I've got a 2008 Sony Bravia that's still in top condition - and importantly it's a dumb tv, which I don't want to change.
However the speakers are on their way out with volume not as loud as it used to be and overall muddy sound.
I think a soundbar would be the simplest solution so I'd love to hear any recommendations you might have.
I'm not looking to get anything too sophisticated (or expensive) but something that'll allow the TV to last a bit longer would be ideal.
Cheers!
Thanks for the input.
You see, I'm asking for recommendations because I don't know enough to know what I want. Glad you took time out of your day to avoid reading my original post.
Check what audio connections your TV has - many of the new soundbars are eARC for example but this is probably not going to work well with an older TV. Even my 2016 Samsung TV which only had normal ARC rather than eARC was a total pain with my Bose Soundbar 900.
On another note, also check dimensions/how you plan to mount it/etc… a lot of people rave about Samsung flagship soundbar with wireless surrounds + subwoofer… but it's huge. I wanted it but realised it wouldn't fit between the legs of my TV on our TV cabinet. And I also had no powerpoints/places to put the rear surrounds.
Great, thanks for the feedback. I was wondering about the connection issue as the TV is oooold, so standards would have moved on.
Given you're just looking to get something on par or slightly better than what you had before with the inbuilt speakers, and you've got a 2008 TV which may or may not have HDMI ARC… have a look around back to see whether it has digital optical output/Toslink, or just RCA output. That'll narrow down your choices of soundbar. IMO you'll probably get something which fits your needs for <$300 and will sound significantly better than before.
On another note, what do you actually watch? Free to air, Apple TV, etc..? If it's an Apple TV you may also find it easier just to buy something like a Homepod mini.
Generally when you want to ask for recommendations, at least help others to help you by specifying some form of criteria. Do you have a specific budget? Maybe size constraints? Want a subwoofer bundle? Wireless satellite speakers? Just a dumb soundbar unit itself? Specific connectivity requirements? HDMI ARC maybe? etc…….
Otherwise it's no different than searching "soundbar" on Amazon or TheGoodGuys or anywhere else and seeing what comes up that suits you.