What soundbar do I buy?

LukieBoy007

LukieBoy007

LukieBoy007

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Joined
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England
Hi,
I'm looking to purchase a soundbar for my Sony W7 42" TV around the £250 price point.

I've been looking at the Philips HTL5140B for £240 and it seems pretty good, the main attraction being the height of it as the TV sits pretty low down, sound quality appears to be decent as well.

The Orbitsound M9 also sounds good, but the height of it really puts me off. What other soundbars would you recommend for around £250?

Thanks,
Luke.
 
Hmm I have been looking at the Sony's due to match the Sony TV, they don't look too bad I guess and are pretty slim which is good as the TV I have is very low. How do you find the Sony XT1? Thanks! :)
 
LukieBoy007 said:
Looks okay, nothing special. What other options do I have?
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An alternative to using a soundbar (if you're willing to consider it) is a mini-hifi system. I run a Denon DM39 into Dali Zensor 1 speakers for TV sound, with excellent results. A quick look around suggests that you can get a package deal on these for under £300.
 
Harl0 said:
Have you looked at the Sonus range?
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If you mean Sonos, then yes I have as I already own a Play 1 but £600 for the Playbar seems a bit steep. I have considered it though, as it does look/sound really good!

gregorius said:
An alternative to using a soundbar (if you're willing to consider it) is a mini-hifi system. I run a Denon DM39 into Dali Zensor 1 speakers for TV sound, with excellent results. A quick look around suggests that you can get a package deal on these for under £300.
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Well it's for a bedroom so I thought soundbar instantly as it doesn't take up too much room. However, if it can be done fairly cheaply and with not too much space being used with cables all over the place I will consider it!

Thanks :)
 
Ok so I've been watching some stuff on the Sony HTXT1, and it does look pretty promising as it doesn't take up too much space. I'm a bit worried about the bass on it though, how would it compare to say a soundbar (with subwoofer) around the same price? Such as a Sony HTCT370? Also, as it's a Sony soundbar/base, does this mean I can use my TV's control (which is a Sony TV) to change the volume rather than a separate remote?
 
LukieBoy007 said:
Just to let you know, I've gone for the Sony HTXT-1 as I managed to get it for £200, will arrive during the week, will let you know how I find it!
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Do let us know as I am debating getting this. Interested to see if the base is any good. Others I am looking at are the denon dht t110 or Cambridge TV2
 
Doogles said:
Not sure but I've always thought they are a waste of money? Probably me just being a idiot though :P
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They are way and above what you get from your TV speaker but not close to 5.1 systems. Not everyone can have that setup though with the wires/space involved. Also soundbars are wife/GF friendly ;)
 
Doogles said:
Not sure but I've always thought they are a waste of money? Probably me just being a idiot though :P
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Not if you get the right one. I personally prefer the actual bar with the speakers facing you.

Waltagon said:
They are way and above what you get from your TV speaker but not close to 5.1 systems. Not everyone can have that setup though with the wires/space involved. Also soundbars are wife/GF friendly ;)
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I thought it was unreal seeing the price for a so called 7.1 soundbar. Over a thousand. For that price may as well purchase a fancy receiver and start going the full road.

You are right though. A soundbar is a lot tidier. I love it for the bedroom. Better clarity in sound all round. I was watching Top Gun the other night and the soundbar seems to sound better each night. Top Gun was really rich in voice, music and bass. Even though it had no Dolby soundtrack on Comedy Central. Top Gun sounded absolutely fantastic throughout the entire film. Even with the bass lowered. As it was just a tad too deep.

Sky News voices seem a little strange compared to other channels. As if they're talking too far from the microphone. Or cloth over it.
 
Received it about an hour ago, first impressions were very good as it's very stylish and goes well with my Sony W7. Sound quality is great, much better than the TV speakers (obviously...), so far watched a tiny portion of Edge of Tomorrow and sounded very good, bass is pretty impressive for something without an external sub, Bluetooth/NFC works very good as well. Goes pretty loud, but I won't be having it that loud anyway.

Options are very good as well - you can alter the sub volume, bass, treble, voice levels and there are presets for different sources (movie, music, game, standard etc). Movie has a more punchy, realistic sound to it (as you'd expect) whereas music sounds great too. There's also a preset which automatically adjusts depending on the source, and it's worked pretty well so far.

To answer your question andshrew, you can either have the display at full brightness, dimmed, or off completely. :)

Loving it so far!
 
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