Life is full of compromises; if you want a large screen TV with a great quality picture that also looks great on your living room wall, you want it to be as slim as possible.
But the sound you get may not match the picture you’re watching. In their race to build the flattest flat screen televisions, manufacturers have left less and less room for decent built-in speakers. You don’t expect a full-volume operatic soprano voice to come from a schoolgirl, and neither can you expect room-filling audio from a device that’s only a few inches thick.
So how can you get the right level of audio oomph to match the pin-sharp, 54-inch screen you’re watching.
Geek not required
The great news is you don’t need to be a techie to do something about your tinny TV sound. There are simple “plug and play” options on the market that just require somewhere to put them and a single wire connected to your TV set.
Soundbars
So-called because of its shape, a soundbar is a long, slim, housing for a series of speakers. It can be mounted on the wall beneath your screen or placed in front of your TV on its stand. Either way, you don’t need to be an expert to set it up.
The soundbar’s speaker array is perfect for creating stereo sound, creating an experience close to surround sound. It can deliver high fidelity music and high quality audio from TV, tablets and smartphones. Soundbars can also be connected to separate subwoofers for extra bass.
Edifier's B3 sound bar is loaded with four 70mm speaker units for rich lows and mid-range sound, and at maximum setting, it can unleash an impressive 100 dB of sound.
With its minimalistic but elegant black case and brush finish, it looks great and adds a touch of luxury to any room. Discreetly placed control buttons keep the design clean and simple and a lightweight remote control allows you to adjust the settings from anywhere in the room.
And if you want to listen through your soundbar to Spotify or music stored on your phone, tablet or laptop then the B3 is equipped with Bluetooth technology which provides up to 10 metres of fast, reliable connection.
Soundbases (or soundboxes)
These are chunkier, boxier versions of a soundbar, so they aren’t designed to be hung on the wall but placed under your TV on its stand. If you go for this option, make sure your soundbase fits your stand.
Usually, a soundbase incorporates a bass driver, so you don’t need an additional subwoofer for a bigger bass sound.
The Q Acoustics M2 Soundbase delivers stunning TV and audio sound performance. The M2 delivers an immersive and cinematic experience from a single, small, sleek box that can shelf mount, support a TV or fit tidily into a cabinet.
The M2’s wide dispersion BMR(TM) speaker drivers provide 180-degree, room-filling sound, stunning stereo separation and clarity, while an inbuilt subwoofer gives a depth of soundscape that transforms the listening experience.
A comparison of sound systems
A soundbase is supposed to give a bigger sound than a soundbar, but in reality there’s little difference in the average-sized room. Whether you go for one or the other is mainly down to your aesthetic taste and how much space is available.
The advantage of both is that they give a much bigger sound than your TV speakers and are cheaper and simpler to add to your TV room than a surround sound system.
However, if you are planning to create a home cinema in your home, this option is a lot more straightforward and affordable than you might think.
If you need more information to decide which sound system to boost your TV experience, then visit our showroom at the Glenmore Business Centre in Gosport, Hampshire or contact us by email or phone on 02393 190955
