Passive soundbars
Discussion
Passive soundbars - how good are they at a price point, compared to 3 separate speakers?
Currently using a 5.1 Quad Lite speaker set and a Denon receiver. Receiver cost about £800 5 years ago, speakers were about a grand back in the day
A redesign of the lounge means a soundbar for the front channels would look a lot cleaner. I'd keep the receiver and the Quad sub, possibly use Monitor Audio ceiling speakers for the rear channels, and something like the Monitor Audio SB3 passive soundbar for the LCR channels.
90% of the use will be for video, with the odd bit of music streaming in 2.1 mode.
Currently using a 5.1 Quad Lite speaker set and a Denon receiver. Receiver cost about £800 5 years ago, speakers were about a grand back in the day
A redesign of the lounge means a soundbar for the front channels would look a lot cleaner. I'd keep the receiver and the Quad sub, possibly use Monitor Audio ceiling speakers for the rear channels, and something like the Monitor Audio SB3 passive soundbar for the LCR channels.
90% of the use will be for video, with the odd bit of music streaming in 2.1 mode.
No one has picked up on this yet, which is surprising.
Yes, the passive sound bars such as the Monitor Audio are good. Clearly there are some compromises though. You won't get the size of stereo front image that separate speakers can produce, nor the ability to focus the image quite as precisely.
On the plus side though, having a larger internal volume than three separate small satellites can muster provides the opportunity for a richer midrange. You'll still be reliant on a good sub, and if you want to elevate the whole performance then you might want to consider upgrading the sub at some point too.
I watch 90+% of my content from streaming now, but I still have physical media. When I play a Blu-ray or UHD disc then (to me, at least) the difference in sound quality between the HD-audio off disc and the DD/DD+ sound I get from streaming services is noticeable. Trading in the AV receiver for the typical sound bar fed from a TV is just a non-starter. Passive sound bars bridge that gap very effectively. I'd get to retain all the benefits of an AV receiver and still have something domestically acceptable.
I've installed a lot of Monitor Audio speakers in the past. The Radius series are really excellent. Go have a listen for yourself. Take your current LCR speakers for comparison.
Yes, the passive sound bars such as the Monitor Audio are good. Clearly there are some compromises though. You won't get the size of stereo front image that separate speakers can produce, nor the ability to focus the image quite as precisely.
On the plus side though, having a larger internal volume than three separate small satellites can muster provides the opportunity for a richer midrange. You'll still be reliant on a good sub, and if you want to elevate the whole performance then you might want to consider upgrading the sub at some point too.
I watch 90+% of my content from streaming now, but I still have physical media. When I play a Blu-ray or UHD disc then (to me, at least) the difference in sound quality between the HD-audio off disc and the DD/DD+ sound I get from streaming services is noticeable. Trading in the AV receiver for the typical sound bar fed from a TV is just a non-starter. Passive sound bars bridge that gap very effectively. I'd get to retain all the benefits of an AV receiver and still have something domestically acceptable.
I've installed a lot of Monitor Audio speakers in the past. The Radius series are really excellent. Go have a listen for yourself. Take your current LCR speakers for comparison.
Thanks for the replies.
Most TV watching is via Netflix or Prime, plus DVD and Blu-ray rips from my NAS.
Music is mostly 320k mp3 or .wav from the NAS. Rarely use physical media these days.
Current room layout means the L & R speakers are only about 4 feet apart, on stands either side of the TV stand. Centre is directly below the TV. The TV stand is across the corner of the room, to one side of the chimney breast. Far from ideal, but that's what the room dictates.
The MA passive soundbar would probably position the individual channels about the same distance apart I think, but will be away from room corners.
We are getting a stud wall built to separate the lounge area from the area between the front porch and the door into the rest of the house.
Part of this stud wall will be very limited in depth, not deep enough to recess traditional speakers, as the left side will be built off the existing porch wall. The idea is to hide the electronics in the wall, accessible via doors in the hallway side of the wall. Above these doors, also on the hallway side, will be built-in display cabinets for my model cars.
Wall length will be 2.7 metres on the lounge side, 1.6 metres on the hallway side.
On the lounge side, there will be a 6" recess, big enough for 75" TV and a soundbar. Backlighting behind the TV to add a splash of colour.
Most TV watching is via Netflix or Prime, plus DVD and Blu-ray rips from my NAS.
Music is mostly 320k mp3 or .wav from the NAS. Rarely use physical media these days.
Current room layout means the L & R speakers are only about 4 feet apart, on stands either side of the TV stand. Centre is directly below the TV. The TV stand is across the corner of the room, to one side of the chimney breast. Far from ideal, but that's what the room dictates.
The MA passive soundbar would probably position the individual channels about the same distance apart I think, but will be away from room corners.
We are getting a stud wall built to separate the lounge area from the area between the front porch and the door into the rest of the house.
Part of this stud wall will be very limited in depth, not deep enough to recess traditional speakers, as the left side will be built off the existing porch wall. The idea is to hide the electronics in the wall, accessible via doors in the hallway side of the wall. Above these doors, also on the hallway side, will be built-in display cabinets for my model cars.
Wall length will be 2.7 metres on the lounge side, 1.6 metres on the hallway side.
On the lounge side, there will be a 6" recess, big enough for 75" TV and a soundbar. Backlighting behind the TV to add a splash of colour.
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