The wife and I have been looking to improve the sound coming from the TV. We've been checking out soundbars because we don't really have room for a stereo system with speakers. Unfortunately, everything we've listened to in the stores sound really awful. Maybe louder than the TV speakers but not really much better.

So what do you use to make the TV sound better and clearer?

We purchased this LG sound bar around Christmas last year:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/l...1230.p?skuId=6261230
It's been a huge step up in sound quality from the TV speakers, and $160 is easy on the wallet. I'd buy it again.

Look for one with the wireless sub to provide more realism.

If you can hold out for a couple more weeks there will be some good deals for the end of November.

Cheers~

Depends... budget? But yes, they are worth it. I’d recommend a unit with a wireless bass speaker, and 3 channels. Something in the 300-500 watt range.

I’m waiting to see what’s on sale coming up to replace the upstairs tv & add a sound bar to use for music playing too. Downstairs we have a Klipsch Which has been very good not great, but was half off when we got it, so no complaints. Been looking at Sony, & JBL among others.

We had the same situation; the space was not going to accommodate our original home theater system. Bought a soundbar system with wireless subwoofer and we're pleased with it. Not as good as our original setup, but much better than the built-in TV speakers.

We felt like it was necessary; our big screen TV in the family room just didn’t have good sound quality. We have a couple of SONOS speakers and added a Sonos soundbar. The television plays through it automatically, and we can also play music through it. Been happy with it.

I have soundbars on both of my TVs. Much better sound and both have the wireless subwoofers. Both match the TV manufacturer (LG and Samsung), and I prefer the LG as it's on the same frequency as the TV so one button turns on/off both. I also use both as bluetooth speakers for my iPhone.

The best improvement was my Dad's Vizio. His speakers were on the rear of the TV and it was loud if you were at an angle to the TV but not if you were directly in line with the TV. Even worse, the office/computer room right behind the TV it was louder coming through the drywall than it was in the TV room. I bought my Dad a Vizio sound bar with wireless subwoofers, and the sound is much clearer and best of all it's quieter throughout the house.

I have a Samsung with wireless sub. It makes a huge difference in the TV sound.

Went with a Sony earlier this year with the optional rear channels. Had Visio before. Night and day difference. Not as good as my theater but pretty damn good being wireless. Tested on 4k discs etc, really nice setup.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Prefontaine,

I have a 60" Visio and received a Visio soundbar as a gift about a year after buying the TV. They aren't very expensive and provide much better sound than the built-in speakers. I didn't pay for mine but they are worth it, in my opinion.

If you could afford it, a SONOS system is fantastic. That said, one of the little tips I recall from this forum was to purchase the same brand sound bar as your TV brand. I have a Vizio 5.1 w/wireless subwoofer (Costco promo), its a fantastic improvement over flat-screen speakers (low-bar, I know) but, there's room for improvement as my TV is a LG. Costco has a Vizio 2.1 model for $89. I'm eye-balling a larger screen either, a LG or, Samsung during the holiday promotion period and will likely be in the market for an updated sound bar, as the older screen will get moved into the bedroom.
One thing to keep in mind when hooking up your sound bar is to use the HDMI ACR input.

We got one about a year ago, and we like it a lot. We weren't going for any suoer sound or anything, however, commercials and some music in shows, and some parts of show would come in super noisy, when people were speaking on the show you could hardly hear it. It has really help regulate the sound.

I've been looking at getting one of these more for the purpose of enhancing dialogue while watching movies. I have a good case of tinnitus and just deteriorating hearing in general. Often times I miss a lot of the conversations in movies or just catch parts of conversations. Cranking up the tv helps some but I don't want the tv blaring. I'm not looking for the theater experience I just want to hear the dialogue so this might work for me.

TV speakers are terrible right now. Everybody wants slimmer TVs plus they want to sell you soundbars, so they put crappy speakers in Tvs. Get one with a sub like everyone else said and it'll be much better than the onboard speakers.

We have a Yamaha sound bar that we really like. We bought it at Costco for about $150.

quote:

Originally posted by BB61:
We have a Yamaha sound bar that we really like. We bought it at Costco for about $150.

I have a Yamaha with subwoofer in the workout room and it is great for music but shows it is just OK.

Father in Law has the Sonos bar, sub, and a few 5s I think.
The sound and ease of use is stunning.

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:
I have a Samsung with wireless sub. It makes a huge difference in the TV sound.

This one. I have two of this, one with the additional wireless rear speakers. It is great.

A cheap one (sub-$300) isn't going to do a lot more than TV speakers except get louder. A good soundbar is definitely worth it though, especially for movies.

Thanks everyone. I haven't heard the Samsung yet. We tried LG, Visio and Bose at the stores. The Bose had the best midrange and voice but didn't sound great, didn't have a subwoofer and didn't really seem to be worth the $269 price.

Yes they are worth it. Absolutely follow the advice listed already to get one with a wireless sub-woofer.

I have an inexpensive Samsun that I think I got at Costco for the bedroom and an expensive Yamaha for the main home theater setup that required configuration beyond just plug and play.

There is a huge difference in quality between the two so I think in many cases you get what you pay for. That said, I will only be purchasing sound bars from now on. They work well unless you are an audiophile who can hear everything. Me - I just want to hear the TV have movies sound really good.