Part 1- How to Choose a Soundbar?

Want a high-quality audio sound for your new TV, but not enough room to equip a home theater amp and speakers? Opt for a soundbar. A practical and discreet solution, especially if you live in a small space. Compact and design, this all-in-one device improves the sound of your TV, at a good value for money. Here are some ways to help you choose your model.

Why buy a sound bar?

Today, flat screens type Full HD or Ultra HD focus on an irreproachable visual quality. But this is often done at the expense of the audio system. The result is a flat, featureless sound that often lacks bass and power. To remedy this, more and more households choose to equip themselves with a soundbar. A soundbar is, as the name suggests, a bar with at least two speakers placed in front of or below the TV. Then simply connect it to the power supply and connect it to the TV for high-quality sound.

The advantage?

Fewer cables. High-quality audio. And a significant space saving compared to a home theater kit. There are different product ranges from giants like LG, Samsung, Sony, Philips, but also audio specialists like Yamaha or Bose.

How does it work?

Smart Soundbar or home theater audio installations create a sound environment that immerses the user. This gives you the impression that the sounds come from different parts of the room. With a home theater, it's easy because you can physically place the speakers and the subwoofer in different parts of the room.

While a sound bar works a little differently. The speakers are located inside the bar, that is to say in front of the user. The sound is projected onto the walls before being reflected back to the listener. This is what creates the spatialization of sound - or the impression that the sound comes from a different place. Note that with a smart soundbar, the spatialization is based solely on the rebound of sound waves on your walls. Which means that the quality of your sound depends mainly on the topography of the room and the positioning of your TV.

What are the criteria of choice?

Number of channels

As you can see, spatialization is a bit of a weak point in a soundbar.

However, some models can recreate a near-surround effect as with a home theater (the feeling that the sound comes from the sides and the back).

To do this, find the number of channels in the bar. There are different types, for example, 2.0, 2.1, 5.1 ... The first digit is the number of channels for the midrange and treble, while the second indicates whether the model has a channel for low frequencies.

In short, the higher the number of channels, the better your sound will be in terms of spatialization.

In general, most models are 2.1 bars. But some high-performance models go so far as to offer 7.1 for full audio immersion!