Soundbar Help/ Recomemdation

RickyKennedy01

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Evening all, I need your expertise if possible please. For the last 5/6 years I had an LG NB3530a soundbar which was always brilliant but recently the sub started cutting out, and after upgrading to SkyQ and a new 4K TV at the start of this year I wanted to upgrade the sound too!

Ideally I wanted a cheapish Atmos soundbar & Sub combo. (I know you won’t get true surround sound with this combo etc.) I tried the Sony X8500, awful and returned.. next the Sony HT-G700, having sound drop issues with Sky Q and there seems like zero bass at lower volumes. (My LG had plenty!)

So what would you guys suggest, Soundbar and Sub with Atmos, decent bass especially at lower volumes etc. and not too crazily priced. I guess I could live without Atmos, but I’d really like it more for future proofing than anything else.

Thanks all! 😁
 
What is your budget?
I can narrow it down to a few from what's out there.
 
Ideally under £500, I know that probably doesn’t leave much selection lol
If you can wait a bit or stretch your budget, the Samsung HW-Q800T is a good choice, 3.1.2 system Atmos, earc and Dolby Vision pass through. Some good reviews consistent reviews.
 
Or if you can find one, an older Samsung HW-Q70R is also a 3.1.2 Atmos, earc(firmware update)and Dolby Vision pass through ready. This should be around the £400 mark. Has now been replaced with the Q70T which is around the £600. Have a look at the Sony HT-ZF9 3.1, has some good reviews, is around the £550 mark, also supports Earc(firmware update) and DV.
 
Or if you can find one, an older Samsung HW-Q70R is also a 3.1.2 Atmos, earc(firmware update)and Dolby Vision pass through ready. This should be around the £400 mark. Has now been replaced with the Q70T which is around the £600. Have a look at the Sony HT-ZF9 3.1, has some good reviews, is around the £550 mark, also supports Earc(firmware update) and DV.
Brilliant, thank you for the responses, I’ll have a check of them all. Thanks again! :)
 
If you're getting sound drop issues and a new Sky Q box, it's the box and not the sound bar look at this link for more.
 
If you're getting sound drop issues and a new Sky Q box, it's the box and not the sound bar look at this link for more.
Yea I’ve been posting a lot on that forum about the issue, my old soundbar didn’t have a single sound drop when connected to the SkyQ which is what confuses me. Maybe I should just hold on to the HT-G700 then, and hope Sky fix it soon. For the £189 I paid, it’s not bad.. I think it’s just the sound drop stuff that’s doing my head in, which a new soundbar wouldn’t change this if the issue is with Sky. 🤞
 
I'm lucky, still on the V1 - was tempted with the v3 for HDR until I saw the car crash being caused by the v3.

Really tempted by the G700, just concerned that mounting it directly under the TV will result in the Atmos effect being lost :(
 
I'm lucky, still on the V1 - was tempted with the v3 for HDR until I saw the car crash being caused by the v3.

Really tempted by the G700, just concerned that mounting it directly under the TV will result in the Atmos effect being lost :(
Yea I really like the HDR, not on much tbf but I know they’re aiming for HDR for next seasons UHD premier league games, so I’d hope and imagine they sort a fix by then.. still a long wait!

I think with the sound issues sorted the G700 has the potential to be brilliant.. so on your v1 box you might be alright. There’s no up-firing speakers and haven’t properly tested Atmos, but it’s probably not amazing anyway without those extra speakers. But at £189 for a refurbished unit straight from Sony, it’s probably by far the best Atmos bar you’ll get at that price in my opinion.
 
The quality of the Dolby Digital through my existing Denon 2.1 setup is really good with a great range, I might just try and buy this week as a refurb and then compare.
 
I'm lucky, still on the V1 - was tempted with the v3 for HDR until I saw the car crash being caused by the v3.

Really tempted by the G700, just concerned that mounting it directly under the TV will result in the Atmos effect being lost :(
Hi, I bought the Sony G700 in December for £250 from John Lewis with a price match. Thought it was a bargain, after testing it out on Currys shop floor. But after a nearly two months using it at home, I am quite disappointed. I am now eating humble pie. Don't get the wide stereo separation with any sources. The subwoofer output is good, but the sound is diluted and I have played around with all the relevant settings, hardly any treble definition. It's packed up and going back for a refund. There is a reputable UK reviewer, I watched by chance, saying that after reviewing over hundreds of soundbars the G700 was one of the worst!
Around 8mins 15sec onwards of the video sums it up.
 
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Yea I’ve given up with it too. Gone back to my old LG NB3530A for now, as this doesn’t seem to suffer with SkyQ sound drop out, and tbf, sounds better!
 
I am tempted to try out the Samsung HW-Q800T, seems to have decent reviews and it can't be any worse than some of the current Sony ones.
 
If you're getting sound drop issues and a new Sky Q box, it's the box and not the sound bar look at this link for more.
I'm not convinced it's always a Sky Q problem anymore. My G700 constantly dropped, it was very slow at processing the audio signal and would regularly just lose it. Like others say, I never had those issues with older soundbars.

Never happy with it and brought it back replaced it with a Samsung Q70T. Significantly better sound and no drop outs on Sky Q, despite my best efforts to trigger it like I could with the Sony.

The review posted above really does nail it.
 
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