Best Value for Money TV Audio System?

[El Presidente]

 

Ok, this one is for my parents new place. I need to purchase a simple plug and play "surround sound" audio system for their HD TV. 

I am not a home audio guy. I will be spending my coin on this one so what I need is "decent" without being "ridiculous" 

Let us know what you are using and/or can recommend 

[CaptainQuintero]

What do they use the TV for generally? It might be an option to use the standard built in TV speakers. I've used both default sets and gone whole hog and got 5.1 7.1 etc sets in the past and if I'm honest, apart from sheer volume levels, I haven't noticed much difference as long as the TV is a decent quality set.

I'm on a Panasonic TV now and the mono speakers sound is great on everything from stadium sports to movies. I don't sit and listen to music with my eyes closed on the TV so if you're into pure classical symphonies where you want to hear the quality of the wind section against string sections etc then I'd look into it

[Esteban77]

I would get a Polk Audio sound bar. It is very simple a surround sound bar and a wireless subwoofer. I bought the 6000 a few years ago for my parents and it has great sound for something so simple.

[Chepe]

I second Esteban's suggestion.  For simplicity, you can't beat a sound bar.  No worries having to run wire to any speakers and it takes up minimal room.  I can't speak to the quality of Polk sound bars specifically, but I've had several sets of Polk speakers over the years and they make a pretty good product for the price.

[Merovius]

11 hours ago, El Presidente said:

 

Ok, this one is for my parents new place. I need to purchase a simple plug and play "surround sound" audio system for their HD TV. 

I am not a home audio guy. I will be spending my coin on this one so what I need is "decent" without being "ridiculous" 

Let us know what you are using and/or can recommend 

 

 

 

Sonos Playbar and Sub 

 

/thread

[gweilgi]

Second the Sonos recommendation.  Easy to set up, not too pricy, and decent quality.

 

[stogieluver]

Look at the ZVOX, Pres.  Very simple to hook up and ties seamlessly into the the tv.  Has great sound.  Would recommend the larger boxes, though.  Amazing sound coming from such a simple system.

[wade1979]

Sonos. As they say .."it's just works". 

[MIKA27]

14 minutes ago, wade1979 said:

Sonos. As they say .."it's just works". 

I second for SONOS, I myself have this HOWEVER, depends on your budget mate as SONOS can get expensive here. What's great with this is that you can buy say, the Soundbar only, use it as the speaker in front of the HDTV as well as use it for music. Later on, you can keep buying additional speakers and they wirelessly integrate with each other. Seriously amazing sound, it does cost but for once, it is worth it.

I would also recommend POLK.

You say Surround sound, so I guess you literally mean 5.1, 6.1 and or 7.1 channel surround? I suppose their home is rather large?

Just asking purely to gauge if even required as alot of HD TV's have decent sound so you may wish to even consider a sound bar with a sub woofer? Such as the Polk at JBHIFI

 

[Philc2001]

Hard to make a recommendation without more details about the size of the room, the viewing experience you desire, and some idea of preferences. While sound bars are ok, they are not great. In my opinion, there is no way to get a surround sound experience without at least a set of separate 5.1 speakers. I also believe TVs just don't put out the power to drive a decent sound, so I avoid the little soundbars. If you want that nice, rich, full surround sound experience then you should go with an amplifier or receiver, a powered sub, and decent sounding separate 5.1 speaker systems that give you real separation. There are many decent Home Theater In a Box (HTIB) systems with individual 5.1 speaker systems, and you can get a decent multi-purpose 5.1 receiver, all combined for under a $1000 (in U.S.). Nowadays you can even get wireless speakers so you don't have to run wires all over the place.

Although this may seem a bit complicated, it's really not.

[Cep]

How did soundbars become so popular?  How did they cram 5 speakers into a bar?  

How about one of those home theater in a box deals?  Obv not the best sound quality but should suffice.  And u get a bluray player that also does netflix built in.  I have a sony system in the bedroom that took 3 minutes to hook up.  

[Fuzz AI]

Depends on your budget. Also, as this is for your parents, they probably would not fully benefit from a high quality sound bar (let's face it, their hearing is diminished). Realistically, you don't need to spend more than $600 on a good quality sound bar.

JB Hi-Fi is selling the Samsung HW-K550 with a bonus wireless rear speaker kit (offer ends today) for $598. It's a good mid-range sound bar.

[demer]

Check the wirecutter.com. I don't purchase any big ticket item without looking at the site it really is a great resource.

[helix]

Any quality sound bar is great for television.

[El Presidente]

Cheers all....many thanks 

[joeypots]

Bose Cinemate 15.  My 50" TV is in a pretty small space and the Bose does the job. Of course, you can get a much better system for more money but you asked about value. It's very impressive and very small.

[Merovius]

13 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Cheers all....many thanks 

Sonos is also ubiquitous and pairs well with most universal remotes. I have mine set up with a Logitech Harmony.