Discussion
v8lante said:
Having just moved home...taking with me my beloved hard wired surround system amp sub + seven speakers....when the mrs says before you start running wires can we not look at replacing this system?....What options do we have?... Can a soundbar really be as good?
Surely the correct answer to "can we not look at replacing this system?" is "Yes, it is about time to upgrade"?This is the time to "replace" it with newer speakers - not less of them!
I run the TV out to my hifi amp and have big wharfedales each side of the telly. I haven't seen any 5.1 with half decent satellites and they all rely on subs to fill sound out, and sound bars are only a small step up from TV speakers. If my type of rig is too bulky, you can do something that's well on the way using a pair of studio monitors, like Mackie CR3 which I think are about £100.
Blue62 said:
I am off to listen to the Sonos soundbar at the weekend, I want it to compliment the telly (Samsung) in the family room, has anyone got one?
I have a Sonos Soundbar downstairs with Sonos Sub and rears, I also have a spare bedroom kitted out with projector, Onkyo amp, floor standers, BK sub the lot, I'm regularly listening to the two variations, sometimes in the same day.Sonos with the sub is pretty good, the sub can flap your trousers, and regularly shakes the wine glasses in the next room, the ease of use is superb, I no longer get phone calls from confused kids or wife while at work or at the pub after pushing a few wrong buttons and getting hopelessly lost with the set up, even my MIL has no issue, the integration to other Sonos units around the house is great, the sound quality for music is surprisingly good also.
It's 85% of a full system, and if I've not used the room upstairs for a while I forget and think it's 100. But then I do, and am made aware quite quickly that no soundbar can replace a proper 5.1 system.
However, if I had to chose between the two, for ease of use and the sound quality, despite it being not quite 100%, given my needs at the moment, I'd go for the Sonos.
I suppose it depends what you want.
I/we are currently renovating a property and have Sonos stuff everywhere. I considered Sonos for the main lounge but it just doesn't have the same impact as a proper surround system however also understand that having great big floorstanders in the lounge doesn't look too nice.
For this reason I'm considering a Q Acoustics 7000i plus system then if I'm happy buy further speakers for Atmos. The system itself gets very good reviews and they are quite compact.
I/we are currently renovating a property and have Sonos stuff everywhere. I considered Sonos for the main lounge but it just doesn't have the same impact as a proper surround system however also understand that having great big floorstanders in the lounge doesn't look too nice.
For this reason I'm considering a Q Acoustics 7000i plus system then if I'm happy buy further speakers for Atmos. The system itself gets very good reviews and they are quite compact.
Electronicpants said:
I have a Sonos Soundbar downstairs with Sonos Sub and rears, I also have a spare bedroom kitted out with projector, Onkyo amp, floor standers, BK sub the lot, I'm regularly listening to the two variations, sometimes in the same day.
Sonos with the sub is pretty good, the sub can flap your trousers, and regularly shakes the wine glasses in the next room, the ease of use is superb, I no longer get phone calls from confused kids or wife while at work or at the pub after pushing a few wrong buttons and getting hopelessly lost with the set up, even my MIL has no issue, the integration to other Sonos units around the house is great, the sound quality for music is surprisingly good also.
It's 85% of a full system, and if I've not used the room upstairs for a while I forget and think it's 100. But then I do, and am made aware quite quickly that no soundbar can replace a proper 5.1 system.
However, if I had to chose between the two, for ease of use and the sound quality, despite it being not quite 100%, given my needs at the moment, I'd go for the Sonos.
Had a listen to the Sonos soundbar and was impressed, it will go with a telly in a large open plan area where I've pencilled in some Round ThinLine series 2 speakers in the ceiling. I think for an easy, everyday solution it is tough to beat for the price and agree with your comment about wife and kids, I'm considering Control4 EA1 controller in the hope it might make life simple, but I'm not convinced it's worth the outlay. Sonos with the sub is pretty good, the sub can flap your trousers, and regularly shakes the wine glasses in the next room, the ease of use is superb, I no longer get phone calls from confused kids or wife while at work or at the pub after pushing a few wrong buttons and getting hopelessly lost with the set up, even my MIL has no issue, the integration to other Sonos units around the house is great, the sound quality for music is surprisingly good also.
It's 85% of a full system, and if I've not used the room upstairs for a while I forget and think it's 100. But then I do, and am made aware quite quickly that no soundbar can replace a proper 5.1 system.
However, if I had to chose between the two, for ease of use and the sound quality, despite it being not quite 100%, given my needs at the moment, I'd go for the Sonos.
davek_964 said:
v8lante said:
Having just moved home...taking with me my beloved hard wired surround system amp sub + seven speakers....when the mrs says before you start running wires can we not look at replacing this system?....What options do we have?... Can a soundbar really be as good?
Surely the correct answer to "can we not look at replacing this system?" is "Yes, it is about time to upgrade"?This is the time to "replace" it with newer speakers - not less of them!
I'm doing up the house and my main 5.1 system has just been treated to a new set of speakers and a new amp. It's about to get a new TV as well. All significant upgrades in their own right. Can't wait.
I will have a soundbar for the 2nd TV. I'm happen to be upgrading that from a Panasonic 700NX to a Sony 2700. But it's still a secondary system. The soundbar will never be able to do anything remotely like the 5.1 set up.
At the end of the day you can run cables under carpets, behind skirtings or you can chase them into the plaster. It's pretty simple and you'll regret binning a "proper" system for a soundbar especially if it's the primary thing you listen to.
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