Buying slim and compact soundbars can elevate your music, and movie experience and lift your living room’s aesthetics. But it can be a tedious process to search available products, and compare different features, prices, and offers across platforms, especially when we don’t know what to look for. Here are some important aspects to consider when buying soundbars:
What to look for
Audio output, connectivity options, size and design, prices and offers, and brand are some of the filters one needs to apply while ordering a soundbar. The use case such as connecting with home television, or using it with a laptop/ tablet or smartphone for music and entertainment or gaming, connecting with game consoles should also be considered. Placements like mounting on the wall, under the furniture, or simply keeping it on the floor or in a shelf should be taken into consideration before buying. Dolby Atmos provides an immersive experience within the room, making it a quality listening experience.
Price
While soundbars typically range between Rs 8,000 to Rs 1.10 lakhs and above, one should keep affordability in mind before comparing specs. There are plenty of decent soundbars available within the Rs 15,000 one could choose from. More sophisticated models range between 30,000 to 80,00 and premium soundbars go above 1 lakh. Check offers in e-commerce sites and stores if you are conscious of the budget.
Connectivity
The soundbars come with different options such as USB ports, Bluetooth, HDMI, Wi-Fi, optical, AUX, and NFC. Bluetooth connectivity helps users connect with televisions and smartphones wirelessly. Some speakers come with a remote or voice command through smart speakers to control as a special feature. Brands provide more than one option in a speaker but not all options, so it is pertinent to choose the suitable connectivity out there.
Wattage & Woofers
Speaker and subwoofer output power is one of the primary features shown by the manufacturers. Wattage is the power coming out of an amplifier. Higher wattages mean louder sound and increased sound field but it doesn’t necessarily mean better soundbars. Aficionados say subwoofer wattage may have nothing much to do with the quality, and one should not place much emphasis on this feature. However, check out the speaker sensitivity, or how efficiently the speaker converts power to volume. It is denoted in dB (decibels) and also called as sound pressure levels (SPL) but brands rarely list
This feature.
Soundbars come with different channel configurations. They usually come with 2,3, 5 channels and number of a point like 2.1 or 5.1 tells you whether the system has a subwoofer or not. If you love to add bass to your mix, then don’t forget the subwoofers.
Apart from established brands such as Sony, JBL, Philips, and LG, many emerging players also offer competitive prices.