In this installment of You Asked , we ’ll discourse home theater in a boxwood versus a soundbar surroundings system . Also on tap : Should you upgrade from a plasma boob tube ? And when will Sony ’s newfangled TV lineup cliff ? Plus , the most universally helpful telecasting advice I ’ve ever given .
Home theater in a box vs. soundbar setup
Would you pick a domicile dramaturgy in a box or soundbar setup for around $ 1,000 ? And what make and model would you recommend ? I have an LG C2 and plenty of blank for either . I mostly employ it for movies , TV shows , and gaming .
Let ’s use this question as a scholarship opportunity . I do n’t actually know if you want to have it off what I would do , or if you ’re just asking for my notion on what I thinkyoushould do . See , what I would do might not be in your best interests . And since I do n’t cognise what your best involvement are , it ’s hard to tell you what I think you should do . All I can do is give some really generic advice and trust it helps you somehow .
Most HTIB ( or home base dramatics in a box ) systems that dyad receivers with item-by-item Speaker and speaker unit wire have middling good audio fidelity . What you do n’t get is DSP - tuned production , but you do have the ability to put the speaker where you want and optimise your levelheaded field . Also , with a receiver and speaker system setup , you could upgrade the speakers down the road if you want .
But , speak personally , I am nine out of 10 times going with a soundbar system . In this compositor’s case , for under $ 1,000 , I would get theKlipsch Cinema 1200because that thing is under $ 800 now , and it was once double that . It is a seriously kick - arsenic system . It ’s luminousness on frilly features , but it will dead shake the dwell daylights out of your elbow room . ( Which , if you have neighbour , might not be a good thing . ) The Klipsch Cinema 1200 is awing . ThePolk MagniFi Max axis vertebra also deserving a smell , andJBL has one under $ 1,000that should also be swell for the money .
Upgrading from plasma
Vintagemxer9165 writes : Should I promote from my Panasonic plasma Viera 55 - inch that is 12 to 15 geezerhood honest-to-god and still going strong ?
I do n’t know if you should , but I know that I would . And I have . I have a Panasonic ST60 that has a moderate number of hours on it , but I sleep together that its bill light output has gone down since I corrupt it . And while there ’s something I still really bang about the apparent movement on that Panasonic Plasma , thanks to its subfield drive , it is substandard in just about every manner to even midlevelQLED television set today , let aloneOLED TVs .
If it ’s in the budget , I ’d get a Samsung S89C or S90C OLED , anLG C3 OLED , or a Sony A80L organic light-emitting diode . The pure blacks will be similar to what you have with your plasma , but their higher cleverness , HDR processing capabilities , and increased color gamut should make you very glad you upgraded .
Rising TV prices
Brownskinb5084 writes : Can you help oneself me sympathise why Samsung is raising the prices on their TV instead of them flatten ?
Uh , yes . I will write a whole clause on TV price . But the short variation is pretentiousness . Everything is more expensive now . Materials , labor , logistics , all of it is more expensive . I think TV prices will go up across most manufacturers , except possibly TCL and Hisense .
Again , I ’m lead to do a whole situation about this . But for those of you who are fans of this series , here ’s a sneak peek at the takeaway : grease one’s palms a 2023 TV , and buy it now . This is perhaps the most universally helpful TV - purchasing advice I ’ve ever given .
Single generation upgrades?
Joabruno : I own the Sony A95K. Is the picture timbre substantial enough to excuse raise to the A95L ?
No . Keep your A95K. Some might argue that it is a more reliable idiot box and that the departure in picture quality is minimal .
2024 Sony TV lineup
Dan Marshall take : When will Sony denote the 2024 lineup / pricing , and when will the trade embargo be lifted on your super - secret Sony undercover agent meeting ?
I would say you’re able to expect to hear more in mid - April . I do n’t know if pricing info will be available around then , but you will definitely be hearing some fat Sony stuff around that meter .
No golden ears needed
Mike Pedersen compose : I have a 25 - year - old Bose Acoustimass 5.1 speaker system of rules paired to a Yamaha pass receiver . Speakers are still working and voice great , but they are all I know . Would switching to a Sonos Arc with epoch 100s and sub be an betterment ? Will Dolby Atmos be that much of a remainder ? My Bose butt are wall - mounted toward the ceiling . I ’m also considering the Samsung Q990D and Sony HT - A9 .
All three of those organisation will be a whole new world of sound recording for you . I think you would be shocked at the betterment . You do n’t have to have golden ear to get it .
Keeping options open
Floyd Mara writes : I’ve never owned an OLED before , and I knew I wanted to upgrade to one this year . I had my mind made up with the Samsung S90C. Then I saw the Hisense U8 K and the TCL QM87 . Holy Cow ! Those video are incredibly lustrous and ridiculously low-cost ! ( My married woman really like the Hisense . ) I honestly have no idea what TV to get now . About 98 % of the content I watch is stream from my Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. I mostly practice YouTube and sport apps , Hulu and HBO for my married woman . Once in a long while I ’ll see something on Blu - ray . I ’m not a gamer , either . I guess I ’m need for a nudge in the right direction from a professional .
Floyd , sometimes we fall in erotic love with the approximation of a thing . And I know we tattle about how amazing OLED boob tube are here because , when you are a videophile or extremely fussy about color accuracy and material like that , OLED delivers . But for the unmingled wow and enjoyment factor , the Hisense U8 K and TCL QM8 are awe-inspiring , and I think you ’d love either one . Your wife likes the U8 K , you say ? I think you know what to do , sir .
Bipole and dipole speakers for balancing audio
Aaron Rosenfeld writes : My sustenance room is pocket-sized , and the surround speaker are basically directly next to the left and good behind , so the balance is right smart off . The right-hand arse only hears the right speaker , and vice versa . Would bipole or dipole be a solution ?
Aaron , I live precisely how this is . Dipole speakers might help a fiddling . Bipole less so , but also helpful . What would really aid is if you could elevate the speaker a few base above your auricle tiptop as you model . I realize that might not be an selection , but when a speaker is right next to your head , just about any speaker is going to sound like it is correctly next to your forefront . The way your encephalon operation go , there is little you could do to avoid awareness of the wakeless source ’s location . And since a head is always going to be blocking the speaker from the other listener , that — plus the nigh law of proximity — is going to result in the experience you get today .
Dipole / bipole speakers will help , at least a little bit . But elevating a dipole or bipole talker would probably help a whole lot more .
