Want to upgrade your TV sound? If you are looking at a soundbar or speakers, for your audio system, we recommend you to go through this specially curated guide for you to understand each type. As 2020 draws to an end, we decided to help every audiophile and the first-time buyer make the right choice, and usher in the new year with pro tips to spend your money wisely on the best option for your home theatre system.
Reasons to choose a speaker over soundbar or vice-versa can vary. To help you experience a stellar sound experience while watching movies or enjoying music, we bring to you a feature roundup, along with the pros and cons of soundbars and speakers.
But first, check the wad of cash in your wallet and the space in your living room
Make an informed decision about how much you are willing to spend. The budget you have allocated to the home entertainment upgrade will determine if you choose multi speaker surround setups or a soundbar. Also, factor in the space in your living room.
Soundbars require less investment and occupy less space while multi speaker surround setups need more space and higher spending capacity.
You can have the most remarkable soundbars for around 20k to 30k. But when it comes to assembling a separate speaker system, you need to shell out more cash. Besides, you will require at least two speakers and an AV receiver, which would cost you distinctly higher than a soundbar.
If your budget bracket allows, buying a complete 5.1 speaker set is also an option. It would be helpful to bear in mind that with rear speakers, a centre speaker for dialogue and a subwoofer for bass, it is definitely going to be an immersive sound experience for audiophiles and cine buffs.
Soundbars
Most soundbars are long, thin speaker systems that can be easily mounted on the wall or placed on a shelf above or below the television. There is also another variant, sound bases. These are pedestal-style soundbars that can serve as a base for a TV. Now before we deep-dive into some recommendations, let’s have a look at the advantages and the disadvantages of soundbars first.
To round off things on soundbars, their sleek design, hassle-free installation process, space-saving, minimized wire clutter, and their ability to produce a form of virtual surround sound, makes it is the simplest choice for the first time buyers, or anyone in general, looking to improve the overall audio experience in comparison to the TV's inbuilt speakers.
A few good Soundbar recommendations from Team Ooberpad
Speakers
While soundbars enhance the overall audio experience in comparison to the TV's inbuilt speakers, Hi-Fi/Surround Sound speakers pack a punch with an immersive sound which is best-fit for watching movies or listening to your favourite music tracks.
From a small Bluetooth speaker, bookshelf speakers, smart speakers with Amazon Alexa, computer speakers, desktop speakers, outdoor speakers or a full sound system, there is no dearth of options.
But, speaker selection can be challenging due to the room acoustics and individual perception of sound. Most people are often confused between buying a soundbar or a multi-channel surround sound system for their home.
A quick glance at the advantages and the disadvantages of the surround-sound package or the multiple speaker set-ups can be revealing enough to make the right choice. So, if you want to take your home theatre to the next level, read on to ensure you get the best performance for the money.
| Advantages |
Disadvantages |
| The audio quality is stellar and delivers an immersive quality to the home entertainment | This is usually a more expensive option as compared to soundbars |
| It improves your TV sound to the audiophile-grade with superior bass and clarity | You may have to sacrifice style for performance, as they can look obtrusive and interfere with the decor |
| You can mix and match according to your own individual preferences | It is not an easy, plug-and-play option and requires expert help |
To round off things on speakers, the audio quality is going to be better than your TV’s average sound quality, and you would never miss out on the bass, dialogue and the immersive entertainment quality. If you are an audiophile, it will allow you to max out the acoustic possibilities as you like and enhance your home entertainment to a whole new level.
A few good Speaker recommendations from Team Ooberpad
There are some other alternatives too. You could check out headphones, as most TVs offer bluetooth output or headphone jacks, that allow you to connect your headphones and enjoy music and movies, without disturbing others in the house, who may not share your passion.
We hope this guide helps you find answers to some of your questions on deciding between a soundbar and speakers. Finally, remember much of it comes down to personal preference and constraints too.
For any more information on this, you can get in touch with Team Ooberpad and we would be happy to walk you through everything including what and how-to while helping you make the right choice that fits your audio needs.
