Three Different Types of Soundbars

Purpose and Applications of Soundbars

There are three different types of soundbars.  Improving the sound experience while watching television is the main goal of a soundbar.  A soundbar can also be used to listen to music, but a soundbar is not a one-to-one replacement for a set of stereo speakers.

A soundbar is mainly quite easy to use and usually has a number of useful inputs. Bluetooth, for example, for streaming Spotify directly.

Most manufacturers nowadays also equip the soundbars with their respective streaming platforms and services:

✔️ For Yamaha it is the “MusicCast platform".
✔️ Denon is equipped with “heos".
✔️ And “Training” belongs to Bowers & Wilkins.

We have summarized more information about the three different types of soundbars for you below.

3 Types of Soundbars

1 – (Expandable) Stereo Soundbars

Stereo soundbars are equipped with all sorts of connectivity options and built-in streaming services. The stereo setup can be expanded by adding additional streaming speakers and subwoofers. to create a surround systemSuch a comprehensive setup is suitable for any room and delivers an excellent surround effect, provided sufficient (and appropriate) equipment is provided.

Our advice?

  • When purchasing your soundbar, always check whether the desired connection options and streaming services are available.
  • Also consider any potential future expansion of your system.

Our opinion?

  • Personally, we find that Yamaha's MusicCast provides the most flexibility.
  • On the other hand, the Formation from Bowers & Wilkins is the soundbar that sounds best for us.
  • The B&W Formation doesn't have an HDMI port, which isn't a deal breaker for us. An optical connection always works, HDMI is a nice bonus. HDMI (especially ARC) can sometimes cause problems in very rare cases.
  • A stereo soundbar properly combined with streaming speakers will provide a better surround result than surround emulating or surround projecting soundbars.

Yamaha Stereo Soundbars & Wireless Expansions for Surround Setups

Yamaha MusicCast Soundbar Bar 400 – HiFi's Favorite!

Yamaha MusicCast Bar 400 Soundbar. Different types of soundbars.

Denon Stereo Soundbar & Wireless Expansion for Surround Setups

Denon Home Sound Bar 550

Denon Home Soundbar 550. Different types of soundbars.

Bowers & Wilkins Stereo Soundbar & Wireless Extensions for Surround Setups

Bowers & Wilkins Formation Bar

Bowers & Wilkins Formation Bar

2 – Surround Emulating or Surround Projecting Soundbars

These systems provide a surround effect through reflectionAn additional subwoofer controls the bass. For a good result, you need a (rectangular) room with sound-reflecting surfaces (walls, etc.) and some symmetry.

Point of attention?

The sweet spot (money seat) is much smaller than with stereo soundbars with combined streaming speakers. Reflections are more difficult to adjust for all the seats in a corner living room, for example.

Big advantage?

The simple and easy application! 1 soundbar and 1 wireless subwoofer, and you're done!  The Yamaha YSP-5600 combined with a powerful subwoofer manages to amaze many film lovers.

3 – Hybrid or Combination Soundbar Systems

Klipsch Cinema 1200 sound bar

Klipsch Cinema 1200 Soundbar. Different types of soundbars.

Hybrid systems combine the principles of classic stereo soundbars with the application of reflection.

The experience of a soundbar system remains difficult to compare with the combination of a separate surround amplifier and a separate set of surround speakers.

But the Klipsch Cinema 1200 on the other hand comes very close:

  • The 2 wireless surround speakers of this set add “height info” (3D audio) to the sound image.
  • The soundbar, subwoofer and 2 wireless surround speakers provide the 5.1 experience.
  • The “height info” (3D audio) for Dolby Atmos is provided by this system through reflection.

Useful Facts

  • Dolby Atmos always uses HDMI. An optical connection is not suitable for Dolby Atmos!
  • Setting up a wireless surround system via Bluetooth is never an option! (Given the latency inherent in Bluetooth.)
  • Looking for a different wireless solution? Would you rather not have a soundbar? You'll find many other solutions in our store and webshop, including: ACE series from the Swiss Piega, to name just one.

What is Dolby Atmos by the way?

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