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Soundbar or Speakers?

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Pros and Cons for both?
I cannot really decide on which to get..
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Josmos
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westrom
83
Engineer
Jul 11, 2018
So I'm definitely not an authority in this area but I did buy an nice 4K TV last year and had to ponder this exact question. I think it boils down to how serious you are about having high quality sound.
Sound bars are a quick and easy way to upgrade the sound on your new TV from bad to decent. They typically do not support the size or spacing of speakers that a real home theater demands.
If you're more serious about achieving quality sound then you need to go the route of AVR + Speakers + Subwoofer. There is a large variety of approaches and costs here but in general you'll be doing more research and paying more dollars and end up with higher quality sound.
I personally built a 3.1 system with entry level Denon AVR, SVS Prime speakers and SVS SB12-NSD subwoofer and to me it sounds incredible. But my dad just asked about this and I recommended he get a sound bar because I knew he wouldn't want to put in as much time or money.
Josmos
84
Jul 12, 2018
westromI'm assuming this applies not only for TV, but for PCs as well?
westrom
83
Engineer
Jul 12, 2018
JosmosSorry, couldn't tell from you question you meant PCs. I haven't bought PC speakers in a decade or more so I can't help much there. I think the speaker size point still holds but on the other hand I'd expect you want a more compact solution for a desk than a home theater room.
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