Question Sound system upgrade for TV

omzy83

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Hi,

I am after some advice as to the best option to upgrade the sound on my TV.

I have a 55in Sony TV sat on top of a Alphason Chromium 2 stand.

I have looked in to the various options available, i.e. 5.1 system, soundbar or soundbase. The max budget I have in mind is £350 - could potentially stretch a bit if absolutely necessary.

The main dilemma I'm having is that I don't want to ruin the appearance and for it to look too cluttered. I like the way the TV and stand appear together at the moment. I've attached a photo of my current "minimal" setup.

I have outlined below the options I am considering:

1) Soundbar with / without a sub. This would be the ideal option, however the soundbar would cover the stand of my TV and most likely obstruct the screen. There is only 4.5cm gap between the screen and the stand.

3) Soundbase. This may be the best solution but my concern is that it may look a bit "tacky" in comparison to the TV and the stand. Also I am not sure how good the sound is likely to be. Does anybody have any thoughts on this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00U1DW76Q

3) 5.1 system. This would offer the best sound quality but would cost a lot more and I would also need to purchase an amp to go with it. Also positioning the front satellites and center speaker on the stand would present the same problem as a soundbar would.

I would appreciate your thoughts and advice on this, many thanks.
 

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Firstly welcome to the forums.

Unless you are able to move the front L&R satellite speakers off the stand it is pointless, from an audio perspective, going for a 5.1 system as the front sound-field will lack width and the overall effect that you get from the system is likely to be disappointing. Also with the stand you have I'm struggling to see how you could integrate an amp.

For a soundbar, the lack of height between the stop of the stand and the bottom of the TV is a real issue - my parents have a 50" Sony with a sound-bar and it did block the bottom of the TV and equally as important blocked the IR receiver so they could not control the TV.

The only solution was to lift the TV by about a 1/2 inch by fabricating a lifter to place under the TV - we basically used MDF and covered it in a leatherette material that blended in with the black top of their stand. It sounds iffy I know but in reality the Soundbar blocks the view of it so it just isn't visible in normal use.

A soundbase will give you better than TV sound for sure - as for aesthetics though that's a matter of personal preference and it is hard to comment on what will look good.

More and more these days I am coming to realize that if you want a decent setup it can be difficult to achieve with "traditional" TV on a stand look - hence why many are wall mounting.

Do you have a wider shot of your room - there may be some options that we can offer.
 
Hi Ghostrider, thanks for your response. The TV is currently in a temporary location - we're not 100% sure where it will eventually be situated. But if you're wondering whether there's likely to be space either side of the stand then yes, this will be the case.

The stand I have has built in shelving - this isn't entirely visible in the picture but the front panel comes down and there are two shelves. The shelves however don't seem tall enough to accommodate an amp (they are 105mm high). Maybe a slimline amp - if one exists?

What are your thoughts on putting a soundbar on the floor? There is a quite a large gap at the bottom of the stand and a soundbar would fit there just fine and wouldn't spoil the appearance either. My concern however with this set-up would be whether the sound quality would be majorly affected.
 
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Speakers need to be at or near to your seated head height for best performance.

Soundbar on the floor - is not going to work effectively.

I'd either stick with the TV audio or consider a stereo amp in the cabinet with a pair of floor mount speakers either side of the TV.

Joe
 
Any more suggestions guys? The floor mount speakers could potentially be the best option but are likely to cost a fair bit for a decent set.
 
Personally, I'd go with Ghostriders idea of trying to lift the TV a little. I think a soundbar would suit the set up you have and whilst not giving the sound of a 5.1 system would fit in with your minimalistic approach a little better.
 

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