Sound bar question(and general HT question) (1 Viewer)

[CBennett047]

Ok I have had in the past for YEARS a 5.1 system pretty much Kenwood AVR/ Carver AVR / Pioneer AVR a sub well you know the typical 5.1 system last one I had about 3 years ago was Mirage Omni 60's and a Atlantic Technology sub.. it was fine.. but the living rooms small and I decided I wanted to change..

I got a soundbar a Klipsch Cinema 600 with the sub and the surrounds(i added those in) it worked great I loved it for 3 years till at the start of December it stopped powering on.. I have after that of course seen this is a common issue with these bars and that so much so that they are no longer even made... even so much so that there is a part and a video on how to fix it.. since there are so many of these out there I decided forst id try a fix before I did part 2 of my question here.

So currently im without any type of HT at all. I am going to try to have someone preferable that knows anything about electronics try to repair the bar I currently have first.. I have found that I like the soundbar footprint vs the separates of 5 speakers and a AVR(that I have no place to put anymore) so I really think I will end up sticking with the soundbar this time.. I was VERY happy with the Klipsch Cinema 600 irritated that it lasted a whopping 3-4 years and thats it..(got it Feb/Mar 2021) Im hoping my "fix" works and I get another 4-5 years out of it post fix and then id call that good and no complaints after 10ish years of use(thats what I got with my AVR setup). My question is... if for some reason the fix doesnt work or i break/blow it up during the fix....is, i

s there another Soundbar and I want it just like the Klipsch if possible meaning the prefect one for me would have the sound bar(preferably Atmos this time) the sub of good quality and or the ability to add in a sub(thats why the Klipsch was so great..came with a good sub AND I also had the option to wire in my Atlantic Technology sub with a hardwire in back of it to actually have/run a 2 sub system if wanted) and surrounds.. I never got into the HT that was over 5.1 so I stick with that format/sound.

What my dream system would be is a system that you could swap out parts if they break and not render all the other parts useless. thats my issue(and seemingly the downfall) of the Klipsch system.. the surrounds and sub are still 100% fine.. its the bar that wont power on but seemingly the surrounds and sub is useless without the bar.. super stupid..

But anyways is there anything out there like that or at least a system as good as the Cinema 600(with surrounds) that I should look at and that will last more than 3-4 years? or anything out there thats as good as a soundbar but with a lot smaller footprint than your older traditional 5 speakers and a AVR? I havent paid any attention to whats out/new/innovative since I got the Klipsch 600 soundbar..I just know smaller is better for me and I dont want speakers or stands all over the place and again I have ZERO issues with the wireless Klipsch bar sounded great to me for what it was...

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

What my dream system would be is a system that you could swap out parts if they break and not render all the other parts useless.

I seriously doubt you will find such a system. Anytime multiple components are combined in a single physical unit (in this case, speakers, amplifiers, pre-amplifier, transmitter for a wireless sub), you run the risk of the whole thing being rendered useless if one particular component fails. So this downside will always be “part and parcel” to a soundbar system.

Unless there is a “new and improved” power supply available for your soundbar, I really don’t see any logic in paying for a repair that’s only going to last another 3-4 years.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[CBennett047]

One I was looking at was the Vizio elevate... but i always wondered if there is a small form wireless avr or anything like that where the AVR instead of being the size of a tower PC pr computer printer was more the size of a Xbox or PS4 or whatever

 

[CBennett047]

I seriously doubt you will find such a system. Anytime multiple components are combined in a single physical unit (in this case, speakers, amplifiers, pre-amplifier, transmitter for a wireless sub), you run the risk of the whole thing being rendered useless if one particular component fails. So this downside will always be “part and parcel” to a soundbar system.

Unless there is a “new and improved” power supply available for your soundbar, I really don’t see any logic in paying for a repair that’s only going to last another 3-4 years.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Its a part thats not from Klipsch its just one I got from Amazon.. 4.5 star reviews from everyone thats used it to replace the old power supply that was in the Klipsch and it was like $16. Even online videos of how to do it but im no electrician lol. I figured if I took a shot at it or find someone that can do it heck if I got another 3-4 years out of it id be ok.

Even if it didnt work and it broke it/fried it whatever im not out anything... its just sad the perfectly good surrounds and sub would be rendered useless also.. other than maybe to someone with that system thats working..

Im just surprised ive not seen(doesnt mean there isnt one) since sound bars are popular a smaller AVR type deal thats wireless and can be used but isnt the same big footprint the old big AVR were..or why they havent more or less standardized the wireless to be useful for more than the exact system its using or company its made by in this case say the Cinema 600.. if I could just buy the sound bar ALONE id be set... and just use the current sub and surrounds. seems like its soundbar or AVR 5.1 type set up with all that hassle or nothing... seems like a good inbetween ground would be nice in 2024

 

[CBennett047]

I seriously doubt you will find such a system. Anytime multiple components are combined in a single physical unit (in this case, speakers, amplifiers, pre-amplifier, transmitter for a wireless sub), you run the risk of the whole thing being rendered useless if one particular component fails. So this downside will always be “part and parcel” to a soundbar system.

Unless there is a “new and improved” power supply available for your soundbar, I really don’t see any logic in paying for a repair that’s only going to last another 3-4 years.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Seems like there are a few that you can buy the bar and just add in stuff.. Sonos beam for example.. thus lets say the power supply on the bar itself(like ym Klipsch Cinema 600) went bad you can just buy the bar and use the Sub and Surrounds you already have, Klipsch Flexus 200 is the same as is I believe some of the Bose systems. and the Flexus even lets you use your own sub if you wanted which saves me $$ as I have a sub I just hate having to toss out a perfectly good sub and surrounds..hoping my cinema power supply fix works.

 

[CBennett047]

Ok I have a solution I did find a couple systems that worked and that were pretty much both sold as packaces and separates Klipsch Flexus, Bose Smartbar and up, and Sonos I believe all could be had as Bars alone and then add in sub and or surrounds where if the bar went.. you could still use your other components if the bar went bad..just buy a new bar not a whole new system.

But this weekend I was alerted to(and had missed till now) the Klipsch Flexus 200 sale.
I will report when I get it..I wanted to make sure this wasnt one that was going to be like the wonky power supplies on the Cinema series. Id been dealing with Klipsch on that going out but decided that this seemed to "fix" the Cinema series issues(never had a issue with Cinema series sound just the durability/longevity of it). When I had AVR my receivers were Onkyos mostly and fine.

i got this on sale for $299 and for that price I couldnt pass it up. Since I cant use the Cinema series sub and surrounds those will be put up for sale. I will use for now my older Altantic Technology THX Subwoofer as a "wired" sub till I can find something newer or better and grab the surrounds later also... im waiting to see what the Flexus 300 brings...

May consider doing the Flexus 300 surrounds and sub if they are substantially better(and reasonably priced) The surrounds I will look at for sure..Im pretty sure my Atlantic Technology sub is at least as good as the wireless one that comes with the 200 series.(id used it wired with the wireless sub on the Cinema series for added depth in some movies that warranted it)

 

[CBennett047]

thank you so much for your suggestion

I knew there had to be a few and that "what you're looking for isnt available" wasn't right .. I ended up doing all my own research and "footwork" as they used to call it to find all this out. Most people will just say that or Ignore if youre not doing what they want you to(Buy a 1K+ bar, go AVR system or just agree there is no such thing) I knew there had to be something that if 1 part went you had to ditch all of it.. There is thats what id found.

-Klipsch Flexus(can all be bought separate or in a full system. Thus is any part goes like the bar goes bad gets damaged in some way(like happened with my Cinema 600 bad as a example) you dont have to go buy a entirely new system the bar ALONE can be bought and inserted back into the lineup. Best part about this one is you can mix and match 100/200/300 Flexus components in any type of order apparently/supposedly they all work together.. you could have a 100 bar a 200 sub and 300 surrounds.. all interchangeable(that's how it should have been between the Flexus and Cinema IMO but isnt). Thing about the Klipsch I like most is they allow 2 subs and including you BYOS(Bring your own sub) this actually saves me(and many as many have a HT sub or sub already) $$ as I can just use my Atlantic Technology Sub and add in Surrounds later..im waiting to see what the Surr 200(that actually go with the 300 system and include supposedly up firing speaker also) cost.. then id have the Flexus bar/My own Sub(or one/any of my choosing) and the core 300 surrounds.


-Bose bars or at least the Smart Bar and up(i dont know about the slightly older 600 series as its apparently the same aside from software(AI) upgrades) these also seem to be mix and match you can buy JUST the bar and later or at the same time if you have the $$ add a sub or surrounds or your choosing from the BOSE lineup.. Bar/Sub/Surrounds go bad.. just buy another dont need to replace the whole system and they seem full mix and match the system components can be combined apparently if I read right as they have different bar levels, 2 subs and 2 surrounds. I liked the bose and strongly considered them BUT their one drawback was the Subs they IMO are simply too expensive for what you get.. they may not be bad or junk but you could CERTAINLY get for the same price a MUCH MUCH better stand alone sub I know I can for 100% SURE get a better sub than the Bose 700 module at $800 ..there are a few people that say they have fenagled adding in a non BOSE sub into a BOSE lineup but its not 100% apparently and i wasnt willing to risk that. But if true and it was something you could FOR SURE get to work would put the BOSE higher on the list.

Sonos as the most expensive so least likely for me to get was similar in that bar/sub/surrounds seemingly can be had all together or apart bought 1 at a time these as I said I read/researched the least as they were even on sale a bit above what I wanted to pay. The beam was as close as I could afford and I believe the BOSE and Klipsch will beat that out.

Im sure there could be more also im also sure a bunch were as said pretty much all in 1 and not really available as separate parts stuff like the Samsung systems, the Visio elevate.. they seem to be a all in 1 the bar goes bad whole new system time(unless they would sent you it under warranty)

To close this out on a side note after a lot of back and forth Klipsch did actually offer me a 30% off my next purchase because of the Cinema 600 failure but being out of warranty. So I appreciate that from them and will probably use it on those surrounds when they are available.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

If you desire even further integration, Roku sells a couple of soundbars that allow for the addition of a separately purchased subwoofer and wireless surround speakers. The Roku soundbar also acts as a Roku streaming device. We have a Roku soundbar only (no sub or surrounds) in our master bedroom. The only downside to the Roku is that the streaming function does not support Dolby Vision. It's not a big deal for us, as our TV in that room is a Samsung, which doesn't do DV either.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

-Klipsch Flexus(can all be bought separate or in a full system. Thus is any part goes like the bar goes bad gets damaged in some way(like happened with my Cinema 600 bad as a example) you dont have to go buy a entirely new system the bar ALONE can be bought and inserted back into the lineup.

Keep in mind that this is only relevant as long as Klipsch offers this system for sale. If it’s discontinued at some point in the future – which is very likely, because audio components typically don’t have a long shelf life – and Klipsch comes out with something “later and greater,” you may possibly end up in the same boat as with the Cinema 600 if the components fail. The new system may or may not be compatible with legacy equipment.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[CBennett047]

Keep in mind that this is only relevant as long as Klipsch offers this system for sale. If it’s discontinued at some point in the future – which is very likely, because audio components typically don’t have a long shelf life – and Klipsch comes out with something “later and greater,” you may possibly end up in the same boat as with the Cinema 600 if the components fail. The new system may or may not be compatible with legacy equipment.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Thats perfectly fine as long as it lasts over say 5 years I will be happy at some point you just realize or feel you got your $$ worth. These are just so much nicer(size/clutter) than a AVR system I was used to since the early 1990's that while maybe not quite as good.. they are so much nicer as far as having decent sound without all the other AVR junk associated. When you can get stuff like this on sale for $300 id rather spend $300 on this and save the cluter than $300 on a AVR woth components/speakers/wire all over. its worth it.. all it has to do is last a reasonable(5 years+ for me to say I got my worth out of it) amount of time. For me the 3.5 wasnt enough to feel that.

 

[CBennett047]

I ended up with the Klipsch Flexus 200 for $299 at that price point I dont believe a single other bar on the market beats it. Its decent without the Sub im guessing thats the 4" "woofers" im hearing that the system has, with my Atlantic Technology(yes you can use ANY sub ANY brand with this a GIANT+ for many) its really good. I havent added the surrounds yet as since the Flexus system is mix and match components.. im gonna wait for the pricing on the Surr 200 when they come out for the Flexus 300 system they have a up firing speaker also..the Surr 100 do not..So will report back when those are out and buyable(they are not yet)