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What sound system?

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Go to solution Solved by dalekphalm,

So I've been thinking about my sound on my TV and how bad it actually is, was just at my perants and my dads bought a Bose One TV sound system, but I don't have £350 to spend on a speaker like that. So what can you recommend, I don't really want to be paying much more than £200, £250 tops ideally. I quite liked the LG LAP340, but tell what you'd recommend.

Thanks!

First things first, Bose is generally one of the most overpriced brands in the Audio world as you can get. This may have changed in the last couple years, but I somehow doubt it.

 

Now, for that kind of budget, you're likely best getting a Sound Bar setup. They're small and compact (Generally one long piece, with or without a separate sub depending on your wants, needs, and budget), and have an integrated amp.

 

Here is the search results from the Amazon UK site:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=sound+bar&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Asound+bar

 

As you can see, there are a TON of options. I'm sure some people here can recommend some specific sound bars, but anything by Sony, LG, Samsung, Yamaha, or similar well known brand will be pretty good. I would stay away from the no-name brands simply because with a well known brand you're at least getting a certain baseline for quality.

 

Now with your budget of 200 to 250 GBP, you can get a 2.1 sound bar WITH a separate sub, or you can look at a 2.1 w/ integrated sub or 2.0 without any subs. Whether you go with separate or integrated sub would really depend on how much space you have available, and whether it will fit the layout you'd like to have. Some people just CANNOT have anything sitting out on the floor, etc. It's basically personal preference. A separate sub will generally be more powerful and perform better as well.

 

Having an integrated sub is great if you're tight on space but still want those deeper base levels. Getting a 2.0 sound bar without any subs (If sticking with same price and similar quality levels) will generally get you better speakers, but lacking the deep base levels will probably cancel out the added benefits. It's trading one type of sound for another basically.

 

Now that LG "soundplate" you've linked looks interesting. It seems to have decent reviews, and is very similar in principle to a sound bar. Now personally, I'd rather go for a sound bar because you're getting larger speakers, which generally (Now this is of course a generalization) means better sound quality and louder audio levels. The fact that it's a 4.1 setup is a gimmick. I can tell ya that right now. The reason being is that the "rear" speakers will just not be situated properly to give you the right feel for the surround sound. I would take 2 higher quality - better sounding - speakers over 4 speakers any day, especially when those 4 speakers are all up front. Most sound bars can do virtual surround sound anyway that will likely sound just as good as a 4-front-facing fake-surround setup.

 

Ultimately the kind of setup you go with is a personal choice depending on your own preferences.

 

An alternative is to get high quality bookshelf style speakers, but then you'd need a receiver and amp to power them, and it just becomes more complicated and potentially much more expensive. For the budget you have I would definitely say stick to a sound bar.

So I've been thinking about my sound on my TV and how bad it actually is, was just at my perants and my dads bought a Bose One TV sound system, but I don't have £350 to spend on a speaker like that. So what can you recommend, I don't really want to be paying much more than £200, £250 tops ideally. I quite liked the LG LAP340, but tell what you'd recommend.

Thanks!

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So I've been thinking about my sound on my TV and how bad it actually is, was just at my perants and my dads bought a Bose One TV sound system, but I don't have £350 to spend on a speaker like that. So what can you recommend, I don't really want to be paying much more than £200, £250 tops ideally. I quite liked the LG LAP340, but tell what you'd recommend.

Thanks!

First things first, Bose is generally one of the most overpriced brands in the Audio world as you can get. This may have changed in the last couple years, but I somehow doubt it.

 

Now, for that kind of budget, you're likely best getting a Sound Bar setup. They're small and compact (Generally one long piece, with or without a separate sub depending on your wants, needs, and budget), and have an integrated amp.

 

Here is the search results from the Amazon UK site:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=sound+bar&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Asound+bar

 

As you can see, there are a TON of options. I'm sure some people here can recommend some specific sound bars, but anything by Sony, LG, Samsung, Yamaha, or similar well known brand will be pretty good. I would stay away from the no-name brands simply because with a well known brand you're at least getting a certain baseline for quality.

 

Now with your budget of 200 to 250 GBP, you can get a 2.1 sound bar WITH a separate sub, or you can look at a 2.1 w/ integrated sub or 2.0 without any subs. Whether you go with separate or integrated sub would really depend on how much space you have available, and whether it will fit the layout you'd like to have. Some people just CANNOT have anything sitting out on the floor, etc. It's basically personal preference. A separate sub will generally be more powerful and perform better as well.

 

Having an integrated sub is great if you're tight on space but still want those deeper base levels. Getting a 2.0 sound bar without any subs (If sticking with same price and similar quality levels) will generally get you better speakers, but lacking the deep base levels will probably cancel out the added benefits. It's trading one type of sound for another basically.

 

Now that LG "soundplate" you've linked looks interesting. It seems to have decent reviews, and is very similar in principle to a sound bar. Now personally, I'd rather go for a sound bar because you're getting larger speakers, which generally (Now this is of course a generalization) means better sound quality and louder audio levels. The fact that it's a 4.1 setup is a gimmick. I can tell ya that right now. The reason being is that the "rear" speakers will just not be situated properly to give you the right feel for the surround sound. I would take 2 higher quality - better sounding - speakers over 4 speakers any day, especially when those 4 speakers are all up front. Most sound bars can do virtual surround sound anyway that will likely sound just as good as a 4-front-facing fake-surround setup.

 

Ultimately the kind of setup you go with is a personal choice depending on your own preferences.

 

An alternative is to get high quality bookshelf style speakers, but then you'd need a receiver and amp to power them, and it just becomes more complicated and potentially much more expensive. For the budget you have I would definitely say stick to a sound bar.

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Brilliant thanks! I'll have a look into some sound bars! Thanks for the help!

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Are you looking for a surround sound system?

Not for that budget... even if he WAS originally!

For Sale: Meraki Bundle

 

iPhone Xr 128 GB Product Red - HP Spectre x360 13" (i5 - 8 GB RAM - 256 GB SSD) - HP ZBook 15v G5 15" (i7-8850H - 16 GB RAM - 512 GB SSD - NVIDIA Quadro P600)

 

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