Looking for Cheap, around 10k Soundbar with balanced sound

Chulbulee

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Though pretty happy with my MI soundbar, 76 cm long(I mentioned in earlier thread cannot increase volume using Bluetooth).

Looking for decent soundbar even with max 40-50 watts sound. Not a heavy bass lover, just enough for Indian classical music. Would like HDMI connectivity as my LG TV has it. Even if it supports 5.1 on bluetooth should do good. If inbuilt sub-woofer exists, good. Even plain soundbar accepted. Problem is most soundbars are out of stock on amazon/flipkart. I can even settle for 3.1 soundbar. I am avoiding smaller ones like S20R from Sony whereas the bigger sibling RT3 is way too expensive.

Any ideas?
 
Certain models of Samsung, LG and Yamaha are good. If as stated in your subject line budget is 10k, then maybe preowned good models may be available over OLX and possibly this forums sale section...keep checking
 
Thanks all for replying.

Yamaha 109 is over 20k, so what to talk about 209. Many on Amazon complaining about 109 failing within 2-3 months, no serviceability terrifies me. IMHO Sony, Samsung and LG do have service centres.

@efernand1 I visited olx, but found exhorbitant pricing ... 14 month old RT3 for 13k, LG SJ3 for 10k ... (I know parting with something is painful, hence don't mind reading). Talk of reducing the price, and the advt taken down. It is as if no one buys cheaper models as everyone is after Dolby Atmos (when most under 50k don't do justice). Even the grey market has top models.

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The old champ of yesteryears, Philips has gone bust, though their models are appealing, with fine designing examples, like 2163B, which splits into two while packing, which you can easily join, reducing the packing (look at RT3, S20R and other Samsung soundbars with subwoofer packs, how bulky they look!) Unfortunately, no one sells it anymore.

Compulsory staying at home forced all to grab whatever soundbars, PCs for work from home, most shops have achieved sales targets up to 2023, hence no one willing to assist one bit, today! So all that is available are high end systems above 20k. Home theatres are good, but they bundle the blu-ray players, raising the cost phenomenally (which I don't need).
 
@Chulbulee I have absolutely no experience with any I have listed below. However a quick search on amazon + minimum 1K reviews + " >4 rated" led me to these (listed in descending order of price) -


I know this is not a very well known brand, but collective wisdom of almost 8K people says Boat is upto something as far as the below 10K soundbars go. I looked up and I couldn't find anything else rated as highly given the criteria mentioned above.
 
Thanks @chander for your reply.

I have been viewing most soundbar reviews, users' comments and all I could gather was: everyone is dying for "bass" and Dolby Atmos :cool:

Boat Avante is inclined towards heavy bass, overpowering dialogues, which I do not want. Somehow people want window rattling sounds and when I went to TV showrooms, each salesman showed how "loud" the TV was. In fact my LG has 35 watts ... but in all modes, something or the other was missing. That immersive feeling is missing.

I saw Boat had long soundbars but having just 2 speakers on either side makes no wonders, they miss out on centre channel (voice). Sadly, they don't have 3.1 channel ones.

The other problem I find is fascination for Wireless Subwoofers, whereas internet is full of complaints of them not connecting. This unnecessarily increases the price.
 
Why another Soundbar? Do you have space issues keeping a simple 2.1 speaker system? Check out 2.1 speaker systems from the Logitech Z series or the Panasonic HT20. I personally use the Panasonic and it sounds absolutely amazing for TV audio duties. A ton lot better than soundbars.

MaSh
 
have you checked the Blaupunkt and JBL cinema models like these?



Having separate sub, you can always control BASS, even you can switch off. Quality of the sound bar is more important.

There are some model in LG and Sony within and little above your budget but they allow only Bluetooth connection, in which case you may again experience the quality of sound bit low. HDMI ARC is always preferable for better quality.

When you say it is 'just for Indian classical music', it is not actually 'just'. Indian Classical Music needs better speakers with more focus on midrange and vocals, which is very difficult to get at Budget models. Budget models will just boost everything, particularly low and higher end to please the mass in that segment. Don't jump in hasty for something with low budget, you may get disappointed. Go slow, save money and get some better product which gives you satisfaction.

With my little experience, I found, the best option for Indian Classical music is only an Integrated amp with good speakers. Even a vintage full rangers well reproduce Indian Classical. I have purchased my IA pre-owned long back in 2013, running with Philips HQ international full rangers, which I bought only for 2K. I have to wait and save for nearly 7 years to buy a pair of Indiq Audio Speakers. No regrets.
 
Whooah! Your mention of Philips HQ International invoked my old memories, when they came with just 20 watts, along with Tuner Amplifier, gave the BEST clarity, with horn tweeters. Problem is, using them is good for only stereo, whereas in a soundbar, you can get almost 5.1 effects, because of the circuitry. The center channel is sorely missed.

LG has SL6Y, a 3.1 channel for around 12-13 but it is not available and vendors push for high end Dolby Atmos variants, and that too with too higher a wattage, for window shattering sound which I do not want.
When you say it is 'just for Indian classical music', it is not actually 'just'. Indian Classical Music needs better speakers with more focus on midrange and vocals, which is very difficult to get at Budget models. Budget models will just boost everything, particularly low and higher end to please the mass in that segment. Don't jump in hasty for something with low budget, you may get disappointed. Go slow, save money and get some better product which gives you satisfaction.

Had my MI soundbar sound more, it more than satisfies me. Its all dependent on technologies you use. MI uses passive radiators, 2 on each side and they produce marvellous thumps. All high frequencies also come good. Plus the length of 76 cm is ideal, though it could have extended. Even Philips 2163B, which retailed for <10K, fares well for my needs, but their products have lost sheen and go bust frequently, hence skeptical on buying them, and they are not sold anymore.

Most reviews about JBL at amazon, say, they keep shutting every now and then, a problem accepted by the company, not coming up with any solution. Moreover, all are geared towards deep bass ... Blaupunkt advertises 40% off on their website, a ploy to clear stocks, and it is there for over a year now. What perplexes me is, even on website, they don't show how many speakers the soundbar consists of, or other such details.

Lastly, every manufacturer is giving wireless subwoofer, which have connectivity issues and I have seen complaints all over internet. Moreover, they need to be active and it pushes the cost unnecessarily. Most 5.1 setups, need volume to be increased to bring those satellites into action, hence I decided not to go for them. Sony's S20R appears good, but they reduced the length of soundbar, so channel separation suffers. Ask for 3.1, and they put in Dolby Atmos and jack price about 36k.

@mahaaprasaad Thanks for your inputs
 
Please try Creative Stage 2.1 sound bar - 8k. they have another 10k model also

It has good reviews and also within your budget.

Sound taste is different for each persons so you need to audition it before buying online.
 
@Chulbulee there a couple of denon soundbars on The revolver club. Check with him he might be able to reduce the price further. I have no experience with these - but while shopping for a couple of things I stumbled upon these.
 
Hi @chander Thanks for introducing me to the Revolver Club. The Denon 5514 was listed around 21, and I don't know how far it could go down. I saw the reviews, most saying dialogues were not clear. I am surprised where most Indian reviewers go ga ga about Denon, but I need to listen to them before concluding. There was another one too, sitting under TV, but it did not fit my needs. Others demanded Sky ...

@Shanmugam I saw many youtube reviews on Creative, but then I zeroed on MarQ, which had a very long soundbar, compared to Creative. Thanks for your suggestion.

Now I am pretty confused because most do not handle dialogues efficiently. Keeping my fingers crossed
 
Hi @chander Thanks for introducing me to the Revolver Club. The Denon 5514 was listed around 21, and I don't know how far it could go down. I saw the reviews, most saying dialogues were not clear. I am surprised where most Indian reviewers go ga ga about Denon, but I need to listen to them before concluding. There was another one too, sitting under TV, but it did not fit my needs. Others demanded Sky ...

@Shanmugam I saw many youtube reviews on Creative, but then I zeroed on MarQ, which had a very long soundbar, compared to Creative. Thanks for your suggestion.

Now I am pretty confused because most do not handle dialogues efficiently. Keeping my fingers crossed
Best of luck with your search - I hope you find what you are looking for!
 
Though pretty happy with my MI soundbar, 76 cm long(I mentioned in earlier thread cannot increase volume using Bluetooth).

Looking for decent soundbar even with max 40-50 watts sound. Not a heavy bass lover, just enough for Indian classical music. Would like HDMI connectivity as my LG TV has it. Even if it supports 5.1 on bluetooth should do good. If inbuilt sub-woofer exists, good. Even plain soundbar accepted. Problem is most soundbars are out of stock on amazon/flipkart. I can even settle for 3.1 soundbar. I am avoiding smaller ones like S20R from Sony whereas the bigger sibling RT3 is way too expensive.

Any ideas?
There is a Boston Acoustics TVee 10 soundbar (No HDMI, only Optical/AUX) available on Sale in Volumate for 8K. Have a look.

 
There is a Boston Acoustics TVee 10 soundbar (No HDMI, only Optical/AUX) available on Sale in Volumate for 8K. Have a look.

I am scared of only optical/bluetooth as it says wireless. Moreover, I am reading about these for the first time, though BA I was familiar with. Thanks for introducing me to this outlet, looks too good. Don't know how many of these are spread all over. Unfortunately, in Delhi no such outlet exists. Thanks @OM_2K19
 
I think I will have to up my budget and wait (???) for an Amazon sale, if it happens around Diwali. Till then ...
 
I visited many dealers like LG, Samsung, Croma ... most said that lockdowns have prevented us from stocking and asked me to wait for a couple of weeks as the situation will improve. So, keeping my fingers crossed
 
Hi @chander Thanks for introducing me to the Revolver Club. The Denon 5514 was listed around 21, and I don't know how far it could go down. I saw the reviews, most saying dialogues were not clear. I am surprised where most Indian reviewers go ga ga about Denon, but I need to listen to them before concluding. There was another one too, sitting under TV, but it did not fit my needs. Others demanded Sky ...

@Shanmugam I saw many youtube reviews on Creative, but then I zeroed on MarQ, which had a very long soundbar, compared to Creative. Thanks for your suggestion.

Now I am pretty confused because most do not handle dialogues efficiently. Keeping my fingers crossed
Creative is a better choice than marq. Length alone doesn’t determine the sound quality
 
@Chulbulee


I know this is not a very well known brand, but collective wisdom of almost 8K people says Boat is upto something as far as the below 10K soundbars go. I looked up and I couldn't find anything else rated as highly given the criteria mentioned above.
+1 , I have not used Boat Sound bar , But i have used theirs's head phones. Surprisingly its too good for the price. I have listened to their BT speakers as well , they also too good. I feel their Sound bar also supposed to be good as per Amazon reviews. and under 10 k supposed to be best Soundbar.
Second option would be Creative Soundbar under 10k.
 
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