Best sound in $300 range?

coolerkid

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Looking for a decent speaker system for my TV. Debating between soundbar or bookshelf speakers. I'd prefer a soundbar, but want something that is going to be as room-filling and immersive as I can get for this price range. I want clear bass, not booming or window rattling. What's the best bang for my buck? I listed some I've been looking at but am open to other suggestions. Ideally, something that looks good too.

Been looking at these soundbars:
- Sonos Beam
- Sony HT-X9000F
- Q Acoustics M4
- Yamama YAS-207

Or these bookshelf speakers with an amp and maybe subwoofer:
- Pioneer SP-BS22
- Micca MB42X
 
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Add the Yamaha YAS107 to your list. It has subwoofers in the bar itself and this are more than adequate for home entertainment use in small to medium size rooms. Our living room is 30 cubic metres and we are immersed in sound with the volume below maximum. My wife complains about the bass level so no separate subwoofer is needed. I have it connected by HDMI to the DTV recorder and LG UHD tv. Apple TV 4 and LG DVD are attached to the tv by HDMI. The YAS107 HDMI and LG tv play very nicely with all thse devices so that we only need to use the device remote to control tv sound. I have all device settings to output bitstream Dolby Digital Plus audio and the surround sound is impressive with tv programmes, movies and music. Bluetooth works with all our iOS devices first time every time. I’m sure it will be on sale for less than $300 in the US.
 
I saw that one, it has great reviews and there's a nice sale on it now too. Have you heard any other soundbars to compare this against? I bought another soundbar with a subwoofer built in, and it was very bass heavy but not room filling, so I returned it and stopped looking at ones without a separate sub. But if this is different, it certainly fits all my needs otherwise. There is also a YAS108 now, do you know how that compares?

Add the Yamaha YAS107 to your list. It has subwoofers in the bar itself and this are more than adequate for home entertainment use in small to medium size rooms. Our living room is 30 cubic metres and we are immersed in sound with the volume below maximum. My wife complains about the bass level so no separate subwoofer is needed. I have it connected by HDMI to the DTV recorder and LG UHD tv. Apple TV 4 and LG DVD are attached to the tv by HDMI. The YAS107 HDMI and LG tv play very nicely with all thse devices so that we only need to use the device remote to control tv sound. I have all device settings to output bitstream Dolby Digital Plus audio and the surround sound is impressive with tv programmes, movies and music. Bluetooth works with all our iOS devices first time every time. I’m sure it will be on sale for less than $300 in the US.
 
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I listened to the Acoustics M3, LG SJ8 and the Bose Solo 5. They were each disappointing for different reasons. The M3 had good sound reproduction but lacked wifth and soundstage. The SJ8 just seemed like amplified small speakers and the subwoofer seemed out of proportion. The Bose has loudness but lacks colour and prescence. The YAS107 had the best surround sound, clear voice presentation and the most proportionate bass for my preferences. Modest looks and HDMI connectivity were also really important and with all these boxes ticked I bought it and we’re really happy with it.
 
I listened to the Acoustics M3, LG SJ8 and the Bose Solo 5. They were each disappointing for different reasons. The M3 had good sound reproduction but lacked wifth and soundstage. The SJ8 just seemed like amplified small speakers and the subwoofer seemed out of proportion. The Bose has loudness but lacks colour and prescence. The YAS107 had the best surround sound, clear voice presentation and the most proportionate bass for my preferences. Modest looks and HDMI connectivity were also really important and with all these boxes ticked I bought it and we’re really happy with it.

I picked up the YAS107 at Costco for $120. The size of the sound this puts out for just a soundbar is pretty insane, I was shocked by how immersive it was. There are times I would think I was listening to a 5.1 system. Can't believe it supports ARC at that price, a huge plus. I love how minimalistic it looks too, you barely notice it's there.

The bass is very strong but can be muddy at times, like when there is a scene with a lot going on, the sound becomes less defined and sounds like it's distorting. Also true of music, where it sounds great for some tracks, like an acoustic or EDM song, but kinda falls apart on others like rock or hip-hop.

Does this speaker have a break in period where this would improve over time, or is that just how it is? Would adding a subwoofer offload the bass and allow the bar to handle just the mids and highs and give it more clarity, or is it just going to increase the overall bass output? It's not a dealbreaker, but just the main downside I saw with it.

Overall I'm very happy with it though, for the price it can't be beat!
 

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