Group test - Soundbars by What Satellite & Digital TV

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Group test: Soundbars March 2010

Orbitsound T12

Sharp HTSB400

Panasonic SC-HTB10

Sharp HTSB400

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Test soundbars Samsung HW-C450

Panasonic SC-HTB10

Sharp HTSB400

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Soundbars

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Orbitsound T12

Tinny TV speakers never live up to big pictures on your flatscreen TV, but these stylish soundbars will give your soundtracks the boost they need When TVs became flat panels it meant we could accommodate screen sizes way larger than 32in. Good news, but the trouble was that the sound got flatter too. With no room for decent-sized drive units in the set, a separate soundbar with amplifiers and subwoofers on board provides the answer. By connecting one of these powered one-stop speaker solutions to your TV, or directly into your receiver, you can upscale the sound to match your screen size. Designed to complement your TV, they’re slim and stylish enough to look good slung below a smart LCD or plasma set and, in most cases, come with brackets for easy wall mounting. While TV speakers often have to face the wall or the floor, these drivers all face forward, projecting the sound

waves into the room and filling the space with a much clearer soundtrack. Bass frequencies require a larger cone, so two of these systems come with a separate sub to deliver the bass channel. What’s more, Samsung has equipped its sub with WiFi, so you don’t need to connect a cable.

No more noisy ad breaks

They may not be 5.1 systems but by combining their array of drive units with some clever processing many soundbars can create the impression of surround sound, delivering a more enveloping audio experience than your TV can manage. Some also have auto volume levelling features tailor-made for late-night viewing or to limit the irritation caused by noisy ad breaks.

Buying tips n:For a large space, choose a speaker system with a sub as you’ll need the extra bass to drive the room n:Measure the length of your TV before you go shopping. You won’t need a bar that’s longer than your set n:If you plan to wall mount, make sure the brackets and screws are included and there’s room at the back to accommodate your cables

n www.orbitsound.com n £299

Orbitsound t12 Ratings PLUS

n Useful iPod dock n Unusually wide sound

dispersion n Prodigious bass

Minus

n Not wall- mountable n No front display n Disjointed bass frequencies n Expensive

Build Setup Performance Features Value

hhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhh

60%

Ratings PLUS

n Two HDMI inputs n Great virtual surround effect n Decent bass and neutral

balance

Minus

n No front display n Edgy treble at full volume n Underwhelming

built-in subwoofer Build Setup Performance Features Value

hhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhh

70%

It seems almost anything can benefit from the addition of an iPod dock and in all other respects, this is an unusual soundbar. The connections and controls are at the rear, so it cannot be wall-mounted and there’s no display to show volume or input information. It also uses a unique spatial stereo algorithm called AirSOUND to create a wide sound field. With a fairly large passive subwoofer for a sidekick, the T12 is designed to sit beneath your TV and has three inputs: two digital inputs for a receiver and games console, perhaps, and analogue inputs for the TV. Behind the grille is a row of six drive units with two more full-range drive units mounted at the sides and it’s these side-firing speakers that supply the spatial stereo effect. In straight stereo, the T12 adds some serious volume to your TV with plenty of treble detail and bass warmth available too. It’s not the most natural sound, though, as the sluggish bass channel seems to lag behind the snappy centre speakers. It sounds altogether more impressive when you flip into spatial stereo mode. Curiously, the switch is at the rear rather than on the remote, so you might as well leave it on this setting. This throws the sound much farther into the room, creating an uncannily wide soundstage. The iPod dock is a real bonus that makes good use of the dispersive stereo effect. There’s even a composite

video output for your iPod but, of course, the quality on a big screen is terrible. We’d rather have been given a display on the T12 itself to show what input you’re on instead of having to cycle through them each time. We love the T12’s talent for widening the sound from your TV in spatial mode, but it should be wall-mountable, it should have a display, and it should be considerably cheaper than it is.

n www.panasonic.co.uk n £190

Panasonic sc-htb10 Panasonic’s unassuming black monolith doesn’t look much, but it’s the most sophisticated of the bunch and the only one to offer HDMI inputs for greater convenience and signal quality. And instead of a separate sub, you have two dedicated 8in woofers firing forwards and back against the wall to deliver the bass channel. This stumpy soundbar is shorter than a 32in TV, but it’ll benefit anything up to a 50in set. Wall brackets that’ll hold this deceptively heavy soundbar are included, but it’s deeper than the Samsung and Sharp bars, so it’ll stand out from the wall a few inches. It’s a little more complex to set up than the others and we had to resort to the manual at one point. This is because, like the Orbitsound T12, there’s no front display, which means you have to squint at the tiny LED indicators to check what sound mode and input you’re on.

The HDMI ports potentially simplify the wiring though, especially if your TV supports ACR (audio return channel). With new TVs at least one of the HDMI ports will be able to pass audio to the soundbar and automatically mute its own speakers when it detects the soundbar. It will also trigger the soundbar to switch on when the TV is turned on. Maintaining a digital signal means a cleaner sound too. Connecting up a Samsung Virgin Media V+ box, the system delivered a punchy and precise soundtrack with clear dialogue and reasonable bass extension. The tone is a little bright, which means it sounds tiring and aggressive on very high volume, but for mid-level listening it strikes a good balance. You can improve on the sound by activating Dolby Virtual speaker, which uses Dolby encoding in the broadcast to spread the soundstage with great effect.

Test soundbars

n www.samsung.co.uk n £250

Samsung hw-c450 Samsung’s flashy soundbar is designed to complement its own glossy black TVs with glowing touch-sensitive controls and a narrow profile. There’s no grill so, hopefully, you won’t mind the drive units being on display. What’s more, Samsung has solved the problem of trailing cables with a subwoofer that operates wirelessly. It’s also reasonably well connected, with three digital and analogue inputs and a mini jack for an MP3 player. It’s very easy to set up, too. Just run an optical cable from your receiver to the system and plug both into the mains and you’re away. The soundbar will switch itself on when it detects a signal, and in turn automatically send a wireless signal to the sub. The two units had no problems pairing up or dropping the signal. With the slick touch controls on the bar and an ergonomic remote control, this bar could only be improved by auto source select so

you don’t have to scroll through the inputs. In fact, the HW-C450 does a fine job of replacing feeble TV speakers. With the help of the sub, the scale, volume and projection of the sound from our V+ box were impressive. The tweeters provide plenty of detail, giving dialogue much better definition, while the sub adds atmospheric warmth to music and special effects. Cinema mode adds a little extra depth. An attractively textured finish disguises the sub’s slightly flimsy construction. It doesn’t have the power or punch of an MDF sub, but it’s enough to produce the essential room-filling ambient bass. A slightly metallic tone from the speaker array reminds you that this is a budget speaker solution, but it’s a vast improvement on any TV speakers we’ve heard. Like the Sharp, this speaker likes to play loud, only this time it has the bass channel to back it up.

Ratings PLUS

n Smart design n Conveniently wireless

subwoofer n Room-filling ambience

Minus

n Slightly metallic tone n No HDMI inputs

Build Setup Performance Features Value

hhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhh

80%

n www.sharp.co.uk n £179

Sharp htsb400 Sharp’s skinny soundbar looks like the ideal upgrade for your TV. It’s a smart-looking system and only slightly longer than your average 40in TV, so it would suit anything from a 37in to 46in set. It’s shallow too, with brackets and screws included for easy wall-mounting. Throw in a nifty credit card-sized remote control and you have a very convenient TV upgrade. It’s also one of the most affordable soundbars around, which inevitably means some corners have been cut. You’ll have noticed that there’s no subwoofer for starters, but at least you do have line level outputs to add an active sub later if you wish and buttons on the remote to control it. More frustrating is the lack of a digital audio input, which limits it to a fuzzy analogue connection with your TV instead of a cleaner optical link from your receiver. At least this keeps things simple. With your receiver connected to your TV by HDMI, the soundbar will just take the stereo feed from the TV and whatever channel you’re watching and boost the volume. The auto on function means it springs into life from standby whenever it detects a signal, so you won’t even have to pick up the extra remote.

The narrow form factor limits the size of the drive units, which makes their potent output all the more surprising. This so called ‘3.1 system’ has distinct left, centre and right drive units and combined, they are able to project a very loud and clear sound that’s perfect for dialogue. Dial it all the way up to 60 and it reaches the back of even a very large room while remaining crisp and controlled. It is not using Dolby processing to separate the 3.1 channels, so the surround sound is less convincing. Sharp has instead chosen SRS sound modes to give an impression of cinema sound, but it only really succeeds in widening the front sound stage a little. It actually sounds more natural and evenly balanced in straight stereo mode. The bass frequencies are conspicuous by their absence and to get that satisfying warmth and bass rumble you’ll need to add a subwoofer at some point. However, this doesn’t mean the sound is tinny. The most impressive aspect is the way it holds together at quite loud volumes. If you’re not looking for serious cinema sound, it does an excellent job of delivering dialogue for regular television viewing.

Ratings PLUS

n Slim design for easy wallmounting n Astonishingly loud

and clear dialogue n Nice remote control

Minus

n No digital inputs n Lack of bass

without adding subwoofer Build Setup Performance Features Value

hhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhh

70%

And the winner is...

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Verdict Samsung has achieved the biggest sound improvement at a reasonable cost. It also looks great and is light and easy to mount with the included brackets and simple to control using the handy remote. HDMI inputs would have been welcome, but the addition of a wireless subwoofer is of more significance. This slim soundbar provides bass warmth and a big room-filling sound with both music and movies, making it a true all-rounder.

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The good news is that all four of these soundbars brought a significant enhancement in clarity, bass, dispersion and volume over our test TV. Interestingly, each product does this in different ways and with varying success. Some also add some useful functionality. The Orbitsound T12 really does fill the room with its unique brand of surround sound and even throws a useful iPod dock into the mix. We found that the sound is actually better suited to music, though, and with design flaws like its inability to wall-mount and lack of display, the price is way too high. The skinny Sharp speaker offers great value and a decent sound upgrade despite the modest power rating. It still requires a subwoofer to supplement the bass in our view, however, and the lack of any digital inputs for your receiver is a compromise too far. The Panasonic is streets ahead in terms of connectivity, offering two HDMI ports and support for an audio return channel from the TV. Frustratingly, this forward-thinking bar is hampered by confusing controls and an overly aggressive sound n Jim Hill

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Make and model Price

Orbitsound T12

Panasonic SC-HTB10

Samsung HW-C450

Sharp HTSB400

£299

£190

£250

£179

Channels

2.1

3.1

Total output (Watts RMS)

120

280

Subwoofer included

Passive sub

Integrated sub

Powered sub

Wireless subwoofer

Spatial stereo

Dolby Virtual Speaker

Virtual Surround

SRS Tru Surround HD

Auto volume levelling

iPod dock

FM radio tuner

Bluetooth-compatible

HDMI

l (2x)

Optical S/PDIF

l (2x)

Coaxial S/PDIF

3.5mm stereo jack

Stereo phonos

Wall-mountable

605 x 100 x 110

800 x 108 x 58

956 x 92 x 45

985 x 96 x 70

Weight

8kg

3.2kg

7.4kg

2.2kg

Rating (%)

Surround modes

Dimensions (WxHxD)mm