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RE: Best soundbars you've heard.

73.229.163.4

In Reply to: RE: Best soundbars you've heard. posted by sk on November 14, 2024 at 06:17:31

Sonos ARC is always one of the top rated. It's a bit different than some in how you set it up. Needs AC power, HDMI to TV, and Wifi or Ethernet. You walk your iPhone around the room with the Sonos App running and it maps out your room acoustics to dial it in. That's it. You can optionally use the App to manually tweak bass/treble/dialogue enhancement/limit dynamics for quieter night time use, etc. I don't mess with mine. I set it up once and that's it.
You can start with the Sonos ARC (which sounds excellent on its own BTW) then add the sub and satellites later. While these additional speakers require AC power (of course!) they are wireless over Wifi.... so no speaker wire cabling necessary. The soundbar alone is great. Adding the other speakers later makes the system even better. I have the Sonos ARC under our 75" TV in the basement. The soundbar based HT setup is 100% separate from the 2-channel stereo.
Sonos ARC soundbar under Samsung 75" TV in the basement setup

Not shown is the square donut shaped Sonos sub and the two satellite speakers in the back of the room.

Album art on the TV via Roon. Sonos ARC soundbar below the TV.

Control Roon using iPad touchscreen with Roon Remote App.

The Sonos ARC soundbar alone is $899 in black or white
They just released the Sonos ARC "Ultra" which I believe will replace the original Sonos ARC. These new "Ultras" might still be in transit to their retailers. The ARC soundbars are not light so be prepared to drill into 2x4 behind your drywall to install their optional mounting system. I just used a couple generic soundbar L-bracket mounts for mine purchased off Amazon. Or you can place the soundbar on a shelf under the TV.

Even the Sonos Beam is better than most speakers inside a flat screen TV but it is no match for the Sonos ARC which is significantly better. We have the Sonos Beam under the smaller 55-inch TV in the family room. Thinking about eventually replacing it with a Sonos ARC.

Sonos ARC Ultra. (Open in New Window)

Edits: 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24

Follow Ups:

Why - Ozzie 18:28:45 11/14/24 (2)
are your subs so close together?
- What I found works best - E-Stat 07:55:04 11/15/24 (0)
  with the HT was to place them in corners at room diagonals. Room still has some modes, but overall response is pretty decent using some parametric EQ (attenuation).
- RE: Why - AbeCollins 18:44:23 11/14/24 (0)
  For the photo op and they like to keep each other company.
  
  Edits: 11/14/24 11/14/24
RE: Best soundbars you've heard. - Goober58 18:21:43 11/14/24 (1)
What's the interface to your music collection?
Moode for my audio system -

foobar for the PC audio system -

Edits: 11/14/24 11/14/24
- RE: Best soundbars you've heard. - AbeCollins 18:45:55 11/14/24 (0)
  Roon for everything including Roon ARC on the iPhone while on the go. Roon ARC allows me to stream whatever I have on my NAS at home to the iPhone w/o downloading content to the iPhone --- assuming I have cellular coverage.
Why don't you use your 2ch system for tv? - oldmkvi 07:30:24 11/14/24 (9)
I use coax out from 4K Sattelite box to the Dac in my 2ch system.
Hard to imagine a sound bar sounding better.
I would think your system there would be great for tv and movies.
What does the sound bar do better?
- Don't use a TV in my....... - sk 07:48:33 11/14/24 (6)
  dedicated 2-channel room.
  - RE: Don't use a TV in my....... - AbeCollins 07:53:15 11/14/24 (5)
    That's fine, but you asked about soundbars.
    - RE: Don't use a TV in my....... - sk 07:58:44 11/14/24 (4)
      Correct for my TV room not for my 2-channel audio-only room.
      - RE: Don't use a TV in my....... - dbphd 09:30:16 11/14/24 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Don't use a TV in my....... posted by sk on November 14, 2024 at 07:58:44
        
        I was going to respond that I'm completely satisfied with the Sony HT A9 until OP introduced a non sequitur photo of a very cluttered room presumably used for 2-channel audio. The HT A9 seems to be a variant of the setup Abe describes, and I use it both for HT and Roon.
      - RE: Don't use a TV in my....... - AbeCollins 09:25:27 11/14/24 (2)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Don't use a TV in my....... posted by sk on November 14, 2024 at 07:58:44
        
        My bad. I see that you were replying to oldmkvi . As you can see, my setup is 2-ch plus the TV and I wanted a totally separate audio system for the TV w/o getting complicated with a HT/AV receiver. It's also super simple for my wife as she doesn't have to be concerned with the 2-ch system at all. Just turn ON the TV and use the TV remote to control soundbar volume.
        
        RE: Don't use a TV in my....... - sk 11:18:32 11/14/24 (1)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Don't use a TV in my....... posted by AbeCollins on November 14, 2024 at 09:25:27
        
        Thanks Abe. I've been doing some research thinking I'd get the Sono Arc Plus but.......
        I have the LG C8PUA 4K HDR Smart OLED TV 65'' Class Model # OLED65C8PUA. The TV has an HDMI ARC port on it. It does NOT support a Soundbar with an HDMI eARC port like the SONOS. Connecting an HDMI ARC port to an HDMI eARC port will limit you to the bandwidth restrictions of the HDMI ARC port. The main differences between ARC and eARC lie in bandwidth and speed. The enhanced version of the Audio Return Channel has a much higher bandwidth than its predecessor. As a result, with an eARC channel, you can enjoy the depth of movie-theatre-quality surround sound via formats such as DTS:X and Dolby. So it would seem the Sonos ARC Ultra may be a waste with this TV.
        Thoughts?
        
        RE: Don't use a TV in my....... - AbeCollins 11:46:48 11/14/24 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Don't use a TV in my....... posted by sk on November 14, 2024 at 11:18:32
        
        Good point about HDMI ARC vs eARC.
        You won't achieve the full capability of the Sonos ARC soundbar but the soundbar itself sounds excellent and it will still work on HDMI ARC and handle different audio formats like PCM (2 channel), Dolby Digital (up to 5.1 channel) and DTS Digital Surround (up to 5.1 channel).
        I would also ask this question. What modern soundbars only support HDMI ARC and not eARC? Do they exist and is there a savings going with those older soundbars?
        Your choice also depends on what you want to achieve. If all you want is to improve upon the TV's built-in speakers, just about any lesser soundbar should do. On the other hand, a higher-end soundbar will sound better with more room filling sound even if the TV doesn't support the latest eARC and associated formats. That's my 2-cents worth.
        I came across the article linked below. There are my others like it.
        
        HDMI ARC vs eARC - What's the difference (Open in New Window)
        
        Edits: 11/14/24
- Soundbar sounds much better for movies - AbeCollins 07:47:10 11/14/24 (1)
  "Hard to imagine a sound bar sounding better."
  
  It does sound better for Movies. Much better....
  
  Dolby surround modes including Atmos fill the room and sounds better than simple 2-ch stereo for movies. I've done it both ways, 2-ch and soundbar based surround.
  - Right, I should have thought of that! - oldmkvi 08:52:34 11/14/24 (0)
    /

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