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AR_Six · 01-02-2013, 10:02 AM

I'm probably a bit late with this as I missed the boxing day madness, but I want to pick up a soundbar for my TV as I'm sick of using the TV speakers. Watching a blu-ray yesterday and the levels just killed all the dialogue. Lame sauce.

I'm looking at the three the have at memory express. The room my TV is in is very small - it's basically an oversized nook attached to my kitchen. So it's not like I'm trying to fill 14" ceilings. However, a wired setup would be a pain and I don't want to spend that much. My TV is a Panasonic G20 plasma which does have ARC. I'm mostly using it for TV (optik) and blu ray. I have a harmony remote that I run everything through.

1. Sony Wireless Sound Bar http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX39556
This has dolby trueHD and DTS HD. It also has more wattage, I'm not sure how much I care. One of the convenient things is that it has 3 HDMI inputs and an ARC out for the TV, which means I could run my Xbox, Bluray and cable box all through the sound receiver and have some open HDMI ports on the TV if I get something else to hook up to it later (like a media pc or a PS3 or sometimes I use my laptop's hdmi out). I guess my question is, will this be noticeably better than the below models, and do the True HD and DTS HD make a big difference? If so I can justify the price difference. I'm not that interested in just paying extra because it has "Sony" written on it - though I can get it for less than this so the price difference isn't THAT big an issue.

2. Samsung HW-E450 http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX38295
This is cheaper at MSRP and discount, and doesn't have the receiver. It has less wattage, and doesn't have the HD audio stuff that the sony one has. It has one HDMI in and one out, but it does have ARC, so presumably I'd just run all my peripherals through my TV.

3. LG NB3520A http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX38276
Similar to the Samsung above and got similar reviews, apparently with a slightly "bigger" sound and takes up a bit more space. Has no HDMI inputs, only optical. I do not know if that is a deal-breaker, or if it really makes much difference. Reviews didn't seem to be too fussed above it as a deficiency.

Any help or pointers appreciated! I'm not an audio expert by any means.

01-02-2013, 10:02 AM	#1
AR_Six Lifetime Suspension Join Date: Nov 2011 Exp:	Soundbar purchase... any advice? I'm probably a bit late with this as I missed the boxing day madness, but I want to pick up a soundbar for my TV as I'm sick of using the TV speakers. Watching a blu-ray yesterday and the levels just killed all the dialogue. Lame sauce. I'm looking at the three the have at memory express. The room my TV is in is very small - it's basically an oversized nook attached to my kitchen. So it's not like I'm trying to fill 14" ceilings. However, a wired setup would be a pain and I don't want to spend that much. My TV is a Panasonic G20 plasma which does have ARC. I'm mostly using it for TV (optik) and blu ray. I have a harmony remote that I run everything through. 1. Sony Wireless Sound Bar http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX39556 This has dolby trueHD and DTS HD. It also has more wattage, I'm not sure how much I care. One of the convenient things is that it has 3 HDMI inputs and an ARC out for the TV, which means I could run my Xbox, Bluray and cable box all through the sound receiver and have some open HDMI ports on the TV if I get something else to hook up to it later (like a media pc or a PS3 or sometimes I use my laptop's hdmi out). I guess my question is, will this be noticeably better than the below models, and do the True HD and DTS HD make a big difference? If so I can justify the price difference. I'm not that interested in just paying extra because it has "Sony" written on it - though I can get it for less than this so the price difference isn't THAT big an issue. 2. Samsung HW-E450 http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX38295 This is cheaper at MSRP and discount, and doesn't have the receiver. It has less wattage, and doesn't have the HD audio stuff that the sony one has. It has one HDMI in and one out, but it does have ARC, so presumably I'd just run all my peripherals through my TV. 3. LG NB3520A http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX38276 Similar to the Samsung above and got similar reviews, apparently with a slightly "bigger" sound and takes up a bit more space. Has no HDMI inputs, only optical. I do not know if that is a deal-breaker, or if it really makes much difference. Reviews didn't seem to be too fussed above it as a deficiency. Any help or pointers appreciated! I'm not an audio expert by any means. Last edited by AR_Six; 01-02-2013 at 10:31 AM.