TV Soundbars Really Work?

[zl55lz]

I am wondering if TV soundbars really work to clear up bad/muffled sound from TVs? If so or not, what has been your experience and which did you find best? My current TVs are TCL and SHARP.

I am looking for something on smaller side, simple, no bluetooth and not wireless if such is possible.

I appreciate any comments.

 

[disneysteve]

Yes! Big difference for us. Newer TVs have pretty small speakers and they aren’t forward facing so the sound gets lost in the wall unit. An inexpensive sound bar worked wonders.

 

[COcheesehead]

Big thread on them

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/tv-soundbars-any-input-on-value-116915.html

I use a Sonos. Big difference. We also stream music through it.

 

[retire48in2018]

I think it depends.

Size of room, type of shows, etc - separate speakers can make a big difference for action films that have sound designed for surround sound. Think about car crashes - sounds behind you with voices in front center. It supplies an experience.

For talk/news/documentary type tv, and many other shows - if room size works with sound - tv might be ok.

We have lots of TVs

Master bedroom, master bathroom, hot tub room, craft room - just TV speakers

Family room, media room - detached speakers. For family room - we used Amazon echo studio speakers - wireless, etc. Media room - effectively surround sound.

 

[tulak]

TV speakers are bad. Soundbars are a cheap and easy way to get better sound. I like Sonos, but there are many cheaper options available.

 

[bloom2708]

Soundbar is usually a pretty big step up.

We have a Bose Cinemate GS II 2.1 system on our main TV. Subwoofer is behind the TV. 2 small speakers on each side of the TV.

Our second TV has a Sony HT-TX1 flat soundbar.

These aren't big money systems, but they really improve the sound clarity and volume and bass.

 

[Qs Laptop]

NY Times Wirecutter team (their consumer advisors) tested soundbars with 6 people that were hard of hearing. I'm not sure if the article will be behind a paywall or not, but here it is:

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/soundbar-can-help-hear-dialogue/

 

[Midpack]

Definitely. I just hooked up some old Bose 2.1 speakers for a PC to our TV, makes a noticeable difference. We always turn them on for movies or concerts. I am sure you get what you pay for, more $ = better sound, buy any decent sound bar would help.

 

[rk911]

we have a smaller soundbar, a Bose Solo 5.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/support/products/bose_home_theater_support/bose_soundbar_and_1_speaker_home_theater_support/bose-solo-5-tv-sound-system.html

hooks to the TV via standard optical cable. helps quite a bit but I still find myself using the captions now and then.

 

[Jerry1]

I have the Bose TV speaker and like it a lot. It definitely helps with hearing the speech in a movie. It also does pretty good as a Bluetooth speaker when I link my phone to it for music.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products.../bose-tv-speaker.html#v=bose_tv_speaker_black

 

[RobbieB]

Yeah, get a sound bar, even a cheapie.

In your TV 95% of the cost is the video. The big screen. Sixty five inches. With 1 inch speakers.

 

[swakyaby]

Yes, a soundbar will be an improvement over internal speakers. I have the Sonos Arc for my 55 inch TV, and the smaller Sonos Beam for my bedroom 42 inch tv. The dialogue is so much clearer with both soundbars. Definitely worth it for me.

 

[old medic]

With my hearing I need one.

 

[Surewhitey]

We have a 7 yr old version of this one & still love it. $160 @ Sam's for a low risk try. You can always take it back, but you won't.

https://www.samsclub.com/p/vizio-5-...f77-bvR8tVHUF45gAdbPtEfb3Zxl0V1xoCD5kQAvD_BwE

 

[Dawg52]

we have a smaller soundbar, a Bose Solo 5.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/support/products/bose_home_theater_support/bose_soundbar_and_1_speaker_home_theater_support/bose-solo-5-tv-sound-system.html

hooks to the TV via standard optical cable. helps quite a bit but I still find myself using the captions now and then.

I have this at my beach condo. It's fine in a small to lower mid size area but wouldn't recommend it in a large room. With a larger room I would want a subwoofer too. But it all depends on a person's budget. Lots of good brands out there.

 

[Car-Guy]

I have a Visio SB connected by fiber optics... Does it work? Well yes, I can turn the TV speakers off and control the sound through the SB or use both the TV and SB speakers at the same time. Is it any better? Not much that I can notice except for maybe better bass. Rarely use it.

 

[ER Eddie]

Yeah, I bought a fairly inexpensive soundbar after owning my TV for many years. I was surprised at the difference it made. It added clarity and bass (subwoofer). The only "trouble" I had (which wasn't trouble, really, just something to pay attention to) was to ensure that the soundbar was compatible with the TV (i.e., their plugs matched).

 

[Chuckanut]

We have a 7 yr old version of this one & still love it. $160 @ Sam's for a low risk try. You can always take it back, but you won't.

https://www.samsclub.com/p/vizio-5-...f77-bvR8tVHUF45gAdbPtEfb3Zxl0V1xoCD5kQAvD_BwE

I looked at that, but there is no Sam's Club near me in the even I have to return it. In fact there is no Sam's Club in the entire state.

 

[Surewhitey]

I looked at that, but there is no Sam's Club near me in the even I have to return it. In fact there is no Sam's Club in the entire state.

You live in the wrong state

You have a year to return, I think...

 

[Slater]

Another vote for sonos, they have been great & drama free....
sonos can be as simple as just a bar, to an entire system, with a sub & speakers behind your viewing seats....
Rear speakers & sub are wireless & just need a power source, amazing sound.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

I have this at my beach condo. It's fine in a small to lower mid size area but wouldn't recommend it in a large room. With a larger room I would want a subwoofer too. But it all depends on a person's budget. Lots of good brands out there.

My soundbar came with a subwoofer, Sony HT-CT150. Still sounds pretty good, which is good because our current home theater room is an odd configuration due to the split-level nature of our house, it would be very difficult if not impossible to place rear speakers.

 

[Sojourner]

A lot of folks have mentioned Sonos, but IMHO they tend to be quite expensive. I've been happy with this "bargain" brand I picked up some time ago. It's 1000x better than the crappy, built-in speakers found on most TVs, but at $65, it's very affordable.

https://www.amazon.com/Majority-Bluetooth-Soundbar-Subwoofer-Included/dp/B08DZ5CKT2/

 

[Hermit]

The only way I can understand anything on TV is with Bose noise canceling headsets connected through Bluetooth.

 

[kgtest]

I like the one we have in the bedroom. It came with a subwoofer, that I like to turn on sometimes. I just hooked it up to an AI smart plug so I can say "Hey google, turn on the bedroom subwoofer".

That way if I am going to bother someone with it I can turn it off.

 

[ERD50]

I think I mentioned this in an earlier thread on this subject, but if you get a 5.1 receiver and some decent bookshelf speakers for Front Left/Right, some small ones for Rear Left/Right, and a reasonable sized center speaker and sub-woofer, you'll have way, way better sound than a sound bar.

Physics comes into play with speakers. They have to move air. The little speakers in most soundbars just can't move much air. The center is for voice, so doesn't need to handle much lower frequencies (which require more air movement), and the sub is only for the low-lows. You want those left/right fronts to be able to handle some volume down to 120 Hz or so.

-ERD50