Soundbar recommendations <1000mm, good for music

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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!

 

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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.

 

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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?

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.

 

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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?

 

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Locked into crappy overpriced out of date Sonos system...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

 

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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.

 

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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!?

 

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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.

Mains is fine as we have lots of sockets available, including behind the sofa. Speaker cable from an amp across the room is not ok.

You can grab one on clearance at Sevenoaks for £449

Clearance Subwoofers | Ex Display | Open Box | Sevenoaks Sound and Vision

Sevenoaks Sound and Vision - Specialist Hi-Fi and Home Cinema retailer

www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk

It's upfiring so makes placement easier. I've got mine hidden in back corner with phase 180 on. No rattle or boomyness and integrates really well with the bar.

Oh cool. Upfiring is especially good too, as above I was imagining putting a sub next to the sofa.

 

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You can grab one on clearance at Sevenoaks for £449

Thanks. Watched a couple of good reviews this morning, some of the comments mentioned the Bose 600 which has upfiring speakers, also Google cast enabled, and is cheaper all round. Any thoughts on that? I think I’m going to need to try some of these.

 

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Upfirers aren't as good as proper ceiling or height speakers.

Goes without saying surely... We are talking about soundbars here, not a separates system!

 

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I’m seeing good discounts on the Sennheiser Ambeo range at the moment. The Mini is down to £548 and the soundbar hilariously is £1 more So about a grand all in. Still a lot (I could try without the sub first I guess but j feel like my other half would never let me get it later as an “add on”)

Shall I just give up hunting around and buy that? It’s super well rated and has all the features I want… Unlikely to go any cheaper is it.

 

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Haven't heard the Mini but looking at the size of it, I'd say a dedicated sub is a must (for any soundbar)

Yeah I always thought a sub is essential for a soundbar.

That Sennheiser sub doesn't seem great for the price, if you can use another brand (and use wired) you'll get better performance for your money

Mini lacks sub pre out, you'd need to go for Plus/Max for sub pre out.

I can’t go bigger than the Mini because my TV is only 42” to fit the alcove. It’s a small room. So the Max/Plus are out of the question. The Sennheiser sub seems hideously overpriced, but I’m guessing you can’t use another manufacturer’s wireless sub..

 

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it's also up-firing which makes placement a lot easier.

I was trying to find this out last time I went down the soundbar rabbit hole. That’s good news as I fancy putting the sub next to the sofa where it’s more out of the way, and not next to the adjoining wall with our neighbours.

I'm currently running the Ambeo plus with Sennheiser's subwoofer, although I'm replacing the sub with a Kef KC62 so I'll sell you my sub for cheaper if you wish haha

I presume you will have to wire that Kef? I’d be tempted re the sub depending on how long you’ve had it etc and what you want for it! Don’t generally buy second hand mind.. once you get over a certain price point I’d rather have a nice warranty etc.

Edit: and yes if they release rear speakers (seems likely) maybe I could have that argument with my girlfriend too

 

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Can you not fit the plus where the TV is at all? Plus is 41.5" in width I believe.

It might just scrape into the alcove but the tv is only 933mm wide so in my opinion it’d just look daft having a soundbar wider than the tv.

It’s a small terraced house with the lounge only 4.5m wide so there’s really no need for anything bigger or more powerful.

 

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Fair enough. Maybe try the Mini on its own to begin with then and see how you get on.

But my other half is the sort of person that is perfectly happy with listening to music through our tiny Google Minis. If I make do with the soundbar on it's own at first, she'll definitely argue that we dont need a sub

 

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When were you thinking of buying it if you go ahead?

Not sure, have been super busy wrapping up work before the break but will let you know!

For Sale - Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar MAX

For sale Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar MAX soundbar. 10 months old never been used Still in box

www.avforums.com

That's the MAX which won't fit.

I see Sennheiser have a refurb sub for £469...

 

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Well guys I’ve had the Ambeo Mini for a few days now and really liking it. I’ve been stuck with tv speakers for over 6 months though so a tin can would have sounded better. But as luck would have it our neighbours were away for Christmas so I was allowed to chuck it on a decent volume when watching Saltburn (decent film, thoroughly enjoyed). Also added it as a speaker to my Google Home setup and seems to work without and problems in that respect. Music sounds decent as well, but I’ve also been using Nest Minis for a year or so as comparison!

The sub is coming refurbished from Sennheiser in the new year so that’ll be interesting to hear the difference. All in all very happy but two questions-

1- The Ambeo should respond to “ok Google” shouldn’t it? Doesn’t seem to work, what do I need to switch on?

2- More importantly, I want to mount the tv (Panasonic LZ980 42”) to the wall on a moveable arm, and mount the soundbar underneath it so it moves/points with the telly. What sort of brackets do I need for this?