Soundbar

Nishy

Forum GOD!
Staff member
Recent purchase a Panasonic HTB688 soundbar decided to stop working after 8 months. Tragic. On its way to be repaired. Thought I'd plug the gap as it may take up to a month. So ended up buying a Sony XF9000, which boasts Dolby Atmos. My real question is this just a gimmick with a limitation of 2.1 channels? It sounds similar to the Panasonic but not a huge deal of difference. The Panasonic is not Dolby certified. Apologies for any amateurness above I'm new to the sound game. I have pressed the S vertical button
 

JayGee

Forum GOD!
What hi-fi 2018 award winners are published in the next issue, TBH their review process is reasonably agnostic (occasionally strict price banding can harshly review a great product because its a few quid over the line & grouped in with much dearer competition), they really do know AV.
I would go for whatever soundbar won their recommendation to suit your budget.
 

MntnMan62

Forum GOD!
I have never really understood the soundbar concept. For the TVs in the bedrooms, the built in speakers are just fine for that purpose. But for a large screen TV in either the living room or basement entertainment room, a sound bar would be woefully inadequate. I would much rather buy a couple bookshelf speakers and a small sub if on a budget.
 

dadant

Forum GOD!
Agree with Man62...and don't take too much notice of advertised standards, 2.1 basically means 2 front speakers (FS) and a bass, 3.1 means 2 x FS a center speaker and a bass and so on so physically you really can't have full surround sound unless they've tried to include some environmental audio trickery. Last time I looked at an Atmos certified amp it would have meant re-modelling the TV room and having multiple speakers dangling or inserted into the ceiling so how a soundbar with it's limited size can drive the sound equivalent is a little beyond me. Also unless you've subscribed to the premium channels that support Atmos atm it aint worth bothering with, soundbars fill the inherent problem with poor audio being available from flat screen TV's but if you're half serious about audio get an amp and speakers, there are some even promising wireless systems available apparently. A 5.1 or 7.1 amp will be just fine unless of course you're prepared to remodel. (7.1 = 2 x FS, 1 x CS, 2 x SS, 2 x RS + 1 x BASS)
 

Nishy

Forum GOD!
Staff member
Thanks guys, I did a fair bit of reading on several review sites. Trusted reviews, is usually my preferred source. The spiel is front facing speakers also produce a vertical 'spread' of sound then you have the sub as a separate entity. So theoretically the sound travels forwards, to the side and up, with the sub producing bass notes. I'll be honest and say I can hear more of a surround sound, as I keep turning to my left and right picking up various sounds. However compared to a 5.1 it lacks depth. Not a bad shout but at £400 it's an expensive alternative. The Panasonic only cost £135 but doesn't boast Dolby atmos, which if my understanding is correct isn't what I'm hearing for the majority of programs, even if applicable. Seems the Panasonic just dying and not turning back on is a common fault.

My TV (Panasonic) is very slim and around 66 inches so the sound it emits is poor and tinny. The sound bar has made a big improvement in that respect.
 

Nishy

Forum GOD!
Staff member
Having just read that you can bounce the sound from Atmos enabled speakers from the ground upwards I may have been a touch pessimistic, I don't think it's ideal especially as soundbars have taken that concept on board but there you go it's a convenient augmentation compared to what have with your TV alone.

https://www.dolby.com/us/en/guide/speaker-setup/index.html
One major feature that caught my attention was fewer wires. I have one wire (power supply) powering the sub (sub connects wirelessly to soundbar) and a HDMI cable connecting the soundbar to the TV (this can also be performed wirelessly). I know with the 5.1 at the parents wires are either hidden or run along the skirting which I wanted to avoid.
 

dadant

Forum GOD!
Understood, there are wireless systems available like Sonos but they are pricey, there should be cable free soundbar based systems that allow the connection and expansion of speakers to a system. I realise your sub connects wirelessly but I don't think it allows further wireless connections, that'll be the way to go if you want to upgrade your audio experience without cables at a guess.
 

Nishy

Forum GOD!
Staff member
Understood, there are wireless systems available like Sonos but they are pricey, there should be cable free soundbar based systems that allow the connection and expansion of speakers to a system. I realise your sub connects wirelessly but I don't think it allows further wireless connections, that'll be the way to go if you want to upgrade your audio experience without cables at a guess.
Thank you Tony, nice result with the fantasy football btw
 

dadant

Forum GOD!
I don't think I've ever scored so heavily let alone the first round after which I'm usually looking to play my wildcard to start over. It looks like Kante is playing in a more advanced role for the new boss this season, he could turn out to be a low value sleeper worth keeping.
 
Top