Most recently, the well-deserved trend of home theaters has faded. Indeed, it is very pleasant to get into the surround and rich stereo sound in front of a high-quality picture of the video sequence. However, technology continues to evolve, and as an alternative to a set of equipment for a home theater, the layman is offered the next stage in the development of acoustic household appliances - a soundbar or sound bar.
Difficulties associated with installing a home theater are not taken into account. Finding and selecting a suitable place in the room for home theater elements, laying cables so that they are not noticeable and do not interfere, setting up and other initial operations is just a one-time necessary inconvenience. After tuning, it remains only to regularly wipe off the dust on all surfaces of the audio system and try not to tip the speakers if they are located on the floor.
Technological step forward
The laws of the development of systems and technologies suggest that acoustic systems will decrease in volume while maintaining and increasing their qualities, such as sound soundbars. It seems so. This confirmation is the fact that the home theater has evolved to a soundbar, which occupies a volume in space an order of magnitude smaller than the volume of home theater equipment, and at the same time reproduces high-quality 7.1 sound. The material makes an attempt to dive deeper into this topic.
Soundbar - what is it?
We can say about the soundbar that this is such a music column. That is, not one speaker, but the body, literally stuffed with many speakers with the most diverse characteristics and often installed at different angles in order to fill the room with surround sound as efficiently as possible.
The soundbar's heart is its processor. Namely, it should have sufficient power to cope with the task of controlling multi-channel sound and reproduce surround sound of sufficient power and quality using special audio algorithms for the interaction of controlled speakers.
How it works?
So, soundbar - what is it and how does it work? Probably, one can say about the appearance of such a device as a soundbar, that it is an elongated column under the TV - this device is usually fixed under the image source. It is difficult to imagine for an ordinary person what possibilities the latest audio speakers possess, the diffusers of which are made of carbon fiber and which work in an ensemble with coaxial speakers under the control of the conductor - processor. We learned what a soundbar is. An overview of popular models will be presented later.
The sound, as a rule, comes from the TV to the soundbar and is already laid out in the processor in frequencies, the process of algorithmization passes. Further, in a converted form it is fed to the speakers in that sequence, duplication, duration and frequency, which is able to correspond to the concept of powerful and surround sound with sound quality much higher than even the CD-ROM format.
Price issue
Indeed, technology simplifies human life and makes it more enjoyable. Recent audio systems are proof of this. Because for all its complexity, with the extremely small size of the components and the ultra-high speed of processing a huge data array, any ordinary user can afford to have such a technology.
This review does not cover the prices of minisound bars that connect to a computer, mobile phone or other devices. Now we are talking about household sound bars that are connected to a TV or projector for the most high-quality filling of the room with realistic sound.
The one who plans to buy a soundbar is interested in prices not least. And there is some good news. The price segment, which presents an assortment line of sound panels, starts at $ 100. So, for example, through the Internet for about this money you can order the Samsung soundbar. Of course, it is unlikely that you can get all the potential sound quality for this amount, but such a technique has the basic capabilities of a home theater. The upper limit of the price range of household appliances of this plan is up to 3 thousand dollars, for which you can get appliances with sound parameters 5.1 and 7.1 in the highest quality performance.
Installation and configuration issue
Installing the soundbar is not a problem and is performed in two versions. The first is when the device’s case is placed on a furnished stand under the TV and rests on legs or a specialized stand. There are also larger soundbars that are designed for the TV to be mounted on top of them, like a stand.
In another version of the installation, the soundbar body is attached directly to the wall under the TV on the screws. This installation option has its advantages - the technique can be both a functional element and part of the interior. In any case, if you want to install the audio system represented by the soundbar, everyone can.
Equipment can be connected via several input options, such as HDMI, digital audio input, or analog. When connecting for maximum sound quality, preference is given, of course, to the HDMI input, especially since it provides the ability to control some soundbar settings using the TV remote control.
Setting the operating modes of the device for the room used with the remote control is also necessary. Using the preset operating modes of the equipment without adjusting the settings values for specific conditions is about the same as coming to listen to a famous singer who for some reason sings in an ordinary loudspeaker.
Popular models and manufacturers
Among the models of mass demand audio systems on the market, one can distinguish the Samsung soundbar. The equipment of this manufacturer is distinguished by reliable service support and excellent performance. Another alternative representative of the same segment is the lg soundbar, reviews of which are mostly positive. A stylish and modern device in the mid-price range collects thousands of flattering comments from satisfied customers. Both manufacturers in their product lines have models for different budgets and in various stylistic decisions.
Based on the analysis of reviews, we can draw a superficial and preliminary conclusion that the Samsung soundbar in any budget solution is somewhat better than similar models of the Lg manufacturer. It has a fairly responsive service and a long warranty period. Reviews of the Lg technique are no worse, and for some decisions, both technological and stylistic, the products are superior to their competitors.
Where to buy a soundbar?
You can buy a soundbar for home use today in almost any home appliance store. In this case, everything is simple - I came, got advice and bought with the money that I planned, or I got a loan. However, presumably, in this case, the acquisition will be somewhat more expensive.
Buying a soundbar in an online store with delivery is perhaps one of the best purchase options, both in terms of purchase risks and the timing of an order. Quite often, buying equipment via the Internet can save a significant amount of money. By the way, according to the results of the analysis of the availability and conditions of existing offers, a very sound position is held by the Samsung soundbar.
If the task is to buy acoustics as cheap as possible, then the possibilities of ordering such equipment through world-famous online stores and auctions such as E-bay, Amazom or Aliexpress come to the fore. These stores are probably worth using in cases where the purchase is not urgent and it is possible to wait (delivery of the order sometimes takes more than one month).
Instead of a conclusion
It is very pleasant in the evening, after a busy day, it is convenient to sit on the couch, turn on a good movie and completely immerse yourself in what is happening. Plunge into the plot and the sea of high-quality, surround and enveloping sound when it seems that you are at the epicenter of the events.
This effect successfully creates a home theater, and can create a good and high-quality soundbar (in size - an order of magnitude smaller, and in price - much cheaper). What to choose and what to stop is obvious to everyone.