Looking for an under TV "soundbar" - opinions on Maxell MXSB-252 anyone?

As title I'm after an improvement in my TV's sound system (a Sony 46EX723) but the majority of soundbars sit in front of the TV and therefore block the IR receiver!?!?

I've been looking at a couple of Maxell "under-TV" unit's which seem to be getting decent reviews but my only knowledge of Maxell spans back to VHS tapes back in the day!

These are the model's I've been looking at:

Maxell MXSP-SB3000

Maxell MXSB-252

The SB3000 is the newer, more powerful model but it's also double the price and since the main benefit seems to be the addition of Bluetooth, which I doubt I'd use, so I'm leaning towards the 252 model that can be had for circa £80.

The only other thing is I'd like to be able to still use my Sky remote which, I think, requires it to be "Arc enabled" - the SB3000 says it is but the 252 doesn't but there are some reviews on the rainforest that suggest the 252 is Arc enabled!?!?!

Has anyone got any direct knowledge of either of these units or possibly have any other models to recommend in a similar price range?

Thanks....

my £150 yamaha soundbar has a IR repeater

it therefore sits in front of the TV and then picks up all IR signals and then sends them to the tv behind it.

Which model Yamaha is it you've got?

I didn't know this was an option to be honest - I've always been a bit perplexed at the number of soundbars that just block the IR receiver!!

YAS 101

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18538496&highlight=yas+101

here's the silver version for £150

http://www.coopelectricalshop.co.uk...gclid=CJOV-dHn9L0CFerpwgodtUgAjw&gclsrc=aw.ds

I have the black version but paid around £160 for it iirc.

It's a really great sound bar, Yamaha make the best soundbars on the planet but this is their cheapest budget option and as such it certainly aint one of their audiophile range.

it is however probably the best sound bar you can buy for under £150.

You can add a sub to it if you feel bass is lacking, any sub should work but certain yamaha ones will work with it perfectly in the fact they will turn on and off automatically with the sound bar, others you will need to manually turn the subwoofer on and off.

I found the bass to be enough for my needs (bedroom setup) and was initially planning on buying a sub but now haven't bothered because the sound bar is great.

If you want a audiophile sound bar, then your looking at one of yamaha's £500+ sound bars.

Yamaha make the best ones on the planet but this is merely one of their "smart price" options of which they have a few iirc, they have another at £200+ and another at around £300-£400 iirc.

You need to set up the IR receiver so it works, was easy enough to do, took me maybe 20 minutes. Make sure you read the manual a few times to get it sorted in your head.

It's because different models of tv use different signals my tv is a panasonic and i had to use a few different panasonic codes before i got the right one.

Thanks for the reply and all the info Sonny but I decided to give the Maxell MXSB-252 a go because of it's decent reviews and smaller outlay than the Yamaha!

First impressions were lukewarm but once I'd got it hooked up with my NUC running XBMC and piped the audio for Avengers Assemble through it - WOW!!!

It's a fantastic piece of kit for those with a limited budget and no space for a full surround sound setup imo!

StevieP said:

It's a fantastic piece of kit for those with a limited budget and no space for a full surround sound setup imo!

Click to expand...

This is the only reason I can understand someone choosing a soundbar over a surround setup. For the price of a soundbar you can pickup a 2nd hand all-in-one 5.1 that would sound much better. Granted, it wouldn't be as good as a true separates, but if we are talking about price then it's a no brainer. While I get the concept of the emulated surround by bouncing it off the walls, it can't be at all accurate, or nice to listen to, over a set of speakers?

I'm under no illusions that it is anywhere near as good as a proper surround sound setup but given the cost, size and ease of use, I have to say I'm blown away by the output!

Watched a film tonight and at one stage switched back to the TV speakers and it was like switching to a mobile phone speaker......inside a tin can!

As I said, my lounge simply won't allow for a full system so for my purposes, this is a fantastic outcome!

Can you confirm that using an HDMI ARC connection from the TV to the Maxell MXSB-252, it simply takes over? ie: You can still use the TV's remote to turn the volume up and down, but the volume of the Maxell is instead adjusted (with the TV being silent)?

And I assume the Maxell turns on/off automatically to?

The Maxell 252 does indeed turn on and off when the TV goes on and off. I use the optical input though so use a OneForAll remote that learns codes to control the volume and effects along with other controls for my media player. I'm not sure why I use optical over HDMI, maybe my TV doesn't do HDMI audio out but at least it does send an on/off signal to the Maxell.

*ignore* I see you've answered elsewhere - Ta!