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Soundbar For Home: How To Choose The Best Model

Soundbars are responsible for reproducing clear, beautiful sound. Knowing how to choose a soundbar, you can avoid buying an overpriced model on the advice of sales consultants. You do not need any specific knowledge to select the equipment yourself. The manufacturer indicates all the characteristics of the package.

Table of Contents

What soundbars are needed for

Modern TV manufacturers compete for the thinnest frames and flat housings. Unfortunately, sound quality suffers because there is insufficient space for powerful speakers. A soundbar, an elongated loudspeaker of many small speakers, can solve this problem. It provides clear surround sound, turning your regular TV into a home theater.

Also, sound panels for TV can:

play files from discs and flash drives;
play 3D sound;
catch radio channels;
connect to any device via Wi-Fi;
act as a Smart TV set-top box.

Of course, you won’t be able to replace a full-fledged audio system with speakers using a soundbar — the sound panel will sound worse. Nevertheless, there is not always a place for home theater, time, and installation skills. Yes, and audio system wires will inevitably hang down from the walls and will not add aesthetics to the room.

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How to choose a soundbar

Type. A mono speaker represents the simplest amplifier option, offering an affordable price but subpar sound quality. Models featuring a separate subwoofer deliver clear audio and robust bass. Multifunction sound panels serve as essential components for home theaters.
Independence. Active soundbars have a built-in amplifier and power supply that can be connected directly to the TV; passive ones must be connected to the receiver.
Frequency Range. The human ear can perceive only 20-20,000 Hz. Therefore, the parameters of a good sound panel must be close to these values.
Power. The optimal power is 200-300W, enough for a home theater in a relatively small room.
There are several ways to connect. The HDMI port is suitable for all TVs except older ones. If you want to control the device via smartphone or laptop, choose the model that supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Multiple audio channels exist, with the most typical being 2.1ch. The 5.1ch soundbars offer robust home theater experiences, while 7.1ch devices cater to professionals seeking superior sound clarity.
Placement method. Depending on the size of the room and the TV area, you can buy a shelf model, wall-mounted or panel-mounted.

Types of soundbars

There are five main varieties:

Mono speaker. This is a soundboard for flat-screen TVs with a plasma screen. Features a built-in subwoofer. Serves as a replacement for the classic television acoustics;
Sound projector. It acts as a speaker system, receiver, and amplifier. The panel helps equalize the sound of the bass;
With a separate subwoofer. Creates the effect of presence and provides a clear 3D sound;
Sound base. A compact sound device that can additionally play CDs, connect to the phone;
A multifunctional soundbar consists of several speakers providing three-dimensional sound. A TV set with such sound can easily be compared to professional equipment in a cinema.

Most soundbars are placed on the wall or in a cabinet under the TV. Unlike full-fledged speakers, they do not take up much space.

Also read: Unlike SDR (standard dynamic range), HDR provides sharper contrast, brighter highlights, and more prosperous, vibrant colors.

Choosing by performance

Type of device

All soundbars can be divided into active and passive. The former is a complete and compact audio system with a built-in amplifier, processor, power supply, and a set of interfaces. It is connected directly to the TV.

The passive soundbars need to be connected to a separate receiver. If you need a compact and modern device, you should buy an active soundbar; if you already have a receiver, you can buy a passive one.

Technology

One of the main problems with soundbars is a slight distortion of the stereo sound caused by the distance between the left and right speakers being too small. To solve this problem, manufacturers offer different options.

The devices can work by:

Different orientations of front and side speakers. The most budget solution reflects the sound from the walls, creating virtual side panels. In this case, the technology does not significantly impact the quality: such a sound device will not play pure tunes.
Employing several loudspeakers on a single channel is common, and adding virtual speakers with post-processing methods improves the audio quality.
SDA. Such soundbars work thanks to several sound sources, producing clear surround sound.

Sound Parameters

The principle of choosing a soundbar is the same as that of buying a TV set. Humans can perceive frequencies between 20 and 20,000 Hz; a good soundbar conforms to these values.

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Power

Power indicates not only the amount of electricity consumed but also the sound volume of the soundbar.

The following conventional classification is accepted:

Up to 100 watts — suitable for a small TV installed in a room up to 200 ft²;
200-300 watts — a powerful unit for a room of up to 450 ft²;
300 watts — home theater replacement, suitable for rooms from 550 ft².

You can allow a small power margin but no more than 50 watts.

Installing a powerful panel in a small room is not a good idea. Too loud a TV sound will be unpleasant to the ears.

You should also pay attention to the power ratio of the amplifier and the subwoofer (if it is external and not built-in). The subwoofer’s power must be twice as high. Otherwise, low frequencies will sag, especially when listening to music at high volume.

Dimensions

One significant parameter when choosing a soundbar is its dimensions. If you need a compact version with horizontal installation, pay attention to an inexpensive mono speaker. If you have a lot of free space in your room, you may consider a multifunctional soundbar for the home cinema.

Standard soundbar dimensions are 19-63 inches wide, up to 8 inches high, and up to 40 lbs weight.

Ways to connect

There are several options for connecting soundbars:

AUX. Suitable for old TV sets, as well as smartphones. Such a soundbar is not characterized by its high sound quality. In models from version 5.1ch, such a connector is not installed, as it severely cuts the sound.
HDMI. The standard option is suitable for most televisions. Provides clear and fast signal transmission.
Optical cable. This soundbar supports high-quality sound reproduction, and optical cables are often used for home theater connections.
Analog cable. One of the outdated connection options is that the device loses sound quality.
Wireless connection: Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. One of the most convenient options is that the soundbar can be controlled from your phone or tablet.
USB. Unlike the previous options, USB is not used to connect to the TV. However, you can connect a flash drive with music through USB.
Ethernet. I used to connect the device to the local network, which is needed to work with other equipment. However, if the device supports Wi-Fi, the need for LAN ports is eliminated.

Also read: Larger-diameter cables, such as RG-11, reduce signal loss over longer distances and provide increased durability

Multichannel

The quality of sound depends on the number of channels.

The soundbar is available in the following variants:

2.0. Soundbar without a subwoofer. Models with this number of channels are some of the most budget-friendly. But you should not expect them to have good surround sound: because of the budget design, the low frequencies are constantly sagging.
2.1. One of the most common options among inexpensive models. Provides acceptable sound quality.
3.1. This version is practically unchanged from the previous one. It uses Dolby Stereo technology. Music and effects are played on the left and right channels, while dialog is played on the central channel.
5.1 Home theater devices with 3D sound and immersive effects. The difference with previous models is that 3.1ch ignores the fourth soundtrack, while 5.1ch picks it up and creates surround sound.
7.1. Expensive and robust models for home theaters and watching movies in 4K resolution.
Dolby Atmos: This system refers to additional sound sources, usually on the ceiling, plus the regular 5.1ch system. These auxiliary sound sources are used to reproduce the sounds coming from above. This innovation allows you to immerse yourself fully in surround sound. Drops and thunder will come from above if you see rain and lightning on the screen. A soundbar achieves this by adding speakers aimed at the room’s ceiling. According to the designation of the speaker system in the soundbar, additional sound sources for Dolby Atmos implementation are denoted by a third digit, for example, the designation 5.1.2 stands for five main surround sound speakers, 1 is a subwoofer, two and there are two additional Dolby Atmos speakers.

When choosing the number of channels, try to get the device with the maximum number of channels for the amount of money you spend.

Buying the most expensive model with five channels does not always make sense. The difference will not be noticeable if you rarely watch movies of lower quality than 4 K.

Also read: These include conventional LCD TVs, Samsung’s QLED, and LG’s NanoCell

Installation method

Panels can be:

Shelf. They are placed directly on one shelf with your TV.
Wall-mounted. Mounted on the wall next to the TV.
Standing Panels. They are both an amplifier and a shelf for the TV.

In practice, most models have a wall mount but can also stand on a shelf. There are very few stand models.

What else to pay attention to

Additional features. The best soundbars can connect directly to a smartphone, play files from discs and flash drives, and have an extended frequency range and the possibility of fine-tuning.
Subwoofer presence. Models with a built-in subwoofer are cheaper, while those with an external one produce a powerful and beautiful sound. Decide which of the indicators is a priority for you.
DLNA technology is available. It simplifies work with external devices, such as additional speakers, an audio system, and a computer. However, it is available only in panels that support Wi-Fi connections.
Panel width: It is measured to the width of the TV set. The larger it is, the stronger the stereo effect will be.
The presence of additional speakers. Some expensive models come with speakers that improve and clarify the sound. However, in this case, one of the main advantages of the sound panel—saving space—is lost.