sound bars

The market for affordable sound bars has exploded over the last two years, but Zvox has been in the game since 2004. The Zvox 430 HSD is one of the more conventional-looking sound bars in the company's line, although it's bigger and boxier than what you'll find made by mainstream competitors. The upside of this bulk is that it allows the 430 HSD to deliver big sound for movies, which is what you're paying for with its relatively high $450 price tag.

In all, we think Zvox's uniquely designed Z-Base units are a better choice … Read more

Harman Kardon is best known for its stylish, component-style AV receivers, but the company is expanding its lineup to include a sound bar. The newly announced SB 16 is available now, and will join the crowded market of sound-bar home theater systems, with its $600 price pushing past the standard price of a system like this.

From Harman Kardon's product page, we're not seeing anything that would distinguish the SB 16 from its many competitors. It's a 2.1 channel system with a wireless subwoofer and it includes "3D" virtual surround processing, which is included … Read more

LAS VEGAS--A ton of inexpensive, decent sound bars came out in 2010, but for the most part they lacked HDMI inputs, forcing you to make separate audio/video connections or use your TV as a switcher. Samsung's HW-D550 is an update to last year's HW-C450, with the big improvement coming in the form of two HDMI inputs. Even better, both inputs support both 3D video passthrough and ARC.

The rest of the 46-inch sound bar features are standard, including a wireless subwoofer, virtual surround sound mode, and 310 watts of total power. Samsung also includes a wall-mount bracket … Read more

CES 2011 is less than a month away, but LG is getting a jump on the big show with its CES Sneak Peek announcements in New York City. In addition to a snazzy "Nano" TV, the company has taken the wraps off the new LSB316 sound bar. Its distinguishing feature is the capability to stream audio from Bluetooth-capable devices (which includes nearly any smartphone, iPhone, iPad, and newer iPod Touch models). Here are the key details LG announced today:

Key features of the LG LSB316:

We've consistently marked Yamaha's Digital Sound Projectors as the best-sounding sound bar home theater systems money can buy, but their high price and bulky designs can be a turn-off to people looking for a more simple home theater solution.

Yamaha's newly announced YSP-2200 features a new slimline design that differs drastically from the rest of Yamaha's Sound Projector line. While it's still bigger than many other sound bars, its 3.5-inch height means you can place it in front of your HDTV without blocking the screen. The slim cabinet houses 16 drivers, which reflect sound … Read more

Yamaha is known for its big, brawny home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems, but the company is taking a different tack with the new YHT-494. The system includes a sound bar, a full component-sized AV receiver, a subwoofer, and two surround speakers. And even better, the full system is available now for just $550, which feels like a deal with all the functionality offered.

The full-size AV receiver (which Yamaha sells on its own as the HTR-3063) allows the YHT-494 to pack a lot of connectivity into the system, including four 3D-compatible HDMI inputs. That's more than any other similarly priced system … Read more

Road warriors who want to improve the sound of their laptops' speakers have several choices to select from, including Altec's Orbit speaker and various other portable PC speakers; however, many of these can be a bit bulky and aren't the easiest with which to travel.

The Philips SPA5210B is a little different from most of its competitors in that it's a sound bar-style speaker that clips on to the top of a laptop screen--it can also sit on a table, if you'd prefer. It includes a clip-on mechanism with a hand-screw on its back that lets … Read more

Few big-screen-TV buyers are willing to invest in bona-fide home theater systems with a receiver, five (or more) speakers, and a subwoofer. Most folks are satisfied with the sound from the tiny stereo speakers built into the display. That's sad, since based on what I've heard from the displays being reviewed at the CNET offices the sound is at best barely passable. In fact, the quality of the built-in speakers is getting worse with each passing year. Great-looking high-definition video matched to lo-fi sound doesn't work for me, but we all have our priorities, don't we?

Those considering stepping up to a $300 sound bar speaker are more sophisticated buyers, and by the time we get to home theater in a box systems, with five or more speakers and a subwoofer, we're getting to the elite buyer class. I'm not joking, HTIB buyers can deal with a tangle of wires, and nearly all the setup hassles associated with a receiver-based home theater system. If you want an even higher quality home theater system with a receiver and full-size speaker/subwoofer system plan on spending close to $2,000. Sure, you can spend less, but you'll just wind up with something that doesn't sound much better sounding than a really good HTIB.

Here are my recommendations for the best-sounding affordable home theater solutions. (Editors' Note: The following list is Steve Guttenberg's personal opinion, based on his evaluation of sound quality and audio performance. For a more complete list of CNET's official product recommendations [which takes design and features into account], check out CNET's in-depth list of best home audio products.)… Read more

The number of sound bar home theater systems in the $300 price range has exploded this year, but nearly all of them lack HDMI switching despite it being the near-universal home theater connection. (Now you can even connect the Nintendo Wii via HDMI.) Sony's been way ahead of the game with its HDMI port count, which is why its HT-CT100 sound bar home theater system has been one of the most popular products we reviewed. It has three HDMI inputs, excellent sound quality, and an affordable price tag.

For 2010, Sony released an updated version, the HT-CT150, and little … Read more