A fair bit off the RRP for what appears to be a decent sound bar according to most online user reviews.
Although I don’t know how well this stacks up against the more popular Yamaha YAS209/ATS2090 which is also on sale at TGG for the same price link.
Say no to what?
To not having a centre channel.
The entire soundbar is the centre channel mate. Unless your TV is 10cm wide and you side 30cm infront of it.
@onlinepred: It's about having a dedicated channel for dialog, so it's easy to hear speech during action sequences/loud background music.
@PainToad: This has nothing to do with 2.1 vs 3.1. Centre channel doesn't only put out dialogue. Imagine a soundbar being only centre channel. That is what they are.
A proper stereo system will sound significantly better than a soundbar, and achieve in general far better separation, soundstage, and imaging which will achieve much better dialogue details that you are after.
@onlinepred: Ummm sorry mate, but you are wrong.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_channel
Center channel refers to an audio channel common to many surround sound formats. It is the channel that is mostly, or fully, dedicated to the reproduction of the dialogue of an audiovisual program.
By not having a dedicated channel, the dialogue will be output through the left and right channels, along with all other sounds, making it more difficult to hear.
This is of course if you are listening to a source that has more channels than stereo.
@PainToad: Yes, i said it doesn't ONLY put out dialogue. It's purpose is to sound like it is coming from directly infront of you, or from the picture of the TV. The soundbar can ONLY make sound appear like it is coming from the TV because it's literally coming from under the TV. So therefore it doesn't need a dedicated centre channel for this. Speakers are more than capable of handling multiple things at a time.
Only cheapo soundbars or stereo speakers will sound bad with dialogue.
In a multi speaker setup the left/right speakers are far away from the tv, hence the need for a dedicated centre channel.
It's purpose is to sound like it is coming from directly infront of you
No it is not. Put your ear up to a centre channel speaker. 99% of the time, speech will be coming out of the centre channel, regardless of where the actor is speaking. It is not directional.
The only exception would be something like some screaming behind you, if it's mixed that way for effect. But generally dialog will almost always be centre.
Speakers are more than capable of handling multiple things at a time.
Sure, but you will loose clarity if it's outputting sound effects and dialog at the same time.
Sure, but you will loose clarity if it's outputting sound effects and dialog at the same time.
Please provide evidence on this? By this definition any speaker can only do a single stream of audio and not handle multiple things, which is insane. Especially when we are talking about soundbars. You know subs take dialogue too, as the tiny little speakers can't deal with deep voices. So this doesn't work the way you think it does. Speakers can handle many things at once without compromise.
No it is not. Put your ear up to a centre channel speaker. 99% of the time, speech will be coming out of the centre channel, regardless of where the actor is speaking. It is not directional.
You are saying the same thing. Centre channel is about making it seem like it coming from the TV, where the centre channel is. In front of you….
Lol
Pretending Soundbars are anything like actual 3.1
I'm not a fan of soundbars in general (still rocking my 2009 5.1 Pioneer), but if I was going to use one, a dedicated centre channel is a must imo.
When they are so narrow and at a few metres it's gonna lose that effect anyway.
If it was a 2-3 metres long… Sure.
Higher quality speakers will always outdo quantity.
While a 3.1 bar can technically provide better dynamic range due to having a dedicated centre channel, at the end of the day you are still getting stereo sound. There is lot more to the overall quality of a sound bar than the number of channels. For example a well-tuned 2.1 system with multiple speakers for each channel (a tweeter and a woofer) can produce a better dynamic range and better sound than a mediocre 3.1 bar with 3 cheap full range speakers.
I re-evaluated my whole take on Soundbars when I got the Samsung Q90 (at $1400 mind you). That thing sounds better than any dedicated speaker setup I've ever had.
Don't buy it though, it barely functions.
I purchased one for my bedroom on those recent deals.
It's buggy as hell but really comes to its own when you run very high quality Dolby content.
But I won't go to say it compares to a similar priced seperate setup.
Which dedicated speaker setups have you had?
I bought the Q90 last year in August. all hdmi ports, ARC, hdmi 1 and 2 have completely stopped working. Can only use optical. Great sound, so many friggin problems.
Did the recent firmware updates not fix these connectivity issues?
@Slunk78: It's under warranty, so Samsung will cover the repairs. ARC port failed on my Q70R so it was fixed under warranty (I wasn't even the original owner). It needed a new PCB.
No offence but but you probably never had a decent home theatre setup. I Had an n950(same as q90r) and while it's great for a soundbar. It doesn't hold a candle to a proper home theatre.
Probably handy for a small room or bedroom - 2.1 is little underwhelming
It's a soundbar though, not a stereo speaker set. The speakers are narrower than most TV's, so really just a normal soundbar.
This. How anyone can seriously believe 3 speakers in such a narrow device at normal listening distance is somehow markedly different….
I get what youre saying and i probably phrased my original comment wrong. It was more around why bother paying $400 for a 2.1 soundbar when you can pay a little more and get a better 5.1 soundbar with rears. (and yes im completely aware proper speaker sets will provide much better sound and output but im strictly talking soundbars)
@TightTerry: "better"
You would technically be better off getting an actual 2.1 speaker setup that will be better than any soundbar.
@onlinepred: Of course you would. People buy soundbars for aesthetics and for space saving. Most proper speakers setups are much cheaper and provide better sound. However some people dont want their living rooms looking like concert stage
@TightTerry: Having two speakers on their tv cabinet or on stands? They would rather have a huge bar and a big box sub?
@onlinepred: Sound bars are streamlined and sit below your TV and between your TV stands or mounted below your tv. A 2.1 setup still has a sub, so yes my point stands - people dont want speakers on stands next to their tv in their living room (or the wires that then go with it). By people i generally mean the wife or gf :P
I have a dedicated space i have a 3.1 wired setup in where i play music and have a workstation setup - but this isnt my main living room - this is more of an entertainment space.
I dont understand why people with proper speaker and sound setups get offended when people want to purchase soundbars. Yes they produce less sound but they look nicer in a living room and produce less clutter.
@TightTerry: nah just go 2.0 setup. My setup that just died sounded spectacular and looked incredible. I have a soundbar, but it's my personal opinion they look worse. We took the soundbar away and was able to decorate our TV unit with photo frames etc. The speakers I had looked incredible (walnut) and added to the asthetic compared to a long black soundbar. Admittedly you could hang them on the wall which would make it look better, but still requires the big black sub to hang around.
I do understand though, and this is my opinion only. My wife preferred the soundbar until I got the 2.0 speakers. Now I got permission to find the next pair ;-)
@TightTerry: My comment above sorta brings this up…
I'd rather $500 in 2 speakers as opposed to $500 in 5 speakers. Obviously there's diminishing returns and all but quality over quantity.
FWIW I think rears are hugely overrated anyway, most movies hardly ever make a peep outta them, gaming is a bit different though.
It is definitely possible if you are willing to pay for the current best soundbar in the market - https://en-au.sennheiser.com/ambeo-soundbar
@mwclih: Wow lol. That's crazy. Googled some reviews and generalisation is that it's great, but no one should buy it at that price.
@onlinepred: I have just ordered one :). I do not want multiple speakers/cables in my living room and wanted to future proof myself. So, I have decided to just take the plunge.
@onlinepred: Unfortunately, it is not but I won't be changing my TV just for it. It is an older OLED model(LG65C7). Will be using it for streaming music as well of course.
@mwclih: Oh gawd.
Imagine actually spending that $4k on real speakers….
Or $3k on LS50 wireless… With free $800 stands.
@scuderiarmani: I know right, crazy that someone wants their lounge room to look different to how you have yours…
@TightTerry: Renting while buying a $4,000 soundbar? In this market?
I'm willing to bet that's not the a likely scenario.
@scuderiarmani: I think youre getting your people mixed up - it was a question you didnt answer.
I own a house, but ive moved interstate for work so im renting. I cant be hiding cables in walls in a rental and maybe the person buying the $4k soundbar cant either - who knows. Maybe they have kids and cant have speakers sitting on stands for the risk of toppling?
Its almost as if…..wait for it….. people have different needs and situations! Shocking right. Why cant everyone be like me…
Soundbars and proper speaker setups are apple and oranges and aimed at different markets - dont get offended because people dont or cant have a sound studio in their living room.
@TightTerry: Keep in mind you can get active speakers also that are just as movable as soundbars. No need for amps and cables everywhere.
@TightTerry: Who says you need to hide cables in a wall to have a clean setup?
I have a toddler hence wall mounting them, having said that, it's not necessary.
If someone actually cares about audio, they aren't spending $4,000 on a soundbar.
@scuderiarmani: A lot of people seem to think they sound better than "real" speakers depending on what you mean by "real"…
@mwclih: There's a reason why speakers are commonly in pairs.
No soundbar can be something it isn't.
$4,000 buys you phenomenal speakers. They don't compromise.
@scuderiarmani: Sure. I can understand that it is hard to imagine that a soundbar can sound as good as these and match an actual 5.1.4 speaker set. However, there are definitely people(audiophiles) that have converted from decent 5.1 setups to this soundbar and said it sounded better. At the end of the day it is very subjective.
On a side note, maybe not the same comparison, but I used to think that a phone camera would never take as good photos as DSLRs purely cause physically in terms of lens sizes etc, it doesn't quite make sense. But these days, I barely use my DSLR anymore. Bottomline is, technology these days are amazing and it's hard to count anything out.
I bought one last sunday ! Hooked it up to my sony oled and to me i think it sounds brilliant. Even music through bluetooth on my phone sounds great. Good bass and volume is great as well. I am not an expert on soundbars but for the price i think its good value !
Tempted but no wifi? Or it's not that significant since it has Bluetooth?
My tv is wall mounted. If I get a soundbar bracket to hook into the tv and put the bar on the bracket, do you think that setup would cause sound issues as it'll be directly under the tv i.e. not on a cabinet in front of the tv??
This sound bar like many others can be wall mounted without a bracket (see page 22 of the user manual : link)
Just need to check the manual of the TV and soundbar. They will tell you. My C9 says 10cm distance between any magnetic speakers.
This one or Q60 soundbar?
Just a heads up Sony droped the Rrp to $425 so it’s not $799
And I got this 2 weeks ago at the good guys for $350 I asked for a better price
It was $425 last week
RRP was never $425, it was discounted down to that price on sony website as it is now a discontinued model.
i have this and speaker quality and sound quality is actually pretty good! Best value i can buy at this price - even the sub has nice sub sound and frequency is nice and low! not bad for a 20W sub!
worth upgrading over the HT-XT3
This is a great deal! i got the model below this for way more
Good price, I thought i got it at a good price a few weeks ago when they had it down to $425… Decent soundbar but nothing crazy..
Anything less than 3.1, just say no.