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Soundbars, soundbars and louder soundbars help

post #1 of 14
5/10/09 at 9:48pm
Thread Starter 
So I tested out the Sony HT-CT100 and it was nowhere near loud enough. I like it loud so maybe sounbars are not going to work, but I would like them to.

I now am testing out the Polk Audio Sounbar 360 DVD Theatre and it's OK. MAX volume is pretty decent but still not loud enough.. I do have this matted at the moment to a Martin Logan Abyss sub (300W) which is PLENTY loud enough for my needs.

I am just trying to find a soundbar that can get pretty loud and play loud.... I see the Yamaha YSP1100 and YSP4000 are pretty much the same speakers wise (the 4000 offers more features and connection options which I won't use).

I am wondering if there is a soundbar out there that will play LOUD, even if I have to buy a receiver to get it there. I see the polk audio 50 needs a receiver and can take 150W per channel (how many channels is it?) and where do i get a receiver that can provide that much power?

Thanks guys for all the help. I appreciate it. And IF I can't find a soundbar that will work where do I go next? The Polk Audio 360 would probably work for what i need, but if i can find anything that plays louder that will be great.

I am no audiophile so SQ isnt that high on the list, but still somewhat important.

Thanks

Ryan
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post #2 of 14
5/10/09 at 11:36pm
Have a look at the Def Tech SSA-50
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post #3 of 14
5/11/09 at 12:21am
Thread Starter 
I saw that one too. It's basically the direct competitor to the Polk 50.

They both say (roughly) 150W per channel, but how many channels are these? Nowhere does it say.. I have read every review and none of them say what receiver they used to test them with so I have no idea what kind of power they can take or handle or what sounds good.

IF they can take 150W (truly) and I power them with 125W x 5 (Denon or HK or Onkyo or something similar) will this sound A LOT louder than the YSP1100?

I don't mind spending the money on the soundbar or receiver IF it's going to be Loud enough.

thanks
Ryan
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post #4 of 14
5/11/09 at 12:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by vidoprof View Post

I saw that one too. It's basically the direct competitor to the Polk 50.

...except the Def Tech has [5] larger drivers, 4.5". I only heard it casually in one of those furniture/home theater stores; it sounded pretty good but I can’t say much more than that. Have you thought about an L/R/C bar, a bar with only the front three channels, and adding some smallish surrounds in back of the room (if the room isn't too big)?
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post #5 of 14
5/11/09 at 1:54am
Thread Starter 
Can't add surrounds, can't run wires and don't want to and I don't want all those speakers and the GF doesn't want me to either.

I am debating maybe just doing 2.1 but well I really like surround sound.

I am just wondering if either the Polk 50 or the DEF TECH will be a lot louder than the Polk 360 or not. The polk 360 is ALMOST loud enough but not quite.

Thanks for the replies

Ryan
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post #6 of 14
5/11/09 at 2:12am
From what I've read the Def Tech has a fuller sound but I don't know about loudness. Only way to know for sure is to try it out - Best Buy has a generouse return policy (but double check that statement). A nice pair of speakers is a good idea too.

Good luck
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post #7 of 14
5/11/09 at 8:16am
Thread Starter 
I am actually testing out the Polk Audio 360 from Best Buy. They don't have the Soundbar 50 there nor do they have the Def Tech ones. I wish they did cause that would be great and then I could decide.

I can't really find anywhere around here that carries higher end audio stuff. Just not really around here (Tampa Bay) that I know of.

I can't imagine the Soundbar 50 is worse than the 360 version especially because it's passive and I get to add the amplified power (which has to be higher than the 360).

At least I would think anyways.

Ryan

Anyone else out there have any clue?
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post #8 of 14
5/11/09 at 8:42am
I have the YSP 1100 and it has plenty of volume.. my listening room is appx. 26' wide and 14' to the listening area and I have high ceilings .. Set st 75 (out of 100) this thing is PLENTY loud.. and clear, clean sound on top of it
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post #9 of 14
5/11/09 at 10:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by vidoprof View Post

I am actually testing out the Polk Audio 360 from Best Buy. They don't have the Soundbar 50 there nor do they have the Def Tech ones. I wish they did cause that would be great and then I could decide.

I can't really find anywhere around here that carries higher end audio stuff. Just not really around here (Tampa Bay) that I know of.

I can't imagine the Soundbar 50 is worse than the 360 version especially because it's passive and I get to add the amplified power (which has to be higher than the 360).

At least I would think anyways.

Ryan

Anyone else out there have any clue?

Without even taking amplification into consideration, the Surroundbar 50 is superior in every way to the 360's bar. Taken from the Polk website:

Surroundbar 50: Nine 3.5" Composite Cones, Three 3/4" Silk Dome tweeters
360: Eight Full Range 2.5" Cones, No tweeters

That's a huge difference right there. Now, with a dedicated receiver which will have more AND cleaner power, the Surroundbar 50 would blow the pants off the 360. I can't imagine it not being capable of being extremely loud paired with your sub. Also, with a separate receiver, you can take advantage of newer codecs like Dolby True HD and LPCM provided your receiver can handle that.

The Def Tech SSA-50 is probably a bit better on the surround effect and the drivers are also larger, but you are talking about double the price if you compare the Surroundbar 50 Polk refurbished on ebay to a new SSA-50 (they don't have refurbs). I think the refurbs are a great option as most of the time they are practically new and people just returned them. If you are comparing new to new, the price difference isn't as big.
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post #10 of 14
5/11/09 at 11:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by vidoprof View Post

So I tested out the Sony HT-CT100 and it was nowhere near loud enough. I like it loud so maybe sounbars are not going to work, but I would like them to.

I now am testing out the Polk Audio Sounbar 360 DVD Theatre and it's OK. MAX volume is pretty decent but still not loud enough.. I do have this matted at the moment to a Martin Logan Abyss sub (300W) which is PLENTY loud enough for my needs.

I am just trying to find a soundbar that can get pretty loud and play loud.... I see the Yamaha YSP1100 and YSP4000 are pretty much the same speakers wise (the 4000 offers more features and connection options which I won't use).

I am wondering if there is a soundbar out there that will play LOUD, even if I have to buy a receiver to get it there. I see the polk audio 50 needs a receiver and can take 150W per channel (how many channels is it?) and where do i get a receiver that can provide that much power?

Thanks guys for all the help. I appreciate it. And IF I can't find a soundbar that will work where do I go next? The Polk Audio 360 would probably work for what i need, but if i can find anything that plays louder that will be great.

I am no audiophile so SQ isnt that high on the list, but still somewhat important.

Thanks

Ryan

Did you check out my settings (located in the link in my sig) in regards to the CT100 before you sent it back (aka did you have it set up properly)?

Since you did send it back though, you might want to give the CT500 a whirl if the CT100 was "quiet/not loud" (pretty loud to me but I have my CT100 set up properly in my small 10 x 10 bedroom).
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1126000
It's way louder than the CT100 (CT100= 250watts vs CT500= 400watts), and has 2 CENTER speakers for broader surround (or finally surround to some). It also has alot of analog connections this time around, including HDMI and optical connections. Finally it has alot more user settings than the CT100 did (on [TV] screen menu and sub menu too), so maybe check out the CT500 whenever it comes out, projected date is July but reps say maybe sooner (like this month or next)...
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post #11 of 14
5/11/09 at 4:17pm
Thread Starter 
Da1: It wouldn't have mattered how loud the soundbar went the sub just wasn't going to cut it for me at all. I now have a Martin and Logan Abyss and it's just right, so no matter how loud the soundbar would have been the sub would not have worked and I can't add another sub to that unit anyway..

I really like it loud. Not to say that the CT100 isn't good just not loud enough for me at all.

Pete: Thanks for the input. I appreciate it. I think I might give it a whirl to see what that soundbar does. I have to check the Polk Ebay page for sure now. Any idea what receiver would go well with this? Do I just get the most powerful receiver I can afford and attach it there.

I really don't have a need for all the bells and whistle (XM, Ipod, 7.1, DTS, etc etc as I don't know what all the codecs do and probably can't hear the difference anyway).

Should I just get a cheap receiver with preouts and attach an amp to it? Would a car amp work (I have a bunch of really good JL and DLS amps for car audio)???

Thanks again for all the replies.

Ryan
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post #12 of 14
5/11/09 at 8:53pm
I would check out the Onkyo receivers for bang for the buck. Denon and Yamaha are great too for entry level with good quality sound and power. Amazon has good prices or ebay. Just get something with the specs you want.

If you don't care about codecs, there is another option for you...a ZVOX 425. With this you hook all your gear up to your TV inputs and use the TV analog output to the ZVOX. The TV does all the source switching and volume control. I don't know how powerful this is for your particular volume lust, BUT you can trial it for 30 days and they have a very good return policy...they will even pay shipping. You can hook your sub up to it too with the sub output. Some people on these boards swear by these and I am looking at one myself as an option. Check the ZVOX website.
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post #13 of 14
5/12/09 at 12:39pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the input guys.. Just going to start another thread to see something else.

I think I might have to go the bookshelf route to get the power I am looking for.
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post #14 of 14
5/24/09 at 1:13am
Thread Starter 
Sorry for the late reply on this, but the ZVOX just isn't going to cut it at all. It just doesn't look (specs wise) to come close to the Yamaha or others.

I did just put an order in for the Def Tech 42" bar. I MIGHT audition the Polk 50 but again they both need recievers. Not sure I want to buy a separate receiver to power these and IF I DID I might as well just get bookshelfs that will sound better (I think at least).

I really ultimately just want it plenty loud. I can't hear the difference between a pair of Studio 20's and a pair of low end klipsch's (honest). I don't want it to sound like crap either though, but loud is loud and for HT that is all I am looking for (for NOW).

ryan
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