Best Sound Bars

Top-rated Yamaha sound bar may cost more than your TV

If performance and looks are more important than price, experts say you'd be hard-pressed to find a better sound bar than the Yamaha YSP-4100 Digital Sound Projector (*Est. $1,700) . It receives high praise and high ratings at top publications such as CNET, Sound & Vision magazine, Audio Video Revolution and What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision magazine, despite its high price. Its predecessor, the Yamaha YSP-4000, was also highly regarded.

To create the illusion of surround sound, the YSP-4100 features 40 small (1.5-inch) drivers that bounce sound off of the room's walls to create the left, right, front and rear surround channels. The center channel is heard directly by the listener. The YSP-4100 sound bar includes an integrated amplifier that is more capable and feature-rich than is the norm among sound bars -- not falling far short in terms of features from most home-theater receivers. It includes four HDMI inputs, can upconvert analog video to 1080p and includes an automatic speaker-calibration program. The full suite of surround-sound decoders includes ones for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, the high-def surround-sound formats used by most Blu-ray Discs. There's an on-board FM tuner that is satellite-radio ready, and it can wirelessly stream content from an iPod or iPhone via an included adapter.

Unlike lots of sound bars, the YSP-4100 does not include a subwoofer. Though some reviewers, such as CNET, say that performance is perfectly fine without one, all agree that performance is much better with one. Todd Whitesel at AudioVideoRevolution.com says that while the YSP-4100 delivers the sound, adding in a subwoofer like the Yamaha YST-SW315 (*Est. $250) adds to the experience. CNET does agree that adding the subwoofer improves the sound "radically." Any brand of subwoofer can be used, and Yamaha includes its SWK-W10 wireless subwoofer kit (*Est. $150) in the package, which turns any subwoofer into a wireless one to let you do away with a connecting cable.

Getting the YSP-4100 set up to produce a convincing surround-sound field in a particular room can be a daunting task. That's why reviewers recommend that most -- and especially neophytes -- use the built-in and effective automatic speaker setup program. With it, you set an included microphone in your seating position, push a button and then leave the room while the YSP-4100 does the rest. For advanced users with the inclination and time to tweak, there are lots of modes and settings to play with to get the best surround-sound performance.

Reviewers test the YSP-4100 with an optional subwoofer and report that performance is remarkable. CNET says that imaging performance outdoes any other sound bar and that sound quality with movies is excellent. AudioVideoRevolution.com agrees. However, there is some divergence when it comes to music performance. Whitesel says the YSP-4100 is "a killer music machine" and that the multiple music modes can add the "ambience and depth" that make recordings sound bigger. However, CNET's Matthew Moskovciak is less impressed in that regard. Noting a lack of "midbass punch," he says that like most sound bars, the YSP-4100 doesn't have "the muscle to rock like larger speakers."

There are some other disadvantages. The YSP-4100 is physically large. All those drivers result in a sound bar that's roughly 8.5 inches high -- high enough that placing it on a table might block part of the screen of a stand mounted TV. One negative, the lack of HDMI 1.4a compatibility, has been addressed in a firmware upgrade that added the ability to pass along 3D video and HDMI audio return channel (which lets a compatible TV pass audio back to the sound bar without needing an extra audio connection).

By the way, did we mention that the YSP-4100 is expensive? Even without the subwoofer, you can put together a good quality traditional surround-sound system that will sound as good if not better, provide a true surround-sound effect and leave you with a couple hundred dollars in spare change; see our reports on home-theater speakers and home-theater receivers for some suggestions. Of course, you'll also have all of those speaker boxes and connections to contend with as well.

At just more than 40 inches, the Yamaha YSP-4100 is sized to fit under a 40- to 42-inch flat-screen TV. If you have something a little bigger on your wall, you might also want to consider the Yamaha YSP-5100 Digital Sound Projector (*Est. $2,000) . At just more than 47 inches wide, it will look good under sets measuring 47 inches and above. However, CNET, one of the few sources that has tested the YSP-5100, says that sound is not appreciably better than the YSP-4100 and recommends the smaller and cheaper sound bar instead.

While Yamaha's digital sound projector sound bars are the champs when it comes to sound quality and surround-sound effects, there are a host of other sound bars that sound nearly as good and don't cost as much.

Mid-priced sound bars pack a punch

While most sound bars are designed to either mount on the wall or sit underneath a television, the Zvox IncrediBase 575 (*Est. $450) presents only one placement option: as a base for a stand-mounted, flat-screen TV. There are some weight and size limitations for the TV, but as Chris Chiarella at BigPictureBigSound.com notes, the Zvox IncrediBase 575 still provides an accommodating perch for any flat-panel TV between 37 and 65 inches. BigPictureBigSound.com is one of a small cadre of professional reviewers to give the IncrediBase 575 a strong thumbs-up. The sound bar is also a past Top Pick designation at Home Theater magazine and has earned a Certified and Recommended award from Sound & Vision magazine.

Critics say that no one-box sound bar solution will truly take the place of a real 5.1 (or larger) surround-sound system, and Zvox agrees. However, the company's PhaseCue virtual surround-sound technology does a pretty good job of creating an expansive sound stage. Sound & Vision magazine's Michael Trei says that PhaseCue provides "a more general sense of envelopment" compared with sound bars that have a more aggressive approach to trying to specifically place surround-sound effects. He adds that "the advantage to this approach is a much wider listening area, without any of the unpredictable room reflections and odd phase effects you get with some sound bars when not sitting directly front and center."

Sound quality, especially bass response, is first rate with music and movies, but not everyone's first impressions will be positive. Michael Fremer at Home Theater magazine says he (and his wife) hated the sound quality when the IncrediBase 575 was first unboxed. However, he adds that the sound bar proves that some audio products do require a break-in period to sound their best. After a few weeks, Fremer reports that the sound quality smoothes out and improves markedly. Once set up properly, he adds, "it goes incredibly low, produces surprisingly wide dynamic swings, offers excellent dialogue clarity (as long as you don't overdo PhaseCue), and can create a satisfying three dimensional space."

The Zvox IncrediBase 575 has two analog (stereo) audio inputs, plus one analog audio output to feed a subwoofer for those who want more low-end (though not many will, according to reviews). If you want to feed the sound bar digital signals instead, the similar Zvox IncrediBase 580 (*Est. $600) adds optical and coaxial digital audio inputs and a few other features, and $150 to the price. Zvox also offers a digital-to-audio converter (*Est. $25) for use with TVs that lack analog audio outputs.

Another option that draws extensive praise is the Boston Acoustics TVee Model 30 (*Est. $600) , which Sound & Vision magazine names the best sound bar of 2011. The addition of a third speaker in the sound bar allows the unit to maintain a dedicated central speaker, and reviewers say that design decision earns big audio dividends. Sound quality with the Boston Acoustics TVee Model 30 is very good, outstripping what you would get with the speakers on the best HDTV. Dialog clarity is excellent, and the small subwoofer does an effective job in keeping up with high-action films and thumping musical tracks, although some critics say it lacks the volume of larger models at higher sound levels. Still, the unit's audio chops are highly regarded: "There is no mistaking good sound, and this system provided it generously," Ken C. Pohlmann writes at Sound & Vision magazine.

Setup couldn't be simpler. The subwoofer connects wirelessly, which makes placement easy (with some limitations), but the subwoofer cannot be hardwired and works only with its companion sound bar. Connectivity options include an optical digital port as well as Bluetooth for wireless streaming from other devices. Those connectivity options please Audioholic.com reviewer Andrew Gash: "So you can send it audio from the TV, connect another analog source, and run your iPod or MP3 player to it wirelessly," he writes."The TVee30 is like a mini entertainment hub."The lack of USB or HDMI inputs bothers other critics, however, especially considering the sound bar's list price.

While reviews say a lot of positive things about the Boston Acoustics TVee Model 30, the sound bar does have a few drawbacks. The lack of a legible alphanumeric display on the unit rubs Sound & Vision magazine reviewer Ken C. Pohlmann the wrong way; he is not a fan of needing to decode multicolored LED lights in order to understand the system's status. "It's a pain trying to remember the meaning of which color LED, and whether or not it is blinking," he writes. In addition, the sound bar does not come with a remote control.

The Polk SurroundBar 6000 IHT (*Est. $600) doesn't receive much critical attention – only Home Theater magazine and HomeTheaterReview.com take a look at it -- but it garners a lot of positive feedback from many users at Amazon.com, BestBuy.com and Crutchfield.com. Both professional reviewers agree that the unit loses a lot of its punch when it's placed in a larger environment, but when it's used in a smaller room with a lot of reflective surfaces, such as a den or bedroom, the system performs admirably, playing dialog, action scenes and musical scores with equal aplomb and with no audio loss or listening artifacts. The remote allows you to tweak the subwoofer output, although there are no other volume options included.

The critics warn against pushing the sound bar too much, however: "At high volumes the SurroundBar 6000 will compress, especially in the top end, causing the bass to sound bloated and overbearing," Andrew Robinson writes at HomeTheaterReview.com. While Robinson was happy with the enveloping audio put out by the Polk SurroundBar 6000 IHT, Mark Fleischmann at Home Theater magazine says, "Its surround effects were minimal at best." Additionally, one oft-mentioned irk by users and experts is the lack of DTS decoders. That's not an issue with most DVDs, or with Blu-rays encoded with Dolby's audio formats. However, it can make things tricky for some Blu-ray Discs that use DTS-HD Master Audio for their main track. One workaround is to use your Blu-ray player's built in decoders (most have decoders for both Dolby and DTS on board) and output sound in a compatible format, such as stereo PCM, which is what Home Theater magazine's Fleischmann did with "problematical discs."

All in all, reviewers and users agree that the Polk SurroundBar 6000 IHT is a great, full-sounding option for people looking for a sound bar in a secondary room. If you're looking for a sound bar that can pack a punch in a larger living area, critics say you might want to turn elsewhere.

We also saw some solid user feedback for the Samsung HW-D550 (*Est. $500) at sites like Amazon.com. PCMag.com also rates the sound bar highly, awarding it a 4-out of 5-star rating. PCMag.com's reviewers say they are impressed with the abundance of connection options -- the sound bar features two mini-HDMI inputs and two optical digital inputs -- as well as its sleek design and audio chops. "In our tests, the HW-D550 sounded great," reviewer Will Greenwald says, but he adds that a sound bar alone can't top the sonic output of a true 5.1 system. Sound & Vision magazine also says the system provides great performance but notes that the simulated 3D effect can "decrease dialogue intelligibility."