When going to the cinema, there’s no better feeling than sitting deep in your seat, totally immersed in the action. Add to that rumbling sounds of rain, gunshots, or anything in between, and the movie-going experience can hardly get any better.
So, it’s rather natural to assume that when you buy yourself a high-end TV with all the newest bells and whistles, you should be able to just plug it in and enjoy the experience just as well as in the movie theater. Unfortunately, once the sound comes in, you’re due for quite a disappointment. Your TV, even if it’s an extremely high-end model with the best screen technology and the brightest image, just can’t handle sound. It’s very tinny, screechy and lacks any bass and treble.
Why are TV speakers so bad?
Flat screens look great, but have we forgotten about the sound?
Over the years, TV displays have gone a long way. Going from LCDs to first LED screens plagued by burn-in issues, to the newest OLED panels that we get today took us not much longer than a decade, with the image quality skyrocketing like never before. Add to that incredible innovations that allowed for even better smart features or even smaller device footprints, and you can see that display technology has gone miles in the last few years.
Unfortunately, not every part of TV has been so lucky. In the midst of this crazy advancement, it seems that TV speakers have been forgotten about by the manufacturers. They sound as bad, hollow and tinny as ever, or maybe even worse to be honest. How is that even possible, seeing as sound is just as important as the image when watching movies or TV?
Miniaturization has its price
Tiny speakers can’t guarantee quality sound
Unfortunately, this stagnation is the price we have to pay for miniaturization. Consumers want their TVs to be as flat as possible, which makes fitting a decent set of speakers in quite impossible. In order to sound good, speakers need a combination of good quality, physically large drivers with a designated space to bounce this sound around. This resonance allows the sound to feel fuller, and makes it have much more presence.
Funnily enough, TV speakers used to be much better back in the day. Tube TVs allowed for a lot of empty space inside a chassis, so speakers could resonate better, making the sound much more full. Moreover, because these devices didn’t need their frames to be as this as possible, manufacturers could also place speakers at the front, so the sound waves could easily and without interruption travel to your ears.
As you can imagine, this is in direct contrast to the thinness of modern TVs. Manufacturers are able to squeeze in only the tiniest of speakers that don’t even get the chance to sound their best. They are not equipped with resonance chambers at all (or, at best, get the treatment worthy of phones or laptops). To add insult to injury, most of these speakers are then back-mounted, meaning that they fire into the wall behind the TV and only after that does the sound bounce, through many obstacles, into your ears. Everything seems to be stacked against these poor, tiny TV speakers.
You still need to take the audio into your own hands
But don’t be afraid of breaking the bank
This all seems to lead to the result that home theater enthusiasts have known about for years: you still need a separate audio solution to enjoy your movie-watching time at home. You don’t have to be afraid of mounting costs though, as even a budget solution will be countless times better than your TV’s puny speakers.
There isn’t much mystery as to why even a cheap soundbar sounds better than your TV for thousands of dollars. Even the cheapest audio devices have bigger and more powerful drivers than the ones in your TV. What’s more, they are also designed to allow as much space for resonance as possible, so the sound has a chance to get a bit more fullness and character. Finally, the speakers are directed towards you, so the sound doesn’t have to bounce around behind your TV, it just travels straight to your ears.
Should you pick a soundbar or a speaker set?
There are pros and cons to each
Nowadays, the home audio market is basically divided between two types of devices: soundbars and AV receivers with speaker systems. Both of these have their places, but you can pick which solution is best for you rather easily.
In general, a soundbar is the easy solution. It requires the least space and configuration, as you can often just plop it under your TV, let it auto-calibrate and poof, you’re ready to go. Nowadays, most soundbars offer virtual surround sound as well, so you can count on getting quite an immersive experience right out of the box.
Going for a speaker system is, on the other hand, a choice based on audio quality and being freely expandable. This is a choice that usually requires bigger investment, both space and money-wise, but getting physical surround channels is a difference you can’t unhear. Plus, you can also expand in the future, adding more audio channels or upgrading your speakers as you go.
