Choosing the right soundbar: technologies, how to find your way around?

Soundbars have long been shunned by moviegoers and audiophiles, and with good reason. Not so long ago, these devices simply reproduced the bad sound of televisions, but at higher volumes. Those days are long gone, but now the conscientious buyer will need to study the choices on offer, as there are so many special features to choose from. There are soundbars on the market for all kinds of uses, such as surround-sound cinema, immersive Atmos cinema and streaming sound from the web.

In this article, I'll tell you about the technologies on offer.

2 types of soundbars: with or without dedicated woofer (SUB)

Many soundbars work with a separate subwoofer, which may be included in the package or available as an option. Since a soundbar is still quite compact, bass performance will be compromised without it.

In most cases, the subwoofer will be connected wirelessly, so that it can be easily positioned.

For a smaller footprint, some soundbars offer a small built-in subwoofer in slightly larger units. 

These will offer acceptable sound. In this particular case, I strongly advise you to listen to them before buying, as techniques are rapidly evolving in the field of small-format reproduction. Some will surprise you, while others, less advanced, won't be worth the effort.

More recently, we've seen bars with an "ultra-slim" concept. The ultra-thin design is felt to fit perfectly with a wall-mounted TV: you fix it to the wall and there goes the clutter! Adding a subwoofer is a must here...

Surround sound types

Stereophony 2.0

For ambience creation, the bare minimum is stereophony, to which depth effects are added. This approach is in the realm of cheap bars and offers the same thing as your TV, only louder. It's called 2.0 sound.

For better performance, especially of the vocal track, we're talking about 3.0 sound, which consists of adding a third speaker right in the middle of your bar to reproduce dialogue only. 

If either of the above includes a subwoofer, add a "1" to its designation, i.e. 2.1 or 3.1 sound.

2D 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound

It will offer a rear-to-front ambience via rear sound boxes for the 5.1 and a rear and side combination for the 7.1. You can choose between simulated virtual or organic effects. For virtual effects, the use of reverberation on walls and ceilings will be the norm, while for an organic feel, the use of additional rear and side boxes will be required. The realism offered by additional loudspeakers is certainly preferable, despite their cumbersome nature.

- Soundtracks of this type feature "Dolby digital" or "DTS Digital Surround".

3D surround sound 5.1.2 7.1.2 and more 

These are the bars offering three-dimensional sound (Dolby Atmos or DTS: X), i.e. sound coming from both the sides and the top. Vertical speakers are generally integrated into the soundbar, using the ceiling to reflect sound towards the viewer. The best sets, such as the Samsung HW-Q990B, will feature true back boxes with upward-firing components. The vertical component is identified by a third number. For example, a 7.1.4 system such as the Samsung 990 will have four vertical channels.

Surround diffusion types

There are three ways to produce surround sound:

1- Virtual surround sound

This technique uses a digital interpretation circuit to create a resonance that gives the illusion of sound bypassing you. The degree of immersion experienced will depend on the effectiveness of this audio processing, but will remain limited in any case. A busy environment will be detrimental to the result.

2- Reflective virtual surround sound

This will consist of speakers placed at different angles in the cabinet, and for the more sophisticated, speakers aimed at your ceiling. They use the walls or ceiling (for 3D surround sound) to reflect the sound and deliver an enveloping sound experience. This time, the sound is real, coming from real speakers, so you get superior immersion performance.

3- True surround sound

If you're looking for a truly immersive sound experience, you'll need to opt for a model that includes a set of rear speakers. As with a full-format home theater system, having true 3D rear speakers aimed at the ceiling will ensure maximum realism.

To illustrate the superiority of this approach, imagine total silence as an aircraft approaches in the distance, in the background. Only the rear loudspeaker(s) operate on a true-to-life system, which is impossible to achieve with a bar that uses the walls to recreate the rear field, let alone with a virtual effect, because in both cases, the rear sound will be generated by the front loudspeakers...

Interestingly, many manufacturers offer optional rear speakers for their more affordable sets. So you can get "true surround sound" without having to buy the ultimate sets. The cost of this addition varies from $200 to $350.

Criteria to consider

Power: expressed in watts, the more the better, because let's face it, when you're watching a movie, you're not looking to listen to lullabies!

200 watts would be a good start, ideally 400 watts including a subwoofer value of 150 would be preferable.

Number of speakers

There's no magic number, but the more of them you have, the more certain you are of achieving well-defined effects.

Three types of elements are proposed: the woofer for low frequencies, the midrange for mid-range frequencies such as vocals, and the tweeter for high frequencies, which is critical for sound field production and musical rendering.

Complementary use: music streaming

Some models offer the option of accessing streaming music services via a mobile app. In this way, the best soundbars can be transformed into a competent sound system. Not a bad idea when you think about it, since the TV set, with the exception of dedicated rooms, is often placed in a rest area of the household. In this case, pay attention to the features that have an impact on the musicality of the whole, notably the use of high-level tweeter and the ability to read audio files of the flac, dsd and other variants recognized for their realism and absence of loss (lossless).

So as not to be limited...

It's important to know the type of audio encoding for the widest choice of listening experience. There are encodings dedicated to cinema use and others for music listening.

CINEMA USE :

Dolby encoding

• Dolby digital: 5.1, = compressed sound available since 2000
• Dolby Digital Plus: 7.1, = higher bit rate for more natural sound
• Dolby True HD: 7.1, = high-fidelity lossless audio compression
• Dolby Atmos: = three-dimensional sound (5.1.2, 9.1.4, etc.)

DTS encoding

• DTS Digital Surround: 5.1, = oldest compressed sound.
• DTS-HD High Resolution Audio: 7.1, = less compressed, more natural.
• DTS-HD Master Audio: 7.1, = high-fidelity lossless audio compression.
• DTS : X : = 3D sound (5.1.2, 7.1.4, etc.)

MUSIC LISTENING :

Encoding :

• MP3 = Minimalist yield.
• AAC = CD quality.
• FLAC Hi-Rez = high-fidelity performance.
• DSD = studio quality (rarely available on soundbars).

Wired connectivity

There are several ways of connecting your sound bar to the TV. In the past, we used an RCA-type cable that only allowed stereophony, with simulated ambience at best.

Later, digital processing enabled signal transfer via fiber optics or S/PDIF, and this is still the way to go for both new and old TV sets. Audio quality is excellent. It is possible to transmit multichannel sound, but the number of compatible formats is smaller [no Dolby True HD or DTS HD Master Audio and so on].

However, with the advent of more and more devices connected via HDMI cable [TV set-top box, games console, Blu-Ray player, Chromecast, etc.] the industry has developed a new bidirectional transmission protocol enabling the exchange of information in the transmission chain, opening the door to even more precise performance. This protocol is called "eARC", and enables the transmission of all high-resolution formats. Another welcome feature is the ability to control volume via a single remote control, that of the TV set.

Wireless connectivity type

If you're lucky enough to own a TV that's 5 years old or less, you'll probably be able to connect one of the new bars via Bluetooth. With Bluetooth, you'll have top-level performance for everyday cinema listening. High-flying cinema enthusiasts will prefer HDMI cabling or the latest innovation, Wi-Ficonnectivity! WI-Fi's bi-directional transmission speed ensures precision and the application of audio corrections in real time. WI-FI also enables the transport of streaming music frames [Spotify Deezer and others], as well as the voice control offered by Google and Alexa in particular.

Aesthetic considerations

Aesthetics have been greatly improved in all our products. The use of various shapes in a squared-off or rounded theme, and the addition of authentic fabrics, will allow your acquisition to blend in better with your decor.

 
The last word

Here are the basics. There's something for everyone! You bet!

Stay tuned!

Christian.