Does it really matter how many speakers my soundbar has?

isdoo

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Okay, I am not going to admit to being any sort of expert on sound. I have two ears and that is about it!

However, when listening to an album in Abbey Road Studios a couple of years ago with speakers all around and above it was amazing!

However, I am looking for a new soundbar probably before upgrading my TV maybe later this year or next. Primarily to improve the sound from music via the record player.

I have been looking at the Q800A however this is only a 3:1 before we add any rear speakers.

The Q900a however is 7:1 before we start.

My problem is that the Q900a is wider than my TV stand and so would overlap by maybe 5 cm either side.

So my question is am I worrying too much about the numbers here?

Will the 3:1 sound as good as the 7:1 in an average lounge? Especially to someone who is not into games or films that much.

I ought to add that on both I will get the free rear speakers if that makes a difference. But even then those speakers will not be behind everyone in the room as we don't all sit directly in front of the TV as the layout on the suppliers site would suggest.

Or should I swallow the fact that the 7:1 is wider than the cabinet? Currently my 49 inch TV almost fills the width of it.

I guess this goes beyond the two soundbars that I am looking at. I am only really looking at Samsung as I have a Samsung TV and will probably go for the NEO Oled version if I upgrade this year or next.

So this question isn't about Samsung, but more about whether the number of speakers is important.

Thanks!
 
Since no one else has replied to your query, I may as well!

I've had a number of soundbars/soundbases over the years, and each time I upgraded they got bigger and bigger with more and more drivers.

And guess what? Yep, they always sounded better too!

It depends on what your priorities are: do you place sound quality over aesthetics? I only ask as you say the bigger soundbar (7.1) won't "fit" as well as the 3.1. Personally, I don't think a 5 cm overlap either side of your TV is too excessive, but I'm not you.

Some people like everything to fit flush to each other, but I always go for the best picture and sound I can afford. And you do say you plan to upgrade your TV - you may decide to go up to 55", in which case the 7.1 bar would fit a lot better in terms of sound and size.

And, in my experience, it's better to have more drivers that are cruising along than less drivers being pushed hard, even in a modest-sized room.

Of course, this would mean having to change your TV cabinet to accommodate, but they're very affordable these days and you have plenty of choice.

Don't know if this helps, but I always found a small soundbar/base with a bigger TV looked much more mismatched than a bigger soundbar/base with a smaller TV, so go as big as you can would be my (biased) advice!

Good luck.:)
 
Thanks.

My cabinet is as below....

Which is a 49 inch TV

IMG_20210604_140023.jpg



So a wide bar will overlap both sides.
 
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@isdoo - yep, you definitely NEED a bigger soundbar and TV!;)

I'd also recommend putting the Wii sensor bar on top of the TV - I use Blu-Tack to stick mine down.

Looking at your pic, I suppose an extra 5 cm either side would look slightly ridiculous, but your existing soundbar just looks so, um, weedy.

I dunno, we always adjust and adapt to things. People often post queries about TV sizes on here, and 9 times out of 10 it's suggested to go as big as you can afford, with the proviso that something that looks too big in theory nearly always ends up being fine in practice.
 
@isdoo - yep, you definitely NEED a bigger soundbar and TV!;)

I'd also recommend putting the Wii sensor bar on top of the TV - I use Blu-Tack to stick mine down.

Looking at your pic, I suppose an extra 5 cm either side would look slightly ridiculous, but your existing soundbar just looks so, um, weedy.

I dunno, we always adjust and adapt to things. People often post queries about TV sizes on here, and 9 times out of 10 it's suggested to go as big as you can afford, with the proviso that something that looks too big in theory nearly always ends up being fine in practice.

Thanks. Planning on going to a 55 inch next.
 
I have been looking at the Q800A however this is only a 3:1 before we add any rear speakers.

The Q900a however is 7:1 before we start.

My problem is that the Q900a is wider than my TV stand and so would overlap by maybe 5 cm either side.

So my question is am I worrying too much about the numbers here?
Something you may need to consider is the position of the sound bar. Looking at the photo you attached it looks like your TV stand is not flat against a wall, but is angled against it.

If you go for a sound bar with more channels you might find that the sideways firing speakers are too near the wall and impacting the sound when reflecting off the hard surface.

I too was in the same position as you, i.e. wanted to go for a Q900A but it was too long for my stand and the TV was in a corner. Instead I went for the Q800A (and got the free rear speakers included). So far I am happy with the quality of the sound from the Q800A but saying that I have not heard a Q900A for comparison.
 
I was on the similar moment - choose between Q800 and Q900, my decision goes to 800 due to the size of bar (900 with my TV and my tv stand look strange and big), also I'm siting circa 2,5-3m from TV so it even do not have enough space
also TV stand from both sides have other lockers so left and right direct speakers will shoot to them not to me
 
@isdoo - here's a pic of my current set up:

P1010115.JPG


As you can see, the soundbar sticks out very slightly either side and the TV really sticks out!

But I've had that AV stand for years, have piled all sorts of heavy equipment on it and it's never let me down.

I started off with a 28" CRT and no soundbar/base. Then a 40" LCD with no bar or base. Then a 50" plasma with a Canton soundbase. Then a 60" plasma with a bigger Canton soundbase. Then I swopped out the Canton for a HUGE Paradigm soundbar. And now I'm here with a 65" OLED + a Bang & Olufsen soundbar.

I suppose it would be better aesthetically to change the AV stand to match the width of the TV. But, as you can see, I'm on limited space with the games consoles' stand on one side and a Subwoofer on the other + two floorstanding speakers.

Maybe one day when I have a bigger room than 15 x 10. In the meantime it all fits, and the most important thing is that the TV pedestal stand sits squarely on the top shelf so the weight is supported properly.
 
@Derek S-H thanks. How wide is your unit as that is a 65 inch TV?
The shelves are 110 cm wide x 49 cm deep.

The TV is 145 cm wide! But thankfully, the TV pedestal stand is 100 cm, so it fits perfectly on the top shelf.

As you can see, the soundbar is also pretty much a perfect fit in terms of its dimensions, which is a big reason why I chose it.

When I initially bought my AV stand, I never thought for one moment that it would ever have such a large screen on it. But it does mean that if I were to change the TV for whatever reason, I can't really go any bigger (I'd love 75"!) as:

1. It probably wouldn't fit.
2. The excess width at the sides really would look ridiculous!

If I've got any advice for anyone who just has a living room Home Cinema, it's invest in a good quality AV stand. I think I've had mine getting on for 20 years and it's supported every single upgrade I've ever made.:)
 

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