![]() Chief among those reasons might be the discrepancy in sound between a soundbar system and a similarly priced home theater setup. There are numerous reasons why the wiki for the r/hometheater subreddit literally begins by explaining why you shouldn’t buy a soundbar. An unmatched soundstage Bill Roberson/Digital Trends But in these modern times, when every single component in the chain of operation has to be working in unison to achieve the desired audio and video formats, chances are some new software just isn’t going to cut it. If you picked up a premium soundbar, say, three or so years ago, but the idea of Dolby Atmos has you intrigued, congratulations! You’ll be buying an entirely new system in order to enjoy the newest tech.įirmware updates are a thing, sure. The Infinity Overture 3 speakers mentioned earlier were some of the more musical speakers I’ve ever heard, and they’re essentially as old as I am.Īs A/V technology sprints ahead at a quickening pace, like a marathon runner finding his second wind, all I need to stay current is to make sure one piece of the puzzle is up to date. As long as I take care of them, I may never have to replace them again. Home theater speakers like mine are a dream for lovers of longevity. I didn’t have to replace any other audio component. So I found a receiver within my budget (a Marantz SR5012), swapped out my Denon, and that was that. I wanted a receiver that supported 4K video pass-through and Dolby Atmos audio, plus other creature comforts like Bluetooth and wireless streaming for music. The motivation for switching receivers was to comply with modern times. Far from it, in fact - it’s become the centerpiece of a system I built for my parents, and it’s doing a commendable job for a product that’s well over a decade old. When it came time to retire my Denon receiver, I did not do so because it was no longer functional. But for anyone who wants the choice to change parts in order to progress their system over time without a complete overhaul of the entire setup itself, you’ll want to steer clear of the modern soundbar. There are plenty of folks, maybe even most folks, that won’t have a problem with a one-and-done solution. Down the road, if you decide you want more low end or a little more clarity in your sound, you get to buy a completely new system. But with the vast majority of soundbars, you get what you get. ![]() There are exceptions, of course – with Sonos products, you can add wireless rear speakers or a subwoofer to your Sonos Beam or Sonos Arc, though you’re limited to keeping things within the Sonos family, which forces you to play by Sonos’ rules. Soundbars, by comparison, are more of a one-stop shop. ![]() Over time, there’s nothing stopping you from expanding, upgrading, and tailoring your system to your exact taste. You’re free to add to your setup as your budget allows, with the option of starting small with a stereo 2.0 setup or adding a center channel and a subwoofer for a 3.1. But I wanted more, so I acquired a Klipsch SW115 to add more low end, then a vintage pair of Infinity Compositions Overture 3 speakers to replace my front left and right Polks, then a new Marantz receiver, then a new front soundstage courtesy of Polk Audio’s LSIM series, then…well, you get the point.īuilding a traditional home theater system offers the ultimate opportunity for customization. Then I added a retro subwoofer from M&K and another pair of Polk bookshelf speakers to push my surround setup to 7.1. An old-school Denon AVR 3805 receiver and a spool of speaker wire later, I was off to the races. My initial foray into the world of home theater was via Craigslist, where I found a five-speaker set from Polk Audio’s RTI series for a bargain. In my time with Digital Trends, and throughout my years of personal experience with home theater equipment, I have yet to find a soundbar that could compel me to reconsider my system. ![]()
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