Can anyone recommend me a soundbar/base??

StevieP · 30 Oct 2019 at 17:39

I've currently got a Maxell MXSB-252 soundbase but it seems to have developed a fault and so I'm looking for a replacement.

Must have's:

HDMI connectivity
Must turn on and off with the TV
Volume must be controllable with Sky HD remote

Nice to have's:

Built in subwoofer (as I don't have an obvious spot behind or near the TV to put one!)

The TV is a Sony KD-55XE9005 and the base on which the TV sits is only 85cm wide so I could really do with it being a bit smaller or it's going look a bit weird!

Anyone have any suggestions in the circa £200 bracket??

StevieP · 31 Oct 2019 at 10:34

TheVoice said:
The Samsung HW-MS650 is great, the bass isn't earth shattering but it's pretty decent even without a dedicated sub. If you can't stretch your budet, the HW-MS550 probably won't be far off. AFAIK the main difference is that the 650 does left, right and centre channels whereas the 550 is stereo only.

It is about a metre wide though so it might not be suitable if you need something shorter.

Thanks for the suggestion - I've had a look and both models are wider than my cabinet so I'm not sure they will look right if they overlap the edges to be honest!

Since my original post I've looked at a couple of soundbase's as follows if anyone has any first hand experience of them?

- Q Acoustics M2
- Cambrdge Audio TV5 V2

The Q Acoustics is circa £80 cheaper but also have a lesser wattage and the base is scarcely bigger than the TV stand so it might look a bit odd!

Anyone know anything about these?

StevieP · 31 Oct 2019 at 19:17

Arcane said:
I've got the Cambridge Audio TV5.
+ it's great for the money
+ It will learn your remote
+ It will go louder than you will want it too

- Annyoing blue light on the front behind the grille (I covered mine in Blu-tack)
- Bundled remote is tiny and not very good

I've been happy with it, I've heard the Canton is very good too?

I had a quick look at the Canton but it was a bit more expensive and didn't appear to have HDMI!?

Thanks for the opinion on the Cambridge - the negatives don't particularly worry me!

Mind if I ask;

- Does it turn on and off automatically when you turn your TV on and off?
- One of the features is the different sound modes - are these suitably different for different types of viewing? (one bugbear of my current soundbase is that sometimes surrounding sound overpowers dialogue)

One of the prerequisites of any new unit will be that it can be controlled using our Sky remote!

StevieP · 1 Nov 2019 at 11:36

Psycho Sonny said:
Up pour budget and you get a lot more for your money.

Hold the phone!

Are you saying that if I spend more then I'll get a better experience!?

I assumed it would go without saying that I know a £200 budget is not gonna get me an earth moving sound experience!

My current soundbase, a Maxell MXSB-252, cost about 80 quid and I've absolutely loved it! (and yes, I too thought Maxell died out with the VHS tape!)

All I'm after is something that will improve upon the standard speakers on the TV for not an awful lot of money!

StevieP · 1 Nov 2019 at 11:44

Psycho Sonny said:
Then the absolute best thing for your budget would be 2.0 speakers (active) that take an optical input from the TV. Soundbars are severely compromised at that budget.

If you must have a soundbar then buy samsung or sony for that budget.

It's not that I "must have" a soundbar - it's just that in my experience that is what works best!

I've often wondered about having a speaker system but always assumed they wouldn't be able to be controlled by the Sky remote?

Any particular speakers you could recommend if this is possible?

StevieP · 1 Nov 2019 at 12:11

Arcane said:
Yes it turns on and off with the TV, it comes on a couple of seconds after the TV. The different sound modes do make a difference but I've not bothered with them, can't even remember which I settled on, the one with the least muddled voices, probably "music" funnily enough. Once I'd set up the learning remote thing I've not used it. I use mine via optical btw.

Thanks!

I'm still not settled on a soundbase but it's good to know it will do what I want it to!

My main objection is they all look a bit "boxy" - my current Maxell unit is not to tall and nicely curved at the sides - I still can't believe it was as cheap as it was when you consider the number of HDMI ports it has!

StevieP · 1 Nov 2019 at 13:24

Psycho Sonny said:
Are you happy to use optical from TV? Do you have a need for a lot of HDMI, etc?

I'm happy using optical as long as the device will wake and turn off when I turn the TV on and off and I can control the volume using my Sky remote - having never used optical I'm not sure of the limitations/features? For example, when you switch input on the TV from say Sky to PS4, I assume the audio output changes with it? (Sorry if this is a stupid question!)

I just don't want to be faffing with more than 1 remote!

StevieP · 1 Nov 2019 at 18:37

Psycho Sonny said:
you will need more than 1 remote however the sound quality of £200 speakers will be akin to a £400 soundbar. so well worth the hassle.

I'm on board as long as you can pop round whenever the missus moans about having to locate an entirely separate remote to turn Corrie down!

@Heisenberg I'll take a look at the Sky offering - I've been with them for about 275 years so if I'm not a VIP then there is something wrong!

StevieP · 27 Nov 2019 at 09:42

Thanks for all the replies guy's - having done some research, and despite it being well above my original budget, I'm leaning towards the Sonos Beam!

A mate of mine has one and it sounds great and unless I'm misunderstanding things, am I right in saying I can essentially connect another Sonos speaker wirelessly to create a sort of surround sound effect?

I know it's not going to be true surround sound but my living room isn't huge and so I'm thinking of putting a speaker on a cabinet high up above and behind the sofa to improve things!

Does anyone have any experience of connecting an additional speaker to the Beam?

StevieP · 27 Nov 2019 at 10:08

hornetstinger said:
£400 can get you a good avr and stereo speakers.

Plus Sonos is limited to 65,000 tracks

Can you recommend a setup of this type?

My main issue is space to be honest - I haven't really got the room for too much kit in my living room, which is why a soundbar is appealing.... and any track limit isn't a problem as it will be used almost exclusively for TV watching and gaming!

StevieP · 27 Nov 2019 at 11:06

I'm really not fussed which way to go as long as it sounds good and doesn't take up a huge amount of space!

The reason I'm leaning towards the Sonos is because it will fit nicely in front of my TV without obscuring anything and having listened to my mate's, it sounds pretty good to my ears! ("gut rumbling" sound isn't really what I'm aiming for - just looking to improve upon the standard TV sound with some decent sound)

If I can add a further speaker in the future that will connect wirelessly and sit on a shelf behind the sofa then this should be good too!

StevieP · 27 Nov 2019 at 11:51

mulpsmebeauty said:
Unless you are limited by space/don't want the wires/want something that looks neater/simply want better sound than a TV without getting into the whole hi-fi enthusiast thing.

This is very much me.

StevieP · 28 Nov 2019 at 19:12

Update on this - I decided to go for the Beam, picked it up today and so far I'm extremely impressed!

I can't hand on heart say it's worth 4 times the cost of my trusty old Maxell soundbase (circa £90 when new many, many years ago) in terms of quality but I always felt the Maxell punched waaaaay above it's weight both in terms of quality and features for the money!

On the whole though, the Sonos looks to be the business and I can add on other speakers as and when required which might be nice!

Thanks for all the suggestions guys!