An active sound bar is an entirely self-powered and self-contained unit that includes a built-in amplifier. There are also two main types of sound bars: active and passive, though the active variety is by far the most popular. Some sound bars, especially those that support Dolby Atmos, can add even more speakers to the main unit, including ones pointed up that bounce sound off the ceiling for a fully immersive effect. A three-channel sound bar means you’ll have left, right, and center speakers all contained within the main bar, while a five-channel unit adds rear left and rear right speakers to the mix-usually in the form of wireless speakers that give you plenty of flexibility in their placement. If you want a more immersive, surround-sound experience, you’ll want more channels. The most basic models will have two (referred to as 2.0) like your TV, or two channels and a separate subwoofer (indicated with a 2.1). One of the first things to consider in a sound bar is the number of channels-the individual sources of sound or speakers within the entire unit-you’ll want. If you’re ready for a significant upgrade from your TV’s built-in speakers, these are the best sound bars.Ĭheck out quick info below on the four best sound bars from our testing, then scroll deeper for buying advice and full reviews of these plus other promising options.Ī wireless sound bar for Roku TVs that’s easy to set up and boasts impressive lag-free range. Plus, today’s sound bars come close to surround-sound setups by creating an immersive sense of scale through different channels and 3D audio technology like Dolby Atmos for encompassing sound from a single point. Unlike a true surround-sound system, which consists of five (or more) speakers and a subwoofer, a sound bar is just one compact device-a more practical option for most people since it takes up minimal space, doesn’t leave a mess of wires, and is often more affordable. A sound bar can help eke the highest audio performance out of your TV during both films and music. Also annoying, but much less so: since setting the sound bar up over HDMI, every time I shut off my TV, the screen momentarily powers back on before turning off and staying off - and the sound bar’s display flashes MUTING for about a minute.With more blockbuster movies released directly to streaming services, you’ll need more than a crisp 4K TV if you want to recreate an authentic theater experience. My biggest frustration with the HT-A7000 is that, every once in a while, it’ll stop producing sound altogether, and the only remedy I’ve found for this is to disconnect the power and plug it back in to reboot it, a process that takes several minutes (and always seems to happen when I only want to use my TV for a minute or two). Chances are you’ll be juggling multiple remotes to use this thing, though. The A7000 slots neatly into the fourth, and I don’t have to deal with the sound bar’s input settings at all. Thankfully, my TV has eARC, and it’s got four HDMI ports that I was only using three of. If your TV does support eARC, you just need to run an HDMI cable from the bar’s eARC port to your TV’s, which circumvents all the input-switching shenanigans. If you split your inputs this way, you’ll also have to manually juggle the audio source on the sound bar - it won’t detect which input is playing audio and switch to it on its own (or at least it never has for me). In my experience, that means you’ll need to use both your TV’s remote and the sound bar’s remote to finagle your sources: TV remote to switch the TV to the sound bar’s HDMI input, then the sound bar’s remote to pick between the bar’s two inputs. If your TV doesn’t support eARC, you’ll have to plug any sources you want to output Atmos sound directly into the bar’s two HDMI inputs (the HT-A7000 will still output sound from HDMI inputs connected to your TV, but Atmos passthrough requires eARC). They bring a lot to the package, and wirelessly pairing them with the AT-H7000 is surprisingly simple - but they add substantially to the already high price tag of the bar itself.Īctually using the A7000 is… kind of a pain in the ass. Sony’s optional SW5 subwoofer does offer even deeper, rumbling, movie theater-like bass, and the RS3S rear speakers add, well, rear speakers.
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