Best sound bar

[Rick Modena]

If I were to buy a system today it would be the JBL Bar 5.1
https://www.jbl.com/bar-series/JBL+B...ck-USA-Current

I might have to look into this system, I've been looking for a replacement for my 10 yr old JBL system I have now (5.1/7.1), but since it works so damn good, I haven't had the need to upgrade...

[SS Junk]

CNET gave the Vizio stuff a good rating. the closest BestBuy is about 1.5 hours away. I'd really like to hear stuff before I buy..

Have one for an extra TV. It sounds really good and has exceptional surround.

[ram57ta]

CNET gave the Vizio stuff a good rating. the closest BestBuy is about 1.5 hours away. I'd really like to hear stuff before I buy..

Yeah I did lots of reviews before I snagged it. I bought 2 of them and am keeping one of them for future use. I'll take $125 for the other one. They are still selling for a good bit more than that when they occasionally popup on Ebay.

[juiceweezl]

I might have to look into this system, I've been looking for a replacement for my 10 yr old JBL system I have now (5.1/7.1), but since it works so damn good, I haven't had the need to upgrade...

I bought this a few months ago and love it. The surround speakers work very well. I moved my old HK SB-26 to the bedroom.

[hxbernal]

I might have to look into this system, I've been looking for a replacement for my 10 yr old JBL system I have now (5.1/7.1), but since it works so damn good, I haven't had the need to upgrade...

I've been watching it closely and Amazon just dropped it to $519.86

https://www.amazon.com/JBL-5-1-Chann.../dp/B075SKB4TF

[Gasser64]

I've been watching it closely and Amazon just dropped it to $519.86

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...=2CJ983VG9Q3UL

You seem like the guy to ask

What's the best one out there?

[hxbernal]

You seem like the guy to ask

What's the best one out there?

Different strokes for different folks. All depends on your likes/dislikes

I haven't been keeping as close an eye on new offerings this year so something better may be out but for me last time I checked this thing was scary powerful and that's exactly how I like it.

[Gasser64]

Different strokes for different folks. All depends on your likes/dislikes

I haven't been keeping as close an eye on new offerings this year so something better may be out but for me last time I checked this thing was scary powerful and that's exactly how I like it.

Does high sound quality at somewhat low volumes make any sense? I'm not into having my ears blasted, but I still wanna be able to hear everything going on really well. But I'm not sure if that's even a thing.

[hxbernal]

Does high sound quality at somewhat low volumes make any sense? I'm not into having my ears blasted, but I still wanna be able to hear everything going on really well. But I'm not sure if that's even a thing.

Unfortunately yes, I've gone through so many soundbars I've pretty much run the gamut. Around 2014 I had a Sony soundbar that was all vocals and no bass. It was expensive too (in the $400 range) so it must have been a mid-high tier system and came with equipped with over 300 watts. Where that wattage went was beyond me because it sure didn't go to the sub. I thought the vocals were undeniable clear but now as I type this I'm wondering if not having enough sub power to muffle the sound a bit played a part in that .

Some brands/systems offer more settings than others that let you tweak the right sound for you. Like polks voice adjust that lets you reduce the background noise and improve on the commentary levels

[ram57ta]

Unfortunately yes, I've gone through so many soundbars I've pretty much run the gamut. Around 2014 I had a Sony soundbar that was all vocals and no bass. It was expensive too (in the $400 range) so it must have been a mid-high tier system and came with equipped with over 300 watts. Where that wattage went was beyond me because it sure didn't go to the sub. I thought the vocals were undeniable clear but now as I type this I'm wondering if not having enough sub power to muffle the sound a bit played a part in that .

Some brands/systems offer more settings than others that let you tweak the right sound for you. Like polks voice adjust that lets you reduce the background noise and improve on the commentary levels

Sony builds shit home and car audio equipment.

[Gasser64]

Some brands/systems offer more settings than others that let you tweak the right sound for you. Like polks voice adjust that lets you reduce the background noise and improve on the commentary levels

That sounds really cool. There's a lot of old movies that I'd really like to watch, that for some reason, they cranked the background music up to the max. So you either get your ears blasted by some annoying music at random times, or you can't hear the voices very well. I always wanted something that would cut the music volume by 3/4 when I needed it to.

[hxbernal]

I'm selling my JBL 3.1

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/ele/d/dallas-jbl-bar-w/7031821277.html

[jluv]

I have had and still have several different sound bars for my guest rooms and whatnot. They all suck ass. Better than TV speakers for sure, but the point is - don’t spend much on one. It’s pointless.

[Gasser64]

I have had and still have several different sound bars for my guest rooms and whatnot. They all suck ass. Better than TV speakers for sure, but the point is - don’t spend much on one. It’s pointless.

Better than TV speakers for sure, is all I was going for. If it's pointless, what's the sweet spot for them? Those $1100 samsung ones? And what would you recommend instead? That isn't several times that price. Also that doesn't just focus on being able to get a hell of a lot louder, even if that louder sound is of a high quality. I'm just curious, I always wanted to know more about home theater but there's 10 trillion different opinions out there, all of 'em from experts.

From my somewhat limited experience, it seems like the sound bars fill an important niche. You can do better, but be sure you've got another $9k if you really want to notice some kind of a big difference.

[ram57ta]

Better than TV speakers for sure, is all I was going for. If it's pointless, what's the sweet spot for them? Those $1100 samsung ones? And what would you recommend instead? That isn't several times that price. Also that doesn't just focus on being able to get a hell of a lot louder, even if that louder sound is of a high quality. I'm just curious, I always wanted to know more about home theater but there's 10 trillion different opinions out there, all of 'em from experts.

From my somewhat limited experience, it seems like the sound bars hill an important niche. You can do better, but be sure you've got another $9k if you really want to notice some kind of a big difference.

IMHO this pretty much sums it up. Back in the early days of home surround sound...Dolby Pro-Logic was a leap forward because it added the center channel. Dolby Digital AC3 and DTS pretty much became the standard when they were introduced...they gave true 5.1 surround with separate channels. I doubt most people have listened to a properly calibrated and well designed 5.1 system...they can sound quite amazing if designed and setup properly. While anything beyond 5.1 is fun to listen to...I doubt most people could care less about Atmos, presence rear speakers, and whatever "new" system offers with yet more "channels"...just more gimmicks to sell stuff and make it more complicated than it really needs to be.