Why Do Some People Hate Soundbars?

[@HCkev]

The thing is, with older TVs, most people weren't interested in buying a home theatre system. They were fine with the built-in speakers of their TV. Pretty much only movie fanatics, audiophiles and such bought sound systems for their TV.
But with the introduction of flat screen TVs and the increasing trend of making them thinner and sleekier, built-in TV speakers now just plain suck for the most part, they sound thin, dialogues are hard to hear, they distort easily at high volumes, etc - so people who previously weren't interested into TV sound system are now forced to look for them. Most people looking at sound bars are basically looking at built-in TV speakers replacement rather than a home theatre system.
But of course, with how technology has evolved, there are now sound bars that has impressive surround sound, all that in a simple, sleek and obnoxious package, so there are people who weren't interested in a home theatre system before that are now interested because they can have great surround sound, without the wires, hassle, bulky speakers, and such.
IMO if you're really looking for the ultimate cinema experience, nothing beat a "real" home theatre system, with amp/receiver and separate speakers for each channel. No amount of trickery and things such as sound bouncing off the walls will ever compete with that. But now these sound bars are good enough that a home theatre enthusiast can consider them for their secondary TVs (not replacing their main system they took time, effort and pride to build though!)

[@neilis2405]

I kinda agree here. I'm not an audiophile - I just don't care that much about it, and was usually fine with built-in TV speakers. The tiny framed flat screens now though just don't really include "real" speakers anymore so it's not just a question of "experience" - on a lot of newer sets even at max volume I have a hard time even hearing things. Plus if it DOES get any amount of volume you often get an annoying rattle from the TV frame.
A soundbar just gets me REASONABLE sound that works. I've not even found a need to get expensive ones. Typically a ~$100 sound bar serves my needs just fine.

[@yvanokuba1649]

@@grimsquad273 u may say no need to spend as much as ..." until u have gone to friends home that owns something like a Samsung q950a and get to watch a movie or music. A bigger soundbar not only gives u bigger volume , but details of sound due to the more channels inside plus dedicated satellites

[@dosomestuff1949]

The thing is, a “real” system costs thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars, and a sound bar still gives u thag movie theater level or even better sound, yea real speakers sound much better but tbh for the acergae person a sound bar system is more than enough

[@eyeshezzy]

I would like to see you build a low cost traditional system and compare it with a soundbar system

[@JasperJanssen]

I can already predict the result now: doesn’t fit under my TV, but sound is much better because the drivers can be bigger than 50-60mm or so.

[@shaundavidssd]

Easy ,any stereo amp bookshelves of the same price would outperform any sound bar ,1inch drivers ate a joke mate lmao

[@Gabriel-of-YouTube]

@@shaundavidssd That's true, one cannot simply get resonable mids from such small speakers. You need at least 4" mid sound driver for quality.

[@seasaw324]

I would like to see this too. I've been trying to decide between the two for awhile

[@Arvidje]

@@shaundavidssd lol u never heard the newer highend soundbars.. its not only about mids.. the highs and vocals are more quality sounds out those soundbar vs a bookshelve setup.. and for movies, dtsx or atmos, the high quality systems dont give that more excitement some even less vs a proper 7.1.4 soundbars..

[@Not884]

I’ve had a full on 7.1 . Wires everywhere. Couldn’t turn it on most of the time because I’m in a townhouse. Got a sonos and loved the simplicity and easy way to turn off the surrounds and sub. In a house I’d totally get a atmos system but I’m very happy with my Sonos arc .

[@stanc8407]

Jonah hits the mark. I had a nakamichi 9.2.4 and sold it to buy a full klipsch Rp set of speakers. The sound quality is by far better than the soundbar and that is to be expected but as mentioned in the video, it's a farrrrrr more involved process. It boils down to whether you value convenience with good enough sound or sheer audio fidelity. Whatever choice it is, it's still better than just stock TV speakers

[@Chiefbird007]

I just got a Klipsch center speaker for my 5.1 (could make it 6.1 but I don't have an extra speaker that would work in the space) and it sounds awesome. it is a VERY big up grade from my last Center which replace my last original RCA Center from my first. Now I have a 150 amp kenwood with two Sony towers, a ten inch Sony sub, and two AR surround speakers.

[@jaimeguaderrama931]

I own the Sonos ARC complete home theater system 5.2.2 and Im truly happy with it. If I had the space, I would definitely go with a traditional system to experience real Atmos.

[@BlairPurvis]

“Run them across the ground like an animal.” Hilarious. I hope I get to use that line someday.

[@ijustsawthat]

TL;DW -> Do you have a wife ?
Yes : Get a soundbar.
No : Do whatever you want.
That is how marriage works.

[@Zoranurai13]

I have a wife and she said, and i quote:
“The living room is yours as long as i can get my own room for books, fishies and stuff”
So i put in a full 7.2.4 atmos system . Yes she’s a keeper

[@tomachu7899]

As a BestBuy Salesman who sells higher quality audio, this is very much the case most of the time LMAO. I do have the occasional opposite day where the wife is really into it and the husband hates it.

[@Zoranurai13]

@@tomachu7899 i’ve worked in the european counterpart and it’s so funny to see a wife be totally into it and the husband go “no it’s too large or doesn’t fit the decor etc” or when buying a tv the husband wants a 49” and the wife is like “no, we have a 7m deep living room, i’m getting a 75 inch”

[@thebrunoserge]

@@Zoranurai13 Is she? Why are you so visibly unhappy then? lol

[@richardnickell4116]

Here's another things is the mobility. My sister and brother-in-law just sold their house that had a dedicated media room and everything had to stay because the new home owner wanted the sound system. I really like my Sonos Arc sound system. It was easy to setup and it's easy to move around. Thanks for the great video.

[@BigNoseTony]

I bring the jbl 9.1 outside for the projector for outdoor wireless 5.1. tales 5 minutes. Nobody tripping on anything.

[@FURognar]

The answer to that would be NO

[@JasperJanssen]

@@FURognar in a house sale, that stuff will probably bring in enough that you can put a better system in the new location.

[@FURognar]

@@JasperJanssen if you can have enough left over

[@sbbinahee]

Fair points made. Once you have a traditional system there's no going back. If you really love sound of cinema or music you really are missing out.

[@masumwahid9602]

Ñ8 j9j9o99

[@ernestcd]

Ive had a traditional 5.1 system since the late 1990s. It was very hard to let go, but the Bose 700 sound-bar, with Bose 700 surround speakers and 2 Bose 700 bass modules made me a true believer. For the last year, Ive been completely blown away with my movies and my music listening. Just watching regular streaming tv is a treat to enjoy. Dont knock it till you try it, glad I did.😉

[@jplatham1]

You could also test something like Klipsch’s ‘The Fives’ against a traditional sound bar. They are powered, HDMI arc capable, plug-and-play bookshelf speakers that sound great and look great. They retail for $800 and you can easily add a subwoofer to them for comparison to a high end sound bar system. It’s a classier look in my opinion with the same ease of setup that a soundbar provides. Could be interesting.

[@B_Ahmed1234]

I had previously avoided sound bars or home theater receivers. I got a 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos soundbar system back in November and was amazed at that general quality of the audio even in stereo, not to mention the theater like feeling from dolby atmos and 5.1 audio. I would never have gotten a home theater receiver, just too inconvenient in terms of wiring and space.

[@JetPackDino]

5:51 "..across the ground like an animal." lol this made my day. Very funny. Subscribed
Yep, the sound system dream. We've all done it. The time, the expense, etc. And watched everything fall apart with kids and dogs, the system becomes outdated, we move to another house... the speakers end up in boxes and we don't want to go through it again. So just get a soundbar. Because we're just gonna get new everything in a few years so... soundbar

[@joeymcguire6011]

This is the equivalent of consoles vs pcs in the av community

[@coopermay887]

Or gaming laptop vs build your own.

[@thebrunoserge]

At least consoles and PCs give you something worth your money. Soundbars are absolute useless trash. If I see that someone bought a soundbar my respect for them drops a lot of points. Low IQ move

[@ElasticLove12]

For most people a soundboard is a huge upgrade from the crap tv speakers. For others they need a high end soundbar to do the job and then for the small minority they absolutely need a traditional AVR surround system.

[@laranaarana]

I own a Vizio SB36 5.1 soundbar and I am quite pleased with how it sounds. I still use my 5.1 Optimus or my Yamaha 7.1 to listen to my cassettes or vinyl records! ;)

[@alexojeda9048]

The only people who hate soundbars are audiophiles and people who aren't familiar with soundbars. Yes, a traditional sound system does sound better but they're more expensive and complicated to set up than a soundbar. I live in a small apartment and my living room is not configured for optimal speaker placements. I don't have the room to use tower speaker or bookshelf speaker on stands so a sound system is out of the question for me. I have a Sony soundbar that I paid $600 for and it sounds really good. It also has the added feature of bluetooth connectivity for my headphones. Most receivers and tvs don't have that. I don't give a shit about atmos or any other gimmicks that electronics manufacturers push to sell more units and run up the price.

[@magnusschmidt1545]

Acctually you can get a really good setup of home cinema sound for the same price so no it isnt more expensive.

[@thetrumanshow4791]

Even crappy little micro satellites sound thousands of times better than sound bars twice their price.

[@RJ-xj3ct]

aye big dawg a simple 2 channel setup with good center imaging will crush any soundbar. At the end of the day it depends on what you want.

[@sav7568]

Traditional sound systems are not more expensive at all. Two Kanto YU4 + Kanto sub 8 costs around $700 and you don't need a receiver. The cost with either Swan or Edifier speakers is around $300 - $400. A Sonos Arc costs around $800.

[@PhlightYagami]

@@sav7568 There is basically no price point where a soundbar beats the sound quality of a traditional system. I tried numerous soundbars based on the hype I was sold, hated every one of them, then bought a simple home theater in a box for $400 and was blown away by the sound. It took a little tweaking to make it work for me, but they completely crushed the soundbars, and those were highly reviewed and costed up to $1200.
This is why soundbars have "haters." We know people who would buy traditional if not for the marketing hype around soundbars these days.

[@Bubbles99718]

Hard to beat the price point and clean minimal aesthetics of a soundbar.
I have a Samsung 650t that goes for 420.00 but picked up for 220 on black friday. Also picked up rears on sale for 90. 310 total.
"Hears" the thing. Does it sound as good as a full set up? Nope. Does it sound great? Yes!
Sounds great, looks great, at a quarter or tenth or even better of the price.
Too each there own

[@asdf51501]

I don't hate soundbars at all. they're great for the right application, like a tv in a built-in in an open-concept living room for casual watching with halfway decent sound. However, a well set up home theater room is not the place for them.

[@lifewater989]

I had a traditional 5.1 system for many years. I went through several receiver and speaker upgrades. Not wanting to upgrade a bunch of equipment ti buy, more clutter in the living room etc, I bought a Sonos Arc and Sub and am very happy with it. Super simple to use and it sounds great.

[@jimv1983]

I definitely agree about the convenience part. Running all the wires and configuring all of it is a pain. Especially for an Atmos system. A decent traditional system is going to cost more too.

[@Surogatas]

i have a super expensive technics Hi Fi setup with monitor audio speakers and it sounds amazing, back in quarantine i bought a klipsch high end sound bar for my parents´s tv and tried it with some Tidal Hifi, and i must say that it sounds INCREDIBLE at a quarter of price of my setup, obviusly there are a lot of missing details but i really think they improved a lot and they gonna sound better than a lot of entry level hifi gear out there

[@AdamGuiness]

Soundbars was "invented" to increase the volume of Plasma TVs 20 years ago. Today they fit 5,7 or even 11 speakers enclosed in a small rectangle flat "bar". Sound bars' height and size are always limited by the TV stand height. The premium prices paid for some Soundbar is more of a marketing gimmick than for true sound quality. Its acceptable for TV use, but not great.

[@JoshN614]

Agreed 100% - ended up grabbing a JBL 9.1 (thanks for the awesome video on it) and couldn’t be happier with it. Once I got it plugged into an Ethernet cable instead of WiFi, it has worked flawlessly. Heck, even my wife who was against it at first enjoys it! I live in an older home with plaster walls, so there was no way I was running a traditional system in it without some significant wall damage.

[@garthvanguilder9588]

Nailed it!! I have both, and both are awesome for what I use them for and the rooms they are in. In my livingroom, I have a full 7.2.4 atmos theater system consisting of what would be considered high end equipment. All the wires are in the walls and ceiling with wall mount connectors. The system as a whole took me a couple years to "get right", finding all the components that worked well together and total investment is probably around 15k. In my den I am using the 2 year ago version of the Samsung system you talked about. Does it sound as good as my full system? Absolutely not. Does it fill my smaller den area with damn good immersive surround sound? Most definitely and at about a 15th the cost

[@tqlla]

I bought a Samsung Q90R soundbar from Best Buy open box clearance for $500 for my friends dad(they would pay me back). He wanted the simple look in his living room. The MSRP was around $1800. Its a 7.1.4 soundbar.
I tried it. It was "Okay", kept my opinion to myself. (I have Athena and Snell speakers)
My friend tried it, he thought it was horrible (Has a Definitive Mythos system).
My friends dad did not like it, and asked me to return it (Has Bose 321 speakers)
My brother in law with a Bose Acoustimass system did not like the Q90R either.
My cousin with generic tower speakers and infinity center channel thought it was terrible.
The MSRP made me think it would be at least good enough. But no one I demoed to liked it. IMO, if you are just comparing a soundbar to TV speakers, then the soundbar will be good enough. But even a Bose Acousimass 5.1, was far superior.
I did all the firmware updates to make sure the sub connection was stable. I even used the Samsung Mythings app to tweak it.

[@davidsapir3764]

Last week my 2015 Samsung J5500W home theater system crashed for good. I decided to replace it with a soundbar system. I'd never had a soundbar so before purchasing I watched a gazillion review videos and with a max of $500 bucks to spend, I went with the $499 Vizio 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos soundbar system. Never bought a Vizio product before but it was hands down the most affordable Dolby Atmos system I could find that had legit upfiring speakers. Unboxing was a joy. Came with the soundbar, subwoofer and surround speakers, and all components were built a lot nicer than I was expecting. Setup was super easy. But I can't believe how deep, rich and immersive the sound is for such an affordable price. The upfiring speakers make a huge difference. And it's just a much simpler and cleaner looking setup than my previous home theater system. Couldn't be any happier with it.

[@danielarsivana5991]

I used to have traditional home theatre system back in my hometown. But after moving in into small apartment, the only option I have is soundbar. Even though they are more expensive, it can't beat my previous home theater setup. Floorstand speaker gives more rich and wide sound stage, it also has better and powerful low frequency. Even if I turned off the subwoofer, I can still enjoy punchy bass on my front speakers.
Don't get me wrong, I loved my new soundbar, it has decent audio quality for movies and some acoustic music. But not gonna lie, sometimes I miss putting on some full beat music on my old setup.

[@greatpoochini1]

I'm sure most subscribers would like to see the comparison between a traditional system and your choice of Soundbar. It might be a 'be careful what you wish for' moment though. I've gone for a Soundbar for the reasons Jonah mentions regarding simplicity and having sufficient quality for my tastes, living environment, and hearing!

[@IvanRiveraStagea]

I appreciate what you're doing for everyone's awareness. I've worked for major CE companies for almost half of my life and like you, have owned, setup and tuned hifi, home theater and in-car systems for most of those years. What I can say is that marketing and technology shape the trends in this industry and it's best for people to always keep an open mind. Things like traditional system measurements that people like me hold dear are mere indicators and should not dictate what's suitable for another person to buy. We are all individuals with different priorities and I like how you address the needs of the majority by presenting practical and effective solutions in a manner that is easy to understand. I love your website too. Wishing you success and 10x more subscribers. :)

[@JonahMatthes]

Thanks for the support, Ivan! It means a lot 👍🏼

[@stonesfan285]

Soundbars don't necessarily suck. They're a good solution if you have a lack of space like an apartment or smaller room. They're also more affordable. But they're not better than a receiver and speakers most of the time. I think a lot of the hate on it is just home theater snobs. Like they can't admit that some of these systems sounds really nice for what you pay.

[@DarnocTechCH]

I bought few days ago a ZVOX Z-BASE 580 on ebay openbox. I got it for only 50$ +39$ shipping! It came with oem box and all accessories and sound system still in there plastic. The sound is amazing. I know it's few years old but hey, it decodes Dolby and has other amazing features. It's enclosure is big and heavy but this is a sacrifice for amazing sound. It's made out of quality fiber board wood and plastic on the side, five 3 1/4" front drives, two 6 1/2" woofers and dimensions Ar 36"x5"x18".

[@averageadventure200]

Last year i purchased the samsung Q90R for 783$, when considering i have a small squared room it's the perfect fit and i love the ability to get atmos that cheap. I live in Norway so speakers usually are very expensive, especially the dedicated ones, so for about the same price (buying new on sale) i would end up with a 3.1.0 system of a dedicated speaker system that i could slowly upgrade or go with the 7.1.4 soundbar. I feel going with the atmos was a good choice and it's a really awesome experience, especially when watching scenes with rain.
the money i saved from going with the soundbar then went to buying an OLED TV which also was a stunning upgrade from my 10 year old cheap led tv.

[@robertdean387]

I’d love to see a review on that Sony kit you mentioned for comparison!

[@eddieevangelista6014]

Same

[@karacric95]

Same

[@frankyloco]

Same

[@Itowle9]

shame

[@leanderzulu3494]

That Sony kit is entry level and way overpriced for $1500. Black Friday 2020 you could pick up all those speakers for about $600 total. Sony AVRs are also extremely outdated and they are not good quality

[@eleegs]

There are audio snobs that will scoff at them. But if people, in general, “hate” sound bars, there would be no market for them

[@JonahMatthes]

Very solid point 👍🏼

[@robroy6158]

Sound bars are okay for video. But most music is recorded for loudspeakers (with good separation characteristics) and no ‘center’.

[@Yatukih_001]

They hate them because they are more used to multiple speaker systems being set up so all the other speakers function as a whole. These people do not realize how important a soundbar can be for other sound systems. They think that a soundbar can not outperform earlier speaker designs. There is also the possibility that soundbars are a concocted technology based on what some people describe as antiquitech. Its entirely legitimate to hate it when soundbars create various noise levels which should not be there because they are tuning in to a different tv or computer monitor than they were designed for. Thanks for your input and your video. Kind regards from Ásgeir in Iceland.

[@abhijeetpanse7141]

Agree with the thought that soundbar systems are easy to setup but if you are really into clear and crisp channel seperation then I think wven a low budget 5.1 traditional system gives a run to a good quality soundbar. I know there is definitely a pain setting it up but if you get a professional to do that you don’t need to worey on that part. I recently built a $1000 (approx) (in india its 70k rupees) a pretty decent 5.1 syatem and its far better that any soundbar we get here at that price.
AVR : Denon AVR X250bt
Speakers: Sonodyne Micro HTS1 5.1 pacakge

[@jkane1341]

I Have a $200 bose soundbar, and a 2.1 sytem consisting of some klipsch powered floor standing speakers with a kicker amp and sub (car audio).
Each system has its own uses, the bose soundbar is in the TV room and meant for watching TV and light music listening, the 2.1 system is meant to be LOUD AF and sound like a ROCK CONCERT and it does, considering upgrading to a 2.2 system because my amp is 2 channels and the bass sounds uneven.
I have owned a few 7.1 AV receivers and a boat load of speakers, the wires and configuring them can be a pain and ugly.

[@andreylucass]

David became a member of a soundbar channel just to say soundbars suck lol

[@dacbiet]

I picked up the Sony ST5000 through the Facebook Marketplace more than half off retail. Condition is like new and loved it since.

[@SuperPabster]

We own the Sonos ARC and Subwoofer. The SL's are coming as well in the near future. It is simple, reliable, sounds great and I didn't want to rewire/rewire this and that, although I am a handyman with all the skills. Yes, we paid the premium. My old 7.1 system had excellent sound 12 years prior, but the receiver burnt out and I replaced that with a more powerful receiver and then the circuit breaker would shut off so I had to upgrade that as well. I also had to get a better remote that talked to all the other components. Also, the Mrs. always felt confused by all the components and set up. So, this time around, we went with simplicity and everyone is happy. Guest always seem impressed and some cough at the price of it. But that is life. If you wan the OLED, you have to pay more...

[@darkpharaoh542]

I ABSOLUTELY want to see you compare Sonos to a traditional system. I've always thought of a soundbar for every day watching and a traditional system for a home theater, but if it makes to get a traditional system over a Sonos, I want to know about it.

[@JonahMatthes]

I'll definitely put together a video of this. Might be a while until I can do it, but I agree, it would be great for people to see the differences. Could even bring some people in for a blind listening test!

[@darkpharaoh542]

@@JonahMatthes that's a great idea! People notice different things. My wife and I are proof of that. We hear on completely different frequencies. Lol

[@esecallum]

JUST PLUG INTO A HI FI. AWESOME QUALITY

[@StoicReeko]

What’s a HI FI? Like a Sonos amp?

[@NorthernUnion13]

I have a 5.2 pioneer receiver with Onkyo speakers in my lounge and a Philips 2.1 sound bar in the bedroom. I love the sound quality of both but the Pioneer system sounds a lot better than the sound bar BUT the sound bar sounds a lot better than I expected and I'm 100% satisfied and happy with the sound bar.

[@toby9999]

I don't hate sound bars but the convenience and price advantage wouldn't compensate me for the years of higher quality sound that I'd be missing out on. As well, I want my phono and a bunch of other existing equipment connected to my system.

[@HCkev]

I don't think sound bars will ever "replace" traditional home theatre systems. Most people looking for sound bars weren't looking for a full fledged home theatre in the first place, most of the time they just want a replacement for the terrible sound coming out of their new flat screen TV, i.e., what could've been built-in if manufacturers weren't so obsessed in making their TVs thinner and thinner. But sound bars technology does has evolved to a point where even a home theatre enthusiasts might consider them for their secondary TVs

[@PhlightYagami]

@@HCkev For those who just want to improve on their TV sound, they are often a great option, but I hate how stores are pushing them as the ultimate sound choice when traditional is still king as far as sound quality goes (and will likely remain so unless a huge technological breakthrough happens). I know a lot of people who bought them not to save space or deal with the installation (which, ya know, is one-time for something you will use daily for years), but because they were told soundbars have the best sound out there.

[@nickspeck]

Dude, you hit the nail on the head. I've never understood the hate soundbars get. Really excellent video, and honestly just very accurate. That Sony system you used as an example for the traditional system can often be had pieced together for much cheaper. However, A.) you addressed that by stating you can find deals on them, and B.) it's an apt example as you can "buy it now" at that price.
Soundbars have a much higher WAF, and are much less invasive in your space. While I have a traditional theater system, every other TV in my house uses a soundbar system of some type. I just don't understand why anyone would possibly subject themselves to built in TV speakers. 🤮
Anyway, long comment over. Excellent video.

[@HCkev]

I'm pretty sure even hardcore home theatre enthusiasts still enjoy a good sound bar when watching TV with the wife in the bedroom :)

[@nickspeck]

@@HCkev man I would think so, too, but in looking at some of the other comments here it seems maybe not! Haha. I wall mount all of my TV's and mount the soundbars underneath. So much less invasive than a traditional 2 channel system. I mean ultimately to each their own, and people will do what they think is best. I just personally know my wife, and traditional speaker cabinets aren't happening in the living room. I'm okay with that so long as she doesn't intrude on the home theater. Dedicated spaces!

[@ernie548]

Your video is great, thanks. I believe one *key* item is never mentioned here that bears fitting in. That is *sound levels control* during playback. Or simply put, audio control.
Not many at all soundbars except high end ones allow a person to control the levels. Real enthusiasts can go wild here but I'm focused on just the practical aspects.
The ability to fully control levels especially to the sub and center channels is a vital feature. I live in a family household and on an average day, the TV/movie audio only needs to be heard by the one person using the system and not throughout the house by EE. In fact it can be annoying as heck when some need to sleep, study, have a quiet conversation, or are WFH in other rooms. Soundbars lack such fine control nearly always, so when the loud scene happens in a ccx TV/movie, it gets loud. Yet with a simple system like a soundbar, if you reduce the volume, it affects all the volumes of all channels at once. To get the sub quiet, the voice and rear may be far too low to easily hear. It's common daily things like this that are another rub of control vs. simplicity of AV receivers vs. soundbars. On a fun friday night when everyone is off work either system type works great. The other 6 days a week or during regular working hours...not so much.

[@eddieevangelista6014]

I'm going with the sonos arc. I don't want to have wires and or deal with them. I love the wireless set up. Plus I'm not an audiophile.

[@seratht.6210]

i wouldn't call myself an Audiophile but i've listened and compared Soundbar vs Traditonal setup and well came to the conclusion that A) Audio Quality and Chanel separation doesn't even come close to a Traditional setup (5.1 or Atmos/DTS;X) and B) Far less Choice
and well i just want great Quality Audio
so ya i ended up with a much higher cost
but it's worth the extra $$$
i ended up with a 13Chanel SVS /Denon setup
Soundbars will never even get close to the same Audio Experience , due to the simple fact they want to be as cheap as possible and and only give an average audio experience
hell yep i went a bit overboard and i get not everyone can afford to spend thousands on a audio system but unless you go for a really cheap set of below $600
a traditional setup (5.1 or Atmos ) will allways outperform a Soundbar regardless of cost

[@pravinranchhod6446]

Actually your wrong you go into any shop and they will tell you that buying a dedicated amp and speakers will destroy any sound bar hands down and it's worth the extra cost and effort

[@ClearSmoke100]

Anybody that tells you that is simply trying to make a sale. I have a 2 channel system amp speakers and it sounds terrible lol. Yes you can get some that blow soundbars away but the price starts to rise fast when you start adding not only better gear but more importantly more speakers. Which is what the goal is when trying to recreate that theater experience on a budget.

[@pravinranchhod6446]

@@ClearSmoke100 when you buy a amp you get true power unlike a sound bar when you buy a large speaker you get true sound unlike a sound bar that's common sense I've heard a sonos sound bar set-up in a shop they also had a sony str-dn1080 hooked up to large speakers the sound from the sonos was absolutely crap compared to the sony and the large speakers we could hear sound from the sony /large speaker set up that the sonos couldn't create and the sonos started to distort as well
In the comparison we created quite a few people in the demonstration and everybody agreed that the sound bar sounded terrible but the funny thing is the sony /large speaker was only $300 more than the sonos I no what i bought

[@rohg8345]

@@ClearSmoke100 it boils down to the quality of your amp and speakers too. You cannot go wrong with a Marantz or Yamaha amp hooked up to a good pair of Jamo speakers. But ultimately, it also depends on your budget and preference.

[@GrackAlaciN]

Soundbar vs. a traditional surround setup:
Running speaker wires really isn't brain surgery. Yes, you might need a couple of hours to make it look pretty, but you do not need a pro to do so. And you just run raceways to hide them, which you can paint to match your walls. Receivers from the last 10 years or so have an auto setup system, you place a mic at different listening positions in the room, it makes some weird sounds, and like 10 min. later, your speakers are set up, including the subwoofer. They will also tell you if you've hooked the speakers wrong.
A traditional setup leaves you room to upgrade, or even change up your setup. While it is recommended that you use speaker that match, as in the same series of speaker from the same maker, you can get away with upgrading your fronts and center, and really improve your sound, and then figure out if you also want to upgrade the rest. Do you want a turntable also? Just get one with a built-in RIAA, and hook it up. And like you said in the video - buying used is great. Speakers are easy to test, hook them up, and listen to them. If they don't sound bad/distorted, and there's no visible damage on the outside, they're good.
I can't speak to prices in other parts of the world, but comparing a setup like the Sonos Arc with a sub, and a set of One SL, you hit a price that makes it really easy to get a traditional setup that will out perform it. Other soundbars, maybe not. But what I'm looking at is a mix of a Denon surround receiver, and a complete set of 5.1 speakers, and depending on how you want to play it, and you also get multi-room functionality, which means that you can add HEOS devices later on, if you want sound in your entire house.
But I do get the convenient part of the process. It does take a couple of hours to run wires, and get everything set up. And you do need to do a bit of detective work to find what you need.
Disclaimer: I don't hate soundbars, they're just not for me.

[@TheVdog12]

Tbh man I challenge an av guy to build anything that gets close to the performance of the bar 9.1 or elevate that's Atmos and DTS X enabled for 1k. Most decent receivers now days are $350+ and absolutely massive. There hasn't been a meaningful amount of Innovation in receiver tech in decades at this point.

[@NeillPowell]

The simple reality is that you need to find the right product for the role. in our bedroom a sound-bar makes the most sense: Easy to move around and simpler to handle. A Wireless sub-woofer can be hidden into a corner and forgotten about. Bedrooms are regularly cleaned so this adds to the ease-of-use. We also only use 1 streaming device in the bedroom, so again, a sound-bar wins. My living room has a full speaker set up as there is the space and range to make better use of the full system: Multiple inputs, etc allow for all of our devices to work in harmony, and given that there is a TV stand, cable-management becomes a non-issue. yes it takes a lot more time to set up, but it is only ever done once. In the wife's music room, she has 2 good monitor speakers for her keyboard and a 6-channel mixer (3xstereo): that's all she needs, or wants. In my Guitar studio i pull out the big guns and go for a pure listening experience (B&W 603 Mk2 + Rotel). Every application needs to be thought out well for maximum enjoyment at a given price-point. We only ever use Sony professional headphones or Sennheiser's for out headphones.

[@dmo848]

Spent all kinds of money over 25 years. I now own soundbars cause I don't want wires anymore. 5.1 Vizio and it sounds just as good as the high priced stuff.

[@xsleep1]

The biggest problem I see with sound bars is if the "home theater" is in a large, open floor-plan, high ceiling great room (I've tried it). I would argue this applies to most of the installations I see these days. The sound bar is just not capable of getting the bounce necessary to reproduce surround sound. I ended up replacing it with an inexpensive 5.1 system despite having to run the rear speaker cables under the rug. Sound bars are great when compared to built-in TV speakers and should work fine in a small room. Otherwise, they don't cut it.

[@TheChopsuey08]

I can't deny the simplicity of setting up a soundbar and the definite improvement to quality that it brings, but the price to performance has always been what's kept me on the side of having traditional speakers in my setup. Like for less than $300 you can get yourself some edifier active speakers with a sub out plus a sub and that will sound much more impressive than the majority of soundbar systems I've heard. Or if you really wanna take it up a notch and keep it simple, Vanatoo Transparent Zero sound phenomenal and you can also hook up a sub to it with just one cable. I've been impressed with how large soundbars can sound for being so simple, but for the price you'd pay for one of those you'd be able to do so much more with a traditional system
Edit: I still enjoy your videos tho and love to learn about this side of the hobby I don't have much experience with so keep up the great work mate (:

[@MarkDeejay57]

Thank you Jonah much love from Uganda Africa...thank you for all the efforts with soundtech and your honesty... I will collect money and have my self a soundbar

[@teddybeer6206]

The ONLY reason I have a soundbar right now is lack of space and living in an apartment. If it wasn't for those factors, I'd still be enjoying the hell out of my sadly departed and oh so sweet sounding home theater system.

[@RoguePC4U]

Soundbar hater here. I refuse to choose convenience over performance. However, I'm sure for most - the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) plays a HUGE role in the decision. Sorry, but no amount of fancy processing wizardry can overcome physics... period. Better than internal TV speakers? Sure, but that's an extremely low bar to overcome. A good bang-for-buck traditional system for similar $ will beat a soundbar every time.. and by a country mile.

[@XieRH1988]

you get 'performance/quality snobs' in every category, its like how some gamers scoff at gaming laptops because they 'can build a desktop for less cost and more performance, etc' or how some photographers thing crop sensor cameras are inferior to full frame ones.
the audio world is full of such snobbery as well. Literally listening to most audiophiles talk, its like: MP3s are trash, wireless audio is trash, the built in speakers in your TV are trash, and all of these lifestyle compromises are depriving you of access to 'real proper audio' and that is why I, as an audiophile have to step in and call out these 'less educated folks' on their ignorance, etc.

[@JonahMatthes]

I love this comment!

[@jjguillen65]

I currently have the sony core speakers and they sound great. I also had the Samsung hw N950 as a soundbar and I almost had it for two years until my subwoofer gave up. I return it and I went with a av receiver and currently running a 5.2.2

[@BldgsFallStraightDwn]

I've bought and given away THREE soundbars over the last few years. WHY? Because they ALL sounded like crap. One of them sounded worse than the stock TV sound. One was "Realistic" I think. Another was an off brand, which ironically sounded the best of the three. I forgot the first brand I bought. One MAIN issue is that they seemed to actually OPPOSE stereo separation sound. All three options were about $150 each. I kept thinking the brand was bad or something. But, what I'm pretty convinced about is that younger generations just don't know what the heck they're hearing. They're NOT very picky. They just want EASY. It's the same reason people buy SINGLE "Bluetooth Speakers". They're not a pair and so they DON'T have stereo separation. They're almost all REALLY small and so, while their volume is fairly impressive FOR THEIR SIZE, they still can't come anywhere near a GOOD stereo amp/receiver, with solid box speakers, separated by at least 6 feet.

[@st170ish]

You can buy wireless speakers but your not gunna keep that little budget, even on the cheap by using something like Edifier S3000 Pro as your mains and lower Edifier models for the rest and then sorting out how to get a divided BT signal transmitted you would be in the several thousands.
I think soundbars are great for their intended purpose but I'd never consider them for music playback because they suck at that :)

[@Walter-jb7rq]

People hate sound bars because it doesn’t matter that they have 12 or 25 speakers if they are all pretty much in the same place. Multi channel audio requires separation. A decent 2.1 system can be much cheaper and sound much better than a sound bar, and it wouldn’t be harder to install. If one wants surround speakers but doesn’t want to run cables there are wireless surround options even with traditional systems.

[@charlieslin]

We have the Sonos Arc, Sub, and One SL’s as surrounds, and I like it overall. But I still love my traditional Klipsch set more - but like many mention, I had to give that up because the wife said it clashed with decor. 😭😭

[@petermaz701]

I have the exact Sonos system and I love it it sounds terrific and it looks great

[@mrgold3591]

Went with Sonos Arc system to replace my Nakamichi 7.2.4 soundbar. The Nakamichi had wireless subs; but, the rear surrounds were connected with a wire to the subs. That limited the placements of the Nakamichi subs and surround being too close to the primary sitting position. I was able to move the Arc system further away and it sound more immersive with the surround 9-12 feet back and the two Gen 3 subs towards on either side of the Arc 16-18 feet towards the front.

[@Monsux]

I do like soundbars but there is one negative thing that is the dealbreaker. If one thing breaks or needs an upgrade... You need to buy a whole new system. It's cheap to replace one speaker, sub, or maybe upgrade the receiver on a normal system + upgrade more speakers later. My latest Samsung soundbar started to make some weird crackling noise on the right side... There was nothing I could do to fix that. That soundbar was literally a waste of money.

[@ianjoc00]

I've missed the time when I was still using my Sony ES AV receiver paired with my 5.1 Energy Encore and my good old Denon AVR paired with my 5.1 Boston Accoustics :( Now it's just sitting in the storage. Now, I'm just using a $100 Hisense sound bar.

[@donaldgervais1836]

Sold my vintage system and purchased a Vizio Elevate. Absolutely nothing simple or easy to own. I was constantly rebooting because the Vizio Elevate and my new Vizio TV did not seem to be capable of working together. Base was way too heavy and unnatural. Had to constantly adjust sound bar settings not just from different programs or sources but from scene to scene. Music could sound ok for one song but the next sounded terrible. Atmos effect was useless becsuse of our high ceilings. Only good thing was that dialogue was very clear. Sold the sound bar bought an inexpensive 5.1 system. Much happier.

[@IvanRossS]

Here is my build: Sony STRDH790 - $315
Klipsch Reference R-610F - $300 for 2
Klipsch Reference Theater Pack 5.1 - $370
Klipsch Subwoofer R-12SW - $185
Monoprice ceiling speakers (Atmos) - $120.
AmazonBasics 12 gauge wire 200ft - $90
Rear Speaker mounts - $17
My $1400 system sounds better then any soundbar can, period!!!! And I have 2 subwoofers like that one at the front and one in the back...

[@BradThePitts]

I prefer my tower speakers because when I clean the house or have a party, I simply turn them 90° away from each other to fill the whole house with music.

[@mikecast20]

Also why are you comparing a traditional system??? 3.1 is the direct comparison and there is no way the sound bar beats its. I built my system off marketplace in 1 day. It’s not that time consuming. Decent video though, thumbs up.

[@jec6613]

Having watched this space for a while, a soundbar is *NOT* a replacement for a traditional system, nor was it designed to be. Going back 20 years, TVs had speakers that were competitive with current sound bars - this includes large woofers, surround outputs for rear channels, and even subwoofer outputs. Tube TVs had this in abundance, but even earlier flat panel TVs had decent speakers, with higher-end models having detachable side mounted speakers that absolutely delivered on performance. I have the side speakers from a Pioneer Elite Kuro, and if you attach them to their TV and then A/B them against the Sonos Arc with both playing music, the side speakers handily win with clearer sound and deeper bass (and since the Elite Kuros are still today relevant from a picture quality standpoint, this is actually a fair comparison).
Why did this disappear? ... well, everybody wants super thin TVs at super low prices, so they end up having speakers that are roughly the size of those in a laptop to get them out of the door. A sound bar exists to fix the lack of good built-in TV sound. People end up spending just as much on the total system as they did on their TV, but it's now split out.
And, as somebody who set up all of their TVs on the wall with discrete speakers and hid the AV receivers and almost all of the sources in the basement, I can appreciate this approach from the TV manufacturers. It's let me spend less on the TVs, have a smaller physical size with larger screen sizes, and then tailor the sound to the room and need - in-wall in the living room, a 3.1 on-wall for the office, and a full audiophile grade Dolby Atmos system in the family room. The initial cost is easily offset by the fact that the discrete speakers can easily be 20+ years old and still perform, so instead of chucking the entire sound bar, I can upgrade the TV and receiver independently - I have a 15 year old receiver that's on its third TV and works flawlessly.
For my extended family though, they almost all have sound bars on most of their sets, mostly at my recomendation, and they really do a good job of replacing the built-in speakers that used to exist and providing good enough sound quality. Even very high quality sound bars do not have nearly the experience of even basic 3.1 discrete systems, but for what they are, they do a good job, and don't need somewhere to stick a big AV receiver.

[@klaxalk]

I kinda agree. I bought a soundbar for the same reasons. However, it spontaneously broke just after the warranty passed. And since the connection to the SW and SBs is proprietary, everything went out of the window. Since then I moved to a new house and I put the effort into setting up a traditional system. The cabeling was solved easily by a remote audio transmitters. So I still see the benefits of the soundbars, but I don't like them due to high integration and "vendor lock in" of the peripherals.

[@atf56]

Which brand soundbar was that

[@klaxalk]

@@atf56 Sony

[@lysergicaciddiethylamide6127]

My first sound bar was the Bose Tv Speaker it is better than the speakers on a tv sure but I wasn’t to impressed. I just got to Vizio V51-H6 at Sam’s for $160 I’m very pleased with my purchase. I would recommend any 5.1 Vizio product.

[@Samiuddin98]

I have the Klipsch hd wireless 5.1 system that I bought 3 years ago. And it is amazing and better than any soundbar and even some traditional systems. The Klipsch set I have, retailed for around 5 grand, when it came out. But the shop I got it from didn't wanted those, so I bought them brand new for 1500$.

[@richellebrittain2127]

I fully agree with you, and I'm coming at it from a lower price point than you -- as in Vizio's lesser Atmos soundbars like my SB36512-F6 (its true replacement the M512a-H6 has seen multiple delays, current ETA is July). Heck, I just finished my own rant over on FB about the Sonos Arc's lack of *any* DTS codec (even the SB36512 has DTS-HD MA though not DTS:X) & expensive add-on speakers; yet I also fully understand why lots of people love the Arc as well as AVR systems.
Being transgender in Arkansas (where our own legislature basically just declared war on trans kids), I understand how hard it is for some people to "get" that gender is NOT a binary. News flash: Neither is A/V sound. There's a LOT more options out there than just a Denon driving a roomful of Klipsches (incidentally Klipsch was born in AR, same "place called Hope" & year 1946 as Bill Clinton -- so was my late sister-in-law) vs. built-in TV speakers (getting smaller & tinnier every year). There's plenty of room in between those including lesser AVRs & speakers, your Arc, my Vizio, and lots of non-Atmos soundbars right down to the $37 Majority Bowfell that is Amazon's best selling soundbar. ALL of them have their niches in terms of price, size, usefulness, room qualities, ease of installation, and yes even WAF. No need to hate! 👍😉

[@maxeckstein5004]

Jesus christ that was a wild ride

[@alpenfoxvideo7255]

I was a hater, but recently moved in a beautiful small apartment that sadly had strong reverb. Could not listen even to simple videos without having the audio from my reference monitors totally distort the low frequencies. Bought a small soundbar from Yamaha and the reverb problem from the wall is totally gone, plus the desk has much more usable space now.
I do miss the monitors but I don't miss the crazy reverb

[@Space_Garbage]

There is a lot of generalization in this video making it seem "traditional" systems are all at least 5.1s with floorstanders when you can go with stereo (2.0), stereo with a sub (2.1), stereo with a center channel and sub (3.1), and scale it all out to a full surround with height channels (Atmos). There are other benefits such as support for different codecs, extra HDMI inputs, as well as the ability to replace the receiver if an amp goes out or is obsolete.
I can understand the wire concern if you are going with surrounds, but not a 3.1. There are also wireless solutions for surrounds such as using a Sonos Amp for the front stereo pair and Sonos surrounds or something like the Yamaha MusicCast system. Also if you need a pro installer to run two wires, you are probably not doing any home renovation at all. Surprised to hear people are hiring A/V installers to put in soundbars.

[@luisarsuaga7637]

Hi Jonah, I'm revisiting this video a year later and I would really like to see a video from you, compering the Sony 7.2 Home Theater (or any other traditional 5.1 home theater) with the soundbars that you have reviewed. I'm constantly debating if I should get a traditional home theater system or if premium soundbar such as q990b or the Sonos Arc should be enough. A video like this would help me tremendously.

[@grega8875]

Do you have a video that talks about latency issues with soundbars? I bought a new TCL alto 9+ soundbar for the new TCL TV, connected through the ARC HMDI provided and the lag in audio was so bad I had to return it. Now I'm worried about getting a soundbar that would have the same lag issues.

[@ralphharrison6622]

If you can afford it, get the Bose 300. Absolutely flawless.

[@HCkev]

Look at reviews websites that evaluate latency. Even full fledged home theatre systems can have a slight delay, that's why if you don't turn off the sound of your TV it will often sound like there's echo, and why games like Guitar Hero has adjustments for that in the settings. Maybe that TCL sound bar (which I assume wasn't very expensive) just wasn't good in that department, but it's not representative of all sound bars. Also, it might be caused by your TV (latency when passing the audio through HDMI)

[@runejpunk]

@@HCkev agree with u.
And also some of TV nowadays have sound synch feature. U can manually rush or drag the audio by milisecond step.

[@jakes-tips]

When you connect a sound bar or other amp. system (to my Sony tv’s at least), you loose the internal sound modifier ability: specifically the voice sound preference, too often movies have too high a background sound when people are talking, as ones hearing fades with age, this is a problem. Why do they cut off this ability, and do you have any suggestions? Connection to tv is either through the headphone / audio out jack, or through the hdmi connection.

[@HCkev]

You can always connect your blu-ray player (or whatever you're using to play movies) directly to the amp

[@1969MARKETING]

I have a $500 set of Edifier powered bookshelf speakers with a sub out using a Polk Audio sub/enclosure that costs $120. I would say for the price range the sound is incredible. I have the same setup for my main Desktop Computer as well.

[@JorgenLarsson]

I'm using both. Soundbar for everyday tv. Bowers and Wilkins full range 5.1 system for movies and active listening.

[@333pro333]

And when your soundbar breaks your whole setup is useless. In a dedicated system you just replace the receiver if the old one breaks, add more speakers to your setup at any time, upgrade your sub if you move the TV to a bigger room. The entry cost is similar, but long term a proper sound system is cheaper and sounds a lot better.

[@alucard5801]

Recently brought a LG sound bar with the added rear speakers. The Dolby Atmos & DTS X is on another level, awesome sound.

[@jordyhuskens232]

Which one?

[@Venomater2012]

@jordy huskens I have a sp8ya which is only 500 and with the right room and acoustics without the optional rear speaker kit, it almost matches my home theater which cost me over 10k to build. It's all about placement, not what you spend.

[@warmfreeze]

Klipsch reference cinema system 5.1.4 is about $400 right now.. and a dennon AVR- s760h is usually under $400 so for around $800 you can have a REALLY decent atmos system (granted you wont get rear height due to the 7.1 receiver but still get atmos none the less) and it sounds 20x better than my old nakamichi 7.2 soundbar ever did..

[@Bryan198026]

I'd love to have a decent soundbar to hook up to my Fire TV. Unfortunately as a totally blind potential user I'd have to be careful about buying something that may not be either simple to install or to use without functional eyeballs LOL.

[@LarsBars17]

My first experience with soundbars has been horrible. I spent $380 on a Samsung Q67CT because it has an included wireless speaker kit for true 5.1. Turns out, the soundbar's abilities are so limited, that when using any kind of 5.1 or true surround mode through my TV, there is unacceptable audio delay (that causes painfully noticeable lip sync delay) and it doesn't support the "Linear PCM" surround encoding that Nintendo Switch requires. So surround sound when using my Xbox is horribly delayed, and surround sound when using my Nintendo Switch isn't even supported by the soundbar.
The only workaround is to downgrade everything going through the TV to the soundbar to PCM stereo, which means I bought a soundbar that is marketed as 7.1, and includes physical speakers for true 5.1, but is in practice, only ever capable of 2.1.
I've installed two firmware updates for this device and I'm beginning to think that this product just may never work as expected. If Samsung added "Linear PCM" surround sound support in a firmware update, that would be a step in the right direction. But I will probably take this back.

[@dece870717]

Pretty much hit the nail on the head. For myself, I tended to find the price to performance ratio very undesirable, but that is probably because I've had a $5,000ish plus home theater speaker setup with an Integra DHC-80.3, 5 flagship Polk Audio speakers powered by an emotiva Xpa-5, two 15 inch + two 18 inch subwoofers, the 15s powered by an EPX4000 amp each, the 18s by a Cerwin Vega CV-5000 amp. And on top of being spoiled by having that stuff, I'm the kind of wierdo that actually enjoys having to learn what I needed to in order to do it all myself, and enjoys the setting up of stuff like that, and the running/installing of the wiring of a couple extra circuits into my service panel so as to have the power that I would need.
Yep, soundbars are definitely much easier, and since we live in the age where convenience and ease is supreme, it's a no brainer that they are so popular now.
Sort of side tangent relating to all this: It often baffled me when I would see people that would get huge several thousand dollar TVs, and then end up pairing them with soundbars, AND vice versa. I've seen full size expensive sound setups with just absolutely pathetic TVs. The mis-matches/disunity between things like that just hurts my brain, and don't get me started on what I think about half done sound systems in a car, I mean why does anyone have to hear anything above 100hz in their music? Hey, why not just save money too by buying a smaller less powerful subwoofer, and then just place it right on the passenger seat and have it face you, and disconnect the full range speakers in your car as a bonus to save some more wattage for that sub.

[@captainsparkle-fingers2744]

Yamaha B20A in my bedroom and Samsung Q900T with rears in the living room! Very pleased with both cause I don't have the space for a traditional 7.2.4 set-up which is on my list. I'm a big movie buff!!

[@ahb9585]

Sonos amp with Dali Bookshelfs and amp. with two Sonos One's
I am a huge music and movies guy. Stereo separation was really a big thing for me. I decided against the sonos arc. Got a Sonos amp instead. the amp is powering two Dali bookshelf speakers. With a Dali amp. I have the Sonos One's as surrounds speakers. To be honest I really struggled to find a review on this setup. Thankfully I am a huge fan and it was a success.
The rest of my house has the following:
Play 5
Play 1
Roam

[@mrkattm]

I find that those who become unhappy with their sound bar is because they want to expand to a more capable systems that supports the latest fomats and can't without tossing the investiment in the soundbar. I have a very modest traditional denon avr setup that I started in a 3.1 configuration and over the years moved into a 5.1.4 configeration just by adding speakers. My friends and neighbors that have sound bars see what I have and how I did it try to do the same only to find out that they can't become rather discouraged. So I would never advise anyone to get a sound bar, you get so much more capability with a basic budget level AVR then with a standard soundbar, things like video upscaling, HDMI switching, music streaming, multi zones and traditioal stereo HiFi capabilities, you know a place where you can plug in your 8 track player, turn table, casset deck (to make mix tapes :o), CD player and good old fashion AM FM tuner.

[@JonahMatthes]

That's not the use case for most people. The average person is likely using their smart TV to stream from Netflix, Disney+, etc. At most, they will have a gaming console of some sort and maybe a separate media player. Most consumers have a very simple setup with relatively simple needs. An AVR setup is very intimidating and complicated for a lot of people. So opting for a simple soundbar is an easy and effective solution. Nothing wrong with AVR setups, it's just not what most people want/need now-a-days.

[@tomascontador3312]

Convenience over quality.
You forgot to mention HiFi systems.
Nothing beats a good two channel traditional system designed for high fidelity audio.
It appears that modern music/systems on a general note doesn't take into account the natural warm sound a good Hifi system can produce.
We are in the age of settling for electronically produced music.
But here is my verdict;
Home theatre systems are good for mimicking a cinema(Movies)
Surround Systems great for movies too and gaming.
Now the infamous Sound Bar.😅😅
I've never owned a Sound Bar.
But this comes with a fascinating story-
My good mate owns one so I went to his house to play some of my favourite music unfortunately I couldn't find on the sound bar where to play my CDs.
So I asked him how do you play music so he went on to his TV went on to UA-cam searched a song and started playing.
And it had Bluetooth aswell.
So in other words even how you feed music or sound material into a sound bar is inferior.
Quality is lost from playing sound material from Bluetooth or UA-cam.
Even the woofer was wireless.
I grew up with grandads vintage systems and they far outclass a Sound Bar tbh it might aswell be a piece of furniture 😅
I'll stick to my HiFI😊

[@flim-flammington]

I don't hate them, i think they are a necessary and useful option for the right audience. The Thinner new TVs are the more they need external audio, it's unrealistic to expect older consumers, less knowledgeable, or can't do wired to do a traditional sound system. What i don't like is that they are misleading and will borderline abuse/warp existing sound system terms to make themselves appear more impressive than they are.
Let me be specific, Channel count, those numbers you see like 5.1 or 7.1 These in a traditional setup mean the amount of physical speakers oriented around the room.
From the basics 2.0 Channels would be a left and right speaker on both sides of the TV, and will give you a sound that matches which side the sound is coming from in the content.
3.0 channels is the same thing with a center channel speaker placed between those two and will focus on all of your dialogue and do most of the work.
5.0 channels is the same as 3 but now you are adding 2 Surround speakers normally behind/diagonal from you giving you sound from behind you.
7.0 Channels is the same except instead of diagonally behind you you'll have 2 surrounds to your left and right and 2 right behind you at this point you've made a complete circle of sound.
7.0.2 Is the same as 7.0 except now you have 2 speakers directly above your head shoot directly down on giving you overhead sound commonly called Atmos or height channels.
Now there are literally sound bars claiming to be anything from 5.0-9.0.2 that are all in a bar (occasionally with some rears) Sounds too good to be true right? Because it is.
A 7 channel traditional system has 7 different speakers forming a circle around you, a 7 channel sound bar just has 7 "drivers" coming out in front of you from a bar.
No matter what the soundbar says about "Simulating" Surround sound it truly isn't. Even the most diehard soundbar lover should be able to admit literal speakers behind your head will sound more like sound is behind you than speakers in front of you. Sound isn't a racket ball that bounces around you, The best description i've heard for speaker sound and how it travels is akin to a flashlight. Take a flashlight put it in the spot/angle you would have a speaker placed and turn it on, if there's something obstructing that light on its path to where you sit then that sound will also be obstructed. Simply put, if you want it to sound like sound is coming from a spot, put a speaker there.
What I've said also applies to the Upward firing speakers of atmos sound bars. What you are expecting from them is to fire sound to your ceiling and bounce it down ontop your head and do the job literal ceiling speakers would do in a traditional setup. Lets say this is possible and ignore what i said before, here's the problems you encounter.
1. Your ceiling must be low, preferably flat in the 9-11 foot range.
2. Your sound bar likely can't be wall mounted as the speakers will just fire at the bottom or behind the TV
3. Most Sound Bars upward firing speakers are literally pointing Straight up, and you need them to fire at an angle to hit the ceiling above your head and come down to you, otherwise these speakers are literally hitting the ceiling above the TV and never reaching you (Theres good channels that do the math for bars like sonos Arc on the angle it has to be your ceiling AND how close you sit)
4. You have to sit close to the TV.
Do sound bar manufacturers ever mention any of this? No.
I think a sound bar can do a fine job with 2.0/3.0, anything 5.0 and above MUST have separate rear speakers and anything atmos or upward firing is INCREDIBLY questionable.
If you are casual viewers and not passionate about home theater they are a great choice especially aesthetically.
But if you are even a little bit passionate about your home theater sound bar systems are a dead end. Theres often no way to expand or go beyond and one of the best parts of home theater is being able to add additional speakers or subwoofers over time and really watch your system grow.
Let me close up by saying this, sound is subjective and sound bars are an improvement you will notice over your base TV sound. I Used a 5.0 SONOS system for 5 years with the playbar and 2 play 1 surrounds. 1 year ago I wanted to upgrade to the SONOS ARC and grab a gen 3 subwoofer. I thought my setup was great and even though I'd heard wired systems were better I thought "Well if I already like what I have and just replace those pieces to better SONOS I'll be happy, it's good enough for me" I started by buying a gen 3 sub and returned it later. I put the work in to research a wired system and put one together with Klipsch Speakers and SVS Sub, It has literally been one of the best purchases of my life. I could never go back to SONOS or any sound bar. I have a top tier TV Sony A8H OLED but i feel like my sound system is just as important or sometimes EVEN MORE important when i watch movies than my actual TV which is a thought i NEVER had before. I started basic with 5.1 and upped to a 7.2 when I had the chance. You could even start with less than that and build up to the 5.1. I used to go to movie theaters for every new release but now even with things slowly getting back to normal I don't know if I'll ever go back.

[@joseluislopes3956]

It's the same thing as bluetooth earbuds / headsets.
Not everyone is an audiophile, for many the convenience takes over quality and even price. And while one is the more popular, doesn't mean the other option doesn't have its place.
I love my bluetooth earbuds for the gym, but I very much prefer my wired earbuds for enjoying music, both have their applications

[@TitusRex]

I'd love to see a comparison between a soundbar and a traditional system.

[@digidrum2003]

No comparison!

[@brunobibou7807]

Hi Jonah, agreed, I have today a 7.1 system and when I will move to my new flat in a few, I will change for a soundbar to fulfill the WAF. I was disappointed at first but the more I hear about soundbars (and thanks to you), the more I get confident about getting a high end one. Talking about high end, I am surprised (not available in the US) that you never mention the Seinheser Ambeo. Also your video is only 3 days old and you do not mention the new Samsung HW-Q950A which (on the paper) seems capable of beating classical sound systems. Greetings from France,

[@eleegs]

People don’t hate. They express their own ego and insecurities by disparaging things they believe their hard earned money should not be spent on. It’s an ego thing. It has nothing to do with lack of appreciation for the hard work it takes to development5em nepotism their merits.

[@kengreene5196]

Especially if they had a decent CRT NTSC TV, such as my last tube model, the NEC 2030S! my mom, who opposed stereo TVs and VCRs @ their inception, became a stereo junkie once she heard her favorite Mahalia Jackson and Rev. James Cleveland Gospel music playing via cable TV videos!