Soundbars vs speakers

DiscoStu

This is our TV unit. If we upgrade from the current 37" TV to a larger 4K set at some point then chances are that my hifi speakers won't fit.
So.. do soundbars have good enough sound quality to replace decent stereo speakers? I've got a Denon RCD-M38DAB stereo going through Tannoy Mercury V1 speakers.

https://i.imgur.com/uDI7wFa.jpg

munckee

If you want hi hi quality I think you will need one with a subwoofer or go to bose level etc which is pricey.  I have a 49 inch panasonic 4k tv and an £80 panasonic sound bar which is fine for what I would ever need.  Great sounding for sport and plenty loud for music.  Its bassy enough for my house but its a semi.  If you have no neighbours and want 300 decibels of banging techno you'd better spend more I think.

Sporky

A soundbase will generally sound richer than a soundbar - more air in it and room for bigger drivers.

goldtop

I've got an Orbitsound soundbar with woofer and it's fine enough for general TV and movie watching. But the stereo width is definitely less obvious than L+R speakers.

Sassafras

I've got the very same amp and speakers.
Spooky!

Phil_aka_Pip

No soundbar will match a proper pair of Tannoys + a decent amplifier.

Junk the wooden thing, put the Tannoys on stands, get a smaller base to put  the screen on, you don't need a huge amount of space to put the electronics in.

darthed1981

Phil_aka_Pip said:

No soundbar will match a proper pair of Tannoys + a decent amplifier.

There be wisdom here.

DiscoStu

Sassafras said:

I've got the very same amp and speakers.
Spooky!

If you had the same photo of my cat I definitely would be worried!

Phil_aka_Pip said:

No soundbar will match a proper pair of Tannoys + a decent amplifier.

Junk the wooden thing, put the Tannoys on stands, get a smaller base to put  the screen on, you don't need a huge amount of space to put the electronics in.

The unit is new and it's staying! I don't like speaker stands which is why I thought a soundbar might be the answer, but I've never used one.

boogieman

I had our tv and bluray player going through my hifi at one time but it sounded too bassy with speech, although it was fine with action films. I switched to a soundbase and it works fine with everything and certainly waaaaay better than the built in tv speakers. Phil's idea isn't bad tbh, providing you've got the room. Stick the speakers on stands, problem solved

darthed1981

DiscoStu said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

No soundbar will match a proper pair of Tannoys + a decent amplifier.

Junk the wooden thing, put the Tannoys on stands, get a smaller base to put  the screen on, you don't need a huge amount of space to put the electronics in.

The unit is new and it's staying! I don't like speaker stands which is why I thought a soundbar might be the answer, but I've never used one.

Soundbars and soundbases are better than you think but as has been said don't expect them to sound as good as your stereo speakers there.

They are compact, tidy and will let you fit a bigger TV on your new unit there though, so might be a good solution.

horse

Bigger hifi > bigger tv (althouh big tvs are cool too...)

DiscoStu

Didn't know about soundbases until now!
I reckon I'll stick with what I have and maybe not go as big with any new telly. Plus some of the soundbars I've seen cost more than my hifi system!

Phil_aka_Pip

DiscoStu said:

The unit is new and it's staying! I don't like speaker stands which is why I thought a soundbar might be the answer, but I've never used one.

The "unit" is your problem. HiFi is more important than furniture. Not liking speaker stands - why not, especially if they can improve the sound of your speakers AND allow you to place said speakers either side of your bigger screen. Trust me, soundbar is NOT the answer, especially when you already possess a pair of Tannoys.

Flink_Poyd

Speaker stands or wall brackets for under £100 and keep the Tannoys. £100+ for a soundbar you might not like. I know which Id go for.

DiscoStu

Phil_aka_Pip said:

DiscoStu said:

The unit is new and it's staying! I don't like speaker stands which is why I thought a soundbar might be the answer, but I've never used one.

The "unit" is your problem. HiFi is more important than furniture. Not liking speaker stands - why not, especially if they can improve the sound of your speakers AND allow you to place said speakers either side of your bigger screen. Trust me, soundbar is NOT the answer, especially when you already possess a pair of Tannoys.

Because my g/f moved in with me last month and that was one of the expensive new purchases when we refurnished the living room. I don't need to change the tv, just sussing out the options.

Jock68

Go for 7.2 surround sound.  When listening to music it blows away stereo, most streaming nowadays comes in 5.1..

boogieman

DiscoStu said:

Didn't know about soundbases until now!
I reckon I'll stick with what I have and maybe not go as big with any new telly. Plus some of the soundbars I've seen cost more than my hifi system!

Our soundbase was £130. 

mrkb

DiscoStu said:

Because my g/f moved in with me last month and that was one of the expensive new purchases when we refurnished the living room. I don't need to change the tv, just sussing out the options.

You can tell there’s a ladies influence from the pot plants and figurines! You’ll need the Tannoys as shelving from all her tat/trinkets, so get them on wall mounted brackets.

BigBearKris

DiscoStu said:

So.. do soundbars have good enough sound quality to replace decent stereo speakers? 

 No. The quick answer is - no soundbar/base will ever sound as good as good quality stereo speakers. It comes with a cost though, so the question you should as yourself is - do I care for sleek style look and go for a soundbar with flatscreen or do I prefer bigger (and thus better) sound from 2+ speakers. Both choices are good - it's just what you need it for and what your preferences are...

Phil_aka_Pip

DiscoStu said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

DiscoStu said:

The unit is new and it's staying! I don't like speaker stands which is why I thought a soundbar might be the answer, but I've never used one.

The "unit" is your problem. HiFi is more important than furniture. Not liking speaker stands - why not, especially if they can improve the sound of your speakers AND allow you to place said speakers either side of your bigger screen. Trust me, soundbar is NOT the answer, especially when you already possess a pair of Tannoys.

Because my g/f moved in with me last month and that was one of the expensive new purchases when we refurnished the living room. I don't need to change the tv, just sussing out the options.

In which case the gf is the problem. Kick her out

EDIT

Your gaff, your HiFi. She likes it or lumps it.

duotone

Same speakers + speaker stands = job done!