Small Boxes, Big Sound

UTTING TOGETHER a home theater system on a limited budget can be a daunting task. That’s why so many people instead take the easy route and buy a soundbar to handle audio. Sure, a one- or two-box (with subwoofer) solution is simple to shop for and a snap to hook up, but what about the sound quality? With soundbars, the amplifiers, speakers, and signal processing are all designed to work together in an integrated unit, so it’s often possible to squeeze surprisingly big and powerful sound out of the bar’s tiny drivers. But even though soundbars have improved significantly over the years, you can’t escape the fact that most are attempting to deliver an enveloping experience from a single point in the room. Processing and various acoustic tricks are often used to steer the sound, and it’s that trickery that imposes limitations on basic sound quality. So, while soundbars win hands-down when it comes to convenience, it’s been my experience that a more conventional multi-speaker system based around an A/V receiver will always provide superior performance.