Sound Bars

Best? probably the Paradigm Soundscape - $1500

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Best? probably the Paradigm Soundscape - $1500

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I am not a sound engineer but I would assume at some point the law of diminishing returns comes in to play with a sound bar after a certain price. Why would someone spend $1500 on a 2.1 setup.

Polk and Sony make good sound bars with wireless subs in the $450 to $700 range. Good sounds for anything. Picked up 2 of each in the past 8 months. One for my office, family room and the boys bedrooms.
But, for the game room where we generally watch movies and games, the 5.1 is the only way we roll.

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Just seems like if you are investing that much money, you would be going for 5.1 or 7.1, not 2.1.

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Some people, like Gaston, are not interested in surround sound and think 2.0 or 2.1 is best for everything.

There are some crazy expensive 2.0 speakers out there. Like hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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I am not a sound engineer but I would assume at some point the law of diminishing returns comes in to play with a sound bar after a certain price. Why would someone spend $1500 on a 2.1 setup.

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Well, I think it's incorrect to call that soundbar 2.1. It's got center speakers in it. It should be either 1.1 or 3.1 (technically, the soundbar is 1.0 or 3.0, the number after the decimal, of course, is the number of dedicated subwoofers). $1500 for a 2.1 system (not a soundbar) really hasn't scratched the surface of diminishing returns, in my humble opinion. When considering the whole system (source, DAC, processor, preamp, amp, speakers), that number is probably closer to $5000 if you're excluding sources other than a cable box (we are talking about home theatre, not dedicated audio setups. That number skyrockets quickly from there). I suppose "diminishing returns" is subjective, but you'll hear pretty significant differences with the right setup up to a point. You can make a good $1500 setup in the right room sound better than a $5000 that is setup poorly (I prefer the 2.0 setup I put together for around $1400 to my ex-roommate's ~$5k setup, which was 7.1 with everything but the sub in the ceiling).

Now, as far as the benefits of 2/3.0/1 vs 5.1+, almost all the sound will be coming through the fronts. In the right room where you're sitting one to two people the appropriate distance from a pair of speakers, it's hard to beat good 2.0 sound from a nice setup. If seating is not ideal (two pairs of ears at the right distance directly in between the two speakers), a good and matched center (3.0) becomes vital. The soundstage on a system like this can approach the point that you won't miss rear speakers. Was going to expand more, but am leaving now.

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Just seems like if you are investing that much money, you would be going for 5.1 or 7.1, not 2.1.

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Over the years I've gone from 5.1 to 3.1, now at 2.1. I much prefer the 2.1 setup.

I like mine it is a Sony, paid 100.00 for it, and for my bedroom it makes the walls rattle when I put it on surround sound

I'll sit this soundbars thread out.