Random Thoughts Thread

[RCBH928]

Regardless, your setup, your money, your preference. To me, if you're essentially just wanting "TV speakers", but better, then a sound bar is a great way to go. For a full surround setup, well, I already own a nice receiver, with speakers I built...so I wouldn't really be looking to swap that out.
If you're looking at a sound bar for a full surround setup, maybe try to find a place where you can hear a demo first, or that has a good return policy, in case it doesn't work well for you.

You got me interested maybe I should buy one, but I am so used to TV sound, I am afraid the soundbar would give a "theatre" sound...I don't know what its called but sounds like hollow with a lot of "base" ?
I remembered where I read about not to get a soundbar, its in reddit here and here

Also, there's something to be said about watching a movie with an audience. Not just the group you are with, but everyone collectively. It's a different experience. Sometimes bad, if you have people talking, checking their cell phones (this is the worst - don't turn on your screen in a dark room, you can see it from a mile away and takes everyone out of the movie!) and stuff like that. But assuming you are in a theater with all respectful people, it's a neat experience. The laughing and applauding of an audience can't be replicated in your house. And the opening night for some movies are a spectacle. Like dressing up in costumes for certain movies (Batman, Pirates of the Caribbean, stuff like that). Usually the midnight premiers of movies like that are mostly attended by diehard fans so it's a fun time.

Yeah, I guess going to the theater is more about the social experience than watching the movie itself. A lot of movies are not worth the "theater" experience like Scary Movie, on the opposite of say an Avengers movie. You can still replicate the experience a bit at home by inviting friends over and having your own popcorn, finger food, and snacks.

The smell of popcorn, usually some arcades in attract mode, large movie posters on the wall. Nicer theaters will be done up in lights. If you don't want popcorn and a soda you can laugh at the prices.

I heard it was like that because the theaters don't make money on the tickets but on the food bar which made me forgive them for it.

[Ziggy]

Actually, I find that comedies are better in the theater. I find that you laugh harder and more often with an audience. Also, since comedies aren't serious I am more tolerant to the negatives about being in an audience. People talking, fiddling with wrappers, turning their phone screen on to make sure their precious social media status hasn't changed, stuff like that. But a "serious" movie, those things piss me off. When I watch a movie that isn't a comedy, I like to try and get "sucked in" to it and suspend my mind of the outside world. When someone turns their phone screen on it takes you right out of the movie. After smart phones evolved into what they are now, this started to happen at least once per movie I would see. So I'm actually less likely to see a movie that I care about than I am a comedy or throw away action movie.

When I was a senior in high school and the few years after I graduated, I actually use to go to the movies very often. Like, multiple times a week. There would be times I'd see a movie with one group of friends, then a few nights later see the same movie with a different group of friends. But with the movie ticket prices going up and people steadily becoming more rude and less respectful of others, I slowly lost interest in going to the theater. After a while, there would only be special exceptions that I would go. Over the years, these exceptions boiled down to pretty much just one. James Bond. I was super pumped that Craig's last Bond flick was coming out in April 2020. But because of the pandemic the release date was pushed back.

Another thing I forgot to mention about the experience of a movie theater... The sound is cranked up to 11. I have a decent sound system, but I can't always blast it. But this isn't a concern at the theater.

[isiolia]

You got me interested maybe I should buy one, but I am so used to TV sound, I am afraid the soundbar would give a "theatre" sound...I don't know what its called but sounds like hollow with a lot of "base" ?
I remembered where I read about not to get a soundbar, its in reddit here and here

The base consideration there is what you actually want. Those Reddit threads, and likely many others like them, are making the (usually correct) assumption that a reader is looking to put together as capable a sound system as they can afford. With that goal in mind, heading straight to an amp or receiver and speakers makes total sense. It's going to give you the most flexibility, better value, and almost certainly the best actual results with respect to sound.

If you have other priorities though, then that can steer you to different options. Even those threads kind of say that, whether conceding that a sound bar is fine for a secondary setup, or ending up at speaker bars (similar form factor, just still needs a receiver). That said, you could also consider whether or not a different setup is completely out as well. If it's just that you don't want to run surrounds, then that's a different thing than not running speakers at all.


How a given system ends up sounding can depend a lot on the room and placement. So, to a point, it goes back to the above. What your goals are. My assumptions is that if your TV speakers aren't having trouble filling the room, then a sound bar likely wouldn't either. If you have a large room though, or one that's all bare walls and floors with a lot of reflections, then it likely won't sound as good as it could....but some of that you could address.

[RCBH928]

thanks for the tips, but I have decided against getting a sound bar

[isiolia]

Heh, understood - I think the typically recommended "good" ones are $600-800+ (Sonos for instance), so it's understandable. Again, that's why those threads go straight for other gear - you can put together a very nice surround setup for that same $945.

If you're still interested in improving your sound, the best bang for the buck would be snagging a used receiver and speakers. Even just a stereo setup, to minimize the wires/etc. My first setup was a pair of speakers I got for $25 at a flea market (still have them, over 20 years later, still sound good) and my dad's old stereo receiver he bought in college. Or there are decent-yet-cheap new options on the market.
I, or I'm sure others here, would be happy to help you figure that stuff out if you want.

[Ziggy]

If you're still interested in improving your sound, the best bang for the buck would be snagging a used receiver and speakers. Even just a stereo setup, to minimize the wires/etc. My first setup was a pair of speakers I got for $25 at a flea market (still have them, over 20 years later, still sound good) and my dad's old stereo receiver he bought in college. Or there are decent-yet-cheap new options on the market.

+1

My first pair of decent speakers were a pair of floor standings that I got for free from a relative that no longer wanted them. But I often find similar speakers in thrift stores for very cheap. If you search the usual second hand places, it's not too hard to find a decent set of floor standings for cheap. Hi-Fi systems have gone out of fashion. People want small Bluetooth speakers and docks, or sound bars like the one pictured above. No one wants big bulky speakers anymore, which makes used ones cheap! I used a stereo setup for a while with these speakers, which will blow away the speakers in any TV. And these floor standings are still my main L and R speakers.

After a while I eventually acquired a cheap 5.1 system that someone was getting rid of. A low-end package from the early 00's, the receiver handled only audio. Typical package of bookshelf speakers with a passive sub. Well I kept my floor standings and used them for the front L and R speakers, then I used the front L and R speakers from the package as my surround L and R speakers. I eventually replaced the sub with an active one that I found in a thrift store for $8. But you know what? I actually keep it off. My floor standings have 12" woofers and I get great low end out of them. All the sub really does is add a rumble, which is kind of neat if you want the whole house to shake, but that's mainly why I keep it off. So I guess you could say I have a 5.0 system. When I got my second HDTV I decided to upgrade my receiver at the same time, and got a proper AVR. I kept the same speakers though. I had thought about upgrading the center channel speaker a few times, but I can't find any issues with the one I have.

It'll be a sad day, but when my current 1080p TV goes out I guess I'll probably have to replace it with a 4k, which means I'll have to upgrade my AVR again since my current one doesn't support 4k. At that point, I'll definitely keep the same speakers.

Anyway, my point is that with speakers I got on the cheap or for free I was able to get a decent sound system. The only real money I spent was on the receiver. Which you could always go second hand with too. I'm sure if I A/B tested my floor standings or center channel with something newer/better I would be able to hear an improvement, but I'm more than satisfied with what I have now. Basically anything is a huge improvement over the shitty speakers that you find in TVs today.

[bmoc]

Monoprice makes some decent budget speakers. I've been pleased with the ones I installed in my gameroom.

https://www.monoprice.com/category/audio-video/speakers

[marurun]

Sounds bars are incredibly useful for folks who have a space that just doesn't support a bunch of extra stuff piled up by the TV. If you're trying to get the fullest audio you need to be able to control your space, and so you can probably opt for cheaper, less-space-efficient options. On the other hand, if you just want stuff to sound better than the built-in crap speakers on the TV and take up minimal space, sound bars can be a very good option. Where I'm moving my TV in a few months when we rearrange the living room, there won't be as much space for tons of stuff, and we'll be getting an articulated TV mount, so we'll probably want to opt for a sound bar. The Wirecutter has a section for good sound bars without subwoofers and their first suggestion is a $250 option that looks pretty good to me. There's even a perfunctory $100 option.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/revi ... -subwoofer

[RCBH928]

$200-300 was the range I had in mind, while I do not understand anything I just want a better sound that Soundcore Infini Pro at $250 looks like what I am after. Wirecutters says it has no subwoofer but Amazon page says it has built-in one.

[marurun]

A built-in one will be limited. Subwoofers need their size to really generate punch. So don't count on truly punchy bass with a built-in one. Still, I imagine it will have pretty good sound, as long as you're not trying to create some fantastic multi-speaker soundscape.