Recommend Surround Sound

[Pork Chop]

Thinking about getting this: https://www.vizio.com/en/sound-bar/m-series/M512a-H6

It's $350 right now. Budget <400.

- Edit: out of stock everywhere.

Seems like a really good deal. It's the top rated sub-$500 setup by rtings.com

I see that the wireless speakers connect to the subwoofer to work.

It doesn't have built-in voice assistance, but my phone can connect to it via Bluetooth.

 

[Pork Chop]

Redditer told me:

That kit is complete steaming garbage and so is every kit like it. It’s not possible to build decent speakers into that style of enclosure. They’ll edge out your built-in TV speakers, but that’s about it.

For under $400, your best bet is to buy a Dayton bundle like this one and then pick up a used AVR locally for around $100.

^ While that probably sounds better (perhaps way better), I suspect it won't have Bluetooth and be very user friendly to use like the kits???

Plus, the system is not wireless.

 

[Blues]

Yeah sound bars are 100% a compromise I don't think they merely "edge out your built-in TV speakers" but there are a variety of factors with them and few if any provide true surround sound. I downgraded to one simply because I got tired of having to explain how to switch devices with a system and the amount of cables and things with the system before. I really don't notice that much given the volumes we tend to listen at and the room size and orientation so I 100% support sound bars for most home setups. I personally have and use a Yamaha YAS-108 IIRC it does lack a sub, though IIRC it can support a wired sub, but I find any bundle with a sub the sub to be seriously lacking for the cost it seems to include one particularly when aiming for the budget end.

Yamaha has a more current version of mine the YAS-109 and it is priced under $200 right now it seems I think I also found this model carried at Costco and Best Buy I would try a local store to hear one first myself.

 

[Diggs]

Redditer told me:

That kit is complete steaming garbage and so is every kit like it. It’s not possible to build decent speakers into that style of enclosure. They’ll edge out your built-in TV speakers, but that’s about it.

For under $400, your best bet is to buy a Dayton bundle like this one and then pick up a used AVR locally for around $100.

^ While that probably sounds better (perhaps way better), I suspect it won't have Bluetooth and be very user friendly to use like the kits???

Plus, the system is not wireless.

We have several pair of the B652 and B652-AIR speakers. Amazing little speakers in themselves.

 

[Blues]

@Diggs but if you want a home theater setup and surround sound you would need to follow the redditer suggestion and include a AVR which will just complicate the setup and personally I don't see it as worth the hassle vs a solid sound bar.

 

[Pork Chop]

I asked for input from reddit.com/r/hometheater.

A bot removed my post and told me this:

99.9% of the time Soundbars or HTiB (Home Theater in a Box) systems are not a good investment of your time and money. It is the general consensus of r/hometheater not to recommend these things and instead simply steer a user toward a 2.0 or 2.1 system made of quality, Audio-Centric name brand components which are easy to assemble and cheap enough for low budget or space conscious buyers. Most can be expanded to 5.1 if you buy the correct items in the correct order. For further explanation please read Why You Shouldn't Buy a Soundbar Please be aware r/Soundbars exists as well as you will be met with opposition to posting about soundbars here.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

 

[Blues]

I am not surprised seems that sub is dedicated self proclaimed "audiophiles" who only see one answer given that they even shun HTiB, which I can agree aren't great, but would certainly seem to fit more thematically with the subs title/name. I would say if you want small space saving simple use sound bars are great and if you want to go that route go to local places with audio electronics and hear the display models to try and see which sound best to you. I would also do some moderate online research to read about comments most closely fitting your use case. This is how I landed on my Yamaha which of any complaints I might have they all fit in the scope of the fact I wanted a budget sound bar and didn't spend around 1k for an amazing sound bar.

I really don't know why there hasn't really be an AVR/Sound Bar device I have seen maybe a small few with 2-3 HDMI inputs but few with any older inputs or beyond that quantity of inputs. That would be a feature to push me to spend a couple hundred to a grand on a sound bar or something similar and I will say ARC has been a life saver lets the TV function in a near AVR capacity for me but does mean bringing out the TV remote when I want to use anything besides the Roku.