TV Soundbars Really Work?

[Music Lover]

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

I don't like wearing headphones. Dedicated center speakers are almost mandatory for dialogue to be heard clearly.

Second best option is a sound bar.

 

[COcheesehead]

If you are going to buy one, don’t skimp. I had a cheapie stop working after a year and a half. Went with Sonos and it’s been working great for TV audio and music - 3+ years now.

 

[Music Lover]

If you are going to buy one, don’t skimp. I had a cheapie stop working after a year and a half. Went with Sonos and it’s been working great for TV audio and music - 3+ years now.

A failing speaker is extremely rare, even with cheap ones. You were just a victim of bad luck.

 

[Lsbcal]

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

We have a surround system similar to what your describe. We still have some problems with understanding some speakers, particularly for UK produced shows. I think it has a lot to do with how sound is mixed nowadays and the desire to be "real" with dialog and bring out all that street noise.

Here is one article on this: https://www.avclub.com/television-film-sound-audio-quality-subtitles-why-1849664873

My fix: teach the actors how to project their voices and reduce the regionalism of some actors voice presentations. Quit trying to be so extremely real. Of course, this fix is not under our control. If one want to control this, turn off the TV and read a book or surf the web.

 

[zl55lz]

I am the original poster. I did get a low-moderate priced soundbar to see what it does. Seems to give a clearer, crisper sound for voices and lowers the background and music noise (what I wanted).

Interesting conversation with the salesman at the major electronics store I went to, to look at items: I asked him if any of the TVs they had would solve the problem by having better speakers (the large assortment of TVs ranged from smaller to a large 100 inch plus screen). He said no, so the comments here about poor TV built-in speakers in general seems spot on. I suppose perhaps there are high end TVs which might do the job.

 

[swakyaby]

The trend toward thinner screens and a superior visual experience leaves little room for a similar improvement in speakers. TV manufacturers expect most customers will opt for some type of external speakers, and install minimal internal speakers.

 

[Deuce]

I bought the new Apple HomePod and am planning on a second one.

 

[Dean56]

Less than $100

I bought this one and it sounds great.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0797MY6JB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[LJ Dem]

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.

Ooooo, I like that idea! Can you help us with more specifics? Which system? What device is plugged in where? Thanks!
(I tell google home to do lots of things ?)

 

[LJ Dem]

I’m wondering about simple specs we need to pay attention to when buying, can folks help with this?
I had a cheap one a few years ago and it was annoying because it would turn itself off after a period of non use, then we’d need to manually turn it back on separately from the TV.

What key features do we need when buying such that:
1) it is instantly on and off whenever we turn the TV on and off (so Connects with the same remote)
2) it does not disconnect itself or turn off after being unused for a while
3) it keeps the last volume used and the last features used (sticky) for the next use?


I’m basically super lazy and just want to use a single remote and watch tv.
I do like the google voice option mentioned (to turn on or off a subwoofer for example)

Thanks, good thread!

 

[swakyaby]

@LJ Dem,
I’ve had 3 different brand soundbars, and all 3 could be controlled by the tv remote—the on/off and the volume. The settings on the tv needed to be set to the external speaker, either HDMI or optical out, and the internal tv speakers turned off. And read other customer reviews before making a purchase to see if there are issues with connectivity and problem stuff like you describe.

 

[statsman]

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.

Heck, just skip the rear speakers if "surround" sound isn't your thing or if what you primarily watch wouldn't benefit from them. Go with a 3.1 setup, which any 5.1 receiver can handle. L/R front speakers, center speaker, and subwoofer. Reduces the cost factor, and eliminates in many cases the limits of rear & side speaker placement.

 

[ERD50]

Heck, just skip the rear speakers if "surround" sound isn't your thing or if what you primarily watch wouldn't benefit from them. Go with a 3.1 setup, which any 5.1 receiver can handle. L/R front speakers, center speaker, and subwoofer. Reduces the cost factor, and eliminates in many cases the limits of rear & side speaker placement.

That's a good point. The rear speakers are for those 'surround effects' - if it is primarily dialog you want, the 3.1 setup you describe will do it. And getting wires to those rear speakers can be a bit of a pain, so that's avoided.

-ERD50

 

[Slater]

Heck, just skip the rear speakers if "surround" sound isn't your thing or if what you primarily watch wouldn't benefit from them. Go with a 3.1 setup, which any 5.1 receiver can handle. L/R front speakers, center speaker, and subwoofer. Reduces the cost factor, and eliminates in many cases the limits of rear & side speaker placement.

I’ve had plenty of high-end surround sound systems over the years just as you mentioned & I feel my Sonos system sounds just as good…..
With less of a headache of spaghetti wiring, costly remotes to intergrate seamless 1 remote operation, etc…
Yes, sonos aren’t cheap either but love the lack of wires, seamless integration, just always works as it should…..

 

[Z3Dreamer]

IMHO, most of the voice problem is the way it is recorded.

Bought a nice receiver. Nope. Did not solve the garbled voice issue. Bought a sub-woofer. Nope. Bought a really nice center speaker. Nope. Plugged some old small speakers into the center channel out jacks and placed those speakers near where I sit. Maybe that solved it, but still can't overcome the sound effects being louder than the voices, even though the sound effects are mostly on a different channel.

Many threads on here discussing garbled voices.

 

[swakyaby]

IMHO, most of the voice problem is the way it is recorded.

I think it reflects our aging ears. Listening to movies with a 5.1 receiver system, the dialogue started getting difficult to understand in my mid-50’s. Changed to Sonos soundbar, better. Listened to same movie with Sennheiser TVheadphones, dialogue crystal clear. But I don’t wish to listen to all my programs with headphones.

 

[Music Lover]

IMHO, most of the voice problem is the way it is recorded.

Bought a nice receiver. Nope. Did not solve the garbled voice issue. Bought a sub-woofer. Nope. Bought a really nice center speaker. Nope. Plugged some old small speakers into the center channel out jacks and placed those speakers near where I sit. Maybe that solved it, but still can't overcome the sound effects being louder than the voices, even though the sound effects are mostly on a different channel.

Many threads on here discussing garbled voices.

We got a center speaker and it mostly solved the voice problem.

If the sound effects are too loud you need to increase the volume level of the center speaker.

 

[swakyaby]

@zI55Iz
Did this discussion help you decide for or against a sound bar?

 

[zl55lz]

@zI55Iz
Did this discussion help you decide for or against a sound bar?

Yes, it did. I did get a low to moderately priced one which seems to cut out the heavy background music noise and clarifies the voices which is what I wanted. I would definitely try a higher end product in the future if I think it is necessary.

The biggest thing I learned was to not necessarily spend money on pursuing a "better" tv itself hoping the internal sound will be better, although I'm guessing there are products out there which could be better. As of this date I personally have not heard of any.

Thanks to all for comments.

 

[Chuckanut]

Perhaps the sound bar experts here can provide me with some guidance.

I have an old Panasonic Plasma TV. It is at least 15 years old. I want to add a small sound bar to the TV so as to make conversations more understandable. My aging ears have combined with questionable sound practices of modern TV shows to often make normal conversation hard to understand. I often have to turn on sub-titles. I don't care if the sound bar cannot shake my windows and knock the leaves off the tree outside my window when an explosion takes place in a scene. I want to understand the dialog.

I have two sets of audio outputs on my TV. One is a Digital Audio Out port. DAO has what appears to be a single rectangular plug that has a slot in the middle of it. The other audio output appear to be a pair of the old fashioned RCA plugs. There is no blue-tooth or wifi ability on this TV. Which one should I use with a modern sound bar? Are today's sound bars even compatible with this old tech?



I have attached a photo of the DAO port.

 

[msieweke]

Chuckanut, That's an optical audio connector - the preferred connection to a sound bar. Double check with your specific sound bar model, but I think this connection will be supported for some years.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Yeah, DAO should provide better fidelity than RCA, but it might be less common, especially on cheaper TVs, whereas pretty much everything still has RCA jacks.

 

[swakyaby]

@Chuckanut
Most modern TVs (from 2019 and newer) use an HDMI eArc connector for soundbars, but many still have the digital optical out that will connect to most soundbars either directly or through an adaptor. The advantage of HDMI eArc is that it will pass through Dolby Atmos audio, true dolby, DTS-HD and other high end audio to soundbars equipped to handle that type of audio. For your purposes, a digital optical connector to a medium quality soundbar with an optical connection should be sufficient to provide the clarity of dialogue you are seeking. The audio would be limited to dolby digital 5.1. Definitely read the customer reviews regarding the dialogue as some soundbars excel in that aspect.

 

[swakyaby]

I used to have a Panasonic plasma TV, and it was hard to replace a perfectly good working TV that still had a nice picture. But it was an energy hog and generated a lot of heat.

 

[H2ODude]

I’ve had plenty of high-end surround sound systems over the years just as you mentioned & I feel my Sonos system sounds just as good…..
With less of a headache of spaghetti wiring, costly remotes to intergrate seamless 1 remote operation, etc…
Yes, sonos aren’t cheap either but love the lack of wires, seamless integration, just always works as it should…..

I agree with this. My older Sonos sound bar failed and I replaced with the newer Arc. Not cheap but looks good, sounds good, and only real “wire” is the HDMI to the TV (and 110). Also have two units for rear. Not sure if it’s a sound system problem but the production of scenes with background music can be annoying to me. There are some rare programs where they have this need to feature high volume music (even in absence of dialog) that drives me nuts.

I will add that the Sonos software is deficient (to me with my system) when using Apple Music or others. Just can’t access a lot of the functionality I get when listening on the actual phone or tablet. And the Roam can be quirky about falling off the system, takes a minute to restore.