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[Stafford]

I've been gaming with TV sound for a while now and it's just not great. Yes the Sony A95K does a pretty good job, but it's far from ideal.

I have used a Samsung Q990b soundbar for two weeks, but I had to return it because the subwoofer proved to be overkill for my living room, especially so for the neighbours, way too boomy and even though I tried it with settings, I couldn't get it right. It would be very bassy (but good) for some games, and it would be bad for movies unless I changed settings, but then for other shows and movies it was too weak. Inconsistent is my experience with it.

So then I thought, why don't I go for a soundbar that still provides a really good upgrade over the TV sound, and that has a good bass too. Apparently the Harman Kardon Citation Multibeam 1100 is that. And if need be, I can always add a sub later. Rears too. It can be had for around 700 euros or more here. But I've heard good things about JBL 9.1 too, it is the full package, it just remains to be seen if this sub is also too much for my room.

Then of course there's setups like a AVR with speakers. Now I've seen a Yamaha YHT-4960 5.1 home cinema set for 625 euros, it's 5.1 but doesn't offer Atmos or DTS. But really, I don't think missing out on Atmos on Xbox is that big of a deal, plus with the Samsung I had an undefeatable audio delay with it anyway. What is especially great is the receiver that comes with this supports 120hz and VRR. If that is correct, that's very cheap for a full blown home cinema set.

I would get a lot more for less money with the Yamaha compared to the HK, which is solely the soundbar. My questions are....

- Does anyone have this receiver or the whole set?

- Truly, how big of a deal is no Atmos? Isn't it only still a few games that support it?

- Does anyone here have or had the JBL or HK soundbar?

One thing is for sure, I'm not gonna stick with TV sound, I just miss too much. I want to hear wildlife and other nature sounds in RDR2 behind me via the rear speakers and I don't always want to put on headsets/headphones.

 

[drotahorror]

Go the AVR route. Even mid range setups rival pretty much any sound bar.

 

[Akuji]

Soundbars that are more then stereo suck. My brother had the Sennheiser ambeo and i came for a listening Session. After 2 minutes i left. He noticed it as well and send it back.

Some soundbars like u mentioned have speakers behind them but they are most likely wireless and with a battery. How often do you Set those up? And Ur locked into a System.

Personally whenever possible i would go avr.

 

[Urban]

I have the Samsung Q950A and for me its a instant recommendation. I found the Sound pretty impressive! It even has a Nightmode but your neighbors will still hate you

 

[M.W.]

I have the Sonos Arc and love it. The built in speech enhancement feature is a game changer.

 

[Adam_802]

Home theater with surround sound speakers FTW

 

[Stafford]

I can get a Onkyo TX-NR636 AVR (2014) plus big front speakers from Klipsch, center speaker and rears for 500 euros. Used, but in great condition. The only uncertainty I have is audio delay. If I hook the Xbox up straight into AVR, no delay, but also no VRR then.

If I hook Xbox into TV and receiver into TVs eARC then I will have VRR but when selecting Dolby Digital will have a delay. Stereo uncompressed has no delay but then there won't be surround.

 

[Mister Wolf]

I'm content with an expensive soundbar. Don't go cheap on them.

 

[drotahorror]

I can get a Onkyo TX-NR636 AVR (2014) plus big front speakers from Klipsch, center speaker and rears for 500 euros. Used, but in great condition. The only uncertainty I have is audio delay. If I hook the Xbox up straight into AVR, no delay, but also no VRR then.

If I hook Xbox into TV and receiver into TVs eARC then I will have VRR but when selecting Dolby Digital will have a delay. Stereo uncompressed has no delay but then there won't be surround.

Nvm, I don't know details of your personal setup.

 

[willothedog]

Soundbar, saves all the crappy cables and boxes that take up room and frankly look old fashioned.

 

[Stafford]

I'm content with an expensive soundbar. Don't go cheap on them.

Ideally it's a bar that supports everything these consoles support. I don't care much for 120hz, but VRR is a must for me. There's barely a handful of bars that offer this, and the ones that do offer it are easily into the 1000 euro range. Which at that point I'm like....nah, that's just too much.

 

[SScorpio]

Soundbars that are more then stereo suck. My brother had the Sennheiser ambeo and i came for a listening Session. After 2 minutes i left. He noticed it as well and send it back.

Some soundbars like u mentioned have speakers behind them but they are most likely wireless and with a battery. How often do you Set those up? And Ur locked into a System.

Personally whenever possible i would go avr.

A large number of the rear speakers don't have a battery. You have a wireless subwoofer you need to power, and the rear speakers plug into that. The ones I have used the same jacks as analog audio l/r, component, etc. You could sub in your own speakers if you really wanted to, but you are stuck with what's built into the soundbar itself so generally there isn't much reason to pimp out your rear channels. There are also system have that Atmos high on the rear channels. I don't have a system like that so I'm not sure what connectors they use.

Receivers are nice, and speccing your speakers can get your great sound. But for most people, a good soundbar is all the need versus just using the TV's built-in speakers.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

I have a Soundbar. I got the top of the line LG with 5.1.2 with two rear speakers and I can't say I like it all that much compared to my original AVR.

The only reason I made the change was that I wanted to fewer speaker wires and such.

I now miss all that stuff.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

I'm content with an expensive soundbar. Don't go cheap on them.

We did a nicer soundbar in our basement and they can be shockingly good

Its a Samsung Q Series (Dont remember the model) and its really impresses me

 

[SScorpio]

Ideally it's a bar that supports everything these consoles support. I don't care much for 120hz, but VRR is a must for me. There's barely a handful of bars that offer this, and the ones that do offer it are easily into the 1000 euro range. Which at that point I'm like....nah, that's just too much.

With eARC this is less of a concern, but receivers run into the exact same issue. The TV itself has the console connected directly to it, and then just the sound is passed back to the soundbar. So the TV can process 120hz, VRR, etc.

Prior to eARC, a direct connection to the soundbar would give you better sound than regular ARC which is a little fancier than just a TOS Link connection. But eARC repurposes the HDMI's pretty much unused Ethernet pins for additional audio bandwidth.

 

[Trogdor1123]

If someone was to do an avr build with an eye on value instead of peak performance, what would that run? What does a person even look for? Total noob to this stuff but would love to learn

 

[Mister Wolf]

Ideally it's a bar that supports everything these consoles support. I don't care much for 120hz, but VRR is a must for me. There's barely a handful of bars that offer this, and the ones that do offer it are easily into the 1000 euro range. Which at that point I'm like....nah, that's just too much.

The Soundar you would connect through your HDMI port that supports E-ARC. None of them would hinder your ability to use VRR or 120hz since the Soundbar is using a different HDMI port to the TV than the console.

 

[Putonahappyface]

I'm rocking a Sennheiser Ambeo Max soundbar, SVS SB2000 Pro subwoofer and it's the bollocks!

 

[Beer Baelly]

Surround always.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Just get a decent head set.

 

[jroc74]

I have the Samsung Q950A and for me its a instant recommendation. I found the Sound pretty impressive! It even has a Nightmode but your neighbors will still hate you

I have this too. Those that dont know its a sound bar with 2 rear wireless speakers. Overall it has a ton of speakers tho: front, side, top. For example the rear speakers are really 6 speakers. It does a good job if mimicking speakers on the ceiling.

Dolby Atmos coming thru it is really nice. For movies at least. For games, I play my PS5 the most and the surround sound is good.

Even just regular surround sound period is nice. It shocks me at times when commercials have better surround sound than a show I'm watching, lol.

That said, the Matrix demo did sound slightly better on the XSX vs the PS5. PS5 doesnt have Atmos.

 

[TheTony316]

always AVR and studio monitors.

 

[Neilg]

Spend the max budget you were thinking of dropping and just get a big stereo set. Pound for pound the audio quality will be leagues beyond a full 5.1 or soundbar.

 

[Godfavor]

If you don't want a lot of base, Sonos arc with sonos mini sub and sonos one's as surrounds would be a good combo

 

[Xellos]

Get a nice pair of stereo speakers, an older AVR (or integrated amp) hooked up to TV's optical output (or eARC), and maybe a 10" subwoofer if you want some bass extension down to ~30Hz. Quality of the speakers + amplification is going to make the biggest difference to your sound. You can always add the surround/center/height channel speakers later if you want.

If someone was to do an avr build with an eye on value instead of peak performance, what would that run? What does a person even look for? Total noob to this stuff but would love to learn

Look for older/discounted equipment. The markup on audio equipment is pretty nuts. Newer does not necessarily mean better. Only thing new AVRs add over 5 year old AVRs is HDMI 2.1. Start with a good stereo setup and go from there.

 

[poppabk]

I got a TCL Alto8+, the TS813 variant for $70 and for the price I couldn't be happier.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

As far as your SS preference, it depends on the size of your room. If your seats are at the back of the room, then Atmos will be the best way to go, but if your room is big with a lot of space behind the seats, a 7.1 might be a better solution.

But yeah, if you live in a tiny apartment with lots of neighbors, a HTS might not be the way to go. In that case, like I said before, a head set would be your best bet.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

Get an AVR with eARC. ATMOS is snake oil (for home use), I have ceiling speakers, they suck. Its home theater FOMO.
Dolby Vision on the other hand seems to become the de facto HDR standard, so I would always check for that.

Get speakers used, they don't get "old" or worse with age, when taken care for.
Get the newest AVR you can afford (HDMI 2.1 for future proofing).

Edit: Check if the YHT-4960 has all the HDMI 2.1 features already (promised as a firmware update, dont bother if they dont)

 

[mrmustard]

I'm super happy with my Samsung HW-Q600B for 150 Euros. Could even upgrade it with rears if i wanted to.

 

[Stafford]

Just get a decent head set.

I have a good one, but I don't use them a lot. I noticed how I keep going back to just using TV sound. I guess I don't always want to put a headset on. And surround sound will likely always sound better with a good setup too. I remember when I had the Samsung Q990b and I heard lots of things behind me in RDR2.

Spend the max budget you were thinking of dropping and just get a big stereo set. Pound for pound the audio quality will be leagues beyond a full 5.1 or soundbar.

I forgot to mention that I actually still have two older Yamaha front speakers. And they contain a bassreflex system, so a sub kinda is obsolete. It's just that when it comes to the highs and mids they aren't as clear as I'd like. But they can be a good substitute until I get better ones. Which would mean I only need to worry about an AVR now.

If you don't want a lot of base, Sonos arc with sonos mini sub and sonos one's as surrounds would be a good combo

Oh don't get me wrong. I love a bass, especially for gunshots and explosions in games or doors slamming shut and what not. But the Samsung was boomy as hell, it was boomy in scenes during movies where it shouldn't be boomy.

Get a nice pair of stereo speakers, an older AVR (or integrated amp) hooked up to TV's optical output (or eARC), and maybe a 10" subwoofer if you want some bass extension down to ~30Hz. Quality of the speakers + amplification is going to make the biggest difference to your sound. You can always add the surround/center/height channel speakers later if you want.



Look for older/discounted equipment. The markup on audio equipment is pretty nuts. Newer does not necessarily mean better. Only thing new AVRs add over 5 year old AVRs is HDMI 2.1. Start with a good stereo setup and go from there.

Good advice.

As I said previously I already have two big Yamaha front speakers and they produce an impressive bass. I'd only need to start looking for a AVR in that case.

Reasons I would opt for Soundbar is that I don't need space for the big speakers. It would just be one big bar under the TV and two surrounds in the back. And maybe a sub after all. Even though it is said that the HK produces a strong bass.

 

[Pedro Motta]

I have the Samsung Q950A, it's amazing, works really well with movies and games, the sound bubble effect is real. It's OK for music, still very enjoyable.

 

[Stafford]

Get an AVR with eARC. ATMOS is snake oil (for home use), I have ceiling speakers, they suck. Its home theater FOMO.
Dolby Vision on the other hand seems to become the de facto HDR standard, so I would always check for that.

Get speakers used, they don't get "old" or worse with age, when taken care for.
Get the newest AVR you can afford (HDMI 2.1 for future proofing).

Edit: Check if the YHT-4960 has all the HDMI 2.1 features already (promised as a firmware update, dont bother if they dont)

Oh damn, shit.

I totally forgot about Dolby Vision, I guess my mind was still at the Samsung S95B that doesn't have DV but I have a Sony A95K now, it offers DV for movies and shows. For games too, but then I don't have VRR. It's nonsense for Xbox gaming anyway.

So if I were to buy a significantly older AVR that doesn't support DV, I will get my movies and shows in HDR10 instead or no HDR at all probably, more like?

 

[JohnnyFootball]

With eARC this is less of a concern, but receivers run into the exact same issue. The TV itself has the console connected directly to it, and then just the sound is passed back to the soundbar. So the TV can process 120hz, VRR, etc.

Prior to eARC, a direct connection to the soundbar would give you better sound than regular ARC which is a little fancier than just a TOS Link connection. But eARC repurposes the HDMI's pretty much unused Ethernet pins for additional audio bandwidth.

SPeaking of eARC it is retardly stupid that so many TVS with only two HDMI 2.1 ports dedicate one of those to eARC. That crap has prevented me from even considering a Sony OLED. I am not aware of any HDMI 2.1 soundbars and even then most only have 1 HDMI input port.

I honestly with TVs would just a add a 5th HDMI port solely for eARC.

It's maddingly frustrating how simple little things that should be easily fixable/avoidable can fuck up a great experience.

 

[Kabelly]

I wish I could do full surround, but I live in an apartment building.

I only want a home so I can go full out on a sound system.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Oh damn, shit.

I totally forgot about Dolby Vision, I guess my mind was still at the Samsung S95B that doesn't have DV but I have a Sony A95K now, it offers DV for movies and shows. For games too, but then I don't have VRR. It's nonsense for Xbox gaming anyway.

So if I were to buy a significantly older AVR that doesn't support DV, I will get my movies and shows in HDR10 instead or no HDR at all probably, more like?

Lack of Dolby VIsion is sole reason I don't consider Samsung TVs. They do everything else right, but being a home theater enthusiast and the Dolby Vision is used by so many videos make it a dealbreaker.

Not to mention I have been exposed to their QC issues with their monitors and that also would make me hesitant to get their TVs.

LG OLEDs really offer the best of all worlds.

 

[Stafford]

Lack of Dolby VIsion is sole reason I don't consider Samsung TVs. They do everything else right, but being a home theater enthusiast and the Dolby Vision is used by so many videos make it a dealbreaker.

Not to mention I have been exposed to their QC issues with their monitors and that also would make me hesitant to get their TVs.

LG OLEDs really offer the best of all worlds.

Dude, let me shake your hand. I know all about Sammy. I won't soon go back to their TVs, if ever. My experience with the S95B was incredibly inconsistent. You could say it was like a love hate relationship, lol. I am so damn glad I traded it in, spend a bit more and got the Sony. Brilliant TV.

Sammy has the gaming features nailed down, I'll give them that but the Sony is no slouch either. And overall I am just so much more happy with the overall picture quality of the Sony. Used to think the praise about their processing was hype, but I'm a believer now. And as for Sammy, their service proved to be horrible and they can't be trusted with firmware.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Dude, let me shake your hand. I know all about Sammy. I won't soon go back to their TVs, if ever. My experience with the S95B was incredibly inconsistent. You could say it was like a love hate relationship, lol. I am so damn glad I traded it in, spend a bit more and got the Sony. Brilliant TV.

Sammy has the gaming features nailed down, I'll give them that but the Sony is no slouch either. And overall I am just so much more happy with the overall picture quality of the Sony. Used to think the praise about their processing was hype, but I'm a believer now. And as for Sammy, their service proved to be horrible and they can't be trusted with firmware.

Sony also has the dealbreaker of only two HDMI 2.1 ports AND one of them being the eARC port. So there is effectively ONE dedicated HJDMI 2.1 port. Its just fucking madness.

LG is the only company that offers the best of all worlds.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

Sony also has the dealbreaker of only two HDMI 2.1 ports AND one of them being the eARC port. So there is effectively ONE dedicated HJDMI 2.1 port. Its just fucking madness.

LG is the only company that offers the best of all worlds.

Have an A90J Sony, I bought the TV with a surround sound setup in mind, so I really didn't care fore the amount of 2.1 ports.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

Oh damn, shit.

I totally forgot about Dolby Vision, I guess my mind was still at the Samsung S95B that doesn't have DV but I have a Sony A95K now, it offers DV for movies and shows. For games too, but then I don't have VRR. It's nonsense for Xbox gaming anyway.

So if I were to buy a significantly older AVR that doesn't support DV, I will get my movies and shows in HDR10 instead or no HDR at all probably, more like?

If you have an A95K, you can use it as a center speaker in an AVR/SS set-up. Works surprisingly good. Makes for a cleaner look.

To your question, only when you watch content (bd-player) over the AVR. I would guess by now most content viewing is done from the TV itself, so you will enjoy DV on the screen but whatever sound is send to the AVR or soundbar....

 

[Stafford]

Sony also has the dealbreaker of only two HDMI 2.1 ports AND one of them being the eARC port. So there is effectively ONE dedicated HJDMI 2.1 port. Its just fucking madness.

LG is the only company that offers the best of all worlds.

Right, I forgot about that for a minute. I knew about it before I opted for the Sony but yeah, those decisions are mind boggling. Once I add the PS5 to my consoles I'll just have to take the HDMI cable of Xbox out of the TV and plug it in for PS5.

There aren't workarounds for this?

If you have an A95K, you can use it as a center speaker in an AVR/SS set-up. Works surprisingly good. Makes for a cleaner look.

To your question, only when you watch content (bd-player) over the AVR. I would guess by now most content viewing is done from the TV itself, so you will enjoy DV on the screen but whatever sound is send to the AVR or soundbar....

Oh that's sweet, the A95K can be the center speaker? Then I would only need two fronts and two rears. As for DV, that's a huge relief. I guess I could go for the Yamaha set then, the AVR doesn't support Atmos but meh. I would connect the Xbox to the TV, the AVR also goes to TV and hopefully Xbox has little to no delay with DD or 5.1 uncompressed.

Also, I used to always think that formats like Dolby Digital, DTS, Atmos are the ones I should choose. But actually it's stereo uncompressed for a stereo setup and 5.1/71 uncompressed for a surround setup with Xbox, right? I didn't have this option at all when I still had the Samsung Q990b soundbar, but neither did I have the Sony TV at that point. I still had the S95B and that one lacks support of several audio formats. I assume Sony supports many?

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Right, I forgot about that for a minute. I knew about it before I opted for the Sony but yeah, those decisions are mind boggling. Once I add the PS5 to my consoles I'll just have to take the HDMI cable of Xbox out of the TV and plug it in for PS5.

There aren't workarounds for this?


Oh that's sweet, the A95K can be the center speaker? Then I would only need two fronts and two rears. As for DV, that's a huge relief.

Also, I used to always think that formats like Dolby Digital, DTS, Atmos are the ones I should choose. But actually it's stereo uncompressed for a stereo setup and 5.1/71 uncompressed for a surround setup with Xbox, right? I didn't have this option at all when I still had the Samsung Q990b soundbar, but neither did I have the Sony TV at that point. I still had the S95B and that one lacks support of several audio formats. I assume Sony supports many?

Uncompressed simply means that it's a bit for but copy of the studio master and will provide the best experience. Lossless formats like Dolby True HD and DTS-HD: MA use compression that eliminate data that is unusuable so you effectively get a copy of the studio master.

Uncompressed 5.1 audio would typically use about 5MBit of bandwidth, which is why you never see it in streaming. Lossless has come a LONG way. Apple Music uses Lossless music , which is incredible how much better it sounds than having mp3s copied to my iphone for music.

 

[sinnergy]

My Samsung n950 atmos bar with rear speakers is ace .. but I only use it for games and movies, a big upgrade to my old receiver surround set and stand alone speakers . No regrets . Also took less space in the house-hold. For a sound bar expensive at the time , only under the Yamaha , that one is a beast . Ysp-5600.

 

[Stafford]

My Samsung n950 atmos bar with rear speakers is ace .. but I only use it for games and movies, a big upgrade to my old receiver surround set and stand alone speakers . No regrets . Also took less space in the house-hold. For a sound bar expensive at the time , only under the Yamaha , that one is a beast . Ysp-5600.

That one is on sale actually now.

950 instead of 1799.

 

[BearNecessity]

Theres also the Sony HTA9. Apparently Sony is still light years ahead of everyone when it comes to spatial tech.

https://www.sony.ca/en/electronics/sound-bars/ht-a9

Id jump on it but Im already in the Sonos ecosystem

 

[Stafford]

Theres also the Sony HTA9. Apparently Sony is still light years ahead of everyone when it comes to spatial tech.

https://www.sony.ca/en/electronics/sound-bars/ht-a9

Id jump on it but Im already in the Sonos ecosystem

2000 bucks? Aw hell no. That's just not for me, not willing to shell out that kinda dough for sound.

 

[flying_sq]

Sound bars and home theater systems are like console gaming vs PC. I always forget that TVs have speakers. I cannot remember the last time I personally used the speakers on a TV. If you invest in some seriously good speakers they can last the rest of your life. The AVR is kind of like a GPU and you will eventually have to upgrade it. Sound bars are "good enough". Even the most premium ones will pale in comparison to a full set of good speakers. Speakers are more of a PIA than sound bars, and you have to do a fair bit of research to get the best bang for your buck. Never be too afraid of second hand speakers, especially if they are really high end, most of the people who can afford those, don't beat them. Atmos is meh, and you can always add it on to a surround system if you want it.

 

[Stafford]

If you have an A95K, you can use it as a center speaker in an AVR/SS set-up. Works surprisingly good. Makes for a cleaner look.

To your question, only when you watch content (bd-player) over the AVR. I would guess by now most content viewing is done from the TV itself, so you will enjoy DV on the screen but whatever sound is send to the AVR or soundbar....

Do you think this would work with a soundbar too? So that the Sony sound basically enhances what the soundbar does? The Samsung Q990b had this in combination with the S95B TV, it's called Q Symphony iirc, sound from both TV and bar. Is that how it works for Sony too?

Sound bars and home theater systems are like console gaming vs PC. I always forget that TVs have speakers. I cannot remember the last time I personally used the speakers on a TV. If you invest in some seriously good speakers they can last the rest of your life. The AVR is kind of like a GPU and you will eventually have to upgrade it. Sound bars are "good enough". Even the most premium ones will pale in comparison to a full set of good speakers. Speakers are more of a PIA than sound bars, and you have to do a fair bit of research to get the best bang for your buck. Never be too afraid of second hand speakers, especially if they are really high end, most of the people who can afford those, don't beat them. Atmos is meh, and you can always add it on to a surround system if you want it.

You're not wrong about that. Especially about second hand speakers, and I should start to seriously consider that. Which speakers are highly recommended in your opinion and at the same time affordable? I know Klipsch are pretty damn good. I'm gonna need a sub too, but I will need to find one that is great for me but at the same time should not be an extreme bother for my neighbours.

I have Yamaha speakers here that produce a impressive bass, but the treble sounds a bit muffled. I'm gonna see if there are speakers nowadays with a similar bass reflex system built in. I might not even need a sub.

 

[buenoblue]

I mean if you can accommodate it a full avr and multi speaker setup it is always gonna be better. A sound bar is just for convenience.

I used to do the whole 7.1 full avr setup, spent a couple grand in the early PS4 days but then I moved house and dint really have the layout needed. Plus Atmos came out and I really didn't want to upgrade so I got a £300 Sony sound bar and and some £150 headphones and I've been pretty happy.

I will say if you found a sound bar to much sound then you might want to not go the avr route. They only really come into there own when booming out the power.

 

[Boots_the_God]

I recommend avoiding the LG sound bars. I got higher end model with the sun and some rear speakers. They thump and the atmos support is good, but no matter what I do to the settings the speech still gets drowned out. It’s the like sound bar refuses to prioritize it over everything else.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

Do you think this would work with a soundbar too? So that the Sony sound basically enhances what the soundbar does? The Samsung Q990b had this in combination with the S95B TV, it's called Q Symphony iirc, sound from both TV and bar. Is that how it works for Sony too?

Don’t think it works that way. The TV has a analog input for regular speaker cables on the back.