Soundbar recommendations <1000mm, good for music

[Scam]

Following on from my thread here we now have our brand new alcove units and a lovely decorated front room. We also have a new Panasonic OLED which is 42" and fits very nicely into the alcove Is just waiting for a soundbar to mate with and then they can both be mounted on the wall.

So. Recommendations for a soundbar please?

• Has to be <1000mm length to match the TV and fit in the gap
• With subwoofer, option to add small surrounds ideally
• <£500-600 but flexible to get the right one
• Google Cast integrated, preferably
• Good for music, just don't think I'll put a proper music/stereo setup in the room. That will be for the dining room/kitchen or office

Thanks in advance!

 

[hornetstinger]

Could place some stereo speakers on the wooden units. And will have superior stereo sound.

 

[Scam]

Could place some stereo speakers on the wooden units. And will have superior stereo sound.

I think they'd look silly above the TV and wouldnt provide much wider separation than a soundbar anyway given the shelf width is 1m.

 

[hornetstinger]

I think they'd look silly above the TV and wouldnt provide much wider separation than a soundbar anyway given the shelf width is 1m.

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[Kenai]

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The TV is in one of the alcoves. Putting the speakers one per alcove would surely sound utterly weird, the soundstage would feel like it's offset about 2m from the actual TV?

 

[Scam]

The TV is in one of the alcoves. Putting the speakers one per alcove would surely sound utterly weird, the soundstage would feel like it's offset about 2m from the actual TV?

Indeed.

I like the idea of Denon if only because my (now homeless ) stereo amp and AV receivers were both Marantz. Keep it in the family and all that, I like them as a brand and perhaps if I do sort out some bookshelves for music in my dining room or office, it may be wireless Denons. Not sure yet, too many other decisions to make at the moment. Are the Denon soundbars any good? Or my friend was telling me that LG are very well rated.

 

[Simmz]

Size wise I'd just go Sonos beam gen 2 as a starting point, then add the sub mini and play 1's as rears. Don't have to buy at same time, so can add the sub and rears when you want.

 

[Scam]

I'm really liking the look of the Denon Home 550 bar but I'm concerned about their integrations (or lack of) with Google Cast.

Sounds like I wouldn't be able to cast directly from apps via Google Cast? Or add it to a Google Home room?

We use Google all the time to play radio throughout the house (we have 4 Mini's) and Spotify (occasionally via voice, mostly through app) but am I right in that we wouldn't be able to do either to the Denon soundbar, or any other Denon Home speakers should we expand on it?

 

[hornetstinger]

Size wise I'd just go Sonos beam gen 2 as a starting point, then add the sub mini and play 1's as rears. Don't have to buy at same time, so can add the sub and rears when you want.

Locked into crappy overpriced out of date Sonos system...

 

[Simmz]

Locked into crappy overpriced out of date Sonos system...

Not everyone wants an AVR system or wired speakers and you always bypass the original question with this as your answer. Soundbars have come a long way and some will even out perform a wired system at the same price point.

 

[hornetstinger]

Not everyone wants an AVR system or wired speakers and you always bypass the original question with this as your answer. Soundbars have come a long way and some will even out perform a wired system at the same price point.

Sonos is not a good eco system. Still better to get high quality passive soundbar and deviated sub than plastic made in china soundbars.

 

[Scam]

Locked into crappy overpriced out of date Sonos system...

This is actually what worries me about going for Sonos. That and it seems a little “touristy”.

Sonos is not a good eco system. Still better to get high quality passive soundbar and deviated sub than plastic made in china soundbars.

I’ve been around the bend with regards to if a passive soundbar would be better. For me, no. My amp would have had to go in the enclosed alcove unit (probably overheat). I couldn’t ever wire any additional speakers so I’d never be able to add a sub or rears like I could with a normal soundbar.
My room just isn’t big, it’s not ever going to be a cinema room, and it’s a terraced house so we don’t listen to anything at massive volume anyway. It’s overkill- as much as I don’t want to get rid of my amp which is now sadly in a box in the loft

 

[hornetstinger]

This is actually what worries me about going for Sonos. That and it seems a little “touristy”.

I’ve been around the bend with regards to if a passive soundbar would be better. For me, no. My amp would have had to go in the enclosed alcove unit (probably overheat). I couldn’t ever wire any additional speakers so I’d never be able to add a sub or rears like I could with a normal soundbar.
My room just isn’t big, it’s not ever going to be a cinema room, and it’s a terraced house so we don’t listen to anything at massive volume anyway. It’s overkill- as much as I don’t want to get rid of my amp which is now sadly in a box in the loft

What about on wall speakers like a acoustic 7000? You can get thin cable. Problem with soundbar if it goes faulty you have a useless product.

Spill tea on your avr, and go to richer sounds come back with new one, job done all sorted keeping everything you have. Little bk Gemini etc subwoofer. Much cheaper than Sonos crap and better build quality, and a standard sub. So if that blows can replace with any other active sub.

Connectivity issues as well, avr have more hdmi inputs.

Sonos system is closed so you can't just install OEM app which controls it. You need the software on your pc.

Q Acoustics 7000i 5.1 Slim

Q Acoustics 7000i 5.1 is a compact 5.1 speaker package producing a precision soundstage, powerful dynamics and rich deep bass making it the natural choice for both home cinema enthusiasts and music lovers

www.qacoustics.co.uk

I'd try and sort out placement rather than compromise on soundbar
I have soundbar in parents system q acoustic qtv2 it's easy to use and surprisingly good sound quality and decent bass for the £150. However if anything breaks it's useless, it doesn't have many inputs, no outputs etc it's fine for them big upgrade over flat panel TV speakers

 

[Simmz]

What about on wall speakers like a acoustic 7000? You can get thin cable. Problem with soundbar if it goes faulty you have a useless product.

Spill tea on your avr, and go to richer sounds come back with new one, job done all sorted keeping everything you have. Little bk Gemini etc subwoofer. Much cheaper than Sonos crap and better build quality, and a standard sub. So if that blows can replace with any other active sub.

Connectivity issues as well, avr have more hdmi inputs.

Sonos system is closed so you can't just install OEM app which controls it. You need the software on your pc.

Q Acoustics 7000i 5.1 Slim

Q Acoustics 7000i 5.1 is a compact 5.1 speaker package producing a precision soundstage, powerful dynamics and rich deep bass making it the natural choice for both home cinema enthusiasts and music lovers

www.qacoustics.co.uk

I'd try and sort out placement rather than compromise on soundbar
I have soundbar in parents system q acoustic qtv2 it's easy to use and surprisingly good sound quality and decent bass for the £150. However if anything breaks it's useless, it doesn't have many inputs, no outputs etc it's fine for them big upgrade over flat panel TV speakers

See that system I have heard and again you are stuck in the past. Things have moved on and are a lot better these days. Even my Ambeo plus standalone soundbar sounds better than that package, it's really poor the 7000i at low levels.

 

[hornetstinger]

See that system I have heard and again you are stuck in the past. Things have moved on and are a lot better these days. Even my Ambeo plus standalone soundbar sounds better than that package, it's really poor the 7000i at low levels.

Soundbar won't be good for music. That requires two standmounts at least.

 

[Kenai]

Whether the speakers are on wall, stand mount, bookshelf, floorstander, whatever - they're all going to look odd and be difficult to position sensibly when you're dealing with a TV that's in a corner alcove like this.

 

[Scam]

Whether the speakers are on wall, stand mount, bookshelf, floorstander, whatever - they're all going to look odd and be difficult to position sensibly when you're dealing with a TV that's in a corner alcove like this.

Exactly. Couple that with the fact my partner simply won’t let me run wires to any sort of sub or rear speakers then the decision is made.

 

[Simmz]

Exactly. Couple that with the fact my partner simply won’t let me run wires to any sort of sub or rear speakers then the decision is made.

I'd personally go for the Sennheiser Ambeo Mini over the beam if you can up the price a bit, your be surprised at how big the sound stage actually is for a tiny device. I'd say go for the plus but as your TV is only 42" the mini will be perfect.

 

[Scam]

I'd personally go for the Sennheiser Ambeo Mini over the beam if you can up the price a bit, your be surprised at how big the sound stage actually is for a tiny device. I'd say go for the plus but as your TV is only 42" the mini will be perfect.

Interesting that the Mini is actually wider than the Denon. I’ll check out some reviews. I really wanted a sub with whatever soundbar I get (I’m used to floor standing stereo speakers so a nice bass thud) but Sennheiser want £599 for theirs!?

 

[kitfit1]

Interesting that the Mini is actually higher than the Denon. I’ll check out some reviews. I really wanted a sub with whatever soundbar I get (I’m used to floor standing stereo speakers so a nice bass thud) but Sennheiser want £599 for theirs!?

I thought that you said that your partner won't let you run wires to any sort of sub ? Even if a sub is wireless, it still needs to be plugged into the mains.