Soundbars (and soundbases) can be okay if all you want is just "
a bit better sound " in a small package. Most won't set the world on fire in terms of audio fidelity, but compared to truly dreadful speakers in your typical wafer-thin LED TV then they're a big improvement. There are a few things to watch out for though.
Remotes
- Any soundbar working from Optical can't be controlled via the telly remote unless the soundbar has some kind of learning feature e.g. Sonos Playbar. That means juggling remotes unless you buy a Harmony or similar system-remote to control everything. That can be a P.I.T.A. The solution is HDMI control (CEC / BraviaSync etc) so have a look if your telly has HDMI ARC and then look for soundbars with HDMI ARC as well.
- Basic cheapie soundbars with just an Aux can be fed from the TV's headphone out if it has one, but this feature is getting thin on the ground. The other consideration with headphone jack is some TVs have a separate sub menu for controlling that volume independently of the main TV Vol buttons. Another P.I.T.A. if every time you want to turn the telly up or down you have to navigate through the menus to get to it. HDMI ARC is your friend.
Built-in subwoofer
- Er... no. That's just marketing bullocks (
), or to use the Scottish vernacular,
pish. If your soundbar is the size of a baguette loaf then there ain't room inside for speakers big enough to qualify as a sub. The mid-bass will go deeper than the TV, sure, but it's not going to do a Barry White impression regardless of what the brochure or the salesman says.
It has Bluetooth and NFC and Wi-Fi and Netflix and makes the coffee and...and...and
- Yeah? But how does it sound?
It's the same make a the TV so it works better with it
- More pish. Some of the best soundbars come from companies that have sod all to do with making tellies. They're made by audio companies, by people who listen to sound, and who spend their working lives making speakers.
Conversely, some of the worst soundbars come from companies that
do make TVs. LG is mediocre at best on soundbars, and one of my customers insisted on buying a £700 Sony soundbar with his 65XE9005 and honestly he could have got better sound at half the price.
The bottom line is that if you're spending £200-£300 on a soundbar then you should get something pretty decent if you look at audio manufacturers rather than TV brands. Canton, JBL, Q Acoustics, Yamaha, Polk, Heos (Denon) all spring to mind. Ultimately they're all more limited than an AV receiver coupled with a pair of speakers, but it's horses for courses.
