Audio Video News

Soundbars

Soundbars are an ideal gift for friends and family members who are living in tech’s dark ages — that is, watching movies and shows on a TV with no outboard audio support. A good soundbar can do wonders to correct this unfortunate situation, leaving the giftee with a huge smile on his or her face and asking, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”

Vizio V21d-J8 Soundbar ($116)
I know you’re skeptical. Don’t be. Vizio’s V21d-J8 is fully capable of delivering a serious bump in sound quality compared with the abysmal speaker systems built into today’s TVs. Though Vizio is mostly known for its TVs, the company has built a reputation over the years for producing low-priced soundbars that sound shockingly good. You can add the J8 to the list. The soundbar is a simple 2.1-channel design that mates a pair of forward-facing full-range speakers with a couple of small woofers in a svelte, fabric-wrapped cabinet just over 2 inches tall and 3 feet wide. The system boasts DTS Virtual: X surround-sound processing and supports the convenience of Bluetooth streaming in addition to offering analog and (optical) digital inputs, including an ARC-enabled HDMI port.

Leslie Shapiro wasted no time getting right to the point in her review: “For the price, it can't be beat.” This from a professional recording engineer who was impressed with the J8’s ability to muster “strikingly clear sound” with nice upper-bass impact on music and movies, including the low-budget sci-fi outing Breach, starring the ever-lovable Bruce Willis. If you like the idea of giving the gift of sound in the form of a low profile, all-in-one soundbar, Vizio’s J8 is a ridiculous bargain. Click here for our full review. Editor’s note: Since we reviewed the J8, Vizio has upped the price from $100 to $116.

Roku Streambar Pro ($180)
Moving up the price ladder a bit brings us to the Streambar Pro, another all-in-one soundbar that will run circles around the tin-can speakers built into most TVs while offering something you won’t find in other soundbars: a built-in Roku media player that puts a host of TV and music streaming options at your fingertips. The bar is a bigger, better version of last year’s Streambar featuring four 2.5-inch drivers in a slender 32-inch enclosure and a handful of audio settings, including one that automatically levels out the volume of TV commercials and another that engages virtual surround sound. Setup is a simple matter of connecting one cable (HDMI-ARC or optical digital) and the system supports 4K/HDR10 video. Roku provides a voice-enabled remote control with a headphone jack for private listening (earbuds included) and dedicated buttons for Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, and Hulu. You also have the option of streaming music via Bluetooth or Apple’s AirPlay.

Reviewer Michael Antonoff marveled at the sound quality from this unassuming soundbar: “The first 12 minutes of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker streamed over Disney+ were enough to sell me on the merits of the Streambar Pro. Sound seemed to mimic the direction of moving objects as a spaceship or asteroids hurtled across the screen complete with rumble…Its expansive cinema-like sound makes you forget you’re sitting at home instead of in a theater.” Roku offers an optional wireless subwoofer ($180) and pair of wireless surround speakers ($150) if you (or your giftee) are seeking a more robust experience. Click here for our full review. The Streambar Pro is on sale for $150 through Saturday (November 6); the regular price is $180.

Monoprice SB-500 5.1 Soundbar ($210)
The SB-500 soundbar system elevates audio performance a couple notches above the Vizio V21d-J8 and Roku Streambar Pro all-in-one soundbars. The system mates a three-channel soundbar with a wireless subwoofer and a pair of rear surround speakers, which make a true Dolby Digital 5.1 surround-sound experience possible. Setup is easy: The subwoofer and surround speakers connect automatically to the soundbar when the system is powered up but the surrounds aren’t fully wireless — you have to run a cable between them and plug the right speaker into a power outlet. The 39-inch-wide bar houses front left/center/right driver complements and provides a generous selection of inputs: three 4K/HDR-ready HDMI ports, one of which is ARC-enabled, optical and coaxial digital inputs, an auxiliary analog input, and a USB port. A fully featured remote with buttons for navigation, bass/treble, and Music/Movie modes is provided and the system supports the convenience of Bluetooth streaming.

Putting the system through its paces with movies and music, reviewer Leslie Shapiro reveled in the “impressive dynamics…and level of ambient detail” she heard while watching Jolt on Amazon Prime. Music was satisfying, though not quite as full-bodied as movies. Even so, Shapiro concluded the SB-500 is a steal for the price. Click here for our full review. As of this writing, the SB-500 is available for $210 on monoprice.com; the regular price is $280.

Subwoofers

A credible home theater experience demands a solid, clean foundation, so consider giving the gift of bass, even if you wind up giving that gift to yourself. Here are a couple options at different prices.

OSD Audio Nero TubeBass 10 Subwoofer: $199
Whether it’s time for a personal upgrade or you’re buying a gift for a friend or family member in desperate need of a bass boost, OSD’s Nero TubeBass 10 is an awesome little subwoofer that trades the usual black box for a black-fabric-wrapped cylinder that houses a down-firing 10-inch driver and beefy 400-watt power amp. It’s a no-frills sub, so it’s easy to connect and use, and it’s only 19 inches tall and 13 inches across, so it won’t dominate the room. There’s no wireless connectivity, app control, EQ presets, or DSP/automated room correction. Instead, you get the old-school basics: a volume control, a rotary dial for selecting a crossover point (between 30 and 120 Hz), a phase switch, and line-level RCA and LFE inputs.

Using the TubeBass 10 to support a set of Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 speakers, Al Griffin confirmed usable output down to 30Hz and fired up some music. He compared the OSD with Elac’s big-box 12-inch subwoofer and was pleasantly surprised by how much bass the OSD was able to generate in his 12 x 16-foot room. Same with movies: The TuneBass 10 added fullness and punch (sans infrasonic rumbling) to the mayhem in Pacific Rim without introducing audible distortion. What more can you ask from a sub that costs 200 bucks? Click here for our full review. Editor’s note: OSD increased the price by $20 since we reviewed the TubeBass 10 in April.

SVS SB-1000 Pro and PB-1000 Pro Subwoofers: $600, $800 Representing as major step-up from OSD’s Nero TubeBass 10, the likely buyer here is a serious system builder looking for bigger, bolder bass from his or her home theater. In other words, lows that are lower and louder. Of course, either of these SVS subs would also make an awesome gift for anyone who owns an otherwise good surround speaker setup that lacks the oomph needed to bring movie soundtracks to life. Given the company’s solid track record, it’s no surprise both models deliver impressive performance at budget-friendly prices. What is surprising is that the super-compact SB-1000 sealed sub and its ported big brother, the PB-1000 Pro, come equipped with the company’s best-in-class app. Instead of having to get down on your knees and crawl around to the back of the subwoofer to make adjustments, you can simply grab your phone (and a sound meter) and use the app to adjust a surprising range of parameters — all from the comfort of your easy chair

Switching out his regular SVS SB-3000 subwoofer (our 2019 Top Pick of the Year in subwoofers) for these 1000 Pro Series models in a 1,200 cubic-foot room, S&V bass guru David Vaughn was captivated by what he heard and felt while watching The Haunting, which features a reference-quality Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack known for its deep bass. In the scene where protagonist Nell is being attacked by the evil spirit, the SB-1000 held its own but the “PB-1000's ability to go a bit deeper and play louder definitely enhanced the experience with bass that displayed more prominence and heft.” Conversely, while both subs also performed well with music, the SB-1000 Pro had the edge, rendering bass in the tight, punchy manner you’d expect from a sealed design. You can’t go wrong with either of these subwoofers, both of which mate a 12-inch woofer with a 325-watt RMS Class D amplifier. Click here for our full review. Editor’s note: SVS recently raised the price of the SB-1000 Pro from $500 to $600 and the PB-1000 Pro from $600 to $800 (both with a black ash finish). Keep an eye out for holiday discounts.