Moderators Youthman Posted November 21, 2013 Moderators Share Posted November 21, 2013 I have a friend in our neighborhood that wants to buy her husband a sound bar for their LCD TV in the living room. I have never owned nor heard any sound bars so I'm sure I'm not much help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Chad Posted November 21, 2013 Administrators Share Posted November 21, 2013 Just send them this URL, and wash your hands of it. http://www.klipsch.com/soundbars 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason str Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 (edited) Most soundbars sound like crap. Rinky dink drivers in a flimsy box doesen't cut it in my opinion. Tell them to pick up a set of ProMedia 2.1's, hard to go wrong with these compact good sounding speaker set. I can also recommend the Klipsch HD theater 300 system, my buddy has them in his living room. Smaller size and nice sound for little cash. If it must be a soundbar style go checkout the new Klipsch models, wont hurt to go have a look. If you check them out be sure to post back and let us know what you think. *Looks like Chad beat me to it. Edited November 21, 2013 by jason str Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philly0116 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 (edited) I can only imagine the back lash this will receive! I know its not a soundbar but the Bose Cinemate systems sound very good and they arent very invasive. 2 speakers and a bass module. Edited November 21, 2013 by philly0116 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted November 21, 2013 Author Moderators Share Posted November 21, 2013 Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Unfortunately most the people that we know are not into audio but yet they want the same sound quality that we have without spending near what we spent. Her budget is $200 so that tells you what little bit we have to work with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason str Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Brand new Promedia 2.1's run $150, well under budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 (edited) http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-budget-soundbar/ edit that vizio was 250 but here: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/vizio-2-1-channel-soundbar-with-wireless-subwoofer/8826074.p?ref=199&loc=TnL5HPStwNw&siteID=TnL5HPStwNw-qeqQn2OlZ6oXq4DSOWqf7A only 199$ sounds like a great contestant. Edited November 21, 2013 by Scrappydue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philly0116 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I can only imagine the back lash this will receive! I know its not a soundbar but the Bose Cinemate systems sound very good and they arent very invasive. 2 speakers and a bass module. Scratch Bose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akdave Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Well the budget won't work - I was going to say for other readers - I have heard a demo of the Klipsch SB 3 and if I had to go with a soundbar, it's fantastic! The sub isn't going to dislodge fillings, but the sound is remarkably immersive and bang for the buck is definitely up there! It has a wow factor, which to me is saying something for a soundbar. The bar connects via one cable to the tv, the sub is wireless so for the average consumer it's convenient and sounds great. I was genuinely impressed with it, I would be happy to own one. Most bars sound to me about as quality as something you'd get for a prize with a kids meal. The SB 3 is clean and distortion free even at high volumes (signature Klipsch). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted November 21, 2013 Author Moderators Share Posted November 21, 2013 I was near Best Buy and had a few minutes so I stopped by to see what they had to offer. Honestly, they all sound like junk. The $299 Sony actually sounded the loudest but the sub was lame. The Samsung sub was turned all the way up and I asked the guy to plug it in. It was moving but not much sound was coming out from it. Some of the others were in the $500 - $600 range so that's way above their desire. I'm going to give her a call and ask what is her goal. Is it just better sound than the TV? Is it bass? That might help me get a better idea of what might work within their budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 find her the bowers and wilkins sound bar. its really impressive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TasDom Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 I had a Polk surround bar (got shivers when I typed that) that sounded very nice. Got it on a demo sale for 99.00 and it retailed for 900.00 plus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted November 22, 2013 Author Moderators Share Posted November 22, 2013 find her the bowers and wilkins sound bar. its really impressive! I would hope so for a $1500 soundbar with no subwoofer. Not going to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted November 22, 2013 Author Moderators Share Posted November 22, 2013 I had a Polk surround bar (got shivers when I typed that) that sounded very nice. Got it on a demo sale for 99.00 and it retailed for 900.00 plus. Looks like there are lots of Polk Soundbar models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TasDom Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 (edited) I had a Polk surround bar (got shivers when I typed that) that sounded very nice. Got it on a demo sale for 99.00 and it retailed for 900.00 plus. Looks like there are lots of Polk Soundbar models. It was the surroundbar 50 (5 channel) If you can find one cheap, it's really good as far as sound bars go. http://www.polkaudio.com/products/surroundbar50 Edited November 22, 2013 by Tasdom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tromprof Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 I have a couple of soundbars, one is a KG4, the other a La Scala. The KG4 was under $200. Just keep repeating the word "soundbar" over and over while hooking it up and maybe she wont notice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted November 22, 2013 Author Moderators Share Posted November 22, 2013 Thx Tasdom. It looks like that one doesn't have a sub is that correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TasDom Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Thx Tasdom. It looks like that one doesn't have a sub is that correct? Correct, it does not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted November 22, 2013 Author Moderators Share Posted November 22, 2013 I stopped by her house to look at her setup and discuss what she is looking for. During our conversation, I explained that I wasn't impressed at all with any of the soundbar systems at best buy that were in the $300 - $450 range. I did not listen too the Klipsch or other higher end models because I knew they were above her budget. I shared with her my thoughts on doing a smaller setup, like a pair of RB-61's since they have a good amount of bass for bookshelf speaker. Or maybe RF-3ii's. She said she would be ok spending more if it would be a good improvement over the soundbar. I believe it would be night and day over the soundbar. She said she doesn't even mind getting it for his birthday in May if it takes awhile to find a good deal. She can get him something else for Christmas. So now I'm on the lookout for a budget priced system that consists of lower end RB or RF speakers. We will start out with a pair of speakers and a receiver. Since she never knows what to get him for Bday and Christmas, she can slowly expand the system over time and buy a center for a gift and down the road buy a subwoofer and then later buy a pair of in ceiling surrounds. So now I'm on the hunt for a $200 pair of RF-3, RB-3ii or RB-35's (or something equivalent) and a receiver that has 2 HDMI and Airplay would be a bonus. I'll start a thread for receiver recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhendrix Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 (edited) Hi Youthman, I will offer an additional option for your consideration. My daughter wanted/needed a small system for her apartment. I researched the small 5.1 systems and discovered the highly-rated, Klipsch-owned, Energy Take Five Classic 5.1 for sale at newegg.com for $349. A few days later, I found it on sale at newegg for $299 and bought a set. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882269024 At the same time, Fry's Electronics had the Denon AVR-300 on sale for $199. Bought that, too. After assembling the system, I was quite surprised at how good it sounded, so much so that I bought 4 more AVR-300 / Take Five Classic 5.1 sets for my kids and a guest room. My son came over to listen and he thought the RB-5's were playing. Nope, it's the little guys . . . . . If you monitor the newegg site and the Fry's site, you will find that the receiver and speakers are on sale for those friendly prices from time to time. This combo would let your friend get started for a bit over $500 and permit upgrading as desired. Edited November 23, 2013 by bhendrix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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