Soundbars -- Feedback Wanted

My A/V receiver just died on me. I had a 5.1 ch set-up. Looking to replace that with a soundbar -- an included sub would be a plus.

Wanted to tap the boards for some insight and perspective. What's your experience w/ soundbars? Are the entry-level (read: cheaper) ones serviceable?

I'm not expecting the full depth or richness of my prior 5.1 ch set-up -- just need something that sounds much better than the tinny, echo-y speakers on my flatscreen. They're terrible.

TLDR: Are entry-level soundbars good enough for daily use?

We had started talking about this in the other thread and I was recommending pedestal soundbars like the ZVOX soundbase systems if you have the room. The cheap wall-mountable ones like the ones from Vizio don't sound very good.

When you say cheaper, how much are you talking? The ZVOX 570, 670, or 770 should be good if you can stretch your budget out that much and you have the room under your TV. Those would be between $250 and $450. They get loud, have plenty of base, and have clear dialogue. They won't feel like a step down from 5.1 other than some loss of positional audio.

My previous setup was an Onkyo receiver, Klipsch Promedia sats, and a JBL sub. My receiver eventually died and I had a similar predicament and decided to give soundbars a try. The ZVOX 555 didn't feel like a step down. It was more like an easier to use side-grade. Actually the dialogue is much clearer on the ZVOX. This sounds so good, and is so much cleaner and easier to use that I don't really see myself ever going back to a traditional setup with a receiver, speakers, and sub.

Just buy a new receiver. Downgrading from 5.1 to a sound bar doesn't make much sense if you already had the room to accommodate the 5.1 setup.

Agree here, while receiver won't be cheap, getting cheap soundbar will not replace a 5.1 setup. You'll have to spend as much money as receiver to own quality soundbar.

Soundbar prices

Even though almost all soundbars work on the same principles, price vary wildly between models. You can get a budget brand with a subwoofer for under $200, but high-end models can run over $1,500.

• Under $200: You can easily get a budget soundbar that likely comes with a subwoofer for under $200. However, don’t expect it to be a lot better than the speakers on your flat screen. Some models are the exception to that rule, though.
  

• $200 to $500: The majority of soundbars sit in this price range. You’ll be able to find a brand name model with a subwoofer and potentially satellite speakers for between $200 and $500. You likely won’t find a soundbar that is Dolby Atmos capable for this much, but as prices drop on older models, it’s a possibility.
  

• $500 to $1,000: In this price range you’ll start seeing the higher end models, and the starter models for the luxury brands. Soundbars between $500 to $1,000 don’t offer a lot of advantages over their lower price counterparts. You’ll usually find these have more inputs and capabilities, like 4K pass-through, but quality of sound difference between a $500 soundbar and a $1,000 one isn’t likely to be great.
  

• $1,000 and Up: For over $1,000 you’ll start running into soundbars with crazy amounts of speakers. These soundbars will almost always have 4K pass-through if they’re a current model, and you’ll likely find that many have upward-firing speakers for Dolby Atmos.

@bigfootpart2: I'm looking in the $200 range, but may go higher.

I considered doing this, but I'm considering a soundbar because;

1) My set-up is honestly a bit clunky, so the soundbar will aesthetically look better.

2) I'm in an apartment now, and hardly really "use" my 5.1 ch set-up. So it's benefits aren't really experienced in my day to day.

The ZVOX 570 is $249 on Amazon. Seems like it would work for your needs and budget. The speakers, amp/receiver, and sub are all in one cabinet. My father in law has this and likes it. I don't think it sounds quite as good as the older 555 but it still sounds pretty good. Keep in mind that the ZVOX just do Dolby Digital and PCM. IIRC it can receive DTS but just turns it in PCM. You aren't going to get true positional audio out of something that puts everything in one speaker anyway so I don't see that it's an issue, but I'm just making you aware.

I'm with you on how cluttered and clunky the traditional receiver and speakers setup is. I especially wouldn't want to go back to that if I still lived in an apartment. The ZVOX has everything in one cabinet and you just run a power cable and toslink cable to it. It's really simple and elegant.

https://www.amazon.com/ZVOX-SoundBase-Subwoofer-Bluetooth-AccuVoice/dp/B00O96PD9O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542722897&sr=8-1&keywords=zvox+570

I did some extensive research into this and I concluded Vizio to be the best affordable, entry level soundbar brand there is. There are plenty of non sponsored YouTube videos out there to view.

I almost bought an entry level Bose soundbar until I heard the Vizio. I immediately changed my mind. A big component of a soundbar is a dedicated subwoofer. You simply need one otherwise you just have louder tv speakers with no depth.

I have a fun test for you. Assuming you’re not presently using a soundbar. Go to your TV audio settings and see if you have a surround or 3D option. It might impress you more than you think. Some soundbars out there won’t even sound better than that!

Which Vizio soundbar are you using? My experiences with them have been extremely underwhelming compared to ZVOX.

@shellcase86: I'm going to advice you on getting Microlab SOLO 7C or 9C.

2.0 medium speakers that you can connect to your TV, studio sound quality, wood finish, 3 way speaker.

Prefect for music and movies, got plenty of clear bass without adding a subwoofer.

You don't need a receiver, basically plug and play, looks good aesthetically.

This video made me buy it, I gifted it to my father - he always wanted a surround system but the cost of quality speakers + quality receiver made him turn down for the whole surround idea (basically wanted it for music)

This SOLO7C is more than enough IMO.

I too would recommend a good 2.1 or 2.0 setup instead of soundbar if 5.1 is out of the question

@bigfootpart2: @PredatorRules: @howmakewood: Thanks, again, for the feedback and insight. I'll prob. go w/ the Vizio, but holding out till Friday in case there is a sale I over-missed.

I'll try this tonight after work. Smart idea.