Sound Bars

The standard speaker supplied with the majority of flat panel TV's give very poor, disappointingly tinny sound quality. For those seeking better sound but cannot accomodate a fully discrete 5.1 surround speaker system, a sound bar with subwoofer makes a fine alternative.

Designed to fit underneath most flat panel TV's the sound bar often incorporates HDMI switching and HD sound decoding - mid to high frequencies are handled by the slim soundbar, whilst bass frequencies are directed to the subwoofer, which can be tucked away out of sight. The more costly soundbars actually have multiple drivers which bounce sound waves off adjacent walls, furniture and ceilings to create a pseudo-surround sound effect, which can be very satisfying. Many sound bars have HDMI inputs so that they can be connected directly to your blu-ray player, set top box, ipod or mini hifi system for great sound performance. Remember to budget for quality HDMI cables and digital audio cables so that you enjoy the best possible sound and picture quality.

For home cinema sound without upsetting the interior of your room or breaking the budget, the Sound Bar is a great way to go. For more information on purchasing sound bars, please see our "how to choose speaker bars" article on our blog.

For more information on how to choose a Soundbar visit our blog page, " How to choose soundbars".