Recently, soundbars have become all the rage. This is all thanks to their light weight, thin shape, and truly awesome sound experience. But you may be wondering, ‘what exactly is a soundbar anyway?’. Here’s everything you need to know.
What is a soundbar?
A soundbar is typically a slim, oblong-shaped speaker system that contains several individual speakers placed side by side. It can be mounted on the wall beneath your TV or placed flat on your TV stand to enhance your TV’s built-in speakers.
The benefits of a soundbar
A better audio experience. Although they do the trick, the speakers that come built-in to your TV don’t offer great sound quality. With a soundbar, you’ll instantly be able to hear the difference.
Wireless music. Stream directly from your smartphone (if your soundbar comes equipped with Bluetooth) to enjoy a mini-party in your living room.
Surround yourself. Although it’s not quite surround sound (more on this later), the technology inside soundbars make them a worthy rival to traditional speaker systems.
Where should you place your soundbar?
Ideally, your soundbar should sit directly in front of you at ear level. If you mount your soundbar, make sure it’s unobstructed so to not block any noise. Don’t want the hassle of drilling and screwing? Simply place your soundbar on top of your TV stand – and voila.
Soundbars vs surround sound - what’s the difference?
Unsure what the difference between a soundbar and a traditional surround sound system is? Never fear, we’re here to clear things up.
The biggest difference is the size. Soundbars sit snuggly under your TV, while surround sound systems spread around the room – taking up much more space. What’s more, surround sound speakers can add lots of unnecessary wires to your home. Soundbars were designed to be used with only one or two wires. Simply connect your soundbar to your TV and tuck away the wires – neat!
When it comes to audio quality, there’s not a huge difference. Surround sound systems offer true surround sound – with audio coming from different parts of the room. Whereas, with soundbars, the technology inside them makes it seem like the sound is coming from everywhere. And although it actually isn’t, your brain is tricked into thinking it is.
Buying a soundbar – features to look out for:
External subwoofers – Want to feel the atmosphere of the stadium on match day? Go for a soundbar with a separate subwoofer. The subwoofer handles all the low-frequency sounds that other speakers can’t, giving you the full range of audio just as the sound designers intended.
Dolby Atmos – This clever technology combines object tracking – where the sound follows the action on screen – with upfiring speakers (speakers that face upwards). Dolby Atmos makes whatever you watch even more immersive and realistic.
Bluetooth for music – Soundbars can be just as great for music as they are for TV and movies. Switch between the latest Netflix binge and a party playlist on Spotify by opting for a model with built-in Bluetooth.
Voice control – Many soundbars double up as smart speakers. With voice assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa built-in, there’s no limit to what your soundbar can do. Set reminders, plan your schedule, request a tune, or listen to the latest news.
Multi-room – Want to keep hearing the song as you move from room to room? Some soundbars can be connected to wireless multi-room systems, all controlled from a single app.
