They work about as well as most stereo enhancements, which is to say, it's better than a regular stereo set, but it's nowhere close to what a proper 5.1 or 7.1 system will do. It's only worthwhile if you absolutely can't wire surrounds.
I am from the school of thinking that to produce a true surround sound experiance, you need sound sources to actually surround you. I have never been a fan of gimmicky surround sound, which also includes Dolby Prologic I/II and others.
I have heard these devices and I personally feel there are just ok, more marketing then actual innovation. I feel that just a good pair of front speakers will get you better sound, my Paradigm Studio 40's and 60's do an outstanding job of imaging when just using them for stereo.
I can see these devices being intriguing for people with apartments, especially small apartments, but for the money. I still think picking up two affordable and quality speakers from companies like Axiom, Paradigm, NHT, Energy, PSB, Mirage and Monitor Audio to name a few is going to take you further.
These tend to work quite a bit better than most "surround enhancers," by virtue of them having a large number of independent channels. The main problem is that you have to be "on-axis" with the sound bar for it to work: directly in front of it. If you are off the the side it can sound very strange.
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do these soundbars actually work?
They work about as well as most stereo enhancements, which is to say, it's better than a regular stereo set, but it's nowhere close to what a proper 5.1 or 7.1 system will do. It's only worthwhile if you absolutely can't wire surrounds.
I am from the school of thinking that to produce a true surround sound experiance, you need sound sources to actually surround you. I have never been a fan of gimmicky surround sound, which also includes Dolby Prologic I/II and others.
I have heard these devices and I personally feel there are just ok, more marketing then actual innovation. I feel that just a good pair of front speakers will get you better sound, my Paradigm Studio 40's and 60's do an outstanding job of imaging when just using them for stereo.
I can see these devices being intriguing for people with apartments, especially small apartments, but for the money. I still think picking up two affordable and quality speakers from companies like Axiom, Paradigm, NHT, Energy, PSB, Mirage and Monitor Audio to name a few is going to take you further.
These tend to work quite a bit better than most "surround enhancers," by virtue of them having a large number of independent channels. The main problem is that you have to be "on-axis" with the sound bar for it to work: directly in front of it. If you are off the the side it can sound very strange.