Soundbars are an excellent alternative to traditional AV systems where a larger and more complex speaker setup may not be possible or desirable. The sound quality from TVs is often poor, so a soundbar is a great way to improve your audio experience for movies, sports, and gaming. Soundbars are compact and wall mountable making them fairly discreet and perfect for any space (additional hardware maybe required for wall mounting).
Most soundbars are active, meaning they have a built-in amplifier and connect directly to the TV for quick setup and easy operation. This type of soundbar is designed to be used on its own, but in some cases, such as Sonos, they can be paired with subwoofers and surround speakers for a larger more immersive multi-channel setup.
A few models are passive types, meaning they are speakers only and need to be powered by an separate AV receiver. These unique speakers feature separate left, centre and right channels in a single wall mountable cabinet. This LCR soundbar design provides a neat under-TV alternative to separate front speakers for a more discreet multi-channel speaker setup.