Modern Smart TVs have reached very minimal thicknesses, which accentuate their design and make the devices beautiful to see and admire. But this rush to the thinner TV frame sacrificed a very important feature: the speakers built into the Smart TVs are so small that they emit a flat sound, with no bass or treble to appreciate. This makes the TVs beautiful to look at but rather ugly to "listen", since the audio speakers have very little space to play (the old cathode ray tube TVs offered better sound and realistic bass, thanks to the huge composite resonance box from the back of the TV). But all is not lost: you can improve the sound of your television by purchasing a soundbar, so as to have the desired sound effects and finally enjoy movies and TV series. In this guide you will find some of the features that soundbars must have and finally some of the best Soundbar models on the market that can be purchased online.
Advantages of a Soundbar to improve TV sound
Traditionally, the 5.1 surround sound setup of a TV's speakers involves placing five speakers around the viewer, which works well, but really only works if you're always sitting in the same place. It also requires a lot of cables running through the room. Soundbars offer a better audio experience with fewer cables. A soundbar contains numerous speakers inside that send the audio into the room from the same position as the TV, but also improves the diffusion of the sound to the sides, so that you can listen to the sound from anywhere in the room.
Another reason to buy a soundbar is that modern TVs have gotten thinner and thinner, so the built-in speakers have gotten smaller and have bad sound.
Soundbar location
Soundbars are generally placed under or in front of the TV; you can put the soundbar on top of the TV only if there is space or mounted on the wall if the TV is also mounted on the wall. The key when choosing where to place a soundbar is to position it so that it fills the room with sound as much as possible, without locking it behind books or other objects. If you place the soundbar in a cabinet, it should stay as far forward as possible so that the sound is not blocked on the sides. When using a bar with surround sound features like Dolby Atmos, you should avoid placing it in a cabinet as vertical space is needed to get the best effects.
Soundbar features
For the purchase of the soundbar to be advantageous, I advise you to choose only models that have these characteristics:
1) Subwoofer : with the presence of the subwoofer the bass will be reproduced faithfully, so as to make the audio even more engaging. So choose only models with integrated subwoofer or with external unit, no matter which technology is connected to the soundbar (wire or Bluetooth).
2) Number of speakers : the soundbar may seem like a "single" component but in reality it integrates the speakers in the upper or frontal part. Make sure there are at least 2 speakers, so that you can reproduce the stereo effect correctly
3) Power: choose a soundbar with at least 120 Watts of power, so you always have excellent sound performance at any occasion.
Obviously the more powerful the soundbar (200 or 300 W) the greater the volume and the yield of the audio.
4) Connection : most soundbars connect via a 3.5mm jack cable, but on the more advanced models you can find coaxial or optical audio connections (useful for connecting them to an amplifier system), Bluetooth and HDMI connections.
5) Design: the eyes want their part too, so choose only soundbars that match the color of the TV or the living room in which it will be placed (a white soundbar would clash in an all black or metallic gray living room).
6) Effects : some soundbars also allow you to adjust the sound effects with an equalizer or with predefined profiles, so as to obtain a different and personalized sound for each room.
Better a soundbar or a Home Theater system ">
Among the best models for quality and price of soundbar I recommend you focus on the Samsung HW-R450. This soundbar boasts 120W of power, has a passive subwoofer, connects wirelessly to any WiFi TV and has a USB port, a 3.5mm AUX jack input and optical digital input, ideal for connecting it to a plant.
You can view this model from here -> Samsung HW-R450 (140 €)
Samsung HW-R530
One of the best soundbar models with an exceptional quality / price ratio is certainly the Samsung HW-R530, the best-selling. This soundbar has an effective power of 300W, has Bluetooth functionality to also be able to connect smartphones and tablets (useful for playing music), has an HDMI 1.4 port and supports Dolby Digital 2.0 and DTS 2.0.
If you are interested you can view this model from here -> Samsung HW-R530 (156 €)
Sony HT-S350
Sony is one of the leading entertainment companies and offers one of the best soundbars around, the Sony HT-S350.
It really completes the equipment of this device: wireless subwoofer, 300W power, Bluetooth connectivity, device association via NFC, HDMI port, USB port and support for S-Force PRO Front Surround technology for a truly enviable bass rendering.
You can see this powerful soundbar from here -> Sony HT-S350 (150 €).
Samsung HW-R550 / ZF
Spending over € 300 is not a wise move, given that at these figures you can buy a valid Home Theater system, even of a small size; but if you are looking for the most powerful soundbar you can bet on the Samsung HW-R550 / ZF. This soundbar offers the ultimate in sound technology for TV: 320W of power, active-type wireless subwoofer, DTS and Dolby Digital support, Bluetooth connection, optical and coaxial outputs and Surround Sound Expansion technology for bass as if you were in the cinema!
This technological jewel can be viewed here -> Samsung HW-R550 / ZF (200 €)
Among the cheaper models, all without subwoofers, there are the Soundbars of:
- Taotronics at 70 Euros
- Samsung HW-K335 for 90 Euros
- Eivotor, from 30 Euros.
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