Soundbars are everywhere these days. Stores are packed with them. Friends and families can‘t stop raving about how their new soundbar enhances movie nights. Their slim shape and simple plug-and-play setup seems like an easy audio upgrade for your TV. But don‘t grab your wallet just yet!
While very popular right now, soundbars have some real problems you should know before taking the plunge. I put this buyer‘s guide together to walk through the key drawbacks I‘ve uncovered after researching the latest models. By the end, you‘ll see why alternatives like bookshelf speakers or full surround systems are actually smarter choices for quality TV audio.
Why Soundbars Caught On
First, what exactly are soundbars? Essentially, they are elongated speaker units designed to fit right under flatscreen TVs. They became popular as televisions slimmed down shedding bulky rear-mounted speakers. Soundbars helped boost anemic built-in TV audio through a compact, minimal package.
The appeal was the quick and easy upgrade they offered. Just plug and play to get way better sound than modern slim LCDs and OLEDs can manage internally.
But this magic bullet solution to poor TV audio brought compromises. As their popularity grew to a projected 28 million units sold in 2023 globally, longstanding performance issues persisted.
Let‘s walk through the four biggest drawbacks I found researching today‘s latest models from top brands. By the end, I think you‘ll agree standalone audio gear is a better investment.
Problem #1: Massive Size Causes Placement Headaches
Soundbars promise to slide neatly out of sight below our ever-slimmer TVs. But many end up awkwardly sticking out due to their inflated dimensions. Reviews often grumble about issues fitting today‘s elongated models like:
- Sony HT-A9: 57 inches wide
- LG SP11RA: 49 inches long
- Sonos Arc: Nearly 4 feet across!
Trying to balance these plus-sized units on modern TV stands leads to all sorts of issues:
Blocked sensors – IR receiver nodes for TV remotes get fully obstructed by wider bars. This leaves core volume and input controls frustratingly unusable!
Cables Galore – Odd side/bottom port placements causes wire management nightmares trying to route HDMI, power, and networking cords from bars this huge.
No Access – With massive soundbars parked front and center, getting to essential TV ports for switching devices becomes a huge annoyance.
Overall, more than 40% of soundbar owners report difficulties getting them to fit their space or entertainment centers according to a 2022 Consumer Reports survey. Their proportions are getting out of hand for what should be compact, convenient devices.
Problem #2: Surround Sound Remains Elusive
Here‘s an interesting question – how exactly do companies put "surround sound" in a single bar-shaped speaker? The answer is…they cleverly fake it.
Soundbars lack actual rear or side-mounted satellite speakers. So manufacturers started baking in special signal processing to simulate directional audio instead of generating it directly:
* Dolby Pro Logic - Uses phase and volume tricks to create phantom channels
* DTS Virtual:X - Uses psycheoacoustic HRTF filtering for surround effectsThese methods do expand out the audio field somewhat. But it‘s nowhere near as immersive or accurate as a real discrete 5.1 or 7.1 home theater setup:
Image: Lifewire
With physical speakers spaced around you, sounds pan seamlessly as effects actually travel from behind, beside you, etc just like in cinemas.
Soundbars stay confined as forward-biased sources, even with fancy virtualization gimmicks. Don‘t expect enveloping theaterscapes without surrounds occupying those missing spatial channels.
Problem #3 – Slim Internal Drivers Struggle for Bass
Here‘s another trait tied to soundbars‘ compactness – weak, boomy bass performance. Clever psychoacoustic processing can‘t fix physical limitations of their slim profile and dinky drivers.
Looking at the meticulous frequency response measurements on sites like Rtings reveals the effects. All current models exhibit rapid low-end roll-off from their tiny mid-woofers and passive radiators:
JBL Bar 9.1 Response – Rtings
Contrasted to quality bookshelf speakers or tower units, most bars drop off massively under 100 Hz. Deep bass presence disappears. Explosions and effects lose all sense of impact with muted, imprecise reproduction like this.
Low frequency output numbers tell a similar story:
|| Sub/Sat System | Top Soundbars |
|—|—|—|
|20 Hz Output|95 dB| 75 dB|
|40 Hz Extension| 30 Hz| 90+ Hz|
Table: Average Low-Frequency Performance Comparison
Adding separate subwoofers can help offset inherent bass deficiencies somewhat. But again, expect booming imprecision over the tight, high-output slam of a wired component sub.
Problem #4: I/O Limitations Hamstring Modern TV Enjoyment
Finally, we come to strings attached to how soundbars physically interface with televisions in 2023. In an era where new TV models gain next-gen gaming features and lossless 4K/120 video feeds, soundbars sorely lag behind.
Scan specifications lists for HDMI support and you‘ll notice missing items like:
- HDMI 2.1 – Latest standard for 8K video and 4K/120fps gaming
- eARC – Extra bandwidth overhead for lossless audio passthrough
- VRR/ALLM – Sync technologies for smooth gaming visuals
Without these specs in place, visual splendor from media devices like Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X suffer degraded signal transport to bars. Even high-resolution music streaming gets capped by their legacy HDMI board design and optical output bottlenecks.
It stings worse when you factor in losing an HDMI port to connect the soundbar itself. New C2 OLEDs from LG pack in four HDMI 2.1 ports. The recently released Samsung S95B QD-OLED sets have…only two. Budgeting tight interface allowance between a bar and state-of-the-art video sources quickly turns nightmarish.
|| TV Model || HDMI 2.1 Ports ||
|-|-|-|-|
| Sony X90K | 2 |
| LG C2 | 4 |
| Samsung S95B | 3 |
Table – HDMI Port Allowance on New TVs
Between missing feature support and port hunger, soundbars hamstring our ability to enjoy everything cutting-edge TVs enable. Their convenience-first design didn‘t account for rapid interface evolution.
Time to Consider Smarter Audio Alternatives
We‘ve covered some fundamental areas where soundbars fail to deliver – bass, surround channels, connectivity. These weaknesses leave their appeal extremely narrow within modern home theaters.
Instead, I‘d steer buyers towards more flexible, future-facing audio solutions like:
Edifier R1280DB Bookshelf Speakers – $99
- Compact powered monitors for desktops/TV stands
- Optical, coaxial, Bluetooth inputs to link any video source
- Integrated subwoofer output to add deeper bass later
Denon AVR 776 + ELAC 5.1 System – $849
- 100W x 5 receiver with eARC, 4K/120, VRR
- Beefy tower speakers and 12" sub for heart-stopping audio
- Discrete Dolby Atmos heights and surrounds
Sonos Ray + Sub Mini + Surrounds – $647
- Compact voice-controlled soundbar stays unseen
- True 5.1 playback from wireless satellite add-ons
- Sub Mini adds missing bass foundation
As this roundup shows, going beyond the soundbar opens way more paths to quality audio that keeps pace with our ever-advancing TV tech.
Let‘s Chat!
And there you have it! Hopefully looking at these undersold pain points steers you away from less-than-ideal soundbars. I‘m always open to discussing alternate audio ideas too if nothing here immediately fits your space or budget. Feel free to drop any questions in the comments and let‘s keep the home theater conversation going!
