Lets talk sound bars and subwoofers

[black2002ls]

We picked up a new TV console today as part of our baby proofing. It has a spot for a sound bar but it is only 34" wide.

I'm looking for a reasonably priced sound bar and subwoofer combo. I would like to stay in the $200 range.

Any recommendations?

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[Tx Redneck]

I have a "hand me down" 2.1 Samdung that I quite like. It doesn't have the brightest highs, which I'd rather a little more of, but overall, it's fine for my uses.

[black2002ls]

I checked out a JBL and a polk while we were at Nebraska Furniture Mart. With the movies they had playing it was hard to tell which was better. The polk unit was more of a console, probably not more than 10-12" wide and it had an adjustable voice channel

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[BP]

I like my Samsung 2.1 as well. Obviously it's not as good as real components but for $200 it does a great job.

[juiceweezl]

I still have my old school surround speakers and dual subs upstairs with the projector, but I have sound bars in the den downstairs, master bedroom, the boys' rooms, and the office we turned into a workout room. I have 2 LG's in bedrooms, 1 cheap Sony, and a JBL in the workout room. There isn't a lot of difference between them. The JBL was a NFM deal when they opened and is probably the easiest to hear/clearest at higher volume. It didn't come with a sub though, so I had to add a wired one to it (that I already had). The LG's offer bluetooth and are just fine for where they are used and offer decent bass with the wireless sub.

All that said, I have a Harman Kardon in the den. It has HDMI switching and a large wireless sub. To me, the sub is lacking, but I'm trying to compare it to my real setup upstairs and the big Jamo. Otherwise, it's outstanding and will be replaced with something comparable when it goes to the big electronics store in the sky. It was a $6-700 setup when new that Best Buy messed up on an in store pricing and gave to me for $285. I wish I had bought 5 of them now...

Sorry for the drawn out reply. I'm partial to JBL/Harman Kardon myself for what it's worth.

[black2002ls]

I still have my old school surround speakers and dual subs upstairs with the projector, but I have sound bars in the den downstairs, master bedroom, the boys' rooms, and the office we turned into a workout room. I have 2 LG's in bedrooms, 1 cheap Sony, and a JBL in the workout room. There isn't a lot of difference between them. The JBL was a NFM deal when they opened and is probably the easiest to hear/clearest at higher volume. It didn't come with a sub though, so I had to add a wired one to it (that I already had). The LG's offer bluetooth and are just fine for where they are used and offer decent bass with the wireless sub.

All that said, I have a Harman Kardon in the den. It has HDMI switching and a large wireless sub. To me, the sub is lacking, but I'm trying to compare it to my real setup upstairs and the big Jamo. Otherwise, it's outstanding and will be replaced with something comparable when it goes to the big electronics store in the sky. It was a $6-700 setup when new that Best Buy messed up on an in store pricing and gave to me for $285. I wish I had bought 5 of them now...

Sorry for the drawn out reply. I'm partial to JBL/Harman Kardon myself for what it's worth.

I am fond of JBL stuff mainly from my experience in pro/live audio. Though with so much going on in the store, it was hard for me to get a good feel for the way they sounded. I'm sure I will be nothing but disappointed with the subs. I do have a wired sub that I can hook up if I need/want more bass.

This is in the living room and I'm mainly looking for something to give me a little better sound quality than the speakers on the Samsung TV and to fill the room a little better.

[black2002ls]

How many of you are running a mix/match soundbar/sub. I believe the sub that I have is a Proficient Audio S8. It is probably 8-10 years old, but it was free.

[juiceweezl]

I am fond of JBL stuff mainly from my experience in pro/live audio. Though with so much going on in the store, it was hard for me to get a good feel for the way they sounded. I'm sure I will be nothing but disappointed with the subs. I do have a wired sub that I can hook up if I need/want more bass.

This is in the living room and I'm mainly looking for something to give me a little better sound quality than the speakers on the Samsung TV and to fill the room a little better.

My only gripe against the Harman Soundbar in my den is I can't add a sub to it. The JBL (which was $99 I believe at grand opening and like $250 or more immediately after) did have a sub out. I hooked a simple 8" Sony to it, and you barely have to turn it up to make it sound outstanding. I stream music to the Harman in the den all the time and it sounds great minus the underpowered sub. My den is open to the kitchen, breakfast nook, and the main hallway too, so it's a large space. If you think you want to hook up a sub, make sure it has the ability to do it. The JBL is the only one I have that has that capability.