Am i crazy to ditch 5.1 system for soundbar?

Originally Posted by elroy12

I have a nice Sony 5.1 system hooked up to a ps3 and it plays true hd and dts hd codecs. However I just had my tv mounted and really prefer a minimalist look. As you can see in the picture my receiver and ps3 sit on a side table. Front speakers sit to each side. I want to eliminate the entire table, receiver and ps3. Lose all those cables and just go with a soundbar (maybe Vizio 215) and a small blu ray player (Samsung with 3d) next to directv box.

I know it won't be the same but everything will look much cleaner and the sound should still be pretty good. Won't be hd audio but I only get that when watching a blu ray anyway.

Thoughts?

Originally Posted by elroy12

I have a nice Sony 5.1 system hooked up to a ps3 and it plays true hd and dts hd codecs. However I just had my tv mounted and really prefer a minimalist look. As you can see in the picture my receiver and ps3 sit on a side table. Front speakers sit to each side. I want to eliminate the entire table, receiver and ps3. Lose all those cables and just go with a soundbar (maybe Vizio 215) and a small blu ray player (Samsung with 3d) next to directv box.

I know it won't be the same but everything will look much cleaner and the sound should still be pretty good. Won't be hd audio but I only get that when watching a blu ray anyway.

Thoughts?

Originally Posted by davyo

One thing that can be said for a soundbar vs a 5.1 setup is for me, I personaly prefure the sound of a bar over a 5.1,,, reason being is with a 5.1 the speakers are very directional, you know what sound is coming out of what speaker,,, with a "good" soundbar the sound is non-directional and is all around you, its like being in a sound bubble,,, to me it sounds more natural than a 5.1 setup.

Just my taste/opinion.

Cheers
Davyo

Originally Posted by pmcd

That is a really interesting point. I have been looking for a soundbar that would have a rich sound with a wireless subwoofer. I tried the Sony CT550W but the unit I got had a loud fan in the receiver so I never gave it a chance. The sound from the bar sounded very tinny, not like speakers in a wooden enclosure which I always seem to like. Perhaps the right settings would improve the sound.

In another thread the Vizio 510 sound bar was reviewed. It had rear speakers and a wireless subwoofer. Was the sound from it rich? Better than the Sony 550w?

The only negative with the Vizio on paper seems to be the lack of hdmi and problems with the led indicators.

So the question is whether you have an opinion of the relative strengths of the Sony vs the Vizio? HDMI would be nice but perhaps not essential. There is also the Bose ( I have a CineMate system which sounds great but the Bose sound bar is quite a bit more expensive).

philip

Originally Posted by davyo


If you "need" HDMI's for the way you are hooking up a system then yea, the HDMI inputs are important.

If you have a panel with enough HDMI inputs and your panel can pass a 5.1 signal via the optcial or coax out,,, then having HDMI's on the soundbar is really not needed.

I have owned the Cinemate's in the past and now own the Bose 1SR soundbar,,, I can say from personal experience the 1SR kills the Cinemate,,, its not even a fair battle,,,, the Bose bar wins hands down.

I also had the Vizio 510 and that is a great system as well, if ya can get one with working LED's.

Cheers
Davyo

Originally Posted by davyo

One thing that can be said for a soundbar vs a 5.1 setup is for me, I personaly prefure the sound of a bar over a 5.1,,, reason being is with a 5.1 the speakers are very directional, you know what sound is coming out of what speaker,,, with a "good" soundbar the sound is non-directional and is all around you, its like being in a sound bubble,,, to me it sounds more natural than a 5.1 setup.

Originally Posted by TedO

Davyo,

I think you are missing the point of 5.1 surround. You should have a directional feel for the sound. For example, in a movie when a sound is behind you and to right, it should sound that way, it's the whole concept of surround. The sound engineers will mix the sound to create depth in the sound track. If you listen in a "sound bubble" you are losing the whole effect. I agree that a sound bar is a huge improvment of the TV speakers, but the best sound bar can not hold a candle to a properly setup 5.1 system.

Bose doesn't even claim the SR1 will create a surround experience, what they claim is to produce a "wide" sound (read artificial stereo) from one central speaker. Watch the performance video on the SR1 Amazon page, you will not see any reference to reproducing surround or 5.1. It could be considered a 3.1 system at best.

A sound bar is a good solution to some specific problems/situations, but it is not the ideal solution for any home theater.

Originally Posted by davyo


I have had more 5.1 systems than I can even remember and most of the time nice'er systems,,, Onkyo, JBL, Yamaha, Energy to name just a few,,, for my taste I like the non-directional sound of a "good" soundbar more than a 5.1 directional system,,, everyone has different taste.

As far as a soundbar not being able to hold a candle to a true 5.1 system I would have to STRONLY disagree, in the right shaped room and set up correctly a GOOD soundbar can sound just as good if not better than a 5.1 setup.

Living in Las Vegas I go to CES almost every year,,, the one year that blew me away was the first listen at the Yamaha booth of the new/first YSP 1,,,,, it was a life changing experience hearing the YSP demo at CES in a perfect room and set up correctly by Yamaha,,, that demo showed me that it is possible for a soundbar to rival a 5.1 setup.

Soundbar's these days are getting better and better with each generation and the need for a perfect room is getting less needed than when the YSP's were first introduced.

In the right room there are some soundbars that can totaly fool most people into thinking they are hearing speakers all around the room,,, the YSP's actually sound pretty directional if one is lookiing for that directional type sound.

Another soundbar that seems to be a top choice is the Panorama,, although I have never heard the Panorama all the reviews lead me to believe it is the KING of all soundbars.

The YSP's and the Panorama and now the Bose are the bars that can get that true surround sound,,,,,, before I purchased the Bose bar I had listened to the demo at my local Frys and was completly blown away,, I was checking all the other speakers in the demo room to make sure they were not on,, thats how convincing the surround effect was with the Bose demo.

While I own the Bose and it does sound amazing in my house I will admit it does not sound as amazing in my house as it did in the Frys demo room,, reason being is my room is not a "perfect" soundbar friendly room,,,,,, but my point is,, in a "perfect" shaped room the Bose, the YSP and the Panorama can sound amazing and as good if not better than a true 5.1 setup.

Just my 2 cents.

Cheers
Davyo

Originally Posted by frostylou

Davyo,
I couldnt agree with you more. Actually, that is actually what is achieved in good movie theater. Because it is not just 5 speakers or 7 speakers , but many.. you get a sound bubble. Most of the time.. not always, when I go to a store and hear 5.1.. I hear.. Ok.. Back left. Space ship.. Back right.. Howl. I'm very aware of the isolated directions. ( It's not always, through. I remember hearing the mirage omnis( only 5 of them), and most recently, Golden Ears new smaller speakers, and was utterlt impresed and felt.. yes.. amazing. No gaps and breaks in the soundfield. Nothing sticking out. Just immersive. Sound everywhere.)

Hope you enjoying the Bose. It is a real winner.

Originally Posted by TedO

The point I am making is that it is physically impossible for a sound bar to match a 5.1 or even better a 7.1 system. Just as it is important to have a proper room and setup for a sound bar to sound it's best , so to for a 5.1 system. The sound bar, any sound bar, works off of wall reflections to widen the sound field. It is impossible for a sound bar, or even a 3.1 system to recreate the mixing done in the studio that creates the intended soundtrack. The reason the theaters use multiple speakers is to overcome the distances or gaps only 5 speakers would create in such a large space. On a well designed 5.1 system, you shouldn't hear speaker localization unless it was intentional in the soundtrack.
Don't get me wrong, there are situations where a sound bar may be the perfect solution or preference, and I have never owned one but have heard many, some even sounded pretty good. But when you said it sounds more natural than a 5.1 setup I can only believe you have not heard a proper setup in a proper room. Granted it does take a lot of equipment, setup and tuning to work correctly, there is nothing else like it besides being there.
I started with Pioneer, worked my way up to the elite series but was never really satisfied with the sound. When I finally made the jump to a Meridian, I finally heard what I was missing. Your sound bar may sound good, but my 5.1 system will blow you away.