Advertisement

News

5 Sound Bar Buying Tips That Will Take Your Home Entertainment System to the Next Level!

Follow these tips and you won't go wrong.

5 Sound Bar Buying Tips That Will Take Your Home Entertainment System to the Next Level!
Pedro Domínguez

Pedro Domínguez

  • Updated:

Choosing a soundbar is a difficult process, we know. As with other electronic products, such as cell phones, laptops or even electric scooters, knowing which one is best for you without a lot of technical knowledge can be a real ordeal. But don’t worry, we are here to help you.

While the Bose TV Speaker soundbar is becoming a sensation due to its price/performance ratio and the features it offers, it may not be the one that best suits your needs. So before you buy a soundbar, keep the following tips in mind, and you can save yourself from having to return it.

Think carefully about what kind of soundbar you want

When you go to an electronics store to buy a soundbar or go to an online store to take a look, you will find two types of soundbars: passive and active.

While passive soundbars do not have a built-in power amplifier (you have to buy it separately to make it work), active soundbars do. Passive ones tend to have better sound, but with active ones you will have less wiring in between, so think carefully about which is more worthwhile.

Where will you put the sound bar?

Soundbars quickly raise a question: once purchased, where should you place it? While it may have crossed your mind to simply put it behind the TV, “so that it doesn’t get in the way”, you should know that the best places to put a sound bar are in front of or under the TV.

Whether on a stand (such as a table or shelf) or hanging on the wall, it is important that the sound never encounters any obstacles if you want to enjoy a great sound experience. You should also take into account how many channels and speakers the soundbar is composed of, which brings us to…

How many channels do you want your soundbar with?

Soundbars come in all shapes and colors, but one thing you should keep in mind is how many channels you want and for what purpose. The channels are simply the speakers that make up the soundbar, and you should think carefully about how many you need.

From 2-channel sound bars (the classic left and right), to 3-channel and 5-channel sound bars (integrating a center speaker, as well as two rear speakers, in the latter case), to the all-powerful Dolby Atmos home cinemas, with up to 7 channels, the sound you will have will be more or less enveloping.

Choose the soundbar connection correctly

The soundbar you buy will influence the sound you get, but you should also consider the type of connection you use between the devices you connect, including the soundbar itself, the TV, and the Blu-Ray device or game console (among others) that emits the sound.

While HDMI/HDMI-ARC is best for soundbars with many channels and the optical cable offers a more solid and reliable connection, other connections such as the classic jack cable, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth may also work for you depending on the available outputs on the devices you connect or the space you have available.

Think carefully about whether to buy the soundbar with subwoofer

The sound you will get from the soundbar you choose will be of quality, but there is one crucial aspect to your experience: the subwoofer. This is a separate speaker with which the bass and loudest sounds are transmitted thanks to its soundboard. An addition that you will definitely notice if you watch a movie or series with lots of action, gunfire and explosions.

Some soundbars have them built in, but others do not. Also, while most subwoofers connect via cable to the soundbars, some connect via Bluetooth, so you’ll need to be aware of possible disconnections or audio quality.

Pedro Domínguez

Pedro Domínguez

Publicist and audiovisual producer in love with social networks. I spend more time thinking about which videogames I will play than playing them.

Latest from Pedro Domínguez

Editorial Guidelines