One of the most under-appreciated aspects of a feature film — or any type of visual media, really — is the meticulous creation of advanced audio. Between the score, the incredibly precise volume of characters’ dialogue, or something as simple as an innocuous splash of rain in the background, sound can play a vital role in the visual arts; and that’s why the purchase of a quality sound bar could be integral for your movie-watching experience. If you don’t have the luxury of a projector-driven home theater with surround sound audio, then a sound bar can prove to be the perfect consolation. If you’re in the market for one but don’t want to break the bank, you’re in luck, as there are plenty reasonably priced devices available. Here are some of the best.
Best Sound Bar
Yamaha has long been a staple of high-grade electronics, and the Yamaha YAS-207BL Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer Bluetooth & DTS Virtual certainly doesn’t dispel that notion. The world’s first sound bar with DTS Virtual: Virtual surround sound, the Yahama is in a league of its own. It’s slim and sleek enough to be barely noticeable in your home theater setup, and it syncs up with a wireless subwoofer that is flexible, in terms of placement, so your entire setup is fairly discreet…until you turn it on and you hear the audio, of course. It also comes with Bluetooth wireless music streaming capability, so you can listen to whatever you’d like, whenever you’d like. With a super easy, HDMI-friendly installation setup, you can get your brand new sound system setup same day, without any expert help.
Best Smart Sound Bar
Now if you’re a real Alexa-head — aka you use Alexa for literally EVERYTHING — you’d probably want to opt for the Sonos Beam – Smart TV Sound Bar with Amazon Alexa Built-in so you can continue to let Alexa do all your bidding. This Smart sound bar is compact, intuitive, and versatile. The sound quality is also quite amazing, as it was developed by Oscar-winning sound engineers to help better amplify the human voice for crystal clear audio. And with two total cords and automatic remote detection, you’ll have your new sound bar up and running in a matter of minutes.
Best Value Sound Bar
If the last two products were a bit too pricey for you, you could always opt for a more basic, inexpensive model. The VIZIO SB2920-C6 29-Inch 2.0 Channel Sound Bar is a great option for those who want great sound. With 95 dB of high-quality, room-filling sound with less than one percent harmonic distortion, you’re getting movie theater-quality sound for just a fraction of the price. With premium audio courtesy of DTS Studio SoundTM, DTS Tru Volume TM, and DTS TruSurroundTM, a sound bar frequency of 70 Hz – 19 kHz, and full Bluetooth connectivity, you’re getting yourself the best bang-for-your-buck, or rather, bang-for-your-sound out there.
