terrible these days and yeah, it's mostly because of the thin-ness of the TVs. Even if the input area is thicker, the speakers get stuck in a display-only part of the casing where there's no room for anything.

 

[Bman123]

The thin tvs certainly dont help but soundbars provide a clean look and alot of people dont like running speaker wire all over the place. I know I certainly dont like that so it wasnt even a consideration. Sure it would sound way better then the soundbar but it wouldnt look clean at all

 

[sdifox]

But they need amplifiers :thumbsdown:

Ones with inbuilt amps are more expensive than soundbars

Lulz have you seen the price of soundbars? BTW, soundbars are active speakers.

 

[purbeast0]

The thin tvs certainly dont help but soundbars provide a clean look and alot of people dont like running speaker wire all over the place. I know I certainly dont like that so it wasnt even a consideration. Sure it would sound way better then the soundbar but it wouldnt look clean at all

it just takes a little time and patience to make wiring look clean. but i do agree, people who just have speaker wires all over the place look bad. it's usually the same people who hang a tv on the wall and have all of the component's cables dangling along the wall below the tv as well.

 

[videogames101]

because if i wanted to listen to music on a soundbar i might as well store everything as 128k mp3s

 

[alkemyst]

Two schools:

1) I just want good sound!

2) I just want to live in the movie/track/etc!

1 is cheaper subjectively

2 is more expensive if presented objectively.

Most don't even realize what high-end soundbars are out there.

It's trolololo for the most part.

 

[HeXen]

because if i wanted to listen to music on a soundbar i might as well store everything as 128k mp3s

Why would anyone want to listen to music in their living room period, sound bar or not? You sit there on the couch and stare into space or what? I have to be doing something like mowing, cleaning or driving so around the home for sound quality I use HP's. Large speakers wouldn't help me much but when I was a teenager I used to crank up my Cerwin Vega's listening to some cassettes and do my homework until the neighbors ask me to turn it down or mom came home.