Displays: Sometimes Effective, Sometimes an Eyesore ![]() In the next section, we’ll look at secondary features that can be considered bonuses worth paying a little extra for if you want them. Next, let’s look at primary features-features fundamental to the function of the device as an add-on speaker. You’ve measured your space, you’ve checked your ports, now it’s time to look at some the features you might want in a potential sound bar. Primary Features: Displays, Controls, Surround Sound, and More Just make sure you know which method you’re going to use, and make sure your sound bar has the right ports for your TV and (if going the second route) all your devices. If it does, you can probably go either way. Check your TV and see what kind of ports it has in the back-if it doesn’t have any optical audio out ports, you’ll need to go the first route. You can plug all your devices (your Blu-ray player, cable box, game console, etc.) into your sound bar and pass the video through to your TV, or plug all your devices into your TV and pass the audio out to the sound bar. There are two ways to hook your sound bar up to your TV. RELATED: What Is the Optical Audio Port, and When Should I Use It? For the vast majority of consumers, the only ports that really matter are the HDMI ports and, potentially, the optical audio port (which are the unsung heroes of the home audio landscape). Multi-port models like this one are great if you want (or need) to use your sound bar as a simple receiver for many devices: you can pipe in sound from older video game systems with the analog ports, you can pipe in sound from multiple HDMI sources like your cable box and DVR with the HDMI ports, and you can always fall back on the optical port to pipe sound from your TV or other systems into the sound bar. In such cases, where the bar gets in the way or if you don’t want to drill more holes in the wall to mount yet another thing, you can always use inexpensive sound bar brackets to piggyback your sound bar onto your TV’s VESA mounting holes, placing it above the TV and out of the way. Placement in front of the set typically isn’t a problem, but in the case of very large sound bars and HDTVs that sit very low, it’s possible the sound bar might block the IR receiver on the TV. Sound bars are typically placed in front of the TV on the same stand, like the Bose Solo 5 seen above, or wall-mounted below the set. Sound bars are long and skinny, typically roughly the size of a piece of 4×4 lumber and in a variety of lengths from narrow (for smaller ~32″ sets) to wider (for larger 60″+ sets)-although it isn’t strictly necessary to match the width of the TV to the sound bar, nor does size automatically equal quality. Sound bars actually come in two different form factors: sound bars (which you’ve likely seen plenty of) and sound pedestals (which you’ve likely seen very few of). Sound like the solution for you? Here’s what you’ll need to consider when buying a sound bar for your TV.įorm Factor: Sound Bars vs Sound Pedestals ![]() No wire running, drilling, fussing, speaker calibrating, or amateur AV specialist adventures required. It’s far easier to install, and can do wonders for your TV’s sound quality compared to the built in speakers. A sound bar is a great alternative: It’s basically a simple, all-in-one booster speaker with a built-in amplifier so you don’t need a receiver. You don’t have to go to such expense and hassle. But a setup like that can get expensive, complex, and take up a decent amount of space in your living room. If you want a true home theater experience, a high-end receiver and surround sound speakers have no equal. RELATED: How to Place Your Speakers to Maximize Your Home Theater Experience Not only does this lower the overall quality of the viewing experience, muddy up the sound by bouncing it off the ceilings and walls around the set, and force you to turn the volume up higher, but it makes for particularly poor reproduction of speech (which tends to be softer than the other sounds in TV shows and movies). ![]() Most TVs have speakers hidden in the back that have a tendency to project sound towards the wall behind the television set instead of out towards the viewer. RELATED: Why Is the Dialogue So Quiet on My HDTV? How a Sound Bar Is Different Than Traditional Speaker Setups Your TV’s built-in speakers are probably terrible, but if you want to fix their anemic sound, adding a sound bar is an easy, inexpensive, and space-saving way to do so. In the race to create ever slimmer HDTVs, there’s a seldom discussed sacrifice being made: sound quality.
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