Soundbar Suggestions for ATV4

[nburwell]

I'm in the market for a soundbar for my ATV4 for when my fiancée and I watch movies/sporting events. I will note that we live in an apartment, so I'm not looking for something that is going to have our neighbors complain.

If it matters, I have a 42" Samsung plasma TV which is connected to the ATV4. We are cord cutters, so we essentially use the ATV4 to watch Netflix, Hulu, HBO NOW, Starz, MLB.TV, etc.

I'm looking for something simple, but that has decent quality and won't break the bank.

I looked around briefly on Amazon and came across this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SMBG8N...olid=3BRQ6160W5UO0&coliid=I8UOSLC5PDHMZ&psc=1

Seems to have received decent reviews. Then again, I'm no audiophile. But anything other than the speakers on my TV would be an upgrade for me.

Thanks in advance!

 

[satcomer]

You want one with some base in it the look at the Visio SN3821-c6 with Bluetooth Sub. It will give you much better punch!

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Movies & sporting events (and pretty much all those channels/services you watch) beg for surround. For not much more money, you can get the same brand of sound bar with a wireless subwoofer you put behind you and to which some rear-channel speakers attach. Look up Vizio 5.1 sound bars there and you'll see many. I've actually tried this for a bedroom setup that wasn't already wired for 5.1. It sounds pretty great compared to just stereo.

Of course if running some wires are no big problem, you could also get a true 5.1 sound system for about that much too. That means no sound bar but a dedicated left, center & right channel speaker up front, sub and 2 rear channel speakers in the back.

As to your concern for neighbors, while commendable, rather than buy weaker equipment you might still be using 8 or 10 years from now, you could also just turn the volume down to a level that works where you live now, while retaining the flexibility to enjoy some other volume level when you move somewhere else.

While money is apparently tight, this is the kind of stuff one does use for 8 or 10 years. If it was me, I'd just patiently wait a little longer to build up the extra funds and buy a little "more."

Also, if I'm not mistaken, Consumer Reports has ratings for Soundbar systems. You might want to look that up and get their reviews.

 

[wx4olf]

The Visio sound bars are pretty decent for the money. I've got one (can't remember the exact model) that came with the rear satellite speakers and subwoofer and it sounds great compared to the built in TV speakers. I don't use the satellite speakers at all and frequently don't have the subwoofer turned on. I live in a small condo and two channel audio through the sound bar fills my needs perfectly. That being said I am considering moving to something like the Sony HTXT1 soundbase to simplify my setup further. If you are just looking for enhanced 2.1 audio that's better than the built in TV speakers then something like this or the sound bar you linked to should provide the experience you are looking for.

 

[nightcap965]

We love our Sonos Playbar, but it is pricey.

 

[JoshS]

I bought the Samsung sound bar with wireless subwoofer from Costco on sale for $149. The sound is plenty loud but shouldn't piss off the neighbors.

One nice thing about pairing this with a Samsung TV is that they Integrate with each other. Your tv remote will control it and it also pairs beautifully with the ATV.

It also can connect with Bluetooth audio devices like your phone if you want to play your music wirelessly. If you stick the subwoofer behind the couch, you do get some surround sound experience as well.

http://www.costco.com/Samsung-HW-JM...yword=1011699&langId=-1&storeId=10301&refine=

I'm in the market for a soundbar for my ATV4 for when my fiancée and I watch movies/sporting events. I will note that we live in an apartment, so I'm not looking for something that is going to have our neighbors complain.

If it matters, I have a 42" Samsung plasma TV which is connected to the ATV4. We are cord cutters, so we essentially use the ATV4 to watch Netflix, Hulu, HBO NOW, Starz, MLB.TV, etc.

I'm looking for something simple, but that has decent quality and won't break the bank.

I looked around briefly on Amazon and came across this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SMBG8N...olid=3BRQ6160W5UO0&coliid=I8UOSLC5PDHMZ&psc=1

Seems to have received decent reviews. Then again, I'm no audiophile. But anything other than the speakers on my TV would be an upgrade for me.

Thanks in advance!

 

[NameUndecided]

I also have a Samsung soundbar HW model w/ bluetooth subwoofer and I'm really happy with it. My Samsung TV is a little too old to be able to integrate with it by powering on together or whatever else, and your plasma might be the same, but I still recommend it as a very nice sounding soundbar with good features. Sounds much better than the television speakers even at low volumes, and can be really powerful and fulfilling at high volumes.

 

[BuffaloTF]

I would throw my support behind buying a brand that matches your TV - Samsung. The HDMI-CEC (I think Samsung calls their AnyNet+?) functions are flawless when you have like brands, plus the remotes are usually laid out the same even if a soundbar remote is a miniature version. On the plus side, the Apple TV works really well with CEC on the automatic input changes and you can set the remote to control the volume of the bar itself real easily.

 

[ACE83]

The Wirecutter never steers you wrong:

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-soundbar/


http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-budget-soundbar/

 

[NameUndecided]

Yeah, I forgot to mention that the remote for my samsung soundbar also works with my television. A separate power button for the TV, and I can switch television inputs with it. So like BuffaloTF said, that is a real plus in having the same brands, even if Anynet+ won't work (like it doesn't seem for my older television).
And the AppleTV4 remote does work perfectly well in working with this soundbar.

 

[GIZBUG]

Bose Cinemate 130

 

[pjarvi]

I have the 29" version of the soundbar the OP linked to, it works great but it really does lack bass, I would definitely recommend getting something that supports a subwoofer.

 

[AustinIllini]

Just swapped out an older model Bose Cinemate for a Sonos Playbar, and the difference is night and day.

 

[bigpoppamac31]

I'm in the market for a soundbar for my ATV4 for when my fiancée and I watch movies/sporting events. I will note that we live in an apartment, so I'm not looking for something that is going to have our neighbors complain.

If it matters, I have a 42" Samsung plasma TV which is connected to the ATV4. We are cord cutters, so we essentially use the ATV4 to watch Netflix, Hulu, HBO NOW, Starz, MLB.TV, etc.

I'm looking for something simple, but that has decent quality and won't break the bank.

I looked around briefly on Amazon and came across this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SMBG8N...olid=3BRQ6160W5UO0&coliid=I8UOSLC5PDHMZ&psc=1

Seems to have received decent reviews. Then again, I'm no audiophile. But anything other than the speakers on my TV would be an upgrade for me.

Thanks in advance!

What's your budget? I pieced together a surround set for ~$550 off Kijiji. I have a Yamaha HTR-6063 receiver which does HD audio, Fluance AVHTB+ 5 speaker set and a Paradigm PDR8 sub. Amazing sound! The only downside for me is that my receiver does not have bluetooth built in. I'll have to get an adapter for that.