TheSeeker
Well-Known Member
first the rant (in spoilers for those who wish to skip):
some essential info:
- though my usage involves mostly movies & shows & youtube & rest, some music, but now am not a regular consumer of movies or a 'movie-buff' that i used to be, when i used to very much enjoy almost daily nights of movie-viewing in total dark on my old pana VT20 plasma with the HT setup. now my work entails a lot of travelling every couple of weeks for atleast a month or a little more, so that habit is sadly gone. hence i can live (with some sadness & depressed heart) by 'sacrificing' my HT setup for the happiness of folks (as a courteous return-gesture of gratitude, for afterall they tolerated the loud black bulky monsters all these years), and by buying a good surround sound soundbar instead....i guess).
A) the viewing distance is around 12-14ft. can come closer for watching to 10~12ft, but ideally 12ft. would want something thats room/hall-filling & can fake or emulate (whatever) surround sound as near as possible to a discrete speakers system. not much of sideways TV-viewing. one side of the TV has windows, the other side has dining area (hall is in the L-shape that was the standard design with flats about a decade back).
B) would like to avoid rear/side speakers if i can (because, renovation). else, i have yamaha HTR-3067 speakers which i have been using as ceiling speakers. can retain them on the ceiling (if such a config is possible with any soundbar), or can shift them to the sides or the rear. but thats 2nd or 3rd in the priority-list.
C) i would infact highly prefer to buy a USED soundbar (if i can get a good one) from the classifieds section here or elsewhere, than spending on a new one, because am not sure where i'll be some months down the line, ie, either at home or move abroad (this is another reason that i am kind of taking it in my 'stride' to sell the HT setup, because, if it may happen tomorrow, might as well sell it today). so, wont hurt much to sell the pre-owned soundbar at that time.
D) should i opt for a passive one instead? can may be utilize atleast my AVR & existing sub that way. pls advise what options there are, if at all, in this category, and are they recommended.
E) with some reading i came to know that samsung's Q-series soundbars are more-or-less unmatched now (with their acquisition of harman-kardon back in 2017), so i am kind of focused on those. but would also like to try out options in JBL, LG, sonos etc. if thats possible. could anyone pls suggest any places to audition these (incl. samsungs) in thane/mumbai?
F) any other things/options which i should take note of/consider?
thanks for bearing the long post! and kindly advise...
as the title tells, with heavy reluctance i am forced to downgrade to a compact sound setup in my hall from a full-fledged HT setup comprising of custom-made large floorstanders & center plus bipolar speakers & a 12"/14" sub and a marantz NR1606 receiver, which have been serving me (me, only ME...others are barely interested) really well over the past 6 years.
all these years they have been objects of revulsion & eyesore for my e-tech & AV illiterate & dispassionate folks at home owing to the big size & sound, but now after renovation-work in the main hall they're putting up stiff resistance against me re-setting up the system. so i may have to, with a terribly heavy heart, let go of the dear system (am saying "may" because i still hope to somehow convince them to retain the setup once am back home in a few days).
till yesterday i was feeling very dejected & forlorn over this, even thinking to sell off my HTPC & shield pro and our TV too which's a fairly recent purchase & one of the best in the market which i chose & purchased over an OLED after a lot of research, because what's the cinematic value & point left with a large TV & other HT sources if they're not going to be accompanied by a great audio setup to boot with?! but then i did up some reading about some good soundbars there are, and albeit they cant compete with discrete speakers & AVR i understand, but some user-feedback has instilled some reassurance and confidence in me now, and am now even more reluctant to let go of the TV atleast, esp. because its a worthy purchase, quite recent and still in the warranty-window with barely any use. so thinking to pair it with a good soundbar if i am forced to sell my HT components.
all these years they have been objects of revulsion & eyesore for my e-tech & AV illiterate & dispassionate folks at home owing to the big size & sound, but now after renovation-work in the main hall they're putting up stiff resistance against me re-setting up the system. so i may have to, with a terribly heavy heart, let go of the dear system (am saying "may" because i still hope to somehow convince them to retain the setup once am back home in a few days).
till yesterday i was feeling very dejected & forlorn over this, even thinking to sell off my HTPC & shield pro and our TV too which's a fairly recent purchase & one of the best in the market which i chose & purchased over an OLED after a lot of research, because what's the cinematic value & point left with a large TV & other HT sources if they're not going to be accompanied by a great audio setup to boot with?! but then i did up some reading about some good soundbars there are, and albeit they cant compete with discrete speakers & AVR i understand, but some user-feedback has instilled some reassurance and confidence in me now, and am now even more reluctant to let go of the TV atleast, esp. because its a worthy purchase, quite recent and still in the warranty-window with barely any use. so thinking to pair it with a good soundbar if i am forced to sell my HT components.
some essential info:
- though my usage involves mostly movies & shows & youtube & rest, some music, but now am not a regular consumer of movies or a 'movie-buff' that i used to be, when i used to very much enjoy almost daily nights of movie-viewing in total dark on my old pana VT20 plasma with the HT setup. now my work entails a lot of travelling every couple of weeks for atleast a month or a little more, so that habit is sadly gone. hence i can live (with some sadness & depressed heart) by 'sacrificing' my HT setup for the happiness of folks (as a courteous return-gesture of gratitude, for afterall they tolerated the loud black bulky monsters all these years), and by buying a good surround sound soundbar instead....i guess).
A) the viewing distance is around 12-14ft. can come closer for watching to 10~12ft, but ideally 12ft. would want something thats room/hall-filling & can fake or emulate (whatever) surround sound as near as possible to a discrete speakers system. not much of sideways TV-viewing. one side of the TV has windows, the other side has dining area (hall is in the L-shape that was the standard design with flats about a decade back).
B) would like to avoid rear/side speakers if i can (because, renovation). else, i have yamaha HTR-3067 speakers which i have been using as ceiling speakers. can retain them on the ceiling (if such a config is possible with any soundbar), or can shift them to the sides or the rear. but thats 2nd or 3rd in the priority-list.
C) i would infact highly prefer to buy a USED soundbar (if i can get a good one) from the classifieds section here or elsewhere, than spending on a new one, because am not sure where i'll be some months down the line, ie, either at home or move abroad (this is another reason that i am kind of taking it in my 'stride' to sell the HT setup, because, if it may happen tomorrow, might as well sell it today). so, wont hurt much to sell the pre-owned soundbar at that time.
D) should i opt for a passive one instead? can may be utilize atleast my AVR & existing sub that way. pls advise what options there are, if at all, in this category, and are they recommended.
E) with some reading i came to know that samsung's Q-series soundbars are more-or-less unmatched now (with their acquisition of harman-kardon back in 2017), so i am kind of focused on those. but would also like to try out options in JBL, LG, sonos etc. if thats possible. could anyone pls suggest any places to audition these (incl. samsungs) in thane/mumbai?
F) any other things/options which i should take note of/consider?
thanks for bearing the long post! and kindly advise...
