My Home Theater system that I bought from my brother-in-law is finally kicking the bucket. I’ll be looking to replace it. Just wonder what peoples experience is with Soundbars (less wiriing/mounting) VS traditional 5.1 setups? Recommendations would also help would like to be at most around < $400. I’m not looking for top of the line or anything since I rarely watch TV.
you won’t get anywhere near the quality/experience of a (quality) 5.1 - 7.1 system with a sound bar.
If you were trying to have a decent system on a budget and it doesn’t need to be extreme, i’d go with a nice 3.0 or 3.1 system. Best Buy always has nice receivers on their clearance table in the magnolia store that are returns still in the plastic, drastically reduced in price. Denon, Pioneer, Yamaha, all good receivers. You don’t need crazy output. Then get a pair of 4.5"-5.5" bookshelves (I’m partial to Energy or Definitive Technology), and a matching center, and you have a very nice upgrade to what you have. Add a small sub to make the system 3.1, and that’s a great setup with minimal wiring.
The all-in-one setups from the likes of Sony, etc that come with all satellite speakers that usually aren’t great and are kind of a waste of money. I don’t have much experience with sound bars, but I can say you likely wont get near the quality/range that you’d get with a simple 3.1 setup.
I figured that soundbars wouldn’t be a “replacement” so to speak for a traditional 3.1 or 5.1 setup. Definitely would prefer to buy at Best Buy only because I have $50 to spend there and I normally don’t shop there. I’ll have to look for their returns.
I have a surround sound in my living room and a soundbar and subwoofer in my basement and I prefer the soundbar for music. Def the surround for movies tho
I’ll only watch a movie every couple months or so. Primarily use this for Sabres games, occasional movies and maybe the once a year I play my PS3. Every now and then I’ll just have my Zune hooked up streaming music.
I bought my first setup there all new (Denon/Energy stuff)… And recently I started putting together a setup for my other room. Picked up a returned Pioneer receiver. It was a current model, still brand new warranty, returnable, and in plastic. New it was something like $500, and i got it for $220. It’s way more than i needed for the room, but what the hell! A lot of the returns are from audiophile people that “hear differences” that most people don’t. Don’t get me wrong, I can hear and appreciate differences in quality, but at that price tag, the differences are negligible. Personally, I don’t hear much difference until you jump to the baller stuff that most people, including myself, aren’t willing to dish out money for.
Got this one for xmas
pretty happy with it. built in apps, plus you can download more. GUI, easy setup, etc.
I dont have a sound bar but I do have surround sound 7.1 system and i wouldn’t replace it for anything, Judging by what the sound bars sound like it Best Buy they are ok but for Blu-Ray movies with HD sound no thanks.
My home theater cost I think $550 from newegg
dang doesn’t appear to be at bestbuy…Looks good though.
I went from a sound bar --> 3.1 --> 5.1 --> 7.2 and I will never go back to a sound bar. You will find that movies will be much more enjoyable and will probably spend more time watching movies if you have a nice home theater setup.
I have a KOSS 5.1 that’s…YEARS old that I absolutely love.
I’ve seen some nice sound bars that are great for everyday TV. If you want that entertainment value and are investing in something for the long haul I would say get a nice Home Theater.
If you are looking to blow your Best Buy card get some movies. Check out Newegg or Slickdeals for your Home Theater.
Seems like the general consensus is to go with a true Surround Sound system. Just gotta find the right one. I like the one GeeHee posted.
Sort of depends on how youre watching your movies too.
I sprung for a decent 5.1 but shortly after realized Netflix (which takes up 75% of my screen time) is a little lack luster in the sound department (not a whole lot of 5.1 movies).
5.1 is GREAT but I think you should be watching a lot of DVDs to justify the cost (if cost is the issue).
In my opinion, this is by far, the best bang for the buck out there.
I had one of their older systems, that I loved. Changed up to one of their network receivers, and love it also.
I bought the Bose lifestyle 8 setup probably 13yrs ago and the thing is still pretty potent today. I know true audiophiles usually cringe at the Bose name. But i’ve had pretty good luck with these little things. The sound for me is amazing.
come on over whenever, we can blast music and drink beer :tup:
…I would buy the one Geehee posted but I need a beer…uh, I mean hear it too.
the good news is, I enjoy beer!
My beer and music thing went off…I need an adult.
I get to see and hear a lot of different systems and the one that has always impressed me the most was the vizio sound bar. sound bars do have their place. If you are in a apt and can’t have something that is going to irritate your neighbors they are a great option, or if you don’t want to go through the trouble of wiring a 5.1 system in a place that you will not be staying in that long. This is a fantastic option. “casual TV watcher that does not like flat screen TV audio”
http://store.vizio.com/home-theater-1/sb4021ma1.html
entry level 5.1 system. I have installed several of these for customers and they deliver outstanding audio. The speakers are matched very well to the receiver. 3D pass through HDMI switching. The reason I like this system for my customers so much is the size. They do not take up a lot of space like the onkyo one linked above (the onkyo will have better sound quality though) , but this plays really loud and clear. I am a fan of any receiver/speaker combo that can be played at max volume with perfect clarity.
don’t buy the POS 5.1 systems with the DVD built into them get something legit if you are going to spend the money.
soundbar
pros:
*easy to set up
*affordable
*great sound quality (for the money)
cons:
*it is not surround sound
edit: if you are looking to spend less than 400 I would encourage you to get a good quality sound bar rather than a surround sound. In my opinion you will end up with a better experience in that price point.