Is a soundbar worth it, if so, what one?

knoxy1001 on 24/08/2019 - 14:11

Gday Guys,
In the 20% off sales the other day I jagged a 65” C9 OLED Tv. Decided to treat myself and upgrade from a 8 year old LG.

Unfortunately, I live in a small apartment, concrete walls and ceiling etc so I can’t go all out on a 5.1 Surround sound setup, however I feel like I’m doing the TV a disservice not doing something about the audio.

Is it worth getting a sound bar in a small flat? Loungeroom is probably 13-14m2 ish, about 3.5m from the TV. I’m not looking to keep the neighbours up whilst I rewatch John wick for the third time at 7-8pm, but I’m assuming soundbars offer better audio quality. Is the audio quality better than what cones factory with the C9? I’ve noticed on a lot of sub $400 bars, people comment on it being average sound or only a bit better than their tv, but when you read the reviews the writer always mentions something like “cranking the volume up” and “the fight scene in XYZ film sounds like you’re really there” which is exactly what I don’t want to do.

Is it worth it? If so, a mid-tier one I’m assuming?

Thanks,

Electrical & Electronics Soundbar

Comments

  • Hvrd on 24/08/2019 - 14:28
    +1

    yes any soundbar is better than the tv's sound, yas108 for $180 is a big improvement and adds depths to quiet and loud sounds with its subwoofer and tweeters

    • knoxy1001 on 04/09/2019 - 17:39

      Thanks for your input. Ill read some reviews

  • jackinyourbox on 24/08/2019 - 14:28
    +2

    Modern tvs are notoriously bad with sound output. This is due to the market demand for thinner units which in general worsens sound output. Any sound bar is better than no sound bar

    • knoxy1001 on 04/09/2019 - 17:39

      Was hoping this wasn't the case with a better TV, but appears not! thank you for your input

  • DemocracyManifest on 24/08/2019 - 14:38

    I have the YAS108B, its a step up from TV Speakers but if you have the room a 2.1 system with 3 way speakers is better. I keep my soundbar unplugged most of the time until I need it for a movie

    • knoxy1001 on 04/09/2019 - 17:40

      I've got the room, but would prefer something less obvious. Would you say a 2.1 speaker setup is better than a high-end soundbar?

      • DemocracyManifest on 04/09/2019 - 21:22

        Most definitely, especially for music purposes. The soundbars for what they are, are overpriced

        • knoxy1001 on 04/09/2019 - 21:24

          absolutely 0 music use. Barely listen at home and have a UE boom for when I head to the park/beach. almost exclusively for tv shows/movies on Netflix/stan. still have a firm vote for a 2.1 system? if so, any recommendations on where to look?

          • DemocracyManifest on 04/09/2019 - 21:28

            @knoxy1001: If you don't need HDMI, hit up facebook marketplace/gumtree for a classic amp e.g. technics, pioneer etc, and some 3 way speakers. Alternatively source a modern amp from say Kogan. But 3 way speakers of a decent brand have enough bass for home use. I got some Sherwoods for $15 after selling some of my nicer stuff and after some tuning with a eq they are solid

            • knoxy1001 on 04/09/2019 - 21:30

              @DemocracyManifest: hoping to capitalise on eARC and really buy-once, cry-once on this whole home theatre idea, so happy to spend the coin and then not think about it for 5 years. would prefer something with some warranty in case of any issues and to be honest, I'm likely to not notice somethings broken before I purchase it form gumtree. after talking to both yourself and captain cabinets below, I'm considering going to a hi-fi store to talk to the sales assistant to get some recommendations.

              • DemocracyManifest on 04/09/2019 - 21:33
                +1

                @knoxy1001: Be careful with that haha. But have a look on Gumtree etc anyway because even locally I've seen people trying to get rid of 5.1 setups and the like for $100 or so. The bonus for you and anyone reading this is older hifi equipment, if it isn't working properly, changing fuses and a can of compressed air does wonders, modern stuff just goes in the bin.

  • meowsers on 24/08/2019 - 15:05

    I have a Sonos Playbar and Sub. Worth every penny. If it's within your price range I couldn't recommend it highly enough.

    • knoxy1001 on 04/09/2019 - 17:41

      Thanks Meowsers, I've looked into these and deciding between sonos and the HW-Q90r. Leaning towards Q90r due it being newer technology. have you listened to it?

  • IainND on 24/08/2019 - 15:28
    -1

    As other folks have said, it's a huge leap in quality from the inbuilt speakers without needing to invest in a full speaker setup.
    The Wirecutter is my tech bible:
    https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-soundbar/
    Their recs should be available in Aus.

    • knoxy1001 on 04/09/2019 - 17:41

      Thanks mate.
      Ill have a big read of their site, thank you for the suggestion.

  • p1 ama on 24/08/2019 - 15:57
    +1

    I tend to agree about the really cheap soundbars. They have higher wattage than TV speakers, so they can go louder. The biggest difference is that they often come with a subwoofer, so they just generally have much better low end, which is great if you're watching lots of action movies and whatever. The sound quality is not really that much better than a TV.

    To get good sound quality, you need to have more than just one driver (per channel), which is what most soundbars have. Having just one driver means that neither your lows nor highs are very good and your mids just become muddled. Even with some super fancy engineering (e.g. Apple Homepod), you still can't get around needing drivers.

    The TL;DR is that a soundbar will get louder and will give you much better bass. If you're like me and very rarely watch movies, but only sports and news and stuff like that playing in the background with low volume, then a soundbar will make little difference.

    • knoxy1001 on 04/09/2019 - 17:43

      Thanks for your input mate.
      ill look into some soundbars that have multiple drivers, do you know of any from the top of your head?
      Don't watch the news or sports, mostly just Netflix/stan etc so hopefully get a decent improvement.

      I guess my key point is its quiet Netflix, not earth shatteringly loud Netflix. Hopefully a soundbar makes the audio nice and clear hahaha.

      Thanks,

    • knoxy1001 on 04/09/2019 - 17:46

      Thanks, that was a good read.
      I agree that a complete system is a better route, unfortunately I can't find any system that peaks my interest/suits my purpose.
      Something like the HW-Q90r has front, rear and a sub, whilst also outputting dolby atmos etc. I can't justify 7 speakers in my small flat, I don't have that much room.

      • captaincabinets on 04/09/2019 - 19:13

        Who says you need 7 speakers? Even a decent 2.1 will be better than most soundbars I think. Dolby Atmos is overkill for most people. 5.1 would be great but honestly 2.1 would be fine for a small flat.

        • knoxy1001 on 04/09/2019 - 20:04

          I'd be interested to know if thats the case. I guess Ive assumed a top of the line sounder is better than a receiver + 2 speakers + a sub in both price and value, I also like the form factor of the smaller speakers. the soundbar I'm looking at is $1200 or so right now, it includes a sub and two rear speakers.

          • captaincabinets on 04/09/2019 - 20:32

            @knoxy1001: You seem to have decided you want a soundbar and just want people to confirm that for you. I've got the 65 C9 too and I find it hard to understand someone buying the best TV in the world and then pairing it with subpar sound. You do you though.

            • knoxy1001 on 04/09/2019 - 21:02

              @captaincabinets: Haven't at all, I just can't find much that confirms a $600 amp, plus $800 in speakers is better than a HW-Q90r. unfortunately a lot of reviews only compare soundbars to soundbars, or very cheap soundbars to complete 5.1 packages. Theres not a lot I can find comparing a $1200 soundbar to $1200 speaker system, I've spent my entire evening googling the B&W 607 series and Klipsch reference series to try and ascertain if they're suited to home theatre use and a decent review on them, something to compare them to a similarly priced soundbar and I've come up empty handed.

              • captaincabinets on 06/09/2019 - 00:12

                @knoxy1001: I think people don't compare them because they're different markets. Value minimalism? Soundbar. Value home theatre experience? Sound system 2.1+

                I would be very surprised if a decent brand 2.1 system rated better than the same priced HW-Q90r. The HW-Q90r doesn't even rate well on Samsung's own site. 2.9/5. Samsung make high end TVs. They don't make high end audio gear.

  • HardlyCharly on 24/08/2019 - 17:46
    +1

    Yes, it is. Just turn down the base to like 15% so you don't get noise complaints and you're good to go. The Yamaha YAS series are generally the go-to sub-500-dollar soundbars. If you're just by yourself, it may actually make more sense to get good headphones instead.

    • knoxy1001 on 04/09/2019 - 17:48

      Not typically solo, either the mrs is around or watching a movie with the lads. Ive got some good headphones for when I'm solo, they work an absolute treat

  • cimrak on 24/08/2019 - 17:50
    +1

    I have a Yamaha YAS-105 which is a few years old now. Still runs and sounds great in my lounge room which is approx the same size as yours.

    • knoxy1001 on 04/09/2019 - 17:49

      Thanks for your input, ill read some reviews on them

  • Hybroid on 04/09/2019 - 21:28

    I have 2x Sony GTK-XB5 for $131 each on either side of the TV that provide fantastic sound. Sure won't match a Sonos Playbar in terms of depth of sound but for a small apartment it's more than sufficient. Also great to bluetooth iPhone and play spotify to them directly.

  • slowey on 05/09/2019 - 01:02
    +1

    Ultimately soundbars (even the HW-Q90) are mainly about convenience and form factor. The key advantages of going for a decent 5.1 system are greater separation between channels (i.e. the helicopter that flies from right to left actually sounds like it’s flying in that direction), and generally greater clarity of sound.

    The Q90 is a great soundbar, and the wireless rears are very convenient (as long as you’ve got a powerpoint for each one).

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join