Home Theater Questions

[MusclesMarinara]

I'm way out of date on this subject so I need some help.
I'm looking to build a low power home theater system for my apartment. I don't need big sound as the space doesn't warrant it nor do I want the sound carrying into the neighboring units.
The needs are simple:
mostly used for watching tv
occasional movie (likely on demand or netflix. rarely DVD)
interface for Pandora

I think the heart of the system will be a 50" Samsung 4K TV. This is a smart system so it can handle my connectivity issues.
The question is sound. Everything used to route through a receiver/ amp. This seems like an unnecessary piece of equipment at this point. I was thinking about using a linear bar type speaker. Can I plug this straight in to the TV?

 

[VroomyJeeps]

get a soundbar. most only have 1hdmi input and output but it doesn't matter. they essentially turn your TV in to the receiver.

you plug everything you want sound for in to the HDMI inputs of your TV. then you connect an audio optical cable from the TV to the soundbar.

set your soundbar to the tv input, then when you switch inputs on your TV using the TV remote it will automatically switch sound to whatever input you are using, you don't even have to touch the remote.

so if you switch from say TV to Xbox the sound will automatically change from TV to Xbox without touching anything.

the amount of devices you can connect is limited by the amount of HDMI inputs on your TV. luckily I have 4

 

[MusclesMarinara]

get a soundbar. most only have 1hdmi input and output but it doesn't matter. they essentially turn your TV in to the receiver.

you plug everything you want sound for in to the HDMI inputs of your TV. then you connect an audio optical cable from the TV to the soundbar.

set your soundbar to the tv input, then when you switch inputs on your TV using the TV remote it will automatically switch sound to whatever input you are using, you don't even have to touch the remote.

so if you switch from say TV to Xbox the sound will automatically change from TV to Xbox without touching anything.

the amount of devices you can connect is limited by the amount of HDMI inputs on your TV. luckily I have 4

Would you mind posting an example of a sound bar?

 

[MusclesMarinara]

I think the tv speakers are surprisingly dynamic and do the trick on their own. I run wireless headphones/earbuds rather than external speakers because of the smaller footprint and opted to cancel out ambient noise rather than overpower it.

As to attest to the quality of modern speakers, I bought this mini-boom can speaker so I can play Pandora outside while working in my garden. The little thing puts out crystal clear and full sound.

Regarding the earbuds... I can't do it. They give me weird claustrophobic feelings.

 

[VroomyJeeps]

Would you mind posting an example of a sound bar?

here is the first one I found on Google.

m.bestbuy.ca/defaultpage.aspx?lang=en#/catalog/productdetails.aspx?ajax=true&sku=10361851&lang=en-CA

sound bars are essentially long bars and most have a sub unit as well that needs to be plugged in but the sub audio is transmitted wirelessly through Bluetooth from the soundbar. so the sub will not connect to the soundbar, just needs to be near a plug.

typically you want a name brand for better audio quality. they have different types just like with surround sound.

2.0 would just be a bar no sub. 2.1 would be a bar that represents 2 speakers and a sub. 4.1 would be a better version, the 4 would represent the equivalent of 4 speakers in the soundbar with a sub. 5.1 is 5 speakers, 7.1 is 7 speakers which is top of the line. Make sure the one you buy has a sub unit (I think almost all do).

The only thing about soundbar is they are very long so if your TV stand isn't also long it could be hanging off the sides so just be aware of that.

They go on sale at best buy all the time. I would recommend spending at least 300$.