Not averse to going back to components if I get better bang for the buck...
fduvall
What would you build? Which components/speakers do you like these days? We have a pretty good sized room and will probably get some wireless speakers for our outdoor patio. We are already running our iTunes network over AppleTV/AppleTV2 and Time Capsule. We also run an IPTV box and Wii... so need a fair amount of HDMI/Optical/RGB connections.
What Satellite &Digital TV April has a good article on Soundbars, compared orbitsound M12, Toshiba SBM1W, Samsung HW-E450 and Yamaha YHT-S401. Samsung was declared the winner.
See attached.
so why not get the best Samsung sound bar? Lets keep things "pure"
To start with, a good AV receiver depending on budget (all prices are Digitec.ch):
Pioneer VSX-922 - 475chf - http://www.whathifi.com/review/vsx-922
Sony STR-DN1030 - 550chf - http://www.whathifi.com/review/sony-str-dn1030
Yamaha RX-V673 - 665chf - http://www.whathifi.com/review/yamaha-rx-v673
Then, simply a decent set of entry-level 5.1 speakers like the Canton Movie 90-130 range for around 500chf, or even better the Boston Acoustics SoundWare XS 5.1 set which is ex-demo yet in new condition for 500chf. You would get amazing sound with all the DLNA and streaming for features you can shake a stick at for around 1000chf.
Obviously I didn't spend so much time on it so those combos can be further refined and tweaked depending on budget.
To anyone interested in some low to average budget soundbars I'v just been doing some reading up out of interest, and by far the best budget soundbar overall appears to be this one:
Sony HTCT260 325chf at Digitec.ch https://shop.digitec.ch/de/s1/sony-h...ino-set-362408
Amazon reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-HTCT260-S...words=soundbar
Tesfreaks roundup: http://www.testfreaks.com/home-theat...sony-ht-ct260/
At that price and with that kind of feedback I am seriously considering one as a temporary general audio solution to keep me going until I get my new place organized and wired up.
this from Yamaha looks good
Well, I received my Sony HTC-T260 soundbar this morning, so I will set it up this evening and report back on Saturday after I've had a good listen, and I have a good home theatre rig (Pioneer VSX-LX70 and Quad Lite 5.1's) to compare it to. Of course I know it won't be as good and won't really give any form of real surround sound, but reviews are awesome and it gets real praise from many people who also own good home theater 5.1 setups, and I am sick of all the wiring and mess.
Really looking forward to the Bluetooth feature to stream from phone and laptop.
PS: ordered at around 2:30pm yesterday afternoon and received it this morning at 7:20am, gotta love Digitec.
Well, a couple weeks of living with the Sony HTC-T260 Soundbar and Im impressed. For sheer convenience you simply cannot beat it. Sure, the sound quality is far inferior in audiophile terms to my 5.1 gear, but that is comparing it vs a seup that was around 5x the price.
In real terms, the sound is still decent and I can't get over how much I am absolutely loving the Bluetooth feature. I can stream my phone music direct which is cool in itself, but the clincher is I can use it as a laptop speaker, and stream all of the sound directly to the soundbar... VERY cool for Spotify, movies (when im not linked directly via HDMI), and of course the occasional spot of gaming.
I am now seriously (against all odds) considering retiring my 5.1 system and keeping this setup as my main TV device. It's plenty loud with little distortion at full whack, and the sub provides powerful (slightly too much so vs the subtle majesty of my high-end stuff) bass, as well as being wireless so can be placed anywhere in a room next to a plug socket and out of the way. Very, very cool.
The problem now is where do I go from here: I want to get better sound quality and remain wireless, but the Sonos 5.1 set at 2600chf is just too much money vs a wired 5.1 system for what is realistically lower sound quality, even if it is convenient as hell. I guess I will just wait and see what comes out over the next year, becasue I think soundbars are set to rise in quality and drop in price as they start to gain momentum, and wireless rear speakers sets are released to accompany them. As it stands, the market is restricted to only one player, while the others catch up and start to invest in R&D to produe the higher and stuff.
I'm always willing to prove myself wrong in my preconceptions, and with this I certainly have... this soundbar will very likely stay a permanent fixture simply because it provides good sound quality with the ridiculously useful convenience that the lack of cabling and wireless functions (and good quality) that the Bluetooth function provides. I'm impressed despite myself.
Now I just have to decide whether I can bring myself to sell my AV amp and speakers, or if I want to hang on to them for a rainy day. Or is it just sentimental value... *sniff*
EDIT - Oh, and Sony are now relesing an upgraded model of this with HDMI, NFC, Dolby True HD decoding, and more power... the HT-CT660 Soundbar http://www.sony.co.uk/product/hcs-ci...t/ht-ct660#tab
If they release a set of compatible wireless rear speakers, they would pretty much dominate the competition in terms of price and performance.
@Richdog - I know it has only been a week since you posted your review of the Sony soundbar, but have you found any wireless rear speakers yet? I have some wired speakers that I could use, but with my room configuration, I would LOVE to go wireless.
About to buy the Sony system or also considering a used Yamaha YHT S401. Tough call...
fduvall
There are no rears for the Sony Soundbar (or any other I know of in its class)...currently only Sonos can claim to have that capabiity (along with the outrageous prices).
As for the Yamaha... as Im sure you can tell from my review, the lack of wireless would be a deal killer for me.
Thanks for the feedback. Quite amazing that more companies are not selling wireless rears. Maybe Bluetooth is a limitation. I am fine plugging the speakers in somewhere if they need a power source, but running the speaker wires across the room is a no go.
WRT the subwoofer, in my tv room, I don't really need it to be wireless, so the Yamaha and the Sony would do just fine. Wish it were possible to hear them side by side.
fduvall
I don't think Bluetooth is a limitation, it just has to be designed for working with rear wireless speakers from the start. I would wait until the Sony HT-CT660 is released and see how reviews are for that before making your mind up. Or just go with the Yamaha, up to you!
The Bluetooth streaming and wireless sub on the Sony are awesome though.
Anyone have the Sony HT-CT660 yet? Wondering if it is worth the extra money over the 260? I am still "kicking tires" so I thought I would ask here on EF!
fduvall
I doubt anyone has it, just read the Amazon and professional reviews which are now in plentiful supply.
It looks like it has been out for more than a year, but it also looks pretty good and a low price, the Sony HT-CT770 soundbar:
If you're interested in soundbars, RTS programme A bon entendeur recently discussed and tested them: http://www.rts.ch/emissions/abe/6260...re-de-son.html
Summary: soundbars suck, only some more than others.
In what way do soundbars as a whole, "suck"? They are far, far superior to TV speakers and are now getting to the point where audio fidelity isn't too bad at all. Certainly not in the same league as a good stereo or 5.1 speaker setup, but not "bad" by any means.
And I say that as someone who went from a very high-end dedicated surround system, to a soundbar.
indeed if you do not have a purpose-built environment then you're kidding yourself that soundbars are not worthwhile having.
And I've had both a purpose-built environment and an odd-shaped living room.
I have a soundbar today because it's much better than the TV speakers; I also am at a point where I do not want speakers everywhere - wired or wireless.
Ditto, I sacrificed the sound quality for the uber-convenience, and I don't regret it.
As soon as a decent soundbar comes out with removeable rear wireless speakers where you can actually change the volume of, then I will snap it up.
Hi,
We have a Samsung with wireless sub-woofer, it is three years old, functions perfectly and there is surely a newer model on the market