Soundbar for a Noob

Soldato
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I've had a cheap surround sound system in the distant past but it was useless. Now considering a soundbar to go with my Samsung UE48H6400 tv, budget would ideally not be over £300.
Two Sony options fall within this budget but both have mixed reviews also, Yamaha YAS 207 seems ideal but it is a few years old now.
Looking for something that has good bass and clear dialogue, and preferably easy to use for a noob.

What would you guys recommend? It's a bit of a minefield tbh.
 
Soldato
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I’ve just got a yas-209 for £350 but there’s cash back on that if bought before dec 31st

initial impressions

easy to use and set up, sound is great for the price, ive not played around with it much but that’s because it just works
 
Soldato
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I’ve just got a yas-209 for £350 but there’s cash back on that if bought before dec 31st

initial impressions

easy to use and set up, sound is great for the price, ive not played around with it much but that’s because it just works

Rtings gave a favourable review too. Ordered this with the sub.
 
Caporegime
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If you want good bass then I'm sorry £300 just won't cut it. Your looking at the £500+ market .

The Yamaha yas range of soundbars are actually mediocre at best. They are budget orientated and are okay for someone looking for better than TV speakers but not for someone looking for decent sound.

The Yamaha ysp range is where the quality just starts to come in.

I've owned the ysp 1600 and upgraded to the ysp 2700 iirc which is a £500 soundbar now launched at £650+.

The ysp 2700 has good bass and is a very capable soundbar. It's essentially creeping into higher end sound quality but again is at the bottom of this bracket. The best soundbars available retail for around £1200-£1500. The ysp 1600 was okay nothing great but a lot better than the Yamaha yas it replaced. With the ysp 2700 I'm now happy it's for the bedroom so I didn't need the absolute best I already have a proper surround setup downstairs with Atmos avr, etc.

At your budget your probably best just buying a set of active 2.0 speakers which are really good and putting them either side of the TV than a soundbar. They will provide a much better sound and much better bass.
 
Soldato
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I get where you're coming from but there are very few whom would be willing to spend big money for their first purchase of a soundbar, I'd assume.

I do appreciate your advice but £500+ would be stretch to far at the moment.
 
Last edited:
Caporegime
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I get where you're coming from but there are very few whom would be willing to spend big money for their first purchase of a soundbar, I'd assume.

I do appreciate your advice but £500+ would be stretch to far at the moment.

Which is why my last sentence said for your budget a set of active 2.0 speakers is likely the best option.

A really good set of 2.0 speakers will outshine any other solution at your price range. It's just not enough for a soundbar with a decent sub.

You could always use a ghetto of setup like Logitech z906 is it? But then you have to deal with all the wires.
 
Soldato
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When I had a desktop pc I purchased a Logitech 2.1 and it made a massive difference to my listening pleasure but yeah, wires. Soundbar is due for delivery tomorrow so I will soon find out whether the outlay was worth it.
 
Soldato
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Could you stretch to a Sonos Beam? I’ve been super impressed with mine, especially ally appreciate dialogue enhancement so speech is crystal clear.
 
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