Looking for a Soundbar, Clear Dialogue, No Subwoofer

sloda on 15/11/2022 - 11:17
Last edited 15/11/2022 - 11:22

Hi,

I am looking for a soundbar for my TV.

At the moment, I use the speakers of my TV, so probably any soundbar is an improvement to this.

  • my main interest is to get clear dialogue as I find it difficult at times to clearly hear/understand them
  • some audio mode to improve the dialogue or a night mode to limit the dynamics would be very nice to have
  • as I am living in an apartment I am not interested in getting a subwoofer and disturb my neighbors
  • I am not interested in playing music, connecting via chromecast, voice command, … it will only be used for watching TV

Any recommendation or opinion is appreciated :-)

Thank you.
sloda

PS I looked a bit around and saw the Bose on sale at JB Hifi: https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/bose-tv-speaker
The description seems to fit my bill pretty well. Does anyone have an opinion about this one?

Electrical & Electronics Soundbar

Comments

  • mitch21 on 15/11/2022 - 12:05
    +3

    I got the Sonos Beam Gen 2 in a recent sale at the Good Guys. It is only my second soundbar and first ever Sonos product and I'm really happy with the sound. It definitely makes the dialogue in movies easier to hear. I ended up getting it for just under $500 after 20% off and 10% cashback.

  • Drakesy on 15/11/2022 - 12:11
    +1

    BOSE
    Better
    Off with
    Something
    Else

    Bose had their heyday in the 90's and 2000's, after that their technology has quickly been overtaken by the likes of Samsung etc. The brand isn't what it used to be worth, they still make good headphones though.

    I'd suggest a Samsung s61, Sonos Beam or equivalent if you want something without a subwoofer, they perform exceptionally well for what they are.

  • ronburgundy11 on 15/11/2022 - 12:38
    +1

    That Bose TV speaker is 2.0. You want at least 3 channels to enhance the dialogue as you suggested in your post (the center channel produces the dialogue generally). The Sonos Beam Gen 2 mentioned above is 5.0 and the original Beam is 3.0. Both much better options.

    The Samsung S60B is also 5.0 and similarly priced to the Bose you posted: https://www.videopro.com.au/product/samsung-hw-s60b-xy-s60b-…

  • pformag on 15/11/2022 - 12:40
    -2

    Go with the bose. it's simple and will be fine for your requirements.

  • Fergy1987 on 15/11/2022 - 12:47

    Get a decent 2 Speaker setup instead.

    • Ryphon on 18/11/2022 - 12:53

      He said he's not interested in music and wants it purely for TV. Therefore he needs a centre channel speaker (standalone or integrated).

  • penfold1251 on 15/11/2022 - 12:57
    +1

    Sonos Arc (standalone) is good for dialogue and still pretty decent for movies considering no sub/rear (but could add later). It has a speech enhancement and night mode however they are only accessible via the mobile app. You also need a (free) Sonos account to set it up. (It worked as a sound bar without setting up but green light kept blinking until it was set up.)

    However on our Samsung TV you do not get any feedback on the volume level which is pretty annoying (it just says "Receiver +/-"). Can see volume level in the app though.

  • sloda on 15/11/2022 - 13:52
    +1

    Thank you all for your help!

    Even though I am a techie I don't really like to be forced into an obligatory app for setup and everyday use. So it sounds like the Sonos gear might not be for me.

    The Samsung S60/S61 doesn't seem to require an app. And taking in the opinions above it was recommended a couple of times. So I'll have a look at it!

    Also, thanks for mentioning the videopro shop, that is the first time I hear about it.

  • jimmyjamesjimmy on 19/11/2022 - 10:15
    +1

    I agree with ronburgundy11, avoid the Bose TV Speaker 2.0 due to it's channel limitations among other things (would also avoid Bose 300 and 500 due to their age).

    If your budget is under $1k and you don't want a sub, I'd look at Sonos Beam gen2 or Bose Smart Soundbar 600. You could also consider the Sonos Ray for really small rooms and even some of the Yamaha's and JBL's are bang for buck..

    If you have a $2K budget, I'd look at the Sonos Arc with Sub or Bose 900 with Sub 700 (I have the Bose 900 with Sub 700 and can't fault it). At some point you can look to add rear speakers. The Sony, Yamaha and Samsung kits can be a great setup in this price range, but I'd start with Sonos or Bose at this level.

    If you have a budget over $3K, this is when you look at a home theatre system setup.

    Yes you can get bang for buck with some of the Samsung, JBL and Denon and other kits, but build quality and sound stage is not the same.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join