Soundbars (Yes or No)

[JBR]

Freeview HD is in Dolby 5.1, maybe not all HD channels, but sure I watched some BBC films in 5.1 over Christmas

Yes, you're right, though there aren't that many that I've watched in 5.1 sound.

Of course, I suppose it depends on the genre of programmes that you watch. I'm pretty certain that Coronation Street isn't in 5.1 surround sound anyway!

 

[Lucid]

We had a Dolby sound system and it was terrific but as the wife said, we live in a semi and next door will get ****ed off so I got rid of it. I'd like to just be able to hear dialogue clearer so have considered a sound bar but she’s having none of it because of the booming system we got rid of.

Yamaha sound bars have a feature they call Clear Voice. It brings dialogue to the fore and it works surprisingly well.

Like many sound bars, Yamaha offers a range of products, some with subs and some without. The YAS108 has Clear Voice and no sub. The price is £169 at Currys. Shop around and you'll probably get it cheaper.

If you're looking for something with a few more bells and whistles, then the Yamaha YSP- range is the step up from the YAS range and it includes features such as 4K UHD, HDMI Control, multiple inputs and Audio Return Channel. There are some factory refurbished YSP1600 in retailers at the moment. They're selling for £199 rather than the original £499rrp.

Decent sound bars produce enough bass from their speakers that they don't need a sub for natural sounding voices and music. Cheaper sound bars either lean heavily on the sub or produce a thinner more nasal sound. Definitely a case of you get what you pay for.