Soundbars

Active soundbars have become a popular upgrade to built-in TV speakers, and certainly provide better audio performance than most TVs. They provide good audio for basic AV systems, and in some cases can even be extended with additional speakers to provide full surround sound and Dolby Atmos.

Where high performance audio is required for a home cinema system, we would still recommend a traditional AV system with a multi-channel amplifier and an array of passive speakers. However AV systems like Sonos which are based around a soundbar can be a good alternative to these more complex systems. A Sonos soundbar can be paired with a Sonos subwoofer and Sonos standalone or architectural speakers (+ Amp) to provide a full 5.1 Dolby Atmos surround sound system. If you don't want or need the complexity of a traditional surround sound system, but still want great sounding immersive audio for TV, movies and gaming, then a Sonos AV package might be just what you're looking for.

While most soundbars are active, meaning they have a built-in amplifier and connect directly to a TV for quick setup and easy operation, a few models are passive types which can be used as left/centre/right channels in home cinema systems powered by an AV receiver. For traditional AV systems, these can provide a neat alternative to three separate front speakers.

If you need any assistance choosing the right system for your requirements, then please get in touch with our experts.