The Product Analyst: September 2020

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Sanyo Soundbar Setup — Here’s How To Do It Properly

Setting up a soundbar can be difficult, and even with a manual, the instructions could be unclear or incomplete — making it nearly impossible to set up. Our experts have aimed to eliminate this headache by putting together this guide for your Sanyo soundbar setup.

How to Setup Your Sanyo Sound Bar

Connection Methods

Not many of Sanyo’s soundbars have HDMI, so the digital optical cable is the method recommended by our experts. It can support 5.1 and digital signals and is compatible with most high-quality content. The other option for a Sanyo soundbar setup would be the red and white analog cables, but be aware that they do not support digital content.

Turning on the Sanyo Sound Bar

You can turn on the soundbar with the remote or from the soundbar control panel.

You should locate the power button on the remote or the soundbar. Once pressed, the LED indicator light on the soundbar should light up. If your Sanyo soundbar has an external subwoofer, you should also see the light on the rear light up.

Then, depending on the method you chose to connect the soundbar to your TV, you should select the correct input source on the remote.

Pairing and Playing Audio Through Bluetooth

Depending on the model, your soundbar of choice may require a passcode to set up. If so, just enter “0000”. If you cannot locate your soundbar on the list of devices, press “pair” on the remote.

You will know Bluetooth pairing has been successful when your device and soundbar show that they are connected.

To play audio files or playback through Bluetooth, put your soundbar into pairing mode by pressing the Bluetooth button on the remote and doing the same for your external device. Then, locate and select your device on the list and let the pairing begin.

To control the music, use the Play/Pause, Fast Forward and Rewind buttons on either the remote or soundbar control panel where applicable. To exit Bluetooth mode, simply press one of the other “input” buttons.

Setting Up the Remote

To set up the remote, point it towards the soundbar and press the “Menu” button, then “Settings”, and then “Program Remote” and lastly, select “Sound”. Watch for the indicator light on the soundbar to blink 4 times and input one of the remote control codes below.

Connecting the Sanyo Sound Bar to TV

To connect via the digital optical cable, first turn off your devices and locate the “optical out” port on the back of your soundbar and the “optical in” on the back of your TV. Plug in both ends of the digital optical cable into the right ports and turn your TV and soundbar on again.

The other option is the analog connection. Most modern digital TVs do not support the red and white coaxial outputs, but do support the inputs. To make sure that your soundbar and TV are compatible, double-check if your TV supports the analog “out” port.

If these are compatible, you can connect the red and white inputs into the corresponding color ports to use analog connection. Make sure that you secure the cables and that they are plugged in tightly.

Connecting Audio from Another Device

To play audio from another device, you can choose any of the connection options we mentioned above — Bluetooth, digital optical and analog. You should follow the steps detailed above for connection and then go into settings on your TV and choose the right input mode.

Depending on the model, the input mode can be selected on the remote control by pressing “input”.

Connecting to Subwoofer

For the subwoofer part of your Sanyo soundbar setup, you have to first make sure to plug it into an A/C outlet. Locate and hold down the “connect” button on the subwoofer until you see the red LED start to blink.

Grab your remote and press the “Aux” button and then locate and press “Pair” on the remote until you see the AUX and Bluetooth LED indicator lights start to blink in sync. This indicates that the devices are in search mode and the LED light will glow a solid red when pairing is successful.

FAQ

How do you manually turn on a Sanyo sound bar?

You turn on a Sanyo sound bar manually by locating and pressing the power button on either the remote control or the sound bar control panel.

How do I connect my Sanyo sound bar?

You can connect your Sanyo sound bar with wired digital optical and analog cables or with Bluetooth for a wireless connection.

How do I reset my Sanyo sound bar?

You can reset your Sanyo sound bar by turning the soundbar on, then pressing “line” on the remote, and then pressing the “Play/Pause” button quickly 5 times within 3 seconds. This should reset your Sanyo soundbar back to default mode.

Sanyo Soundbar Conclusion

Your Sanyo soundbar setup can be a breeze with this comprehensive guide put together by our experts. To make sure your connections are secure without any audio delay or connection issues, always check to see if the inputs are plugged in tightly.

The post Sanyo Soundbar Setup — Here’s How To Do It Properly appeared first on The Product Analyst.

from The Product Analyst https://theproductanalyst.com/soundbar/sanyo-setup/

Monday, September 21, 2020

The Best Soundbars to Buy in 2020

Upgrading the audio in your home theatre is so easy nowadays, especially with plenty of soundbars to choose from. However, researching about every model can be too time-consuming, and without proper research, you are bound to waste hundreds of dollars on a substandard soundbar.

Don’t worry, we’re saving you from both dilemmas and did the hard part for you. We have researched, tested and listed the best soundbar options today. Take a look at our top list below.

Best Compact

Sonos Beam

Best Overall

Sony ST5000

Best Value For The Money

Bose Solo 5

The Sonos Beam comes in a 25.6-inch compact form that doesn’t compromise great sound. With its size and design, setup is quick and easy.

Complete with Atmos Dolby, S-Force PRO, DSP, built-in Chromecast, and connectivity features, ST5000 gives the best overall soundbar experience.

Bose Solo 5 features a Dialogue Mode for clear dialogues that are rich in details. It also has a powerful bass that improves the sound quality further.

Check Today’s Price

Best Compact

Sonos Beam

The Sonos Beam comes in a 25.6-inch compact form that doesn’t compromise great sound. With its size and design, setup is quick and easy.

Check Today’s Price

Best Overall

Sony ST5000

Complete with Atmos Dolby, S-Force PRO, DSP, built-in Chromecast, and connectivity features, ST5000 gives the best overall soundbar experience.

Check Today’s Price

Best Value For The Money

Bose Solo 5

Bose Solo 5 features a Dialogue Mode for clear dialogues that are rich in details. It also has a powerful bass that improves the sound quality further.

Check Today’s Price

Reviews of the 7 Best Soundbars

1. Sony HT-ST5000 Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer

With a dedicated wireless subwoofer, this Sony soundbar delivers quite the muscle when it comes to the bass without sacrificing the subtle nuances in music and movies. The result is a full and well-balanced cinematic quality sound.

The DTS:X virtual surround sound capability enhances audio as well, giving you a solid three-dimensional sound that easily fills the room.

With Dolby Atmos DTS:X, the Sony HT-ST5000 doesn’t brush off the small details, letting you hear the whispers and tiny audio elements in the content you’re playing. In our tests, Dolby Atmos strikes a good balance without losing any quality, and this shows from the soundbar to the screen.

Aside from Atmos, the Sony ST5000 reviewed here supports Bluetooth for you to easily stream your music from your mobile device. Plus, you get one optical and three HDMI inputs for the wired connections.

On the whole, this is the best soundbar we’ve tested in all our trials due to its high quality sound and range of functions.

Pros

Cons

2. Yamaha YAS-207BL Sound Bar

Yamaha is another big name in the audio industry, and their YAS-207 model is actually the first soundbar with DTS:X 3D virtual surround sound. That makes this the pioneering sound bar on real surround sound, giving quality that’s better than your TV speakers.

With a slim and sleek design, the Yamaha speakers easily complement the TV and your living room interior as well. It’s black in color like most soundbars, so it’s inconspicuous and blends in nicely.

One of the great things about this sound bar is the resonant bass. With the high quality subwoofer, the YAS207 delivers audio that brings dialogue to the top without drowning every single line in sound effects.

To connect the soundbar to your TV, you can either use an optical cable for 4k or the HDMI arc cable for HDMI input. We do recommend you use the HDMI ARC over the optical because it’s the easiest.

For increased control, you can also use the free compatible app so you can tweak everything right from your couch. Still, you could also just use the included remote that comes with the YAS-207.

You’ll find music streaming to be a breeze every time, particularly because this Yamaha soundbar uses built-in Bluetooth. This feature is present in other models as well, such as the Yamaha YAS-209. In our streaming tests, the audio remained high in quality all throughout.

For our full assessment of this soundbar, reviewed here is the Yamaha YAS-207BL.

Pros

Cons

3. Bose Solo 5 TV Soundbar

You’ve probably read blogs about Bose, as it’s also one of the best brands out there. Bose is known for its superb headphones and speakers, and now we introduce this Bose soundbar.

The sleek and compact Bose Solo 5 soundbar delivers better sound quality than the average TV speakers, especially with stereo content. This is due to the advanced technologies the audio system possesses.

Whether it’s a pin drop or an explosion, our audio experts agree that this sound bar is capable of producing a high quality output. If you like watching movies, you’ll also hear the characters’ dialogue loud and clear.

While this sound bar doesn’t compromise on the finer details of sound, it also boasts a powerful bass. And even if you’re not a fan of room-shaking rumbles, you can easily turn down the lows.

Dolby Digital decoding is another notable feature you can get from this sound bar. Through the optical digital port, you’re able to get close to a surround sound experience, although it’s nowhere near Dolby Atmos.

Depending on the placement, you may choose to buy the compact soundbar alone, with the wall mount, or with the full TV sound system. Whichever one you choose, the set up would be simple because a single connection to the TV is needed. Even tech newbies won’t have to read those long manuals or tutorials on Google just to set this up.

Some connection inputs include optical digital, coaxial digital, and analog inputs. If you’re a total newbie and you need help with the inputs, you can read and check the manual for specific instructions. The soundbar has no HDMI though, which can be a dealbreaker for some since HDMI is the easiest form of connection.

For controls, there’s a universal remote included which allows you to set up your preferences. Using it, it’s a bit bigger compared to what most soundbars have, but it works fine regardless.

Finally, like most of the best soundbars on this list, Bose Solo 5 also has Bluetooth so you can play music from your mobile devices. All things considered, this is one of the best deals around due to its lightweight design and good sound quality.

Pros

Cons

4. VIZIO SB3821-C6 38 inches 2.1 Channel Soundbar

Next in our list, we’re going to review the VIZIO SB3821-C6. For under $200, this soundbar provides a rich bass at a reasonable price. Our audio experts agree that for those looking for a good upgrade, this soundbar is a solid choice.

Even as a budget model, this sound bar can fill up a room of up to 100 dB of sound. It has less than 1% of harmonic distortion, so the audio still sounds great even when the volume is turned all the way up. Compared to other speakers in this price range, Vizio does a really good job.

The price of the Vizio SB3821-C6 is also well justified with the inclusion of a wireless subwoofer. If you’re a bass fan, the subwoofer is a nice addition for bringing out the lows in movies and music. It also gives much more of that surround sound experience, even if you’re just in your living room.

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are two features worth mentioning as well. With these, you can link your mobile devices to the Vizio soundbar and stream content seamlessly. Spotify users will find Bluetooth and Wi-Fi handy because they’ll be able to play music without having to connect their phone to the soundbar.

All these functions are housed in a classic Vizio soundbar design. Whether you choose to place it under your TV or mount it on the wall, it fits right into the room. And because of the wireless connections, you’ll have a clutter-free setup without all the wires.

Pros

Cons

5. Sonos Beam – Smart Soundbar

Smart home technology has quickly become popular across the globe, so it was only a matter of time before it was incorporated into soundbars. So aside from giving you better sound than what your TV speakers can provide, this Sonos Beam soundbar gives you the convenience of Wi-Fi, ethernet, and Alexa compatibility.

If you’ve used Amazon Alexa before, you know how beneficial it is, especially if your sound bar has it. You can ask questions, give full commands, play TV shows, and receive excellent information completely hands-free with this voice assistant. So if you need a smart soundbar, Sonos Beam is an excellent addition to your home theater system.

Design-wise, Sonos Beam has a modern look that may earn the desire of people who like an aesthetic setup. Coming in two color options, you can choose between black or white depending on your preference.

Still, the Beam isn’t just about looks and voice commands. In just the first few minutes of testing, we found the sound quality to be superb, whether we were watching movies, TV shows, or listening to music. And with Apple Airplay 2, music streaming is much easier as well.

As for the setup process, it’s simple and straightforward in our experience. It took us only five minutes to connect the speakers to the TV’s HDMI port and start tweaking the settings with the compatible Sonos application. But because it has Amazon Alexa, you can also control it through voice command.

Overall, even if this smart soundbar is smaller and cheaper than the Sonos Playbar and the Sonos Arc, you can expect excellent sound and an impressive listening experience.

But if you want to get the best rig from the Sonos site, the Sonos Arc is another premium choice. In fact, Sonos Arc is the best soundbar among the Sonos speakers line, sporting Dolby Atmos support, immersive sound, and voice control.

Pros

Cons

6. WOHOME 2.1 Channel Bluetooth Sound Bar

WOHOME is an excellent sound bar for value-seekers. For this review, we chose the 34 inches, 3-driver speaker at 60W, but they also offer a bigger choice with their 38-inch model which has 4-driver speakers at 80W.

For the 34 inches, you can already experience immersive lows in the audio with its built-in, 3-inch subwoofer. So whether you love TV shows, music, movies, or gaming, this sound bar gives you a rich and deep bass for whatever content you got on. This sound bar costs under $100 only, and the performance is not bad at this price point.

The DSP technology in the speaker is designed to create crisp multi-room audio quality that’s enough for big space. There are also four different sound modes that provide the optimum settings depending on the media. For additional tweaking, you can freely adjust the treble and bass according to your preferences.

If you need to play music from your mobile device, the wireless Bluetooth allows you to do that with no hassle at all. Other big features in this Wohome soundbar include a wall mount kit, a one-year guarantee, a 45-day money back guarantee and lifetime support.

With all these functions, this is one of the best soundbars you can buy at an affordable price.

Pros

Cons

7. Samsung 2.1 Soundbar HW-R450 with Wireless Subwoofer

Samsung soundbars are among the best in the game. If you have a solid Samsung system, this sound bar would be a great match for that.

The Samsung R450 provides a decent sound quality for those who need a basic upgrade to the sound quality their TV speakers provide. It has a wireless subwoofer that delivers punchy lows, giving you much more of a surround sound feel even without having multiple speakers around the room.

A notable feature of the Samsung R450 is its smart sound mode. It automatically detects and analyzes the best setting depending on the content. As such, it’s able to produce the optimal audio quality whatever is playing onscreen. You can also manually set the modes, and there’s even a game mode for all the gamers out there.

If you decide to add in more range with extra speakers, you may build on this audio system through the Samsung wireless surround sound kit. The sound would be comparable to multi-room Dolby Digital. Just remember that these speakers pair best with Samsung TVs so if you have one, this soundbar would fit like a glove.

Pros

Cons

What to Look for When Buying the Best Soundbar

You might have read a lot of reviews in your search for the best soundbars, but user efficiency, performance, and sound quality are what you should look for when buying a new soundbar on Amazon or in-store.

Price is an important factor too, so if you’re looking for cheaper soundbars and the best price deals that fit the budget, you can check out our list of the best budget soundbar under $150. If your budget is a bit higher, you can take a look at our list of the best soundbars under $200.

Then again, if price tags don’t really bother you and you’re good with more expensive deals, products such as the Sonos Arc, Sonos Playbase, and the Sennheiser Ambeo soundbar are some of the best choices you can buy.

However, keep in mind that the overall audio performance should be your top priority before you set your heart on a new soundbar. We’ve done the legwork for you and listed some of the most important things you should look for when choosing a good soundbar.

Channels

The more channels a sound bar possesses, the more immersive the sound performance will be. We suggest looking for products with more than three drivers if you want to simulate a full home theater.

A lot of the best budget soundbar models provide 2.1 channels, where the front drivers get you close to surround sound (with DTS) but it’s not quite up there in the Dolby Atmos listening experience.

In the higher spectrum, a 5.1.2 channel soundbar is a good standard, although there are many that go as high as 7.1 channels. But our audio experts agree that 5.1.2 channels are more than enough even for selective users who want immersive sound.

In this aspect, one of the best deals in the market is the Sennheiser Ambeo, which is a 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos soundbar with HDMI and ARC support.

Placement

Generally, you may either place your new soundbar on your entertainment unit or mount it on the wall. If you prefer portability, maybe you would want to move the speakers around the house and use it wherever. If you want to buy wireless rear speakers, consider the placement of those as well.

Before you make a final decision and buy a new soundbar package, think about its size and location. A small and compact soundbar is great if you have limited space. After all, not every room site offers a large space for a sub or rear speakers. The front drivers may be enough if you can do with DTS.

Connection

Most soundbars you can buy nowadays like the Sennheiser Ambeo soundbar and the Yamaha YAS-209 come with Bluetooth built into the speaker. People like this setup becauseit allows them to listen to music on a bigger speaker.

Sometimes you may have Wi-Fi and ethernet on some of the expensive models like the Sonos Arc soundbar. Wi-Fi is a pretty useful way to sync your mobile devices to the sound bar so you can listen to enhanced audio performance not only from TVs.

For wired connections, soundbar inputs could include optical audio, coaxial, 3.6 mm stereo, or HDMI arc cable for HDMI input. The optical connection is common, and most soundbars you can buy already include the cable.

On the other hand, soundbar models like the Yamaha YAS-209 and the Sonos Arc have one HDMI input. If you want to connect multiple components to your TV’s ports, you may get three HDMI inputs in a single bar. And if you’re buying for a 4k TV like Roku, remember to pick a sound bar with HDMI arc – optical won’t do the job.

With all these connection inputs, a lot of users still prefer to use the HDMI ARC because it involves just one HDMI connection to the TV’s port. This saves time when setting up a new sound bar, you just have to check if your TV’s ports are compatible.

Subwoofer

The subwoofer is where the bass power comes from. While some soundbars have a built-in sub aligned with the front drivers to make the bass sound punchier, the best soundbars, like the YAS-209, can be paired with a dedicated subwoofer. Compared to built-in speakers, this gives a fuller and deeper lows for the best multi-room audio performance in any type of media.

Remote

Even now, remotes remain a convenient part of gadgets, not just TVs. Being able to control and optimize the speaker settings with a simple remote or a compatible app saves you a lot of trouble. Plus, it’s a way to add comfort to using the sound bar.

Voice Control

This is a nifty function for those who still can’t be without that extra something in their new device. Some new soundbars support virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

If you’ve used voice control before, you know having Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant in a smart soundbar is super convenient. They can be used to execute voice commands, so Alexa or Google Assistant can definitely make everything a little easier.

If it’s your first time, you can read up on some basic commands you can use with a quick Google search.

Then again, there are those who can do without these features as long as they buy a low-end sound bar that works. But just in case you want Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, we’ve featured some of the best soundbars that have them included.

Conclusion

Finding the right sound bar is really easier than you thought. If you’re still not sure where to start, just follow our advice and the speaker features we mentioned above. Some rigs can still give a great listening experience without Dolby Atmos, so it’s really up to you.

Some of the best soundbars you can get include Sennheiser, Vizio, Yamaha, and Sonos. If price point rather than performance is a much more important consideration for you, read our options for the best sound bar under $300.

One extra tip before you buy a sound bar from any company: measure your TV for the best size. You wouldn’t really need a speaker that exceeds your TV by too much, so the length of your flatscreen is the best starting point. Compatibility is also vital, as some TVs like the Fire TV and Apple TV may have trouble connecting to certain soundbars.

Also, add a streamlined look as one of your requirements so you’ll get something that fits right in your living room. That will make the speaker match nicely with your style and interior decor.

Our Top Pick for the Best Soundbar: Sony ST5000

Based on our tests, the best soundbar in the market today is Sony ST5000. Coming from a very reputable brand, the ST5000 is truly worth every single dollar.

Sony’s Dolby Atmos can be enjoyed with this soundbar, giving the user an immersive 3D surround sound. If you want the best performance from your home theater, Atmos support is as good as it gets.

Supplementing Atmos is the S-Force PRO Front Surround combined with Digital Signal Processing, fully taking any watching moment into another level.

With its Chromecast and connectivity features, ST5000 is readily compatible with the latest trends of today. There’s no hassle in streaming movies, listening to Spotify, using Google Home, and other Chromecast devices.

You can learn more about other Sony products with some of our reviews. Check out HT-CT80 next.

The post The Best Soundbars to Buy in 2020 appeared first on The Product Analyst.

from The Product Analyst https://theproductanalyst.com/best-soundbar/