Best Soundbar for circa £100

Monarch

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Hi all

I'm looking to buy a soundbar (or speakers) to hook up to my tv, used for the typical mixture of tv, movies and gaming. My budget it relatively limited and I'm not a 'sound-man' beyond being relatively clear and having decent bass, so I'd like to keep as close to £100 as I can, but I do also want something decent. I'd rather have a dedicated subwoofer as I'm used to having one and don't want to be lacking in bass

Are there any recommendations on anything to go for in this kind of price range? or alternatively what to avoid?

Like I say, I know nothing about this, so any recommendations or advice would be appreciated, and if anyone can advise me on advantages/disadvantages over soundbar vs speakers, then that would also be appreciated :)
 
Tesco do a sony soundbar with seperate sub for £99, to be honest you'd be better off saving up a bit more and seeing if you can pick up a second hand yamaha ysp2200 or something for about £250
 
I agree about the ysp 2200 and £250 is max price these days but they are hard to get second hand. I found a place in London selling a brand new one though.
 
I keep looking at either the Sony CT80 or Samsung HW-J355. Similar predicament, both around £100 in Argos etc at the moment. Any thoughts?
 
I keep looking at either the Sony CT80 or Samsung HW-J355. Similar predicament, both around £100 in Argos etc at the moment. Any thoughts?
the samsung is prob the better reviewed bar- there is a Samsung HW J450 out thats pretty cheap now as well
 
the samsung is prob the better reviewed bar- there is a Samsung HW J450 out thats pretty cheap now as well

Thanks for that. The Samsung was a bit more expensive at one time (and similarly reviewed), but depending on deals & where you go, both can be had for £100. I've always preferred Sony, but the Samsung has more power & audio sync options. Needed somebody to steer me in that direction ;-)
I know neither are going to light up the world like people on this forum prefer, but that's our budget at the minute, and surely will be better than TV speakers. It's to replace my beloved Logitech Z2300's. Really powerful beast!
 
Thanks for that. The Samsung was a bit more expensive at one time (and similarly reviewed), but depending on deals & where you go, both can be had for £100. I've always preferred Sony, but the Samsung has more power & audio sync options. Needed somebody to steer me in that direction ;-)
I know neither are going to light up the world like people on this forum prefer, but that's our budget at the minute, and surely will be better than TV speakers. It's to replace my beloved Logitech Z2300's. Really powerful beast!
I put a B&O speaker system thru my TV but big towers and loads of wires are not required in a clean and tidy living room (so my wife told me lol)

Soundbar is the way to go for decent sound. I'm no audiophile (prob like you) but I do want MUCH better sound from the TV for movies and singing especially but without great big dollops of tech sitting in front.
The Samsung HW J450 I was going for as it has a slim front bar, then I spotted RS clearing the better HW J550 for £198 which has a wireless speaker and pretty good reviews - for what I want anyway. You can get a Yamaha YSP 2500 which will be fantastic no doubt but it should be for over £500!
£200 (or less) will increase your viewing pleasure enormously and you wont have to peer over a huge soundbar.
Just my 2P's worth after researching for weeks and deciding the Samsung suits my needs better in looks, sound and finances.
Good luck.
 
I put a B&O speaker system thru my TV but big towers and loads of wires are not required in a clean and tidy living room (so my wife told me lol)

Soundbar is the way to go for decent sound. I'm no audiophile (prob like you) but I do want MUCH better sound from the TV for movies and singing especially but without great big dollops of tech sitting in front.
The Samsung HW J450 I was going for as it has a slim front bar, then I spotted RS clearing the better HW J550 for £198 which has a wireless speaker and pretty good reviews - for what I want anyway. You can get a Yamaha YSP 2500 which will be fantastic no doubt but it should be for over £500!
£200 (or less) will increase your viewing pleasure enormously and you wont have to peer over a huge soundbar.
Just my 2P's worth after researching for weeks and deciding the Samsung suits my needs better in looks, sound and finances.
Good luck.

Appreciate it, thanks. You have excellent taste anyway, Bang & Olufsen is my favourite audio brand ;-)
 
Hi,

I have had some experience with the sony above. My mum bought a tv and sound package that included this, within 10 mins of it being out of the box it was back in!! the TV speakers sounded better, it was nothing short of awful IMO. we took it back to the Currys and payed the extra £120 to upgrade to the sony XT1 sound base.

I have also been looking for a sound bar personally for my gaming room and did not ideally want to spend more than £250. after hearing a few in sound rooms and friends i decided that i would buy second hand and started to track the Yamaha YSP-2200. after bidding on a few got one for £190 and it is nothing short of Awesome!!! well worth the buy!!

Hope this helps
 
Hi,

I have had some experience with the sony above. My mum bought a tv and sound package that included this, within 10 mins of it being out of the box it was back in!! the TV speakers sounded better, it was nothing short of awful IMO. we took it back to the Currys and payed the extra £120 to upgrade to the sony XT1 sound base.

I have also been looking for a sound bar personally for my gaming room and did not ideally want to spend more than £250. after hearing a few in sound rooms and friends i decided that i would buy second hand and started to track the Yamaha YSP-2200. after bidding on a few got one for £190 and it is nothing short of Awesome!!! well worth the buy!!

Hope this helps
I already stated it's worth saving up a bit more to get better, the ysp2200 for £190 is a bargain, it was around £800 when first released and does sound great for a soundbar, alternatively there's a kef V720w on the classifieds for £275, I have one of these in the bedroom and this also sounds phenomenonal, again this soundbar was £800 when released last year so a decent price at £275 and way above the Sony and Samsungs your looking at
 
I do appreciate all the replies (sorry to take over your topic Monarch!) Are Yamaha really that much better than other brands when it comes to soundbars (genuine question, not trying to rile anybody up!)? They don't seem to sell in any of the major chains. Price is going to have to dictate what I buy this time unfortunately. I'd say £139 max, not looking for anything to set the world ablaze. I see the Yamaha YAS93 is on sale for £130 at a few places, but has no subwoofer. Would this be light years ahead of the afore-mentioned Samsung HW-J355 that I've been looking at? Similar price, so asking the experts!
 
I do appreciate all the replies (sorry to take over your topic Monarch!) Are Yamaha really that much better than other brands when it comes to soundbars (genuine question, not trying to rile anybody up!)? They don't seem to sell in any of the major chains. Price is going to have to dictate what I buy this time unfortunately. I'd say £139 max, not looking for anything to set the world ablaze. I see the Yamaha YAS93 is on sale for £130 at a few places, but has no subwoofer. Would this be light years ahead of the afore-mentioned Samsung HW-J355 that I've been looking at? Similar price, so asking the experts!
The yas ones arnt very good, the yamaha ysp soundbars like the 2200 or 2500 are miles ahead of your average £100 soundbar, the yamaha ysp are the only ones that get recognised as a half decent replacement to a 5.1 as they have about 19 speakers in them, all amplified and when set up with the set up mic they angle themselves to bounce sound off the wall so you get actual surround sound, it will never be as good as a dedicated 5.1 but way ahead of any other soundbar
 
The yas ones arnt very good, the yamaha ysp soundbars like the 2200 or 2500 are miles ahead of your average £100 soundbar, the yamaha ysp are the only ones that get recognised as a half decent replacement to a 5.1 as they have about 19 speakers in them, all amplified and when set up with the set up mic they angle themselves to bounce sound off the wall so you get actual surround sound, it will never be as good as a dedicated 5.1 but way ahead of any other soundbar

They do look good, but at the moment are a little out of my price range. I would have to go for the YAS-93 or the HW-J355 I think. Maybe in a year or two I could look at upgrading and sell this one off to family!
 
They do look good, but at the moment are a little out of my price range. I would have to go for the YAS-93 or the HW-J355 I think. Maybe in a year or two I could look at upgrading and sell this one off to family!
I'd steer clear of the yas, I bought a yas201 before my ysp2200, I set it up listened to it for 10 mins, repacked it and took it back for a refund
 
They do look good, but at the moment are a little out of my price range. I would have to go for the YAS-93 or the HW-J355 I think. Maybe in a year or two I could look at upgrading and sell this one off to family!
The J355 would be a good choice, as FurryHob says steer clear of the YAS, buy (too) cheap buy twice!
If you can swing it you'll get the J550 (wireless sub) for £197 from RS with clearance and their VIP club (free to register), and with their 14 day no quibble refund if its really bad you can change it- however I went to a store that had a Samsung technician there for the day and the sound is pretty good from the J355 and the J550 so I dont think you can go wrong for that price.
I do think you can go wrong for the £100 bars though and might be a false economy. Good luck.
 
The J355 would be a good choice, as FurryHob says steer clear of the YAS, buy (too) cheap buy twice!
If you can swing it you'll get the J550 (wireless sub) for £197 from RS with clearance and their VIP club (free to register), and with their 14 day no quibble refund if its really bad you can change it- however I went to a store that had a Samsung technician there for the day and the sound is pretty good from the J355 and the J550 so I dont think you can go wrong for that price.
I do think you can go wrong for the £100 bars though and might be a false economy. Good luck.

Good to hear a positive opinion on those. I am a little confused though, the Samsung is the cheaper of the two (less than £100 on Amazon etc currently), and lower spec than the YAS. Just to be really awkward aswell, a wireless subwoofer isn't an option for me at the minute. Already got the girlfriend moaning at me about the plethora of plugs in the living room at the moment! My Logitech Z2300's only take up one at the minute :p
 
Good to hear a positive opinion on those. I am a little confused though, the Samsung is the cheaper of the two (less than £100 on Amazon etc currently), and lower spec than the YAS. Just to be really awkward aswell, a wireless subwoofer isn't an option for me at the minute. Already got the girlfriend moaning at me about the plethora of plugs in the living room at the moment! My Logitech Z2300's only take up one at the minute :p
I'd definitely recommend whichever one you get then get one with a seperate sub, the ones without sound lifeless and lack depth, a wireless subwoofer can be hid behind a sofa etc, but is definitely needed
 
Thanks all for the comments, sorry for not being a bit more involved in the discussion! You didn't really take over the discussion Y2JON, as you pretty much asked all the questions I would probably have asked.

Anyway, while the information was excellent and very useful, it seems that my girlfriend has bought be a soundbar for Christmas so I won't be needing to buy one myself. She's usually quite good at this kind of stuff so I'm sure it's a decent one, and maybe a little better than anything I was willing to shell out for anyway!

Thanks again
 
hello! if your budget is fixed at £100 ish then heres a few possibilities..and also - could you house a 2.0 active set-up? if so then I have oodles of ideas there too - and you'll get a decent sounding product with a good soundstage suitable for music too..but for now.. the sony htxt100 warfedale vista 100 (pretty damn good for the price) pioneer sbxb30 :) let me know if 2.0 is an option and i'll bombard you with a few ideas there ;) :)
 

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