Any decent sound bar for 65 inch TV?

Looking for any recommendation for decent soundbar for movies and gaming..

 

After tons of online research and owning two soundbar systems my best advice would be to avoid them. But that’s not always a choice, so this was my experience with two systems plus what I was able to ascertain about a potential third option. This is all in the context of soundbars alone.

If you want the highest fidelity it’s the Focal Dimension + Passive Dimension Sub. It casts a wide stage with much less DSP trickery due to the wide dispersion drivers used, but it’s surround DSP just does not work regardless of room shape. It’s resolution and ability to pickup ambient nuances is really impressive, but absolutely needs the subwoofer to sound whole. Music highlights it’s unpleasant timbre and disjointed sound, it’s a disaster here and EQ is of no help. Can only take a 2.0 or standard Dolby Digitial input signal.

Monitor Audio ASB-2 + BK Electronics XLS-200mk2 (BK are the UK equivalent of SVS). This one isn’t like other soundbars. It’s massive and basically two active three ways glued together at the bottom plus DSP to widen the stage. Providing good virtual surround should you have walls to each side to bounce off of, it reaches past your head but only to the sides. Really gives you a powerful home theatre experience, great for blockbuster style movies and action games. Best for music but you’ll want to turn the virtual surround off at those times as it’s treble happy and unnatural here but this loses all imaging width. Good surround and EQ controls, and can go without a subwoofer. Surround signals need to be decoded before transmission. Discontinued now but cheap used.

Then there’s the Yamaha YSP5600 + Bundled Sub. This one I haven’t heard but as far as I can tell it is superior in terms of virtual surround to anything else out there but sacrifices fidelity and music playback to achieve this. Still needs walls to bounce off to get any surround.

 

I would set my audio to mono and go with a center channel. A soundbase seems like something to consider though

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F3JW37G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_TuUcCb40T0CAK

Lots of room for some kind of labyrinth transmission line, or at least enough volume for a bass-reflex

 

Wanted to get a soundbar myself but in the end I chose to go with a 2.0 mostly because I have the pavane close by and I could feed it optical. Saga for remote control or even a cheap receiver. With my LG I can program the TV remote for different IR codes so it's still fully integrated. Can't imagine even atmos sounding better for soundstage.

 

No experience, but here's the obligatory Wirecutter article: https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-soundbar/.

Could also do something like KEF LS50W (right speaker also has subwoofer out) and run optical in from the TV. Recommend a glass Lifatec optical cable if you go toslink and not HDMI.

 

Why a soundbar? Do you have space constraints?

 

I just get lazy turning on preamp and amp each time just for TV and wanted better sound than built in speakers

 

They can be controlled with the TV remote via HDMI CEC and ARC, and some or all of them can auto power up and down with the TV this way as well.

 

I use a ZVOX Soundbase, works well for movies and gaming. Built in downfiring subwoofer with 5 (I think) front firing speakers. It's no standalone 2.1 or 2.0, but it's super easy for the wife and kids to use. The TV remote controls the volume and power of the soundbase, other things like the Bass/Treble etc require the ZVOX remote.

 

Fak, ok nm

 

I haven't used a soundbar since an old Sony from many years ago but it had a remote. No need to get up to turn it on. I'd be shocked if newer ones didn't work as simply as a TV.

If a sound bar is what you want, I'd just go with whatever Wirecutter recommends.

 

None of the sound bars I've had in the last say 5 years have had to be turned on at the unit itself. So, I'd say OP is safe in that regard.

 

Why can't you just get some actives and leave them on? Modern devices with class D amps are not going to drain much power anyways.

 

I'm not all up'n'up with smart tv technology, but I've seen people control their apple TV's with their iphones for a while now. I'd think smartphone control would almost be the norm by now? And paired with bluetooth soundbars or whatever for the complete package.

I dunno, I've still got an old CRT in the living room. The kind that you have to slap a couple times to get the picture to focus.