Question What are the key differences between a soundbar and a 5.1 speaker setup for immersive home cinema sound?

[sairaali1122]

I'm trying to decide between upgrading to a high-quality soundbar or investing in a 5.1 surround sound speaker setup for my home cinema. I mainly watch movies and stream TV shows in a medium-sized room. What are the biggest differences in audio experience, and which would be better for immersive sound in my space?

 

[abacus]

Soundbars are good if you can't have anything else (But good ones are expensive), however there is no substitute for a dedicated surround system for a full movie immersion.

Bill

 

[davidf]

Soundbars can never truly be "immersive".

 

[Al ears]

It pretty much comes down to cost, and indeed, space.
if you have the space and can afford a good speaker package and AV amplifier then this is the way to go.
good soundbars can be expensive but not as expensive as a full 5.1 set-up.
As previously mentioned soundbars cannot be fully immersive .

 

[bigboss]

You can get soundbars with rear speakers which are better than soundbars on their own. I have a Sonos Arc based 5.1 system with couple of Sonos Ones acting as rear surrounds and Sonos sub. I love it.

 

[Al ears]

You can get soundbars with rear speakers which are better than soundbars on their own. I have a Sonos Arc based 5.1 system with couple of Sonos Ones acting as rear surrounds and Sonos sub. I love it.

Nice, but to be fair the OP simply stated 'soundbar '

 

[daytona600]

5.1 or Atmos compared to a Soundbar , can you visit a local dealer for a Demo or Home loan
Difference depending on budget will be vast, AV systems really do not have any upper budgets sky is the limit