Having recently upgraded the tv to a 55” LG C4, I’m getting an itch to find a new soundbar also. Currently using quite an old Orbitsound, which can sound really good, but just doesn’t seem to get on with the new TV. Would be good to have pass through and Dolby etc as well. Obviously looked at Sonos, but are they really worth the premium?
New soundbar
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Soldato
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No. They are garbage, they've buggered up the app- don't give them your money
Checkout Sennheiser Ambeo ideally the model with the subwoofer pre out
Or if you want better sound, more powerful, and upgradable to whatever you want, speaker, amp and subwoofer brand, to actual physical speakers instead of DSP gimmickry- go AVR and speakers/sub.
What is your budget?
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Also, how much do you hate your neighbours?
What is your budget?
Given you've went for the 55" I'm going to assume you're space limited to an extent, is there room for physical surround soundbars?
It's a very vague question so we really need more information to give anything other than a speculative answer.
Given you've went for the 55" I'm going to assume you're space limited to an extent, is there room for physical surround soundbars?
It's a very vague question so we really need more information to give anything other than a speculative answer.
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Soldato
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TBH I find the best thing to do is buy one from the same manufacturer. I haven't bought an LG, but I did recently buy a Sony, and the best part about it was the way the TV recognised it and added all the soundbar menus to the TV menus, so everything was controlled by the TV and it's remote. Soundbars are about convenience to my mind.
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That's a good point and an added bonus is I'm sure some of them (of the same brand as the TV) will allow the TV's speakers to be used in unison, which can be handy as TV's speakers can be good for dialogue clarity.
Soldato
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You don't want to do that.
Seconded.
Unless you're deaf as a post, the sound from TV speakers is very tinny and tonally different to even a decent entry level soundbar. Most TV's have down firing speakers rather than front too, so they're aiming into the air/floor if wall mounted or at your TV stand, it's not going to result in a good time if your goal is improved sound quality or even speech clarity.
When using an external setup, unless it's specifically tuned to work with your tv's onboard (which I've never heard of), you absolutely want to disable the TV speakers.
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Soldato
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Not only that, you'll get boosting and cancellation as well.
The sound in my LG TV speakers are truly awful. Lacking in midrange . Ok in HF and volume but when it come to bass, it's just a lumpy distortion mess.
I can understand the argument for speech clarity, but if that's the only thing that matters you can achieve it far more easily via other means.
Spending money on a soundbar then using your TV speakers in tandem tells me that you want sound quality but are making things worse overall.
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The most cohesive sound will come from matched speakers; the difference between a soundbar and the built-in TV speakers will mean poor sound the majority of the time.
I didn't realise it would be that bad, seems like an odd feature to offer then. I've found dialogue clarity not particularly good with various sound bars that I have, the ones I've tested in the shops and also the ones my mates have; even my own Sony one with its dedicated centre speaker, dialogue enhance etc wasn't good, hence going the AVR path.
Oh well, ditch the Q-Symphony idea then! lol
Oh well, ditch the Q-Symphony idea then! lol
Soldato
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The Sony I have has a clear speech selection. Can't say that I ever use it. Clarity is really down to quality. The better the dynamic range of the sound bar, usually the clearer the speech is. Failing that, look for one that has a Dialogue setting.
I found the benefit marginal at best and I constantly found myself turning the volume up to hear dialogue, then down when action or soundtrack kicked in. All moot for me now.
It's just a marketing pitch.
I went trhough various soundbars in the search for a nice versatile and clear sound without being all flashy .. I have an atmos AV system for that, for normal TV viewing the in-built speakers were fine until they started causing cabinet vibrations, and I didnt want to change the TV !
After trying several from £120-350 ended up being very happy with with a Bose TV Soundbar for £199.
After trying several from £120-350 ended up being very happy with with a Bose TV Soundbar for £199.
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Can vouch for the Q990D, they are spectacular and very likely to be able to snap it at those prices, nothing else will come close.