I want a soundbar but they are ugly in situ?
Discussion
My TV lacks some punch, so I want a soundbar.
I'm not really an audio visual techie, so don't want something state of the art, pure or complicated.
Soundbars seem an easy option.
My mate was showing his Sonos Playbar to me. I thought it was pretty cool as he could control bluetooth music through it too, but what struck me was the size of it and how it just sat infront of the tv, hiding the bottom edge of the tv and stand/feet
I'll post a pic of my lounge, tv unit
I'm not really an audio visual techie, so don't want something state of the art, pure or complicated.
Soundbars seem an easy option.
My mate was showing his Sonos Playbar to me. I thought it was pretty cool as he could control bluetooth music through it too, but what struck me was the size of it and how it just sat infront of the tv, hiding the bottom edge of the tv and stand/feet
I'll post a pic of my lounge, tv unit
p1tse said:
My TV lacks some punch, so I want a soundbar.
I'm not really an audio visual techie, so don't want something state of the art, pure or complicated.
Soundbars seem an easy option.
My mate was showing his Sonos Playbar to me. I thought it was pretty cool as he could control bluetooth music through it too, but what struck me was the size of it and how it just sat infront of the tv, hiding the bottom edge of the tv and stand/feet
I'll post a pic of my lounge, tv unit
The Sonos is quite big because it has the amp built in. If you go passive and have an AV receiver somewhere (like a cabinet under the TV) then you can get much slimmer stuff. For instance we do a manufacturer which makes bespoke lengths to match the TV and are quite shallow at 67mm. There are loads of options available.I'm not really an audio visual techie, so don't want something state of the art, pure or complicated.
Soundbars seem an easy option.
My mate was showing his Sonos Playbar to me. I thought it was pretty cool as he could control bluetooth music through it too, but what struck me was the size of it and how it just sat infront of the tv, hiding the bottom edge of the tv and stand/feet
I'll post a pic of my lounge, tv unit
If you went this approach you could easily add a sub and rear speakers for a better experience, if you wanted.
A mate of mine got some small square tubing and with a bit of welding made as bracket that screws to the unused Vesa wall mounting holes on his TV. The sound bar now sits on top in line with the front of his TV.
In the past I made a more adhoc but similar solution for a centre speaker, mine was bodged together with bits I had in my garage so bits of wood and parts of some old garage racking. Worked a treat.
In the past I made a more adhoc but similar solution for a centre speaker, mine was bodged together with bits I had in my garage so bits of wood and parts of some old garage racking. Worked a treat.
My parents bought one of these - http://www.richersounds.com/product/soundbars/camb... and I have to say its impressive for the size and price. You can bluetooth music to it as well.
RedWhiteMonkey said:
My parents bought one of these - http://www.richersounds.com/product/soundbars/camb... and I have to say its impressive for the size and price. You can bluetooth music to it as well.
Purchased this but took it back due to a constant analogue hissing noise. Other than that, it was very impressive. LeoSayer said:
Get some thing like this....put soundbar on the shelf on the shelp below the tv. If the soundbar is black then you'll hardly notice it.
Edit...Awaiting your pics but I guess the above isn't an option.
doh, forgot about the picture, but our tv unit is a match to our console unit so not an optionEdit...Awaiting your pics but I guess the above isn't an option.
will try pic tonight
p1tse said:
viggyp said:
Have you thought about a soundbase/sound plinth? TV basically sits on top of it.
what something like Bose Solo?Have a look at those.
Another option is to wall mount your TV to lift it a few inches, then you can stand a sound bar well back against the wall without it blocking the TV. It's easy to go too high with a wall bracket but it can be done and frees up space.
Excusing the general mess around the TV but just as an example:
Sub to the right of the picture is wifi linked to the soundbar so could be positioned anywhere in the room with a power point and put out of view if you wished. It's not cheap but the sound quality is excellent (Yamaha YSP-3300)
Excusing the general mess around the TV but just as an example:
Sub to the right of the picture is wifi linked to the soundbar so could be positioned anywhere in the room with a power point and put out of view if you wished. It's not cheap but the sound quality is excellent (Yamaha YSP-3300)
p1tse said:
what something like Bose Solo?
I know Bose are sometimes maligned for being more marketing than product but I've had a Solo sitting underneath my TV for the best part of a year and I'm pretty pleased with it. Films sound good, music sounds good, even figured out how to make it work with the Sky remote.There was an issue when they were first released about them being too bassy, but a firmware update was released that lets you reduce the level and I think my neighbours were quite grateful for it
p1tse said:
is your tv fixed, but can it swivel on a mount?
just the brackets will/ might be visible from the other sofa (not in picture)
In my case it can tilt and sits about 70-75mm away from the wall (I wanted it to be that far off as it's a large heavy plasma and needs space for heat to escape) but because I've only got a stud wall to attach it to there's no way a heavy TV will go on a swivel mount - a lighter one would be OK potentially but given people presumably don't twist your screen around depending on where they are sitting it should be fine mounted flat?just the brackets will/ might be visible from the other sofa (not in picture)
You can get closer mounting brackets for sure, but they're all pretty slimline these days in the main for LED type screens.
This is the bracket I have - you can pivot it from the top and it has stand out supports that make getting to the cabling easier. It's made by Sanus which were stocked at Richer Sounds at the time
I have a Philips Fidelo soundbar which sits infront of my TV and does not block the remote window. It sounds wonderful, looks great and has detachable speaker pods for decent surround sound. An attractive wireless sub woofer and great connection options from HDMI through the Bluetooth for music. A What Hi Fi product winner too. Well worth the money and a high quality soundbar.
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