What is a

Soundbar?

What does a soundbar do?

There are a lot of situations that don’t allow full 5.1 speaker setups or where people just want better sound than their normal TV speakers can offer without the hassle of a separate AV amplifier and associated equipment. The solution to those issues can be resolved with a decent soundbar. Soundbars vary in price from under $100 to over $4k and as always you get what you pay for. The more expensive units (primarily from Yamaha) actually produce surround sound by using multiple drivers with various phasing techniques that bounce sound around the room. The basic soundbars (generally those under $500) are great for TV sound enhancement but not really suitable for playing music. The better soundbars are more than capable of playing music to the level of a reasonable Hi- Fi system. Just make sure that, when asking for advice, you mention whether music or vocal enhancement is the priority as some products are more focused on one than the other.

Are there different types of soundbar?

There are basically two types of soundbars, ones with built in amplification (active) and ones that need to be connected to an AV receiver (passive.) The active units are easier to set up and are more popular but the passive units are more configurable and, as long as you are given the right advice, can sound better albeit at a price. The Best of the Passive Soundbars are made by Definitive Technology and can be purchased in three of five channel configurations. If you need the convenience of the Soundbar but the connectivity of an A/V Receiver then the passive road may be the one to take. Just talk to one of our salesmen (or Team Members, Technical Advisers, Audio Consultants, Salespeople - non gender specific, or whatever other description du jour is currently doing the rounds - this retail business is just so full of rubbish!)

Who are Soundbars.com.au?

Very few stores selling Soundbars have any real expertise in true A/V systems so we thought we’d get on board by specifically targeting those who need a Soundbar solution and provide expert advice on the type of unit best suited to their particular needs. To this end, we have chosen to try out, then pass on our knowledge of particular brands that we consider “value for money”. We don’t sell the real bottom end (our pricing starts at an RRP of $499) but all of the units we suggest are capable of both voice and music reproduction. As we’re a division of Eastwood Hi Fi, we have extensive technical and practical knowledge in sound reproduction. We’re happy to help so don’t be afraid to contact us on 02 9651 4922 or email : steve@eastwoodhifi.com.au We deliver Australia wide.