What is the best Low budget Soundbar you can recommend?
I am only willing to spend as much as $300 ( MAX)
Would this be my best option https://www.cheapies.nz/node/49340 ?
Best low range Soundbar
RJA7 on 23/11/2024 - 10:33
Comments
Good write up.
I went with the $99 Philips one on PBTech. Will be interesting to see how that goes.
@Flippant wow ! thanks for the info!
I forgot to mention that connecting a soundbar via Bluetooth to your tv will also allow you to control the volume of the soundbar using your tv's remote just like HDMI ARC does, just in case you're wondering why I went on about how good it is to have HDMI ARC and then like a big dumb dumb suggested a soundbar from HN that doesn't have HDMI. I looked at that Sonos again, it doesn't have Bluetooth either, but it does have a thing called TV Remote Sync, which I missed when I first looked at it, and this TV Remote Synce allows you to use your tv's remote (RF remotes only) to control the soundbar. It involves downloading an app to get it set up, and from looking online it seems like it's a bit hit and miss (someone was saying it allows them to turn up the volume on their Sonos using their Bravia tv remote but can't use it to turn the volume down again), but I guess it works well enough and that's why they don't need HDMI or Bluetooth. I still wouldn't buy that soundbar though.
Can you tell me how shite the $99 Phillips one from PBTech is that I bought? Just looking to boost the tv volume in the lounge so thatbwe can hear in the dining room next door.
@L3tstaxth1s: Do you mean the Panasonic one that's $99? I can't see a Phillips one on there.
Either way, if all you're wanting to do is boost the volume of your tv then no need to spend hundreds of dollars on a Dolby capable multichannel soundbar, that Panasonic one is perfect for your needs and should also provide you with a bit of an upgrade to the sound quality over your tv's built in speakers.
Don't get a soundbar. They're terrible.
Trademe for a secondhand sound system. I bought a Bose Lifestyle Home Theatre system for $300, when it would have been thousands when it first came out (overpriced but hey). You can get even better audio with a dedicated AVR and speaker/sub set up… But I went the lazy route. Still 100 times better than the soundbar/sub package my ex bought on a whim.
Rubbish, a good soundbar like one from the Samsung Q series with added wireless rears will provide a great immersive sound experience that will be more than enough for most people. I sold my Denon Atmos amp and all my speakers after owning my Q950A for a few weeks and realizing that I didn't need a dedicated amp and speakers anymore to get that fully immersive surround sound. Paid $300 for mine off Trade Me. I was a bit skeptical at first of the 4 upward firing Atmos speakers in the soundbar and rears, but they do a really good job of making you think stuff is flying over your head, it's quite impressive and it's only an old 2021 model that's like 4 or 5 generations old now.
My parents have one of those soundbar packages from Samsung. They had purchased it around 3 years ago for around $900-$1000.
We all prefer the Bose system (they bought theirs in around 2007, and it's the same I've just bought for $300). The clarity is better in the upper range, and is surround sound instead of just front blasting.
I'm sorry, what do you mean "just front blasting"? The wireless rears create a full surround soundscape with separate rear left & right channels. Are you sure they actually purchased a package or are you just saying they did because you think it proves some kind of point? Because if they did then you wouldn't say "just front blasting" because you'd know that with rears they can produce at the very least full 5.1 surround sound just like your Bose.
@Flippant: Jesus, your username is pretty on point.
I said that they purchased a soundbar package from Samsung. It was 1x soundbar and 1x sub. Calm down big shoots.
@Latex Fist: Well I mean, my entire comment was about soundbars with rear speaker sets, so why even comment about a soundbar that doesn't have any rears as if it's relevant to the conversation in any way at all? Of course a soundbar with no rears isn't going to sound as good as even a cheap 5.1 speaker setup. Apples with apples mate, sheesh.
@Flippant: I think there's something wrong with you dude. You're the one who commented on my post. What I said stands, a typical soundbar set up (1x soundbar and 1x sub, which is what my initial statement was about, not your introduced statement) is terrible in comparison to that of a theatre system or a dedicated AVR set up. A typical AVR set up would run circles around your set up.
Just relax man. Stop with the caffeine, it's making you jittery.
That soundbar is very basic, it doesn't come with a sub and it doesn't have HDMI, you'll have to connect your tv to it via optical cable, and no hdmi means no ARC so you won't be able to control the volume of the soundbar using your tv remote, which isn't life or death important but it's a quality-of-life feature that's nice to have and one of the reasons why most soundbars have hdmi inputs.
It's only a 2.0 soundbar (2 is the number of speakers in the bar, the 0 stands for the number of subwoofers) so it's not going to blow you away with its sound, it's just going to be a louder and clearer version of your tv speakers, which if that's all you're looking for then fine, buy it, but if you're looking for something that will make your movies and tv shows sound a bit more punchier then this Panasonic for $288 from Harvey Norman would be a bit better - https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/tv-and-audio/audio/blu-ray-an…
Personally I'd go 2nd hand and keep my eyes focused on Trade Me like a hawk, save a search, order it by latest listings, save it to the homescreen of your phone and open it as often as you remember to during the day, do that for a couple of weeks and you're guaranteed to come across someone selling a much better soundbar than anything you can buy new for $300 for some incredibly low buy now. Just remember to search for some reviews and see what the soundbars were/are selling for before hitting buy now. At the moment there are LG 5.1.2 soundbars (5 speakers in soundbar, 1 sub, 2 wireless rear speakers) for $399 in Auckland, that'll make your movies sound pretty damn good, and in Christchurch someone's selling a Samsung Q600A for $400 which is a soundbar that I used to own and got off Trade Me for $250 and would still have if I didn't find a Q950A a few months later for $300 on there. The sound of the Q600A was quite impressive, my one had rears, the one listed on there now doesn't but you can always buy a set at a later date for $199 and you'll have a really good sounding audio setup.
To give you an idea how much money you'll save going 2nd hand over new, I picked up a 2nd hand Samsung J450 + sub to use as a pc speaker, that retailed for around $450 in 2016, I got it in 2019 for $20 off Trade Me.
Sorry that took so many words.