The bar plays back 5.1 surround sound formats like Dolby Digital as well as object-based formats like Dolby Atmos, both of which are commonly found on streaming services like Netflix. There's support for lots of different audio formats, too. Its sound can please many different types of listeners-but if you want something different, you have access to similar sound enhancement features to the Vizio Elevate, including bass and treble adjustments. Thanks to its dedicated subwoofer, you get plenty of rumble in the bass range to bring the excitement to action-packed scenes, and its balanced mids mean that vocals and lead instruments are clear and detailed in the mix.
#Computer soundbar tv#
It's a 5.1.2 setup with really versatile performance, especially compared to other bars in its price range, so it's a great choice for everything from music to movies to TV shows.
#Computer soundbar series#
The Vizio M Series M512a-H6 is an even more wallet-friendly alternative available for under $500. You can use its bass and treble adjustments to make up for this a bit, which is nice. Unfortunately, you don't get as many features as our top pick, and the lack of room correction means that it sounds different depending on the room you're in. There's a little extra boom in the bass range right out of the box, which is great for listening to bass-heavy genres like hip-hop and EDM, and its balanced mids mean that voices are still clear and present in the mix. It's a great choice for music and TV shows, too. However, you have to wire the satellites to the subwoofer to get them to work, which adds some extra annoying cables to your living room. Its subwoofer brings the rumble in action-packed scenes, and its two rear satellites make sound effects more clear and real.
As a result, it has a wide soundstage that rivals some of our top picks, making you feel like you're right in the center of the action from the comfort of your living room. It's a 5.1.4 setup with a unique design, as its sides automatically rotate upwards when you watch height content like Dolby Atmos or DTS:X for a more immersive feel. If you're looking for a more affordable option for under $1,000, check out the Vizio Elevate. However, its soundstage performance still isn't as good as the Bose's, and its room correction feature is only available with iOS devices. If you want a similar bar that does support DTS, check out the Sonos Arc with Sub + One SL Speakers. While this format isn't very common on its own, it's the fallback for higher-quality DTS-HD MA formatted content that you find on lots of Blu-rays. The Bose offers a really impressive performance with lots of different audio formats, from surround sound content like Dolby Digital to object-based formats like Dolby Atmos. It's versatile, but its soundstage performance isn't as good as the Bose.
While it comes with bass and treble adjustments, it doesn't offer as many sound enhancement features as the Samsung HW-Q950A, which has a 7-band graphic EQ to give you more control of its sound. Dialogue is present and detailed in the mix, and action-packed scenes are filled with thump and rumble in the bass. With room correction on, it has a very neutral and balanced sound.
This versatile soundbar is great for listening to everything from music to movies to TV shows. Sounds extend well past the edges of the bar itself, wrapping you in your audio from all angles for an immersive listening experience. Like most premium soundbars, it also has a room correction feature that automatically adjusts audio reproduction based on your room's acoustics, too-Bose calls it ADAPTiQ. HDMI 2.1 cables support 48Gbps ‘ultra high speed’ which is intended to support 8K video (and up to 10K), but it’ll be a couple of years at least before there are widespread compatible devices.The top soundbar we've tested is the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers + Bass Module. What really matters is the cable’s speed capacity – look out for anything rated for 18Gbps to keep up with 4K HDR, which should be just about any cable sold as ‘high speed’. HDMI 2.1Īlthough we’ve talked about the standards, it’s worth knowing the version numbers actually apply to devices – TVs and video sources – and not the cables themselves. Luckily, this is easy to test – just connect everything up with your cable and check if your TV gets a signal, recognises it as 4K and/or HDR, and displays it without any obvious problems. If you’re still using the HDMI cable that came with the TV you bought eight years ago, it might not work at all with a 4K video source like an Xbox Series X or an Ultra-HD Blu-ray player, and if it does work, it might introduce errors in the picture.