Soundbars

[admin_exported]

I've recently purchased a Panasonic 37PX80 which I am extremely happy with. I'm using a PS3 for playing dvd's and currently Sky SD (will upgrade to HD ast some point).

Would like to beef up the sound but room layout and space does not allow for any conventional 5.1 systems. The placing of a soundbar on a shelf below the tv would seem to be the best solution.I havn't really got any space either side of tv to accommodate a 2.1 setup.

Can anyone advise whether soundbars are any good, and if so, recommend which soundbar - budget c.£400

 

[Anonymous]

For that budget a second hand yamaha YSP coupled with a small sub should suffice

 

[Anonymous]

I think they've got a lot to offer (and I'm a dyed-in-the-wool home cinema nutter, so that's saying something). The benefit is simple, and it's something you've highlighted yourself: at least with a Sound Bar you can place the speaker in the correct position within your room. Cramming a larger speaker system into a small space can sometimes produce a worse sound than using a smaller speaker, correctly positioned -ÿfor example, large speakers can often sound excessively slow and bloated when positioned too close to nearby boundaries.
Sound Bars come in two forms: passive designs, which must be connected to a separate home cinema amplifier or receiver, and active, self-powered versions. You've not mentioned an amplifier in your kit list above, so I'll assume you're after a powered system.
As luck would have it, we're just about to carry out a test of the latest models in the next Ultimate Guide magazine, the Ultimate Guide to TV, out on June 5th. If you can't wait until then, Yamaha's YSP-900, which is getting on a little, is now available for around £400 from several online retailers, and it could be worth considering.