Whooah! Your mention of Philips HQ International invoked my old memories, when they came with just 20 watts, along with Tuner Amplifier, gave the BEST clarity, with horn tweeters. Problem is, using them is good for only stereo, whereas in a soundbar, you can get almost 5.1 effects, because of the circuitry. The center channel is sorely missed.
LG has SL6Y, a 3.1 channel for around 12-13 but it is not available and vendors push for high end Dolby Atmos variants, and that too with too higher a wattage, for window shattering sound which I do not want.
When you say it is 'just for Indian classical music', it is not actually 'just'. Indian Classical Music needs better speakers with more focus on midrange and vocals, which is very difficult to get at Budget models. Budget models will just boost everything, particularly low and higher end to please the mass in that segment. Don't jump in hasty for something with low budget, you may get disappointed. Go slow, save money and get some better product which gives you satisfaction.
Had my MI soundbar sound more, it more than satisfies me. Its all dependent on technologies you use. MI uses passive radiators, 2 on each side and they produce marvellous thumps. All high frequencies also come good. Plus the length of 76 cm is ideal, though it could have extended. Even Philips 2163B, which retailed for <10K, fares well for my needs, but their products have lost sheen and go bust frequently, hence skeptical on buying them, and they are not sold anymore.
Most reviews about JBL at amazon, say, they keep shutting every now and then, a problem accepted by the company, not coming up with any solution. Moreover, all are geared towards deep bass ... Blaupunkt advertises 40% off on their website, a ploy to clear stocks, and it is there for over a year now. What perplexes me is, even on website, they don't show how many speakers the soundbar consists of, or other such details.
Lastly, every manufacturer is giving wireless subwoofer, which have connectivity issues and I have seen complaints all over internet. Moreover, they need to be active and it pushes the cost unnecessarily. Most 5.1 setups, need volume to be increased to bring those satellites into action, hence I decided not to go for them. Sony's S20R appears good, but they reduced the length of soundbar, so channel separation suffers. Ask for 3.1, and they put in Dolby Atmos and jack price about 36k.
@mahaaprasaad Thanks for your inputs
