Doug2000
Stunt Coordinator
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2021
- Messages
- 86
- Real Name
- Doug
I installed this over the holidays. The Roku 5.1 wireless system.
Background: I have a much more expensive/more traditional/wired HT in a dedicated room in my main home. But I wanted something easy to setup/easy to use & affordable for my cabin and I went with the Roku 5.1 system. Their high-end sound bar "Streambar Pro" converts to a center channel when the other speakers are connected (4 satellite and a Subwoofer) via Bluetooth. I also went with four of the Sanus speaker stands.
Not earth shattering like my main home system but sounds great (plenty loud) and it significantly amped up the movie watching enjoyment level for the family.
If you look at reviews online, there are a couple points of possible confusion I wanted to clear up about this systems.
1) Some folks online think you need a Roku TV to use this speaker system, and others think it can't be used with a Roku TV - both are wrong (You can use this setup with or without a Roku TV).
2) The sound bar is itself a streaming device. It essentially has a Roku streaming stick built-in. However, if you stream from services other then Roku, that's fine, you do not have to stream from the Roku sound bar or via Roku at all to use this speaker system. However, you will need a Roku account setup and you will have to register your Soundbar with Roku to activate it. And the soundbar does come with its own remote. But once setup you don't need to deal with the Roku service or the Soundbar's remote if you don't want.
I think the total cost (including 4 speaker stands) was around $990 USD. My system in the main house cost many times that. Seems like great value to me.
Here's what I bought:
1 Roku Streambar Pro (soundbar) $180/ea
2 pair Roku Wireless Surround Speakers $150/pair
1 Roku Wireless Base Pro $180/ea
2 pair Sanus Speaker Stands $120/pair
1 set Evo Soundbar wall mount brackets $25/set
Roku's wireless 5.1 setup uses ARC/eARC to send the sound from the TV to the soundbar. (it also accepts optical connections if your TV does not support ARC). The Soundbar ships with an HDMI cable and an optical cable (use one depending on your situation). Then the 4 satellite speakers and the sub connect to the soundbar via Bluetooth. If you stream through your smart TV (like we do at the cabin) once setup, folks can use the system with just the one TV remote! It can also work in reverse - sending sound & video from the soundbar to the TV (if you choose to use the soundbar as a streaming source).
For me it checked all the boxes I was looking for:
1) I don't have to explain how all the remotes work. Just use it like you used the TV before.
2) Wireless, fast and easy to setup. Audio components were setup in a few minutes, Speaker stands took an hour or so.
3) Affordable
Background: I have a much more expensive/more traditional/wired HT in a dedicated room in my main home. But I wanted something easy to setup/easy to use & affordable for my cabin and I went with the Roku 5.1 system. Their high-end sound bar "Streambar Pro" converts to a center channel when the other speakers are connected (4 satellite and a Subwoofer) via Bluetooth. I also went with four of the Sanus speaker stands.
Not earth shattering like my main home system but sounds great (plenty loud) and it significantly amped up the movie watching enjoyment level for the family.
If you look at reviews online, there are a couple points of possible confusion I wanted to clear up about this systems.
1) Some folks online think you need a Roku TV to use this speaker system, and others think it can't be used with a Roku TV - both are wrong (You can use this setup with or without a Roku TV).
2) The sound bar is itself a streaming device. It essentially has a Roku streaming stick built-in. However, if you stream from services other then Roku, that's fine, you do not have to stream from the Roku sound bar or via Roku at all to use this speaker system. However, you will need a Roku account setup and you will have to register your Soundbar with Roku to activate it. And the soundbar does come with its own remote. But once setup you don't need to deal with the Roku service or the Soundbar's remote if you don't want.
I think the total cost (including 4 speaker stands) was around $990 USD. My system in the main house cost many times that. Seems like great value to me.
Here's what I bought:
1 Roku Streambar Pro (soundbar) $180/ea
2 pair Roku Wireless Surround Speakers $150/pair
1 Roku Wireless Base Pro $180/ea
2 pair Sanus Speaker Stands $120/pair
1 set Evo Soundbar wall mount brackets $25/set
Roku's wireless 5.1 setup uses ARC/eARC to send the sound from the TV to the soundbar. (it also accepts optical connections if your TV does not support ARC). The Soundbar ships with an HDMI cable and an optical cable (use one depending on your situation). Then the 4 satellite speakers and the sub connect to the soundbar via Bluetooth. If you stream through your smart TV (like we do at the cabin) once setup, folks can use the system with just the one TV remote! It can also work in reverse - sending sound & video from the soundbar to the TV (if you choose to use the soundbar as a streaming source).
For me it checked all the boxes I was looking for:
1) I don't have to explain how all the remotes work. Just use it like you used the TV before.
2) Wireless, fast and easy to setup. Audio components were setup in a few minutes, Speaker stands took an hour or so.
3) Affordable
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