spec me a soundbar/av setup - £1000(ish)

233

233

233

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Looking for a new soundbar or av option

just finished wall mounting my tv in the living room (LG C2) and want to replace the rather ancient samsung soundbar and associated sub that we've been using for the best part of 10 years

2en4Uo5k.jpg


ideally i'd like a 5.1 option but would need to be wireless as i dont really fancy trailing cables round the room and SWMBO will murder me if i start chanelling any more holes in the walls) and yes the cabinet now has doors fitted ;)

connection wise

i need 2 maybe 3 hdmi inputs (xbox virgin box and a switch and output ideally with a single HDMI up to the TV

any recommendations?
 
hornetstinger said:
5.1 , and wireless for £1000? Increase your budget.

Also wireless is crap.

AVR's alone are £500. You'd want HDMi 2.1
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well there is an "ish" there :) been a long time since i did anything av related so not sure what the current climate is like as i said either soundbar or a full on AV reciever open to either
 
There are some solutions for you, but if you go for an AV receiver then the front three speakers are going to be wired. There's no point pretending otherwise, so if front left and right (and centre) need to be wireless then I'm afraid it's game over before the first innings. However, if that's not a deal breaker, then Yamaha and Denon both have solutions based on sound bars and AV receivers where wireless rear speakers are an option.

The answer here is each brand's wireless smart speakers. For Denon, the tech is referred to a Heos. For Yamaha, it's called Musiccast.

The conventional idea with wireless multiroom is that the smart speakers talk to each other via your house Wi-Fi, and of course use that connection too for streaming. Wi-Fi kicks Bluetooth into the weeds for data bandwidth, so being wireless doesn't have to mean sacrificing quality. But the speakers don't have to be dotted around the house. It's possible to bring them to where the AV receiver or sound bar lives, and then set them up as wireless rear speakers instead. Same product, two uses. It's even possible to swap between roles as and when required

As an example, look up the Denon sound bar 550, Home 150 (x2 smart speakers) + sub kit. This tips in at £1299.

One area where you will have to accept some limitations with the sound bar products is the HDMI inputs. The products that fit your '-ish' budget have two, one of which doubles are the ARC or eARC connection. Where it's eARC you'll have the ability to send sound from the TV in Dolby True HD and in multichannel PCM. Some TVs will even pass DTS Master Audio.

If the idea of routing AV signals via the TV first gives you collywobbles then the AV receiver path might be a better solution. The Denon AVR-X1700 and models above have Heos connectivity. The Yamaha RX-V6A has Musiccast.
 

BAR 1000

The JBL Bar 1000 envelops you in a sphere of 3D surround sound, thanks to four up-firing drivers, a thunderous subwoofer, and detachable wireless speakers.
uk.jbl.com uk.jbl.com

And have a look at the older model too.
 
What's your room size / shape like ?

Platin Monaco 5.1.2 is wireless and will seperate things out more but not sure if they deliver in UK otherwise Samsung Q990B would be best bet on the soundbar side of things.

If can go with wires then least you can build the system out over time and start smaller etc.
 
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hornetstinger said:
You really don't to go with a soundbar. Very limited and flawed system.

I'd only get a soundbar for a OAP where they want it simple and uncluttered. Otherwise go for this hahaha

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Depends on the situation. I see a lot of people buying a wired system and can't go above volume 10 without either ******* their neighbours off or ******* their pants In the right environment it's beaut but still see so many people with tiny rooms wasting money on systems that are far to overkill.

There's also the old school gen that haven't tried or tested the latest soundbars who are still stuck in their ways.

I'm not in any shape or form trying to say a soundbar out performs a wired system, however some of the latest systems at the price point can hold their own against some of them with the ease and freedom of no wires.
 
Simmz said:
Depends on the situation. I see a lot of people buying a wired system and can't go above volume 10 without either ******* their neighbours off or ******* their pants In the right environment it's beaut but still see so many people with tiny rooms wasting money on systems that are far to overkill.

There's also the old school gen that haven't tried or tested the latest soundbars who are still stuck in their ways.

I'm not in any shape or form trying to say a soundbar out performs a wired system, however some of the latest systems at the price point can hold their own against some of them with the ease and freedom of no wires.
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The biggest concern is no redudancy, expensive to repair, limited connectivity. In my system I would need

HDMI for BD
HDMI for Kodi
Digital coaxial for CD Player
Digital coaxial for Squeezebox

Abiltiy to change subs to any brand, and add more.
Ability to change surround speaker to any brand, and add more (heights, wides, sides)
 
hornetstinger said:
The biggest concern is no redudancy, expensive to repair, limited connectivity. In my system I would need

HDMI for BD
HDMI for Kodi
Digital coaxial for CD Player
Digital coaxial for Squeezebox

Abiltiy to change subs to any brand, and add more.
Ability to change surround speaker to any brand, and add more (heights, wides, sides)
Click to expand...

Whilst you make a valid point about limited connectivity, I'm not so convinced by the redundancy and repair points.

I suspect that for many, they'll buy again when standards have changed enough to make a new purchase worthwhile. Is that any different from folk who sunk big lumps of cash into an AV receiver only to find themselves chasing the next new HDMI standard? Having to change out a £1,000 AVR to get HDR, then Dolby Vision HDR, then fretting over 4K 120Hz and ALLM, eARC etc etc. Throw in Atmos and DTS:X and the "redundancy" that's on a lot of AV Receiver buyer's minds is whether the new receiver is already out of date as soon as it launches.

Repair? Who repairs sound bars or AV receivers now? Even if you can find someone, is repairing a sound bar likely to be that much different from repairing an AV receiver?

Just for the record, I'll state very clearly that personally I'm very much 'pro' for AV receivers. As good as some sound bars have become, I still can't see myself with one here when music is as important to me as it is. Much like you then, I need something with multiple inputs. However, that doesn't mean that what's right for me is what everyone else should have too. Your needs for a couple of HDMIs and a couple of coaxial inputs are exactly that, your needs. When someone enquires, it's a good idea to keep in mind their needs rather than trying to usher them down a road that would work for you but not them.

The best we can do listen to what they're asking for, then lay out the pros and cons and leave them to make their own choice.

Within the past 18 months I've migrated to streaming in a big way. Sacking Sky was a huge step as we'd had it for almost two decades. Doing so much streaming simply reinforces what I've known for a long time, and that's how little anything other than Dolby Digital or DD+ means to the average AV equipment user, and that's partly why sound bars are an acceptable choice in their eyes.
 
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lucid said:
Whilst you make a valid point about limited connectivity, I'm not so convinced by the redundancy and repair points.

I suspect that for many, they'll buy again when standards have changed enough to make a new purchase worthwhile. Is that any different from folk who sunk big lumps of cash into an AV receiver only to find themselves chasing the next new HDMI standard? Having to change out a £1,000 AVR to get HDR, then Dolby Vision HDR, then fretting over 4K 120Hz and ALLM, eARC etc etc. Throw in Atmos and DTS:X and the "redundancy" that's on a lot of AV Receiver buyer's minds is whether the new receiver is already out of date as soon as it launches.

Repair? Who repairs sound bars or AV receivers now? Even if you can find someone, is repairing a sound bar likely to be that much different from repairing an AV receiver?

Just for the record, I'll state very clearly that personally I'm very much 'pro' for AV receivers. As good as some sound bars have become, I still can't see myself with one here when music is as important to me as it is. Much like you then, I need something with multiple inputs. However, that doesn't mean that what's right for me is what everyone else should have too. Your needs for a couple of HDMIs and a couple of coaxial inputs are exactly that, your needs. When someone enquires, it's a good idea to keep in mind their needs rather than trying to usher them down a road that would work for you but not them.

The best we can do listen to what they're asking for, then lay out the pros and cons and leave them to make their own choice.

Within the past 18 months I've migrated to streaming in a big way. Sacking Sky was a huge step as we'd had it for almost two decades. Doing so much streaming simply reinforces what I've known for a long time, and that's how little anything other than Dolby Digital or DD+ means to the average AV equipment user, and that's partly why sound bars are an acceptable choice in their eyes.
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Agree with all of this. I'm reasonably into AV, but for me the ease and convenience of a Sonos setup massively outweighs the loss in sound quality I'm experiencing by using that setup rather than a more dedicated one.

Others will, absolutely legitimately, say that that sacrifice isn't worthwhile. Ultimately it's a question for the end user of what they want - very high end sound, or a compromise with convenience.
 
Not to mention not everyone can set up their separates system in an ideal way, I had floor standing speakers with a centre and AVR, but it was suboptimal because I didn't have the space to have the speakers wide enough etc.

My Sonos Arc, sub mini and 2 one's as rears out performs my old set up easily. Because it works better in the room its in.

AVR prices are also ridiculous now too, before you'd get a mid range AVR for about £400-500, now you'd be looking at closer to a grand for the same thing.
 
I picked up a bundle consisting of Philips Fidelio FB1, 2X FS1 & FW1 (Black) for £999 from Richersounds just before Christmas. All the speakers are wireless running dts playfi from my philips tv, although have an e-arc cable to the tv for video sources. Not sure if it has the connectivity you want. It sounds good but thrre seem to be a few teething problems with wireless connectivity, which might just be me to be fair.
 
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I recently started my own speaker setup with a similar budget, though my end goal will be a (wired) 3.1 system (I still need a sub). I had never delved into home theatre systems before, so the price of things was a bit of a surprise. As said already, the receiver alone is at the very least £500, and same with the sub (hence why I haven't gotten a sub yet), but all in all, so far i've spent:

Denon X1700H - £500 like new (Peter Tyson ebay store)
Q Acoustics 3020i - £190 2nd hand (ebay)
Q Acoustics 3090ci - £125 like new (Peter Tyson, ebay)
Stands - £120 (ebay)
Cables - ~£60

Which is just under £1000. The setup I have now is a huge step up from the TV speakers, so for the time being, it will tide me over a couple months while I look for a sub.
 
At the end of the day, it depends what @233 is prioritising - experience vs quality.


A wireless 5.1 soundbar system will give you a great experience for £1,000 but not the best quality.



It sounds to me as though you'd favour a better experience.



You have 2 options, in my eyes:

Sonos Beam + 2 surrounds + Sub Mini

or

Samsung Q930B
 
Smeghead said:
I recently started my own speaker setup with a similar budget, though my end goal will be a (wired) 3.1 system (I still need a sub). I had never delved into home theatre systems before, so the price of things was a bit of a surprise. As said already, the receiver alone is at the very least £500, and same with the sub (hence why I haven't gotten a sub yet), but all in all, so far i've spent:

Denon X1700H - £500 like new (Peter Tyson ebay store)
Q Acoustics 3020i - £190 2nd hand (ebay)
Q Acoustics 3090ci - £125 like new (Peter Tyson, ebay)
Stands - £120 (ebay)
Cables - ~£60

Which is just under £1000. The setup I have now is a huge step up from the TV speakers, so for the time being, it will tide me over a couple months while I look for a sub.
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You're looking at £350 for a sub, at least.. monorice not to bad price at the moment, not the cheapest on sale, but keep an eye out. I'd recommend the 12" model if possible. If it goes down to £450 again snap it up.
 
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