Sound Bar / Surround Sound Advice

GeneticDeviant

Im thinking of investing in a sound bar system and was looking to get some advice.

I have a samsung series 5 lcd tv with optical out, its not a smart tv but full hd. Connected to the tv I have sky hd box via hdmi, and in the other hdmi socket a duronics 4 way hdmi adaptor with samsung blu ray player and wii u console connected via hdmi cable.

Im looking for a wireless solution that will enhance my movie watching experience, with improved audio, and a dairly decent surround sound tupe effect. At the moment I dont want speakers everywhere and certainly no cables.

In addition, I love music , and at present do not have a dedicated hi fi in my lounge, I tend to listen to music through my tablet or phone via my spotify account. The sound bar will need to be decent at reproducing music too.


Ive been looking at the LG options that have good reviews, also the sonus playbar option , though well out of my budget range.

Question is, which setup / soundbar would you recommend? Is paying the extra for the Sonus worth it?

I would consider goin down the AV Receiver route,  but is there a wireless spaker solution that way.



Many thanks in advance

Richersounds.ie: John

Originally posted by GeneticDeviant

GeneticDeviant wrote: »

Im thinking of investing in a sound bar system and was looking to get some advice.

I have a samsung series 5 lcd tv with optical out, its not a smart tv but full hd. Connected to the tv I have sky hd box via hdmi, and in the other hdmi socket a duronics 4 way hdmi adaptor with samsung blu ray player and wii u console connected via hdmi cable.

Im looking for a wireless solution that will enhance my movie watching experience, with improved audio, and a dairly decent surround sound tupe effect. At the moment I dont want speakers everywhere and certainly no cables.

In addition, I love music , and at present do not have a dedicated hi fi in my lounge, I tend to listen to music through my tablet or phone via my spotify account. The sound bar will need to be decent at reproducing music too.


Ive been looking at the LG options that have good reviews, also the sonus playbar option , though well out of my budget range.

Question is, which setup / soundbar would you recommend? Is paying the extra for the Sonus worth it?

I would consider goin down the AV Receiver route,  but is there a wireless spaker solution that way.



Many thanks in advance

Genetic,

Many thanks for the post and it's an interesting question - Soundbar sales are really growing strongly ( pretty much in parallel with the drop in audio quality on most TV's!)

To get the obvious out of the way first - the Sonos is actually excellent and opens up the possibility of allowing you a full wireless 5.1 surround system by adding 2 additional sonos 'Play' units (made much more affordable by the addition of the Sonos Play One at just £149.95) - the Playbar sounds excellent, is completely wireless and allows you lots of control and expansion options - the downside of course is that its quite expensive at £599.95.

If you wanted a better sounding ( slightly left of centre option) I would look at the Yamaha YHTS401 - this is an excellent unit which contains a full AV amp in its subwoofer which is connected to the actual soundbar via a single cable, so not lots of ugly cables kicking around - the YHTS401 also has 3 HDMI inputs and a USB input as well as Optical / Coax and legacy analogue inputs..

It's £329.95 and really repreents great value at this price and it sound excellent as well!

http://www.richersounds.com/product/soundbars/yamaha/yhts401/yama-yhts401

If you wanted an LG option around the same price the LG NB4530 is also excellent with a super slim soundbar partnered with a wireless sub - it also has a USB socket and bluetooth streaming as standard - but the main attraction is the sleek super slim main centre speaker - it's currently £289.95.

Now, if you were at all considering splashing out on the Sonos...pause for one moment, slow down....and if you are looking for sound quality above all else, think of the stunning Yamaha YSP2200 - it really is completely stunning - it's actually stunning value now as it's reduced from £749 to £598 at the moment - http://www.richersounds.com/product/soundbars/yamaha/ysp2200/yama-ysp2200-blk


Have a look at the review here from What Hifi ( reviewed at £800) http://www.whathifi.com/Review/Yamaha-YSP-2200/

Thanks again for the enquiry and if we can assist in any way please dont hesitate to get in touch,

ATVB,

John Mc & Crew