Surround Sound Speaker setups are not for everyone if people don't like dealing with wires and stuff, but Soundbars are not a replacement for Surround Sound. If all you want is a front sound stage they're a decent cheap and easy alternative. It's pointless for the guy to replace his current setup with one though. Personally, if all I wanted was a front sound stage, I'd piece together a 3.1 system with real speakers over a sound bar.Soundbars are for people like me who don't like tremendous large sound and the speaker clutter that goes with them. The tv room in this house had a pretty horrific Bose wall system that I ripped out and got rid of. I've got a Yamaha 4100 that sounds really good at low-medium volume which is the level I use 99% of the time. I'm not an audiophile or gearhead; I just want clean crisp sound and this delivers.
Yeah...I know all about money being an issue, but if you canPAY MORE THAN DOUBLEthen I'd try going with something like this for $248:
Oh no, some anonymous guy on the Internet that I would never associate with in real life doesn't like me. Irrelevant.Yeah, plus he's black, so as long as we use proper english, it is likely that he won't be able to follow along.
/thread. The tech just isn't there yet, despite what some salesperson working on commission tells you. Systems are better than they were, you can actually hear some directional sound, where a couple of years ago, you couldn't. And then the general quality is nowhere near as good. All you used to get was one big block of sound like it was all coming from one speaker.I had a like a $300 Sony Soundbar. It was pretty much junk compared to an actual surround sound system. I think anyone who tries to tell you that they are comparable is full of shit. Don't waste your money on one, stop being lazy and do a real surround setup and you'll be much happier.
When I first start dabbling in home theatre, my first HTIB was an Onkyo, and it would still probably kill soundbars now.I know all about money being an issue, but if you can squeeze a bit more out then I'd try going with something like this for $248:
http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S3500...dp/B0077V88V8/
I've had both the same model of Sony Sound Bar that you're trying out and a higher end model of the Onkyo stuff and while HTiBs aren't exactly fantastic that line is night and day better than that sound bar.
You could also try taking a gamble on this open box HT-S5500 from Newegg that's a better model and only $280 (regular price is $350):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16882120201R
O. M. G. This was hilarious, lol. Reminded me when I read Robinson Crusoe in the original English and I had to put it down and buy the Americanized version, lol.Yeah, plus he's black, so as long as we use proper english, it is likely that he won't be able to follow along.
Your TV likely has some sort of audio out.Been thinking about getting a soundbar for the bedroom. I don't really care about surround sound in that room. All I want is something better than the shitty built-in tv speakers. Not sure how it would work with the boxes I have in there, though. I have a Blu-ray player, cable box, and a Slingbox (that uses components) all going to the tv. I suppose that I would need a receiver in order to hook all of that stuff up to a soundbar. Or not? Please edumacate me.
The way my system is hooked up, the cable box and blueray player go into the TV and then the optical out goes from the TV to the soundbar. No receiver needed. You should be fine just with a soundbar, assuming your TV has enough inputs for everything.Been thinking about getting a soundbar for the bedroom. I don't really care about surround sound in that room. All I want is something better than the shitty built-in tv speakers. Not sure how it would work with the boxes I have in there, though. I have a Blu-ray player, cable box, and a Slingbox (that uses components) all going to the tv. I suppose that I would need a receiver in order to hook all of that stuff up to a soundbar. Or not? Please edumacate me.
I bought aZvox 555and a 32" TV for my mom for Christmas as it had to go into a armoire.The TV sits on top of this soundbar and its sounds ok for what it does, but a little pricey at $399.Been thinking about getting a soundbar for the bedroom. I don't really care about surround sound in that room. All I want is something better than the shitty built-in tv speakers. Not sure how it would work with the boxes I have in there, though. I have a Blu-ray player, cable box, and a Slingbox (that uses components) all going to the tv. I suppose that I would need a receiver in order to hook all of that stuff up to a soundbar. Or not? Please edumacate me.
Connect your cable box, DVD player, etc. to your TV the way you normally do. You probably have a cable box or satellite receiver, and a DVD or Bluray player connected to your TV. You may also have a game console or VCR connected. Leave all these sources connected to your TV?s inputs ? you don?t need to change them. You should not need to connect the audio output of any video source directly to a ZVOX Audio speaker.
Should be OK with RCA cables from TV to Soundbar.My bedroom TV has everything except an optical out, so I guess that makes things more difficult.
Lets be real here though. Youre talking about $200-$300 soundbar vs a $1000+ 5.1 or 7.1 system. No shit it will sound better.When I first start dabbling in home theatre, my first HTIB was an Onkyo, and it would still probably kill soundbars now.