Sound bars vs. multi speaker systems (1 Viewer)

When my wife and I were at Best buy a while back, they had a display set up with a Yamaha soundbar YSP900. We were very impressed, but then again, we have very little basis for comparison. Our audio needs are very simple, but need something to go with our new HDTV.

Are these worth considering as an alternative to a 5.1 component system? I REALLY like the simplicity, and am willing to pay a premium, and even sacrafice a bit of sound quality.

Looking forward to hearing opinions on the subject. Thank you.

You asked that question in the wrong place. For most of us here, this is our hobby. Kind of like going to a muscle car forum and asking if your Toyota Prius will have enough horsepower. Wives like those sound bars and little Bose speakers because they aren't big black boxes (speakers). We like big because in 99% of the cases, big speakers equals big sound.

Try it out but make sure BB has a return policy on it. You can never get a good audition of speakers in a big box store. If it satisfies your needs, then stick with it. You may enjoy it for years.

-Robert

While Robert's analogy is right (I have big boces too, much to my wife's dismay ) I am a fan of the newer sound-bars for their simplicity. I have been to a good shop and got a demo a couple and I was very surprised at how well the single speaker mimicd surround channels.
The system won't blow anyone away, but for occasional home theater use, It might be the right solution for you. Of the couple the store had I liked 2...a Yamaha, which had powered speakers (ie no receiver necessary) check out the YSP 900, and the Boston acoustics TVee 2. These are no replacement for a true 5.1 system, but they are leaps and bounds ahead of your TV's speakers.
I was checking them out for my mother, who has a nice older 5 speaker system (12 years or so old) but does not really use it, as she does not really understand how. She just wants to turn it on and have it work, and these systems fit the bill nicely. Please stay away from Bose while you are at it....too expensive for what you get.

One thing to keep in mind about soundbars is that they rely on reflections. So, if your display/soundbar is not in the center of the wall, it won't work very well (reflections from one side will arrive at your ears before sounds from the other side). Additionally, if you have one wall open, or windows on one wall, or curtains on one wall, it'll have the same effect and everything will produce an echo sound. They also only work well for one listening spot. If you have a big couch or a couch and loveseat or a couch and chair, only one of them will benefit (assuming all the other conditions are met).
In summary, Soundbars can work well when the display is centered on the wall, both side walls are solid material (i.e. sheetrock) without curtains, breaks, windows, bookcases, etc. and you're only concerned about 1 listening area

i wanted to ask a question can i put Sound Bar Home Theater and a home theater at the same time or it makes sence to buy only one and what should i do to make the sound more sharp

It only makes sense to buy the one that meets your goals. A sound bar uses a lot of processing to simulate surround sound while a proper 5.1 or 7.1 system will surround you with sound. Complete systems are usually more expensive and a little more complicated. They are also more flexible to allow additional sources to be used with them.

what should i do to make the sound more sharp

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I'm not sure what you mean by that.

I do not know much about home theater, and just recently purchased my first big boy system for the living room. Here are my set ups.
Living room-
55 Inch plasma
Denon AVR
Big floor standing speakers and a powered sub.
Beadroom-
32 inch lcd
R.C.A. WIFI Soundbar
While each have their advantages, there is no comparison. The sound bar is leaps and bounds above tv speakers, looks neat and doesn't take up much space. But the sound and features of a 'real' system are well worth the draw backs. And probably not much more or even less costly than a sound bar that's worth a damn.

Even my dad was slightly disappointed in the soundbar they got for their 3D (3D?!!) TV. (you have to know my dad to know who significant all that is)

When I decided to augment the audio on my Mitsubishi DLP, the choice of soundbar w/ subwoofer was an easy one. I am completely, permanently deaf in my left ear, so any true surround sound effect is essentially lost. My good ear enjoys the benefit of enhanced range as a result of the source coming entirely from the front.

@PNUT (matt).....I purchased a BA sound bar and sub 2 years ago. It was fine for about 2 months, then I just wanted more. In my opinion, its just a speaker upgrade for your tv. If I could do it all over again I would buy a 5.1 system. Spend the couple extra bucks and get a decent 5.1 system. In fact I just purchased a 5.1 system yesterday. Got it at best buy.

If you have even a decent sized room, i would really suggest to go for a proper HT , any of the sound bars really do not do much justice. there are lot of options out there and especially in this forum there have been folks who helped me out in selecting mine up. Setting a SB is a shortcut and wouldn't do you much good.

Soundbar vs. 5.1 is a very needs-based decision. I have true 5.1 in my living room, that when I run at reference quality, gives all but the well calibrated theaters a run for its money. There is no soundbar that will come close to that (and at 20 times the price it better not!). However I recently put a 3D LED HDTV in the bedroom where I can't run things at reference (or else risk pissing off the neighbors) so a soundbar is going to be, for me, a happy medium. Nowhere near true 5.1 quality, but way better than the speakers that are on the TV.

I have a Sony "theater in a box" DVD receiver system with wireless speakers that I'm fairly happy with. The problem is the receiver only has one HDMI input, which I currently use to connect my DirecTV DVR receiver. The blu-ray player doesn't sound great using the TV speaker. Am I crazy to add a soundbar in order to get better sound out of my blu-ray player, or should I just get a new receiver with more HDMI inputs? Again, I'm asking because I'm otherwise happy with the receiver.

I think that there would be something like an HDMI switch which should do the work for you...not sure..but again there are plenty of champs in this forum to confirm that...

Does this "DVD receiver" have an alternate digital coax or toslink? If so...connect that. Your BD player(or the directv) can send video HDMI and the audio via the digital output... However, I'm assuming you have a BD player that has an additional digital output(it disappeared on "cheap" BD players this year)

Your other option is to get an HDMI switch, so that you can switch between multiple HDMI devices plugged into your HTiB receiver. I have one of these in my HT setup to switch between my satellite receiver and 2 gaming consoles (Wii U, XBox 360). It works well.