Which soundbar + subwoofer to buy

[Omarr]

Hey guys,

At the start of this year I bought a LG Curved OLED 4K TV, after all this time I decided to look into good sound aswell to accompany the good tv.

My biggest concern is where'd be the best place to put the subwoofer, I made a floormap of my living room to give you a better idea of what it looks like.

NOTE: the window on the right is actually a door leading to the backyard, theres a large window in the door just like the other "door (partially glass)"

Theres also a carpet on the floor, which basically covers the whole empty spot in the middle, also covers the space under the table.

The question marks are spots which I thought about myself.

I've yet to buy the soundbar + subwoofer

BTW, I've been thinking about three different soundbar + subwoofers namely:

- Bose Soundtouch 300
- Sonos Playbar
- Sony HT-ST5000

Any advice for good spots?
Would like to hear your thoughts about the soundbars aswell, my budget for the soundbar + subwoofer is around 1500.

P.S. wanted to be as specific as possible about everything, thats why I even noted that theres a hookah in my room...

 

[Pogre]

You're not gonna see a lot of love for sound bars here. As far a sub placement, that's something you'll have to figure out when you get it. Room modes and your furniture all play a part. One quick and dirty method would be to place the sub at your seating position and crawl around on the floor to find a spot where it sounds best. That's where you want to place your sub.

 

[2channel lover]

Omarr...welcome to the forum.

You've made a nice investment into your TV. I'll try to answer your question in a second, but wanted to ask a couple of questions.

Is this sound system just for the TV? What about movies and or music?

Subs generally perform better in a corner or next to a wall, but that's not 100%. Sometimes nearfield is best. The best thing to do is the trial and error method. One thing to consider is the sub will look at the entire space (including the area where the dining table is) so you want to make sure you're getting enough sub to handle the job.

As far as the models you are looking at, I would have little to no knowledge of them. I've heard the Bose system in the store...it's okay. Sonos is a respected brand....the Golden Ear XL sound bar sounds really good...I'm considering that in my sunroom.

Not to steer you, but I might look at a small AV system in lieu of a sound bar/sub combo if this is intended to be part of the entertainment system.

 

[Omarr]

I mainly watch movies and play games on my tv, my preference goes to bass when it comes to sound, I love the shaking when it comes to bass. I listen music aswell, just not as much as watching movies or playing games.

Concerning what you said about an AV system, I think I'll stay with a soundbar + subwoofer and upgrade later on with some speakers to my left and right.

I heard the Bose in the store, the sound amazed me (was my first time hearing a soundbar + subwoofer)
Heard the Sonos too but they didnt have access to the subwoofer...so that didnt really help.
Might buy one this saturday, the biggest thing thats on my mind is what brand/model to buy now.

 

[Pogre]

How much are you spending on a sound bar? Are you going that route for lack of room for speakers? What are the dimensions of that listening space? You might be a candidate for 2 subs.

Bose... *shudder*

 

[lovinthehd]

If you thought the Blose soundbar sounded good with it's pathetic excuse of a subwoofer (it's really not, more a bass module)....you'd really be amazed by a proper setup....

 

[Pogre]

Blose... lol

 

[2channel lover]

How much are you spending on a sound bar? Are you going that route for lack of room for speakers? What are the dimensions of that listening space? You might be a candidate for 2 subs.

Bose... *shudder*

I know. I've heard this unit n BB and in the store it's okay...that's obviously different from his space. He might be thrilled with it.

....I demoed the GoldenEar super cinema 3d XL sound bar/sub...you're in a room with the TV/soundbar/sub and a few chairs. Maybe I would have a different feeling about the Bose after hearing it in the same environment.

From what I heard, it's a different animal compared to the Bose....I'm thinking for the sunroom just for TV audio...I have the Noble Fidelity in ceiling speakers in there for whole house music, but they are not connected to the TV. When connected to a sub, this is the closest I think he will get to a small AV system in terms of SQ, imo.

 

[2channel lover]

I mainly watch movies and play games on my tv, my preference goes to bass when it comes to sound, I love the shaking when it comes to bass. I listen music aswell, just not as much as watching movies or playing games.

Concerning what you said about an AV system, I think I'll stay with a soundbar + subwoofer and upgrade later on with some speakers to my left and right.

I heard the Bose in the store, the sound amazed me (was my first time hearing a soundbar + subwoofer)
Heard the Sonos too but they didnt have access to the subwoofer...so that didnt really help.
Might buy one this saturday, the biggest thing thats on my mind is what brand/model to buy now.

I understand...if you're going with a wired sub. I would look at maybe even spending a little less on the soundbar, and getting a SVS, HSU, etc sub that won't strain in that space.

Google Goldenear and see if there is a dealer near you..if so, their soundbars are worth hearing before you make the purchase.

 

[TheWarrior]

I heard the Bose in the store, the sound amazed me (was my first time hearing a soundbar + subwoofer)
Heard the Sonos too but they didnt have access to the subwoofer...so that didnt really help.
Might buy one this saturday, the biggest thing thats on my mind is what brand/model to buy now.

That 'research' Bose claims is that they did some comparisons and found that listeners greatly prefer midrange performance. So they started building speakers, mostly with little or no crossover, that accentuate the midrange and can play very cleanly. However, as soon as you do a side by side comparison with a capable loudspeaker you quickly realize how much you weren't hearing with Bose. For some people, thats all they will ever want anyway. Bose still has enough money to sponsor an F1 team, so clearly it works.

But if you are seeking better than average performance, or have your own critical listening movie/music selections, do yourself a favor and take the next step up with the above recommendations!

 

[mtrycrafts]

Welcome.
As to sub location, I'd start with it behind that round table as I presume you'd be sitting on that couch straight across the TV.

 

[Omarr]

I understand...if you're going with a wired sub. I would look at maybe even spending a little less on the soundbar, and getting a SVS, HSU, etc sub that won't strain in that space.

Google Goldenear and see if there is a dealer near you..if so, their soundbars are worth hearing before you make the purchase.

Unfortunately Goldenear doesn't sell in Holland, shame really. Bet it wouldve been recommended to me in the store if it were present there.

Neither does HSU sell here, I did find SVS but it was on an online (pretty unknown) site, dont really trust those.

Thought this wouldnt be so hard, until everyone suggested all kinds of brands. Now im mindfcked...

 

[Omarr]

How much are you spending on a sound bar? Are you going that route for lack of room for speakers? What are the dimensions of that listening space? You might be a candidate for 2 subs.

Bose... *shudder*

The whole room is 3,75m x 6,5m. My plan for the listening space is mainly for the couches and the chair next to the couch, which would be like 3m x 4,5m. The reason im going for a soundbar + sub is because my room is probably too small for lots of speakers, looking at the room right now.

 

[Omarr]

Welcome.
As to sub location, I'd start with it behind that round table as I presume you'd be sitting on that couch straight across the TV.

This was my first suggestion, I always sit to the right of the table, im in for some shaking

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I can understand the soundbar for simplicity at least but the performance will not even be as good as a nice 2ch system. If you're really looking for shaking, go for the svs, hopefully there's a site/seller who can hook you up. To say it would be worth the extra compared to the Bose would be a gross understatement. The bose might buzzand hum but won't shake you. Sorry.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

@TheWarrior Tapatalk won't let me quote. Weird...
Bose blows, no highs no lows!

 

[lovinthehd]

Might check out european brands like XTZ and B.K. Electronics for subs. Make sure the soundbar can really handle a subwoofer of your choice, too. Can't recommend any soundbars, never appealed to me at all.

 

[Omarr]

Might check out european brands like XTZ and B.K. Electronics for subs. Make sure the soundbar can really handle a subwoofer of your choice, too. Can't recommend any soundbars, never appealed to me at all.

So the XTZ Cinema SUB 1x12 would be a good choice? If it's really good and the bass is leagues above what I suggested then I won't mind paying a bit more.

 

[Omarr]

I can understand the soundbar for simplicity at least but the performance will not even be as good as a nice 2ch system. If you're really looking for shaking, go for the svs, hopefully there's a site/seller who can hook you up. To say it would be worth the extra compared to the Bose would be a gross understatement. The bose might buzzand hum but won't shake you. Sorry.

Hypothetically, if I were to buy a XTZ Cinema SUB 1x12, what other components would you recommend to me? the sub is 850 already, going above 1500 total is not ideal, but my absolute max would be 1800, at that price it should be something thats gonna make my neighbours despise me.
It should make every explosion feel as if the explosion actually (almost) took place in the house.

 

[Omarr]

I would like to add that I also tested the Onkyo HT-S7805, which sounds awesome aswell.

Decision is either the Sony soundbar + sub or the Onkyo, perhaps the XTZ sub along with the components should the latter seem like the best option.

EDIT: changed the title, as the subject has been changed. Will do trial and error concerning the location to place the sub.