Soundbars vs stereo speakers

[Michael Scrip]

Most soundbars aren't just center channel speakers. They usually have dedicated speakers within for left + center + right... all fitting within the soundbar tube case. In a manner of speaking, it is like they are 3 little speakers glued together as left, center & right.

Oh yeah... I know. I meant they are similar in that they sit in the center under a TV. 😎

Thanks for the info! I haven't thought about home theater stuff in a long time. This is a fun thread.

I was just wondering how Center+Left+Right would work today compared to my old Pro Logic setup long ago.

Soundbar vs Stereo Speakers... maybe all three?

😛

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

If you already have left & right, buy a center channel speaker.

I wouldn’t pair soundbar as center, as that’s just doubling up on left & right and messing with the stereo separation. Maybe there would be some special situation where that might “fit” but it’s hard to think of one.

If someone gave you a soundbar for free that could turn off (or way down) the left & right speakers in it to only use the center? But even there, I’d prob say use it in another room and buy a center channel speaker.

Maybe in a room that is excessively WIDE in which rigging up front speakers as basically far left & far right plus (in soundbar) left, center, right... but I'd probably still just encourage 3 speakers forward with the soundbar used in another room.

A soundbar works when the room is not so wide such that dedicated left & right speakers would really not be much further left & right from the edges of the TV. As width of the room goes up, it begs for more separation than one can get from even the widest soundbars.

 

[mtbdudex]

Suggestion for this setup: get that TV mounted on one of the ceiling beams- probably the same one to which you mounted the speakers- roughly centered between the 2 speakers.

You are right about the "triangle" concept but when set up and used for Home Theater instead of only music- if that's what you are doing here- 2 speakers are going to create a faux center speaker in between them. As is, TV screen far left (under left) speaker is fairly distant from the faux center "channel," which is where most dialogue plays.

It may seem fine as is but it will likely be a noticeable improvement if you ceiling mount the TV roughly between the 2 speakers... as then almost all dialogue will seem to come from the TV instead of off to the right of it.

Now, I don't see how you are getting audio to the speakers. If these are perhaps self-powered speakers not powered by Receiver or AMP, they are only going to play mono each or perhaps stereo as a linked pair... and not create the faux center. But if you are working through a Receiver or Home Theater amp, center channel sound would be faked by them and sound like it is coming from about dead center between them. A viewer's ears from that bed would likely notice... and may even perceive that it seems like audio is improved.

Another option if Receiver is involved is hang the TV in the center as described and mount a true center speaker- perhaps down firing from that ceiling- perhaps a bit in front of TV (perhaps one ceiling beam closer to the bed). This would switch it from what would be a called a 2.0 system now to a 3.0 system (true left + center + right).

Lastly, you could easily put a SUB in such a setup about anywhere in that room too for lower lows, yielding a 2.1 or 3.1 system. And then you are only 2 more wire runs from being able to put a left & right surround speaker back on each side of the bed to make it a true 5.1 surround sound system (which would be VERY noticeable from that bed, when watching anything with surround sound audio).

HobeSoundDarryl - respectively you totally missed the point of my post here... kinda shocked me when I saw a reply in this thread even as I'm not asking nor needing your advice. FWIW I design / consult on Home Theaters in SE Michigan.

Since you asked / inquired / offered advice when not asked for it:

1) The bottom of the log ceiling beams are 8 feet tall, the TV is mounted as shown on the left side wall, above the dresser. It is NOT moving, putting it mid-room will be a head banger ..
2) originally using just the TV speakers zero stereo as distance way too far , poor sound quality, yada yada
3) I had a leftover Lepai amp from another project I did for fun, just 20wpc but enough for this application, it's popular on parts express for simple stuff like this, I'm sure you've had these small digital amps and been amazed at their value for the $'s

Lepai LP-2020TI Digital Hi-Fi Audio Mini Class D Stereo Amplifier with Power Supply

Lepai LP-2020TI Digital Hi-Fi Audio Mini Class D Stereo Amplifier with Power SupplyLepai LP-2020TI Digital Hi-Fi Audio Mini Class D Stereo Amplifier with Power SupplyMaking a name for itselfFitted with a Texas Instruments Incorporated TPA3118 Class D amplifier chip, this mini amp produces...

www.parts-express.com

4) I had leftover Dayton bookshelf speakers I had "won" via charity raffle at a local gtg amongst 20 other HT enthusiasts , we get together every 3-ish months and rotate hosting them / attending them, these are HT and audio room demos / sessions. We also contact some vendors to get swag and hold a fund raising raffle at each gtg for some local group in need. Kinda like a pay-it-forward thing.

Dayton Audio Classic B65 Bookshelf Speaker Pair Black

Dayton Audio Classic B65 Bookshelf Speaker Pair Black Dayton Audio Classic B65 The Classic B65 bookshelf speaker boasts an elegant cabinet design that houses an all new Dayton Audio 6-1/2” bass driver and a 1” silk dome tweeter. With a meticulously engineered crossover, the Classic B65 creates...

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5) yea a sub would add low end for sure, honestly with our master bedroom above him we don't need LFE coming up to us. I do have a 12" sealed sub sitting around not being used, decided against it.

6) so, to summarize, I put my "leftovers" into his room, decent sound. He loves the set-up as it, he's all of nearly 19 years old now, graduated HS, he joined the USA Marines Sept-2024, and will be coming home occasionally the next 4 years.

Anything else I missed?

>> If your on facebook here's a photo of a gtg I hosted Apr-13-2019, the main page group photo
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1160325204019275
or AVS forum https://www.avsforum.com/threads/4-...BJRA_aem_TbGe8S3swpnWB92qLOaXLw#post-57824004

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I didn't know all that about you and that it was a conscious choice to put the TV under the left speaker, etc. I too have fairly significant expertise in home theater and saw the opportunity to not just potentially help you make a set up better (if you didn't know) but also 100 or a 1000 other people that might be reading this thread up to years from now who might see those photos and think TV under left speaker is fine for them too.

For example, LOTS of people think they want to put a TV in the corner of a room... which then complicates the speaker layout if they want a good surround sound setup too. Yes, it can work and yes they can do it if they really want the TV there but it often helps to clarify about where left, (center) & right should be relative to the TV. Your post did that by showing them the triangle image... but then your picture showed the TV not centered between them. To the "not A/V installer/knowledgable" that might imply get the speakers spread as shown in the triangle but put the video screen anywhere.

Now that you've shared additional detail, THEY will know that you were not going for optimal but just "using leftovers" etc. for "decent" sound, which is good enough for a teenager bedroom. Nothing wrong with that if they are doing the same. However, if someone is really going for ideal, now they also know a few other things to help them achieve it in their environment.

 

[ignatius345]

I agree. IMO, the homepods were crippled by software. If they had worked smoothly with Macs I probably would've bought a pair. They were just too limited by software. A missed opportunity for Apple.

I'm using a pair of HomePods for speakers on my TV, and I don't find the software limiting at all. I can AirPlay to them, and they do a wonderful job with my TV audio. And they pair up beautifully, sounding much better than a single one. The one way in I find them limited by software is how infuriatingly stupid Siri still is, but that applies across the whole Apple ecosystem.

Also, for what it's worth anytime I'm watching TV alone I just use my AirPods Max, which are incredible and don't bother the neighbors or wake up the fam

 

[mtbdudex]

I didn't know all that about you and that it was a conscious choice to put the TV under the left speaker, etc. I too have fairly significant expertise in home theater and saw the opportunity to not just potentially help you make a set up better (if you didn't know) but also 100 or a 1000 other people that might be reading this thread up to years from now who might see those photos and think TV under left speaker is fine for them too.

For example, LOTS of people think they want to put a TV in the corner of a room... which then complicates the speaker layout if they want a good surround sound setup too. Yes, it can work and yes they can do it if they really want the TV there but it often helps to clarify about where left, (center) & right should be relative to the TV. Your post did that by showing them the triangle image... but then your picture showed the TV not centered between them. To the "not A/V installer/knowledgable" that might imply get the speakers spread as shown in the triangle but put the video screen anywhere.

Now that you've shared additional detail, THEY will know that you were not going for optimal but just "using leftovers" etc. for "decent" sound, which is good enough for a teenager bedroom. Nothing wrong with that if they are doing the same. However, if someone is really going for ideal, now they also know a few other things to help them achieve it in their environment.

As closure to Q’s you asked.
Yep leftovers work fine!
Wired as shown behind the beam, nobody really sees it as you have to be by the closet looking up.

That little digital amp is actually impressive for cost and sound it drives the speakers to.