Soundbars - Any Good?

[Dan_1981]

Currently redecorating the loung,

The wife has informed me she wants rid of the current 5.1 set up due to too many wires and it looks "a mess"

Its now probably about 6/7 years old also so I don't mind having an excuse to upgrade....

Current system is nothing special - Tannoy 5.1fx speakers plus an Onkyo amp / receiver. Cost me about £500 quid in total 6 years ago so nothing too special.

So i'm considering a soundbar option instead? maybe with a sub?

Are they any good?

Budget a max of £500

[viggyp]

£500 max will give you a great soundbar. I got a Philips 3111 for about £200 two years back and I love it. Sub is included.

I did some redecorating and am now viewing the TV and soundbar straight on where before I was sitting at an angle. I'm hearing a lot more surround sound now then before.

Try Richer Sounds. Have you considered a Soundbase/Soundplinth? The Cambridge Audio Minx TV is very good and is £199.

[probedb]

They still won't beat proper surround speakers, if you're happy with your amp and just want new speakers there's various options around at that price. KEF eggs and similar can be picked up second hand for less than that.

[anonymous-user]

probedb said:

They still won't beat proper surround speakers, if you're happy with your amp and just want new speakers there's various options around at that price. KEF eggs and similar can be picked up second hand for less than that.

That wont solve his wiring/mess issue though

OP it depends on what you want it for

I have one that I got at Christmas, I am not massively fussed about bang on 5.1 surround and sitting in correct zones to hear it etc, I just wanted something that would give my TV a bit of oomph

In that aspect its wonderful, films have come back to life and its very wife friendly as the bar matches the TV and the sub is wireless so is hidden away

If however you are looking to replicate 5.1 I think you will be left dissapointed, personally I am more than happy with mine

[brucebruce777]

I bought the matching soundbar and sub for my new panasonic viera tv. Very happy for the price I paid (£120).

However get jealous when I see my mate's sonos soundbar. Excellent piece of kit but over your budget priced at £599.

[RedLeicester]

If you're redecorating, sink the wires. Problem solved.

[Dan_1981]

Used mainly for a bit of xboxing (not much these days) and DVD watching..... if I get rid of the receiver maybe I can replace it with a BR player

[kso524]

Check out the sony ones i bought one just a few weeks back £320 delivered Bloody amazing and looks fab on the wall to. sounds great. good luck

[Oakey]

Replace the wife

[Chrisgr31]

I got the cheap Orbitsound soundbar from Currys at Christmas, far superior than the TVs own speakers. The more expensive versions have a wireless sub-woofer but plenty of options up to £500.

However I suspect that they are not as good as a surround sound system.

[CC07 PEU]

If you're redecorating then can you not use this opportunity to hide any wires that come with a 5.1 surround system? The Boston Acoustics XSE speaker package contains great sounding and looking speakers that don't take up much space at all. I personally think they'd look better than having a big, ugly sound bar sitting under the TV or bolted to the wall. I suppose it depends on whether your TV sits on a unit or is on a wall bracket though.

[Nick Grant]

RedLeicester said:

If you're redecorating, sink the wires. Problem solved.

THIS! Doesn't take long. Angle-grinder and filler job done.