UNDERSTANDING SOUND BARS: HOW TO FIND THE BEST SOUND BAR IN 2022
FINDING THE BEST SOUND BAR FOR YOUR ROOM
If you think shopping for speakers is hard, try picking a soundbar in 2022! Here’s some tips to make sure you buy the RIGHT soundbar for you. WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW TO LEARN MORE!
A video guide to finding the best sound bar for you by Andrew Robinson.
SOUNDBAR TYPES
Before we get into what soundbar setup is right for you and your needs we need to first identify the four main types of soundbars; passive, powered, faux surround and full surround.
PASSIVE SOUNDBARS
A passive soundbar is one that does NOT have its own internal power amps or surround processing; meaning it is essentially three passive loudspeakers configured in a single bar-like chassis that requires you to connect it to a receiver much in the same way you would traditional speakers. A great example of a passive soundbar is the Klipsch Heritage soundbar we reviewed a few weeks ago. Passive soundbars are great if you’re one who worries about future compatibility. As technology or formats change, you would (in theory) only have to update your receiver versus buying a whole new soundbar.
SHOP PASSIVE SOUNDBARS
Shop Sonos Soundbars
POWERED SOUNDBARS
Powered soundbars are what most people think of when they think of soundbars. Powered soundbars don’t need additional components to work, so all you need to do is plug them in and connect them to your TV and you’re done!
Within the powered soundbar genre you have what I call, “faux surround” bars and “full surround” bars. Faux surround sound soundbars are (typically) all-inclusive designs, meaning they do not rely on surround speakers or sometimes even separate subwoofers to give you a surround sound experience. Two great examples would be the Sennheiser AMBEO and the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Stage. Both are single bar solutions that rely on digital processing and multiple speakers within the bar to steer sound around you without needing to rely on separate satellite speakers.
Full surround sound soundbars on the other hand usually come with the bar itself, a wireless subwoofer as well as a pair of wireless surround speakers to give you a true surround sound speaker setup. Now, some are sold a la carte, meaning you may have to purchase the subwoofer and surround speakers separately –talking to you Bose! Regardless if the bar is sold as a complete package or has to be pieced together, you’ll likely achieve the same end results. The Samsung Q950A is a great example of a full surround sound soundbar system.
Lastly, it is possible to enjoy Dolby Atmos soundtracks on all types of soundbars, you just have to check that whatever soundbar you’re shopping for supports Atmos (or DTS:X).
SHOP POWERED SOUNDBARS Sennheiser AMBEO
Bang & Olufsen Beosound Stage
Bose 700
Bose 900
Sonos Beam 2
LG Eclair
Klipsch Cinema 600
WHAT TYPE OF LISTENER ARE YOU?
The first step towards making ANY hifi or home theater purchase is understanding just what type of listener you are. For example, if you’re shopping for a soundbar to enhance your everyday TV viewing, or simply want to make dialog more clear and maybe make the occasional action film just a little more exciting, then you may not need a full surround sound soundbar and instead would be better suited going with a faux surround or single bar solution. If this sounds like you, options like the Sonos Beam Gen 2, the LG Eclair or Bang & Olufsen Beosound Stage may be good soundbars to consider.
BUT if you’re looking to recreate (or maybe even replace) a true, multi-speaker home theater setup, one with theater-like dynamics, clarity and bass punch, then a soundbar like the Samsung Q950A, or Sennheiser Ambeo may be a better fit. If you’re not sure, my advice would be to buy into a soundbar setup that allows you the flexibility to either scale up or down as the need arises, so while the Samsung and Sennheiser setups are all-inclusive, should you want to start with just a bar at first and decide later if a subwoofer and satellite speakers are necessary, then options like the Bose 900 or Sonos Beam Gen 2 (or the Arc) may be your best bets!
HOW MANY CHANNELS DO YOU NEED?
Based on your soundbar goals, the next thing to consider is just how many channels or number of speakers you need your soundbar to have. When it comes to soundbars the number of speakers doesn’t always correlate to the level of surround-ness one can achieve. For example, you can achieve similar levels of surround sound from a single bar with five speakers or channels, as you can one that may utilize nine or more speakers –again, this is just an example.
But getting back to your goals, if you’re just looking to clean up dialog and make your sound experience better than what you’re getting from your TV’s built-in speakers, I wouldn’t go crazy shopping for a soundbar advertising 7.1 or better surround sound. A simple three to five channel soundbar like the Sonos Beam Gen 2, Klipsch Cinema 600 or LG Eclair will likely serve you just fine!
But if you want to go for the full monte, I’m talking full home theater surround sound, then you’re going to want to look for a soundbar with seven or more channels, in which case options like the Samsung Q950A, Sonos Arc, Sennheiser AMBEO or similar should be on your list!
SOUNDBAR CONNECTION OPTIONS
One of the benefits of having a home theater receiver is that it allows you to connect multiple devices such as gaming consoles, Blu-ray players etc., rather than having multiple cables all running to your TV for a cluttered installation. Some soundbars offer the same level of connectivity. If you’re not in a position to run multiple cables to your TV, or you want to streamline things and only have ONE HDMI cable running between your TV and a soundbar then you’re going to want to shop for a soundbar with multiple HDMI inputs as well as optical and/or analog inputs, versus a soundbar with only one ARC/eARC equipped HDMI port. Examples: Q950, Ambeo and Beosound Stage
Note, it’s possible to enjoy Atmos soundtracks through an ARC connection as well as an eARC one, though the latter is going to give you arguably better performance in the long run. Whenever possible, it is my recommendation to shop for a soundbar with eARC connectivity.
Gamers pay attention, as of this video there are only a handful of soundbars that support 4K/120 and 8K/60. For THE BEST gaming results I still recommend that you connect your console –be it an XBox or PS5 –directly to your TV and then run a single HDMI cable from your TV’s eARC port to your soundbar. For every other component you may have in your setup, for example a Blu-ray player, connecting it directly to your soundbar shouldn’t be an issue.
If you like to stream music from your phone or laptop, you’re going to want to shop for a soundbar that has bluetooth, Airplay or Chromecast support. These are common features, so it’s likely you won’t have to look too hard to find a bar with these options.
THE BEST SOUND BAR FOR YOUR ROOM
Traditional speakers are heavily affected by your space. Finding the best sound bar for your room is no different. If you have a large space that you’re looking to fill with full-range sound or surround sound then you’re going to need a soundbar solution that comes complete with a subwoofer and separate surround speakers. You may ALSO want to make sure the soundbar has room EQ built-in. Most of the more expensive sound bars from the likes of Samsung, LG, Sonos, Bose and Sennheiser are going to fit the bill. Just know that in order to calibrate your soundbar to your space using room EQ you will likely have to download and use whatever App your soundbar requires.
If you’re shopping for a smaller space, maybe your bedroom or an apartment space with thinner walls, an all-inclusive solution like the Sonos Beam 2, Bang & Olufsen Beosound Stage or even the tiny Eclair (with its separate but included subwoofer) may be just what the doctor ordered!
SHOP HIGH-END SOUND BARS USING A SOUNDBAR FOR MUSIC
Let me just say, ALL SOUND BARS can be used for music listening. It is a bit of a myth that music requires a different type of speaker compared to say home theater. A good speaker doesn’t discriminate, and the same is true of a soundbar. Obviously, when it comes to what sounds good, or bad, that is going to be subjective, so you'll have to make the final decision for yourself on what bar sounds “best”. But you don’t need to lose sleep over whether or not you can enjoy two channel music through a soundbar because you can!
So these are the things I consider when shopping for a soundbar. We hope you’ve found this guide helpful!
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