When we buy a smart TV, we tend to focus solely on image quality. This is fully normalized, and it is a logical decision. Smart TVs are quite limited in terms of sound. As they are getting thinner, they can hardly offer the experience that a sound system gives us. For this reason, it is usual to buy the television and then separately purchase a bar or speaker equipment. Which system is better?
Time to improve the sound of a Smart TV: what do I choose?
If the sound that your Smart TV has by default does not finish convincing you, you can always use one Sound bar or a whole speaker equipment personalized. The nice thing about this is that you don't need to buy the entire audio system on day one. You can buy the TV, use it for a few months, and think later on whether or not it pays to improve the listening experience.
In these cases, the question that will be on your mind will always be the same.. Sound bar or surround speaker equipment? It all depends on the use you are going to give, your budget and your preferences.
Reasons to choose a sound bar
Let's start with the sound bar. These are your best cards against the surround system:
Price
There are sound bars of all prices. Depending on the brand and characteristics, one can cost you more or less. The most advanced are worth more than 1.000 euros, but you don't have to look too hard to find a device affordable that is not going to escape our budget.
At this point, soundbars win out. By comparison, they are much cheaper. A cheap surround sound system usually starts in the low four figures.
Easy to configure
With the sound bar you don't have to complicate your life too much. You connect it to the TV and configure it depending on whether you have located it above or below the screen.
As a general rule, they do not have much more complication —except those that go with a subwoofer, which does not make installation excessively complicated either. The bar can support different technologies depending on the model we buy and the television to which we connect it. However, it is a much more affordable product for that user who does not have many technical knowledge on audiovisual products.
Practicality
if you don't have much space in your living room, the sound bar is the better option of the two. With a surround sound system, you will be condemned to use some of the space in the equipment. The bar is more appreciated in that regard, as it takes up very little space and is very discreet.
Thanks to Retrench of space, you can fill the rest of the room with other devices, shelves and other furniture that you need for your day to day.
All these features make sound bars more suitable for small rooms, apartments and offices. They can be easily installed in any small room.
Of all of them, the wireless models They are the most recommended in very compact spaces. There will be no chance of tangling and you will save a lot of space. The cables will not be scattered everywhere, stuck to the ceiling or to the walls. And with them you will have a more powerful and clear sound than with the speakers that come standard on your television.
Reasons to prefer a surround sound system
The sound bar is the simplest and easiest option. The one that is usually intended for the majority of users. However, there are many other cases in which it will be much more advisable buy a surround sound system:
Better sound quality
There are very good sound bars, but the experience that gives a good surround sound system it is on another level. Sound bar manufacturers try to make powerful devices, but the problem of space ends up being noticed in the bass. If you are looking to have powerful bass when listening to music or enjoying the theater at home, what you need is a sound system. It is the only solution that will give you deep bass, clear vocals and bright highs.
Surround sound systems come with subwoofers separate speakers that are large enough to deliver full, punchy bass. They have a much wider dynamic range, so you will be able to experience a different experience. Not only with the ear, but with your body, just as it happens in the cinemas.
Since the speakers will be all around you, you will be able to hear every sound as if you are participating in every scene or every song.
And it is that, as much as advances are made in the field of sound engineering, there are still big differences between listening to a sound that has been filtered by software to simulate that it is around us and the real experience to have a group of speakers directing the wave towards us.
The best for large spaces
The opposite case may occur. If you have a very large room, the sound bar will be very small, so surround sound equipment will be the only interesting option.
The sound depends on the space. In large halls, the listening experience would be diminished if we only have a source such as a sound bar. Highs, mids and lows would be heard much more muffled. In this case, going for a complete team is the right decision.
What should I look at in a sound system?
Whether you opt for one system or another, what is really important is that you stay with these concepts:
- Power: The power of the speakers is expressed in watts and basically indicates the volume that the equipment can handle.
- Impedance: Measured in ohms, it shows the resistance of the speaker to the electrical signal passing through it. Low impedance speakers require less power than high impedance speakers.
- Frequency: is the range of waves that the sound equipment can emit. The human being can hear a limited spectrum of waves that goes from approximately 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
- Sensitivity: It is expressed in decibels and also indicates the volume that our speakers can reach. The higher the sensitivity, the louder the speakers will sound. However, sensitivity depends on power, so you would have to buy a powerful speaker with high sensitivity to get loud sound if you want.