The (Sound) Bar Is Now Open!

This is the third (and final) post on my trip to soundbarland. While I know they have been around for a while, I never felt the need for one because we have a surround sound system in our basement family room. The only problem is that our family room is no longer used as it was when an actual family lived in our home. In other words, the nest has emptied. So, most of our television viewing is now done in our den. That TV is hooked up to a couple of speakers and a receiver that go back to the days when vinyl was king. Side note, I recently read that in 2022, vinyl outsold CDs for the first time since 1987 which does my heart good.

In any event, given most of our TV viewing is now done with sound from the days of Fleetwood Mac’s "Rumors” album and with newer Dolby Atmos technology in soundbars, it seemed like the right time to purchase one. Thus began a journey that took me to brick-and-mortar stores as well as the Internet. It seemed like the more research I did, the more the information would counter itself.

You see, if I was going to upgrade to a soundbar, why not go for the latest sound – Dolby Atmos. Not so fast. It was here that I learned way too much about HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) ports. HDMI is the acknowledged connection standard for transferring both video and audio digitally from a source like a TV or other compatible home entertainment device. It turns out that there are three kinds of them. There is plain old HDMI, HDMI "ARC” (Audio Return Channel) and "eARC” (Enhanced Audio Return Channel. The rabbit hole had been dug and I followed that cottontail right down into that hole.

One store person told me that unless I have an eARC port on my TV (as opposed to just ARC), I would be wasting money on a Dolby Atmos soundbar. Another said it was OK to use just an ARC port, but only if I had a TV that supports "Dolby Digital Plus”. If I did not have that, I should not even think about Dolby Atmos. If I had just a plain old HDMI port, I could still buy a soundbar, but I should purchase a non-Atmos plain old digital model.

So, I went home, got out the flashlight and nervously checked the back of my TV. The good news was that there’s an ARC port but no sign of an "e” anywhere. My next step was to either give-up on Dolby Atmos or try to find if my TV supports Dolby Digital Plus. So, I went to the box where I keep all my user manuals and realized that in many cases these days, book versions of manuals have gone the way of the Pontiac – they don’t make them anymore. I would have to go online. I had to find the exact model number hidden on the back of the TV and then find its manual on the internet. Once found, I had to find a page that explained what sound systems are supported. BINGO. I found my TV does support Dolby Digital Plus. So, I was still in the Atmos game!

Armed with all that information, it was time to make the actual purchase. In a previous post, I recently wrote about the various kinds of soundbars that are out there, the different audio types and what all the numbers mean. If you want to learn more, check out my previous posts, "Bellying-Up To The Soundbar” and "The Right Atmosphere”. I found a Dolby Atmos soundbar on sale that fit my needs. It’s a 3.1.2 model meaning it has three front speakers (left, right and center for voice), a wireless subwoofer for better bass and two upward-facing speakers, which creates a more immersive Atmos effect.

Now comes the question should I self-install or do I pay someone to come to my home and do the job? Well, I’m supposed to know this stuff, so it’s DIY for me. I brought it home and upon unboxing, I had that sinking feeling that I had bitten-off more than I could chew. But I soldiered-on and in less than an hour, I had the soundbar and wireless subwoofer plugged into wall sockets and the soundbar connected to the ARC port on my TV. With fingers and toes crossed, I powered-up the soundbar, paired it with the subwoofer and turned on the TV. It worked! I found that with the soundbar plugged into the ARC port, I could also use it with any device that is hooked into my TV. So for example, when I use my DVD player, it's sound also goes through the soundbar.

I've decided that using a soundbar makes a big difference in three areas as compared with the TV’s speaker or the old stereo speakers I had previously used. First, dialog is much clearer since the soundbar has the center speaker which is specifically designed for that purpose. Secondly, the subwoofer adds a much more robust bass experience when music or sound effects play a role in what's being viewed. Finally, when watching something that uses Dolby Atmos, the experience is pretty amazing. While I did not purchase two rear speakers because the room does not merit a surround sound setup, having those upward facing speakers still provides quite an immersive experience.

The bottom line is that while TV manufacturers have done a marvelous job of continually improving picture quality, sound continues to be sorely lacking. A good solution that won’t cost you a second mortgage is a soundbar. Since I now have experience in this area, I’m happy to answer any questions that you may have about soundbars in addition to helping you save money on your TV, Cellular and Internet costs. Since I retired from Radio, I’ve saved households from hundreds to even thousands of dollars on their costs. For a free look at your bills or to answer any questions you may have, email hmwellsradio@gmail.com or visit lowertechbills.com because you may not have the time to do all the research, but I do.