Sound bar recommendation

[vkurup]

Looking to get a sound bar. We have an old Sony LCD 40'. Unlikely to get the HID to agree on an upgrade with all the house work that is pending. So thinking of getting a sound bar instead. In her head, it looks like a small piece of kit and so should not cost as much as a TV (never question the logic).

So looking for some recommendation... Just started looking at options. But initial features list
1) Good sound output (doh)
2) Remote (dont fancy walking up and down the room to change volume - or can i control via TV)
3) Not a big fan of wireless ones - it will sit under the TV, so no point in adding more wireless
4) Not fussed with sub woofer... nice to have
5) Preferably under £300, better under £200, no brainer under £100.

What are people using? And best place to get them. I am scanning Richer Sounds as I type this.

 

[srixon 1]

Have a look on ebuyer, loads on there.

 

[Ethan]

What Hi Fi is usually a good source of reviews:

http://www.whathifi.com/awards/2014/soundbars-soundbases

The Cambridge Audio (richer Sounds in house brand) might be worth a look at £200. Otherwise, Yamaha has been a big name in sound bars for some years.

 

[vkurup]

tnx.. been reviewing it.. am nearly tempted to go on a limb and get a t Sonos playbar... looks like a nifty kit, but blooody expensive

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Speak to someone at Richer Sounds. They are very good with their advice and cover a good few options.

 

[oxymoron]

I looked for one a few weeks ago wanted a Sansung to match the tele but i also didn't fancy the sub box , anyway Richer sounds had run out if the one i fancied so the assistant recommended the Wharfdale vista one (think thats right) it was £150ish and got to admit it sounds great and got all the connectivity i will need

 

[CMAC]

tnx.. been reviewing it.. am nearly tempted to go on a limb and get a t Sonos playbar... looks like a nifty kit, but blooody expensive

you get what you pay for

 

[GreiginFife]

Just got the Yamaha ATS930 from Richer Sounds for the inlaws and it is superb.
Mid range and higher frequencies are clear and pronounced, more so than I expected.
Built in sub lacks some power but still gives some depth.

TV remote can be used as it has remote repeater and learning function.
At £99 I think its a bargain of the highest order.

 

[CMAC]

Just got the Yamaha ATS930 from Richer Sounds for the inlaws and it is superb.
Mid range and higher frequencies are clear and pronounced, more so than I expected.
Built in sub lacks some power but still gives some depth.

TV remote can be used as it has remote repeater and learning function.
At £99 I think its a bargain of the highest order.

that looks worth a punt- yesterday we had to crank up the TV's tiny speakers to 33 to hear a movie better (normal level is 14)- soundbars are the way to go and at £99.95 it would seem rude not to:smirk:

 

[Dellboy]

Got myself a Samsung HW-H450 yesterday, to go with my Samsung 50" 3DTV cost £179

Took a wee while to get the setup right but that was down to me but in the end it was well worth the wait.

Good sound and great base from the subwoofer, movies are now so much better, crank up the volume and feel the floor vibrate :thup:

 

[GreiginFife]

that looks worth a punt- yesterday we had to crank up the TV's tiny speakers to 33 to hear a movie better (normal level is 14)- soundbars are the way to go and at £99.95 it would seem rude not to:smirk:

I am seriously impressed by it. I have always been a Yamaha fan, but recengly switched to Onkyo, and for the price was bit skeptical. Superb value for money though.

 

[SocketRocket]

I seem to have got onto the wrong thread! I only know about the other type of 'Sound bars' Hic!

 

[Blue in Munich]

If you don't want a sub-woofer or the clutter, look at one of these;

http://www.qacoustics.co.uk/q-tv-speakers-soundbar.htm

It won't get the floor shaking but a vast improvement over the norm and does a perfectly acceptable job in my opinion

 

[Blue in Munich]

If you don't want a sub-woofer or the clutter, look at one of these;

http://www.qacoustics.co.uk/q-tv-speakers-soundbar.htm

It won't get the floor shaking but a vast improvement over the norm and does a perfectly acceptable job in my opinion

Just looked at the buy it now link on that page, £329 down to £149!!

 

[vkurup]

Picked up a Yamaha YSP 1400 from Richer Sounds. What a kit. It has subs in its feet, so while not as great as having a separate sub, it it pretty good. On the downside it does not have HDMI and at 235 is expensive. No issues with setup, straight plug and play.
The guy at RS alsorecommend the Onkyo at nearly the same price. Demo-ed it in the shop and it was fab. Someone else was buying a Waferdale Vista - it was very noisy in the shop.

Had also been to Currys on the way to RS, what a world of difference between them. You reallly would love to see RS get bigger, though Curry was rammed with people. We also wanted a new TV stand, so got a cheap one from Currys which took about 30 mins to get the piece from the back to the front of the shop. All the savings from the stand went into the Yamaha... Jobs a gudden...

 

[palindromicbob]

Sony HT-CT60BT gets great reviews and is only £95 from John Lewis. Got an AVForums best buy award which is a great accolade to have. Has sub, remote, bluetooth. Optical and Coax digital inputs and old school RCA for analogue.

https://www.avforums.com/review/sony-ct60bt-ht-ct60bt-soundbar-review.10157

I am just waiting on delivery of mine.

 

[palindromicbob]

Picked up a Yamaha YSP 1400 from Richer Sounds. What a kit. It has subs in its feet, so while not as great as having a separate sub, it it pretty good. On the downside it does not have HDMI and at 235 is expensive. No issues with setup, straight plug and play.
The guy at RS alsorecommend the Onkyo at nearly the same price. Demo-ed it in the shop and it was fab. Someone else was buying a Waferdale Vista - it was very noisy in the shop.

Had also been to Currys on the way to RS, what a world of difference between them. You reallly would love to see RS get bigger, though Curry was rammed with people. We also wanted a new TV stand, so got a cheap one from Currys which took about 30 mins to get the piece from the back to the front of the shop. All the savings from the stand went into the Yamaha... Jobs a gudden...

Onkyo gear is awesome. It's the Orka of home audio. Great gear and a great price but overlooked due to brand not being a recognised name.

 

[CMAC]

Onkyo gear is awesome. It's the Orka of home audio. Great gear and a great price but overlooked due to brand not being a recognised name.

I thought it was very well known- I dont know the main sound companies but even I've come across them as a quality brand for years.

 

[vkurup]

Onkyo gear is awesome. It's the Orka of home audio. Great gear and a great price but overlooked due to brand not being a recognised name.

I nearly went for the Onkyo too.. but then there saw some poor reviews of that model (LSB50). Also comes with a decent sized sub that i was not keen on..

 

[palindromicbob]

I thought it was very well known- I dont know the main sound companies but even I've come across them as a quality brand for years.

Not well known to the average joe consumer. They tend to head towards same brand as TV if buying an audio solution.

Tend to only see Onkyo is places that specialise in AV sales.