[Closed] Improving TV sound without a soundbar?

on my panasonic you can plug a sub into the headphone socket and change a setting for that socket to tell it theres a sub.

haven't done that as i'm quite happy to have a sound bar sat under the tv with a wireless sub.

soundbase, maybe ? - I think some can be pretty slim

Would you prefer the aesthetics of conventional speakers or are you looking for something completely discreet? A sound bar is about as discrete as it gets for good sound.

A subwoofer as mentioned above will give you more boom boom but not aid clarity - what are you looking for?

Not really.. Soundbars are already a compromise from a decent pair of stereo speakers with an amp.

I've got a decent Bluetooth speaker plugged into the headphone socket. Sits behind the telly where it can't be seen, so dynamically not perfect, but modern slim sets have such crap sound it's a big improvement.

Have you got a handy hi-fi you can plug it into?

I think soundbars are the most "discrete" option for improving TV sound - especially if your telly is wall mounted and you have a wireless sub.

Not only do they look neat, but they integrate extremely well in terms of usability - so for me, they really are the most "discrete" option overall.

I agree that if your TV is sitting on a bench/unit, then having the soundbar siting in front of the TV can look a bit awkward, in which case I'd be looking at getting a new bench to accommodate it on a shelf underneath.

Otherwise, you could go for a set of powered stereo speakers. I have the Audioengine 2+ speakers in my home office and they are really excellent - they are small, and they'd be great connected to a TV.

https://audioengineusa.com/shop/wirelessspeakers/a2-wireless-computer-speakers/

However, there would be more wires, no remote, don't auto on/off etc and you'd just be getting stereo.

My advice would be to get a soundbar, and find a way to make it look better in your setup

It all gets less discrete beyond a sound bar. Unless you’re considering speakers mounted into walls and ceiling with an AV receiver secreted away somewhere.

Which OLED? The sound from my LG isn’t terrible. Though it is weak compared to very indiscrete AVR + speakers.

Inconspicuous you say...

[img] [/img]

If you install a sound bar do the existing tv speakers still function, or are they shut down allowing the sound bar to function on it's own ?

If you install a sound bar do the existing tv speakers still function, or are they shut down allowing the sound bar to function on it’s own ?

depends on the tv. most allow you to do both

More discrere than a soundbar?

Bluetooth headphones?

Or hidden in wall/ceiling speakers and a hidden amp if you want more discrete than a soundbar.

You don't really get much more discrete than a soundbar until you start spending lots of money...

So you don't watch the TV, you stare at the sound source?

I do have pretty speakers though, so I know how you feel 😉

Not sure what the OP wants to be honest, is the sound bar ugly or not discrete enough?

Most sound bars are deeply non offensive to look at, just being a basic black bar. Not ugly but not exactly pretty. Ugly is a personal thing too, I might find this to be amazing...
[img] [/img] but a lot of other half's would say its ugly and prefer a sound bar...

Stereo speakers look great but that sub is pathetic, and the centre is a candidate for Argh My Eye.

As above, I think other than using the TVs built in speakers, a soundbar is just about the most discrete option going!

I had to demote my lovely B&W DM601 S2s on stands either side of the telly into the home office (not a bad thing overall!) once my daughter developed a penchant for pulling things over and generally touching things she shouldn’t..

I went for the KEF T301 speakers and mounted them either side of the TV and buried all the cables. They’re just running stereo from the AVR but they’re absolutely crying out for a sub! They have a lovely sound but they’re something silly like 35mm thick and there’s no replacement for displacement.. as they say.. I think.

I had grand plans of buying the full 5.1 setup over time but that plan hasn’t materialised yet.. sub next for sure then maybe a centre but then it won’t be as discrete..

Loving that setup BTW @ta11pau1
Noice 👌

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Oh I wish that were mine... 🤣

Just the first image off Google to show a typical floorstander set up.

nickewen

Noice 👌

Lol, managed to catch bottas mid torpedo

In my experience for tv and movies a sound bar is better than an amplifier and stereo speakers, at about the same price point.

I don't think most people would notice my parents tv is on a sound base.

FYI for a while we used a blue tooth speaker from the head phone socket and it was better than the tv sound.

Soundbars are already a compromise from a decent pair of stereo speakers with an amp.

This. There is no other discrete option, other than some sort of flat panel speaker, but they’re not going to be as discreet as a soundbar. Modern tv’s are designed to use external speaker systems.