Looking for a soundbar recommendation for my parents

[ThyFeared]

I'm currently looking for a soundbar for my parents to get them for Christmas. I'm trying to stay around $450-500 and their main gripe is they always complain the music is too loud compared to voices so it'd be nice if it included something that would maybe help that issue a bit. I don't really know much about soundbars but I saw Sonos had some stuff on sale but wanted to get other opinions. I'm also fine buying refurb if that's an option.

[nmweissm]

You'll want something that has at least 3 channels. With a soundbar that has 3 or more channels, the dialogue plays through the center speaker and everything else (music, sound effects, etc.) is separated and played through other speakers on the soundbar. Sonos Beam fits that description and is within your budget, but the lack of a subwoofer is not ideal at that budget. Your local Best Buy more than likely has some good deals on open box Soundbars. Just because they're open box doesn't mean that they're damaged or won't last as long, it just means either it was previously a display unit or someone returned it and Geek Squad tested it to make sure it works. That being said, ALWAYS insist they plug it in and try it to make sure it works properly before buying it. If they're reasonable employees, they won't mind doing this. When I worked at Best Buy my managers said to stop offering to do so because it took time away from me selling more memberships and credit cards but most of the employees aren't corporate slaves unless you're dealing with one of the managers. If there's no Best Buy near you, I would check ebay or other used product websites/apps and look for older models of soundbars that still support eARC (the standard that all modern TV's use for audio). As long as it has 3 channels or more and a subwoofer (3.1, 5.1, etc.) and comes with all the power cables necessary, you've more than likely got a huge upgrade to the TV speakers. Some brands that are my favorite for that budget are JBL, Samsung, Sony, and Polk Audio. Brands I would stay away from unless you find a REALLY good deal are Vizio, TCL, and Hisense. Bonus if the soundbar supports Atmos, you'll be able to tell because there will be 3 numbers when it comes to channels instead of 2, the third number being how many upward firing speakers there are (ex: 3.1.2). Just gives even more separation of sound for TV's and sources that support it. Hopefully that helps, let me know if you have any questions or want any specific recommendations when it comes to specific models  

[saintlouisbagels]

2 hours ago, ThyFeared said:

I'm currently looking for a soundbar for my parents to get them for Christmas. I'm trying to stay around $450-500 and their main gripe is they always complain the music is too loud compared to voices so it'd be nice if it included something that would maybe help that issue a bit. I don't really know much about soundbars but I saw Sonos had some stuff on sale but wanted to get other opinions. I'm also fine buying refurb if that's an option.

With that budget, I'd whole heartedly recommend the Sonos Beam gen2.

Great clear audio and dialogue and the bass surprises me sometimes.  Just make sure their TV has an HDMI port with at least ARC (which has been standard for the last decade).

 

Otherwise, any soundbar at significantly cheaper prices should do the job I think.

https://www.rtings.com/soundbar/reviews/best/budget

The problem with TV and movies is that dialogue is typically in a "center channel" in a 5.1/7.1 mixing. Most people only have 2.0/stereo setups, so the dialogue get's split into those 2 channels to create a phantom center. Depending on the TV/audio processing and the speaker quality, dialogue should not be an issue. But most televisions have garbage speakers.

[ThyFeared]

On 11/3/2023 at 11:49 AM, nmweissm said:

You'll want something that has at least 3 channels. With a soundbar that has 3 or more channels, the dialogue plays through the center speaker and everything else (music, sound effects, etc.) is separated and played through other speakers on the soundbar. Sonos Beam fits that description and is within your budget, but the lack of a subwoofer is not ideal at that budget. Your local Best Buy more than likely has some good deals on open box Soundbars. Just because they're open box doesn't mean that they're damaged or won't last as long, it just means either it was previously a display unit or someone returned it and Geek Squad tested it to make sure it works. That being said, ALWAYS insist they plug it in and try it to make sure it works properly before buying it. If they're reasonable employees, they won't mind doing this. When I worked at Best Buy my managers said to stop offering to do so because it took time away from me selling more memberships and credit cards but most of the employees aren't corporate slaves unless you're dealing with one of the managers. If there's no Best Buy near you, I would check ebay or other used product websites/apps and look for older models of soundbars that still support eARC (the standard that all modern TV's use for audio). As long as it has 3 channels or more and a subwoofer (3.1, 5.1, etc.) and comes with all the power cables necessary, you've more than likely got a huge upgrade to the TV speakers. Some brands that are my favorite for that budget are JBL, Samsung, Sony, and Polk Audio. Brands I would stay away from unless you find a REALLY good deal are Vizio, TCL, and Hisense. Bonus if the soundbar supports Atmos, you'll be able to tell because there will be 3 numbers when it comes to channels instead of 2, the third number being how many upward firing speakers there are (ex: 3.1.2). Just gives even more separation of sound for TV's and sources that support it. Hopefully that helps, let me know if you have any questions or want any specific recommendations when it comes to specific models  

 

On 11/3/2023 at 11:58 AM, saintlouisbagels said:

With that budget, I'd whole heartedly recommend the Sonos Beam gen2.

Great clear audio and dialogue and the bass surprises me sometimes.  Just make sure their TV has an HDMI port with at least ARC (which has been standard for the last decade).

 

Otherwise, any soundbar at significantly cheaper prices should do the job I think.

https://www.rtings.com/soundbar/reviews/best/budget

The problem with TV and movies is that dialogue is typically in a "center channel" in a 5.1/7.1 mixing. Most people only have 2.0/stereo setups, so the dialogue get's split into those 2 channels to create a phantom center. Depending on the TV/audio processing and the speaker quality, dialogue should not be an issue. But most televisions have garbage speakers.

Decided to go with the Beam Gen2 since I found a decent deal from Sonos' ebay store. Appreciate the help