After a slight drought (by our standards), we’ve had a fair few soundbar and soundbar systems in for testing. Be sure to have a look over the coming weeks to read our thoughts on them.
And arguably, what’s leading the charge in terms of improving TV sound is the one-box soundbar. People want (or at least they seem to want) an all-in-one solution that handles films, TV and music without the need for extra speakers. But this convenience also comes with compromises.
Home cinema brands want to tempt you with marketing blurb and images of sound that flows from the soundbar and wraps around to create an immersive experience, but for the most part, that’s hokum.
There’s only so much a soundbar on its own can do. So while the soundbars and sound systems I’m currently testing are reaching consistently high levels, there are a few flaws that will stop them from becoming the all-in-one destination for home cinema. But maybe there’s a solution to all this.
Movies and music don’t always mix
I’ve mentioned before that tuning a soundbar for movies is not the same as it is for music. Movies move to a different rhythm, there’s dialogue but also background and foreground elements. Sound pans across the stage from left to right and vice versa. You’ve got bass to handle along with dynamism, as well as all manner of genres from the jump scares in a horror to the crash, bang, wallop of an action scene. And a soundbar has to be good at all of these things.
With music you don’t have as much to deal with, but there’s a rhythm and a clarity to music; there’s the tonality of instruments and people’s voices to consider. What works for a film or TV show doesn’t necessarily work for music.
There are a few soundbars and sound systems I’ve tested recently that have managed to bridge this gulf. The one I’ll focus on is the Focal Muso Hekla, which you should definitely not call a soundbar, but it’s a sound system that’s happy to play with movies and music, especially if it’s immersive audio in the form of Dolby Atmos.
I’ve been impressed by the width and height of films and TV series, and also with music in terms of how switching from stereo to immersive makes tracks feel as if they’re not coming from the Muso Hekla but lifted up from it and spread around it.
It’s not the same effect as movies, but what impressed me the most is that the Muso Hekla maintains a consistent tone whether it’s music or film, with big bass; and high levels of clarity and detail whether it’s with stereo or immersive audio. These aren’t easy things to maintain, especially for a one-box system, but the sound systems I’ve heard recently seem to be getting better at both. It might not be fully solved, but soundbars are making progress.
But the Focal is tied to being a one-box system, and like other all-in-one sound systems, it suffers from an unavoidable flaw. They’re front-heavy.
The Hekla doesn’t support additional surround speakers, but if it were to, the Hekla, would defeat the purpose of being an all-in-one immersive system. But it does make clear that an all-in-one system is something of a misnomer if you’re thinking of true surround sound.
All-in-one systems are front-heavy
This is another area I’ve talked about before, but I’ll reiterate it again. If you’re short on space a one-box soundbar can absolutely do a job, but if you want proper cinema immersion, then you’ll need surround speakers.
Without surround speakers, these types of sound systems are what we call front heavy – as in all the sound emanates from in front of you, but there’s no sound coming from your sides or behind you. In terms of immersion, having surround speakers can really help put you into the film or TV series. Without it, you can get a tall spread of sound; but that sense of immersion is only half there.
Let’s take the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar. On its own, it’s a dynamic, energetic and clear one-box soundbar with an impressive sense of bass. Once you play with the settings it’s capable of a decent height and a wide soundstage, so that front spread of sound can be big.
But without the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker that can act as a rear gunner, it does feel like there’s something missing from the experience. Without that information that fills in the gaps behind you, you’re not in the centre but rather on the edge of the sound. It’s called surround sound for a reason.
However, it’s not all positive for surround sound. When testing LG’s Immersive Quad Sound Suite system, I found that having rear speakers helped with the sense of immersion, it actually reduced the height levels. Having the soundbar on its own, and the sound was tall and wide. Adding additional speakers helped add depth but also added a quite literal ceiling to its performance.
But maybe there’s a solution
Sony has launched its Bravia Theatre Trio home cinema speakers, and it’s an idea I can get behind.
It’s a central soundbar, similar to what I’ve mentioned previously, but it also comes with two speakers that can be put left and right. It’s designed to go with big-screen TVs (your 50-inch TV is basically disallowed), and while you can place the other speakers to the sides, you’re not beholden to that placement. You can dot them about anywhere in your room.
Through Sony’s 360 Reality Audio processing that works on top of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, the speakers can figure out where they are in relation to one another and create a sound that fits the room, producing phantom speakers to fill in the areas where there’s no speaker. This is very similar to the Dolby Atmos FlexConnect system that I wrote about not long ago.
The difference is that the LG Sound Suite is scalable, so you can add more once you’ve bought the main soundbar. The Theatre Trio comes as it is, and while you can add more speakers (another two), arguably for most people, more speakers with this system might serve as overkill for the size of the room you’re in.
Having heard this system at Sony’s HQ in Weybridge (along with dual Theatre Sub 9s), it was one of the most powerful home cinema surrounds I’ve heard; and it made me wonder if this is an avenue more brands should go down – of not just having a soundbar at the centre of the experience and then building it out with ‘optional’ speakers you can choose later down the line; but a specific system built to serve a particular need out of the box.
The Bravia Theatre Trio is expensive though, as much as the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro which includes a subwoofer as well.
Cost is always an issue, and the Bravia Theatre Trio/ LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro aren’t for those looking to save money. But the Trio is a glimpse of a slightly different future to FlexConnect and in a different form to Focal Muso Hekla. Maybe the future of immersive home cinema isn’t the one-box soundbar, but the rise of the one-box system.
