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STREAMING SOUNDBARS
Enhance your cinema experience, and upgrade audio streaming at home with these quality soundbars
Group test
Reviewed by HOLLIN JONES
ON TEST…
Denon DHT-S416 JBL Bar 5.0 Multibeam LG SP11RA Roku Streambar Sonos Beam Yamaha MusicCast BAR 40
M odern TVs place great emphasis on the size and quality of their displays but their audio capabilities usually get somewhat lower billing. In part, this is a consequence of the drive for ever-thinner designs. Achieving a deep and rich sound means moving more air, and the problem is there simply isn’t space inside today’s ultra-thin TVs to incorporate speaker units large enough to do it.
Soundbars have become increasingly popular as a way to achieve cinema-like sound in your own home. Their long form factor means they sit fairly unobtrusively underneath your screen, and although their speakers are not huge they can generally be paired with a subwoofer for serious bass extension, and also often with additional satellite speakers for true surround sound. Although DVDs are not so common any more, digital streaming services offer advanced audio options like Dolby Surround or Dolby Atmos, and HDMI and optical ports on soundbars, TVs, and devices like the Apple TV make it all work seamlessly. The right soundbar can transform your TV and movie-watching experience.