5.1 Home theatre system or Soundbar with 5.1 capability

[Srikanth_K]

Hi all,
Iam new to this forum.
Should I go for a 5.1 channel home theater system with Denon (avrx550bt)/Marantz (nr1508) receiver with TAGA Harmony speakers (suggest any other good speakers) or choose between JBL bar 5.1 4k ultra hd 5.1-channel soundbar & polk audio magnifi max sr true 5.1 soundbar. I have also considered Yamaha YHT 3072 home theater package as an option.
My budget is 50k-70k
Any other suggestions or package within this price range would be great.
I will be using the home theater system in a 11.5'X18.5' living room mainly to stream songs and good movies once in a while from Amazon prime/Netflix & YouTube and TV channels from Tata sky set top box.

 

[efernand1]

Hi

Welcome to the forum.

I am sure you will find all information in the knowledge rich threads posted by our fellow members (FMs).

Read posts under What Should I Buy or Home Theatre to get some idea......budget is key as you may decide to spend a rigid fixed amount or bend a bit more to get something nice....

There are dedicated owner threads of Denon , Marantz , Yamaha, Taga, etc which you can read and decide what to go for.....

Since you are based in Bengaluru, go window shopping and start making a list of brands and models which appeal to you in terms of performance, budget, appearance etc. Carry your favourite music and movie clip to use as a reference to understand and decide what works for you

With diwali around the corner.....lots of dealers and deals.....so be mindful...dont jump to anything.,...check all details and then take the plunge!

Soundbar soul purpose is to give audible volume to flat TVs etc which cannot house large speakers for good output......

you may get a decent level of surround......not the real actual experience...those with really tight spaces go in for soundbars......

 

[thegr8anand]

AVR is best if you are fine with wiring but can also end up costing more overall. Otherwise choose the sound bar if you want ok wireless surround.

 

[HTuser]

I would suggest to go for AV Receiver instead of Soundbar.
Marantz 1509 will be good option if you want to listen to music but it is costlier than 550BT.

You may consider building 5.1 speaker setup step by step.
Buy AVR and Bookshelf speakers now. Add Surrounds, Center, Subwoofer later.

That way you will be able to have a better setup than trying to have a compromised setup of 5.1 speakers.

 

[ajuvignesh]

In my opinion, the distance between the drivers in a sound bar is too close to experience a good stereo field in most cases. Go with the AVR route.

 

[saikatbiswas82]

My take - no virtual speaker in the world can simulate physical surround sound.

Anyway, I haven't covered most part of the world.

 

[newlash09]

My take - no virtual speaker in the world can simulate physical surround sound.

Anyway, I haven't covered most part of the world.

I would agree with saikat...

All those quoted channels coming off a sound bar are just marketing gimmicks. Not that they sound bad mind me. Soundbars sound great too. But just dont expect surround sound out of them. The only way to have surround sound, is by physically having speakers around the listening position.

So please consider if you want to go down the separates road, with avr and speakers and all the associated wiring hassles. Or just buy a sound bar and enjoy

 

[Naveenbnc]

I would imagine like this ......

CASE1: 4 people standing at one point in a room, and talking.
CASE2: 4 people standing at four corners of the room, and talking.

If the listener is in the middle of the room, Which case gives a true surround effect??
Think about it, and you will have your answer.