TV sound bars/speakers/ additional sound gubbins..

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LuttiSLuttiS Frets: 2243
edited December 2018 in Off Topic
Mrs L asked me what i wanted from Christmas.. i gave my usual vague, non-committal answer. Then she used some witchcraft and made me commit to an answer. Then she used some other bamboozling trickery to made me do my own research. So i'm now getting you to do my research..

Basically, i would like an additional speaker system/soundbar for the TV. I use TV for playing music etc so speakers would be a plus.. I've also acquired an Amplifi TT which is small enough and discreet enough to hide somewhere around the TV and easily be plugged into said speakers/soundbar.. 

Budget isn't massive (also buying a house so currently haemorrhaging money), but saying that, i would happily wait and put a bit more towards it later on.

I have no idea on these as i've never really felt the need for it.. but new house, new sound, hidden amp etc.. So i've seen the cheap polaroid type ones, and i assume are best avoided.. but from there on.. no idea..

What do you reckon?
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Comments

  • RobDaviesRobDavies Frets: 3062
    The Acoustic Energy Aego 3 is quite good - very bassy though and no tone or balance controls.
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27573
    "Not massive" is a pretty vague budget.

    I have a Canton DM55 for PC use; it sounds very spiffing with music and games and so on, and would sit immediately under the telly. Superfi have it for £250.

    https://www.superfi.co.uk/p-17155-canton-dm55-soundbase-with-bluetooth.aspx?varianthid=35665&gclid=Cj0KCQiAi57gBRDqARIsABhDSMqOJ6ys_4c7z47masTHcBfglQavwZuN0EgBsaoTL0LI0nV_BPz0FZsaArnWEALw_wcB

    Other fine solutions exist, I have tried this fine solution and it is a fine solution.
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • LuttiSLuttiS Frets: 2243
    It's incredibly vague and I apologize :)

    Was hoping for suggestions at different price points to get an idea of what I want/need. 

    Most likely it will be around the £200 mark
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27573
    The Canton is the only one I have tried (apart from commercial soundbars for work, which have different aims). 
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • Cheap s/h hifi speakers from ebay (eg KEF bookshelf types) will improve the sound you get. You can also get a cheap integrated amplifier that can take the line level out from the TV or the audio out from your dvd player for similar cost. £100 will better any soundbar.

    I always say this. Other people may tell you that, but I can't remember who
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255
    I have a panasonic sound bar which came from tesco (free with missus munckee's points, who knew they were a thing!) cost equivalent was about £70.  it doesn't have a separate bass speaker but is fine for a normal living room sounds great for sports movies and music.
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27573
    £100 will better any soundbar.

    Used stuff in cheaper than new stuff shocker. 
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • Sporky said:
    £100 will better any soundbar.

    Used stuff in cheaper than new stuff shocker. 
    not just cheaper, but BETTER!
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • LuttiSLuttiS Frets: 2243
    So the £100 ones are ok? 
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  • I'm after a soundbar or similar too.
    I really wanted a Canton DM55 as per @Sporky 's suggestion, but my TV has a centre stand which is wider than the Canton so it would look weird sat on top.

    I found this as a possible bargain option:
    https://www.shop.bt.com/products/lg-sk1-all-in-one-soundbar-with-bluetooth-sk1-DJ11.html

    I don't know anything about spec. I like the Bluetooth option, and the all-in-one box nature of it. Is the power output of much relevance? Should I look at dimensions and speaker size for bass and volume considerations?
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  • LuttiS said:
    So the £100 ones are ok? 
    don't know. All I know is that you can get a damn good sound out of some old gear off ebay. My next door neighbour bought a £70 soundbar after listening to some ancient gear that I took round just for demo/f'rinstance purposes. He told me it didn't sound as good as the old kit I'd demoed (which I know can be got for a ton or less) but it was a lot more convenient. I think he was right, it WAS more convenient but it didn't sound as good. maybe you CAN spend more on a soundbar and get better sound than you can get from a cheaper soundbar but knowing what soundbars are, I'm not sure you can beat old hifi with them
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27573
    That's why I went soundbase. Bigger drivers and a bigger cabinet, so bigger sound. 
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • Sporky said:
    That's why I went soundbase. Bigger drivers and a bigger cabinet, so bigger sound. 
    Yes, a soundbar seems to be tiny speakers in a long box with some ports in it. Clever, but not quite even frequency response across the whole audio range.
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • LuttiSLuttiS Frets: 2243
    Hmm.. it's one to think about as it will be also acting as a guitar amp with Amplifi TT..
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  • Be careful of damaging the speakers (whatever you get) with the guitar. Recorded-then-played-back transients are a lot gentler on speakers than anything you can generate with a guitar directly. There's a reason why guitar speakers aren't the same as hifi speakers.
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • LuttiSLuttiS Frets: 2243
    Be careful of damaging the speakers (whatever you get) with the guitar. Recorded-then-played-back transients are a lot gentler on speakers than anything you can generate with a guitar directly. There's a reason why guitar speakers aren't the same as hifi speakers.
    Blurb for the TT suggests it's made to go through hifi/ TV speakers
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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12314
    I bought a soundbase too, a Denon one. It was £130 from Amazon warehouse (the box had been opened and the instructions were missing but otherwise it was as new.) I think they’re £170 ish brand new. Does everything we want, has three different modes including one that does pseudo surround sound and most importantly sits neatly under the tv. The sound quality is way better than the standard crappy tv speakers. 
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  • spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
    Is there TV in the lounge...wall mounted or not?

    I got a decent Panasonic wall mounted bar with a Bluetooth Sub for under £200 from Curry;s


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    Reddit r/newmusicreview 
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  • Richer Sounds worth a visit. 
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  • LodiousLodious Frets: 1942
    If you have a headphone jack which works ok, then use it to drive something like the IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitors. They will actually sound good. We spent a couple of hundred quid on a soundbar and it's garbage, as is most cheap home cinema gear.
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