The ideal home cinema sound system may not be what you think it is

[What Hi-Fi?]

Traditional AV amplifiers and speaker packages sound great but there are more domestically acceptable alternatives.

The ideal home cinema sound system may not be what you think it is : Read more

 

[NorbertP]

I recently bought a fairly budget soundbar (a Hisense AX5125H), and even though it didn't cost much it manages to do an excellent job, and sounds significantly better than the ancient 5.1 system I've put up with for years. It's missing some features that would be nice to have - there's no room correction or any real way of adjusting it beyond some built in presets and bass/treble controls, and the upfiring speakers are noticeably less effective than the rest of the system - but it took 2 minutes to set up, has freed me from the tyranny of cable management, and provides an excellent immersive experience that goes all the way from "clear and precise at reasonable volume" to "I'm glad my neighbour is a bit deaf".