Why Is EVERYONE Buying This Soundbar???

[gRaN-Ma project]

1 hour ago, AndreiArgeanu said:

The bose sound bar is pathetic, I mean there are soundbars for a 1/4 the price that have an integrated subwoofer, never mind a separate one.

In the UK this is what sells best. I wonder how much worse if at all this sub 50$ soundbar is than the Bose

Beware of an old trick ... If the starting loudness is higher, the hardware component or the recording seems better. So, by adding more speakers or hardware components you actually increase the loudness only. This technique mimics audio normalization poorly. And, I repeat, it's an old trick only.

 

see also loudness war, in https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war

 

Quote

The loudness war (or loudness race) is a trend of increasing audio levels in recorded music, which reduces audio fidelity and—according to many critics—listener enjoyment. Increasing loudness was first reported as early as the 1940s, with respect to mastering practices for 7-inch singles.[1] The maximum peak level of analog recordings such as these is limited by varying specifications of electronic equipment along the chain from source to listener, including vinyl and Compact Cassette players. The issue garnered renewed attention starting in the 1990s with the introduction of digital signal processing capable of producing further loudness increases.

 

[Just that Mario]

Instead of spending 300 euros on this soundbar, why not just get some cheap and decent enough powered bookshelf speakers and use those? Edifier has multiple cheap options, that have decent audio quality and good reviews. I picked up a pair for like 60-70 euros and paired it with a cheap Fiio DAC. Million times better than what the tv speakers sound.

Also don't forget that speakers sound different based on environment and who's listening to them.

[gRaN-Ma project]

1 hour ago, Just that Mario said:

Also don't forget that speakers sound different based on environment and who's listening to them.

 

I shared this video because it can help you in your research ...

[xnamkcor]

Just now, TechlessBro said:

Even good stereo studio monitors won’t help dialog clarity if there is music on all channels and it’s down mixed to 2 channel.

You still have 7.1 down mixed music is at 100% and dialog at 14% it gets drowned out. Even if there is no music on the centre and 5.1 you have 80% music and 20% voice so no DAC or 2 speaker setup fixes that.

 

Compression is helpful in some cases as the music gets compressed but the voices don’t. Called “reduce loud sounds” or “night mode” in some setups.

 

I'm pretty sure you can choose to not downmix and only hook up the three front channels.

Maybe it's just a feature of my Onkyo, but I can also choose the levels of each channel.

[gRaN-Ma project]

The difference between active and passive speakers in surround mode is that the former needs a surround pre-amplifier, while the latter needs a surround pre-amplifier and a surround amplifier.

 

Sorround mode is dedicated especially to industry film (DVD, BlueRay and now from the Internet).

 

"reduce loud sounds” ( by Apple) or “night mode” (by Sonos) are automatic settings respectively of the aforementioned manufacturers: the former to protect your hearing and the latter to reduce the loudness during the evening.

[ejm_110]

I am waiting for this to go on sale. It my first because of the size restrictions I have on my tv table, placed in bedroom. I already checked JBL 2.0 but did not like the sound of it, Bose TV speakers sounds better.

 

Are there other decent soundbar that can rival or even be better than Bose TV Speakers? have to be maximum of 24in long.

Due to size restrictions and aesthetics requirements, I need soundbar not pc speakers.

 

Thanks for the help.

[DoctorNick]

29 minutes ago, ejm_110 said:

I am waiting for this to go on sale. It my first because of the size restrictions I have on my tv table, placed in bedroom. I already checked JBL 2.0 but did not like the sound of it, Bose TV speakers sounds better.

 

Are there other decent soundbar that can rival or even be better than Bose TV Speakers? have to be maximum of 24in long.

Due to size restrictions and aesthetics requirements, I need soundbar not pc speakers.

 

Thanks for the help.

Just a suggestion, make a thread for your question  

[GodAtum]

Looking to get the Bose 500 + bass module for a small room. Thoughts?

[cmndr]

On 2/21/2023 at 11:35 PM, 2unlimited said:

As an owner of a bigger brother, SB500, I can say that significant difference in an overall sound quality, as well as the bass, comes from the connection medium. If connected via fiber cable, it really sounds hollow, and monodimensional. On other hand, connecting it via bluetooth, turns it into a whole different speaker. If only you tried the other option. 

As Lg goes. I had that too, for the bedroom. It's a bloody disaster. Not only its soundbar is merely different from a built in speaker, but its bass module shakes uncontrollably on just any sound. Even the conversation. While Bose's bass module is much more refined. It only picks the waveforms that are supposed to go trough the bass amplifier. 

Second hand Bose Soundbar 500 is on the market for some time already, and can be found used around 200$. I'd warmly suggest going for that option. Over any low priced Lg. It's just a headache. 

As a rule of thumb for audio, connection medium doesn't play a big difference unless something is wrong (e.g. damaged cable) or it's bitrate limited (e.g. bluetooth). Where applicable, HDMI (or DP) is the way to go.

Most people into audio think bluetooth = mediocre sound quality at best. 

Did you do a comparison against something like a pair of "not bad" bookshelf speakers?

Also as an aside, speakers in general cost 1/2 to 1/3rd as much when bought second hand. 

[Deadpool2onBlu-Ray]

I wish a company would come out with an AIO sound system with a SMALL AVR, soundbar with GOOD sound quality from Center/Right/Left, and a dedicated SUB as well. My wife won't let me get a dedicated sound system for our living room TV as it 'doesn't look good", and most soundbars suck massive balls. The lack of any soundbars working with AVR'S/Passive Speakers is a huge issue too.

[mononymous]

Used a soundbar when I was in the army. Was sleeping on the bottom bunk so I strapped the speaker on the top bed. There's also the wife/mother approval factor. Soundbars look cleaner than discrete speakers. 

 

On 2/22/2023 at 12:03 PM, TechlessBro said:

All sound bars are going to be average no matter how good the parts.

They exist for simple convenience, anything else is marketing. Sound bars should not be used outside tiny apartments etc where you have no choice.

What's wrong with aesthetics and convenience? There is a good reason why bookshelf are no longer mainstream. 

 

Although you can get compact 2.1 sets. So the apartment argument doesn't really hold up. Pairing the Fostex PM0.3h bookshelf speakers and their 5" sub. Getting a full size 12" sub can literally shake the apartment if you are not careful (because I've done that before). To be fair the walls are too thin for those tiny rooms to use speakers in the first place. 

On 2/22/2023 at 12:57 PM, xnamkcor said:

How tiny can they be?

I live in a studio apartment and I easily fit a full sized Onkyo receiver and two bookshelf speakers.

You can have a living space that is 10m² in a single room apartment. You can get a cheap apartment without a shower and have a shared toilet for instance. And bank on a public bath house nearby. If you want a desk you'd want something bigger.

 

 

Something like a 20m² for a living space would accommodate that. You can get a desk and a bed. 

 

Source: How big is 20m²? (Japanese) https://ieagent.jp/blog/hitorigurashi/20heibei-hitorigurashi-95351

 

Even though I live in fairly big apartment in Japan. I wouldn't choose a full size AVR as my speaker amp. Rather I would rather choose those tiny Fosi Audio / Lepai speaker amps.