40 watt soundbar €35

Klingon Hamlet

Seems like a good deal for any Tvs that have hollow/tinny sound, any one ever use this?



http://www.checkargos.com/StockCheckPage.php?productId=152%2F7197

matchthis

Not Bluetooth, but a great price for a sound bar all the same

jameshayes

I can blow more than 40watts out my nose... Most TVs have a better output than that so you'd be downgrading using this

dav32cs

I bought a 100W bar off a budget brand last year and used it about once because I found it similar/bit less compared to the original TV sound, it had Bluetooth so was used once or twice more for playing music.

At 40W pretty pointless for a TV, may be useful for some to connect with an AUX to a music source at best...

millie12345

Aldi had one for €50 about two weeks ago it had Bluetooth too.

garrkell

millie12345 wrote: »

Aldi had one for €50 about two weeks ago it had Bluetooth too.

it broke on me after 5 mins and i returned it. complete junk

millie12345

You must have got a faulty one, ours works perfectly.

murphyebass

A €40 sound bar WILL be rubbish.

If you're upgrading your flatscreen speakers you'd want to be spending a couple hundred euro to get something decent.

ibFoxer

murphyebass wrote: »

A €40 sound bar WILL be rubbish.

If you're upgrading your flatscreen speakers you'd want to be spending a couple hundred euro to get something decent.

Couldn't be more wrong. I have what appears to be this exact soundbar from Argos, previously on sale at €49, and it is fantastic. Excellent sound quality, bluetooth works fantastically, it's very neat on the wall.

Definitely worth a punt at €35.

ozmo

jameshayes wrote: »

I can blow more than 40watts out my nose... Most TVs have a better output than that so you'd be downgrading using this

Thats a real 40W RMS though - not the fake 200W (PMPO) equivalent they advertise in Currys, Powercity etc.

Interested to know what this one is like in real life though - Audio Power is so hard to quantify with just numbers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_power

reaper180

matchthis wrote: »

Not Bluetooth, but a great price for a sound bar all the same

according to the reviews on the argos uk site, it has bluetooth which is a bonus,,might take a punt and go for it

murphyebass

foxerv1 wrote: »

Couldn't be more wrong. I have what appears to be this exact soundbar from Argos, previously on sale at €49, and it is fantastic. Excellent sound quality, bluetooth works fantastically, it's very neat on the wall.

Definitely worth a punt at €35.

I'm most definately not wrong I can assure you. You get what you pay for in terms of quality sound be it a sound bar for a telly, set of headphones or an amplifer for your favourite guitar.

Without looking at this particular product in too much detail I'd hazard a guess that most flat screen tellys these days have sound nearly as good and similar wattage as this soundbar hence making it pretty pointless.

Realistically you want a bit/lot more power than this one will be capable of as the further you push it to its max the fuzzier the sound will become.

I havent played in a band now in over 6 months. That said I still have a pretty darn large gigging amp at home. Its by a well recognised brand name and has a huge output being a gigging amp.
Playing through this at level 2/10 lets say is infinately better than playing through my tiny practice amp I bought years ago for handiness which sounds like a tin can in comparison.

Dont get me wrong people will buy based on budget and thats fine but dont be fooled by a cheap product when it comes to sound. You will most definately get what you pay for.

Bose for example are a well known brand that have very big price tags on their goods. For the most part they have fantastic sound though. The bose speakers I had in my last car were better than most people would have in their houses!

Personally if I was in the market for a soundbar I'd be spending approx €200 I'd say for something decent. I saw an LG one recently around this price. I wouldnt say its amazing but a hell of a lot better than the one being talked about here.

edit... op I just looked at the first line of your post and you mention tinny and hollow. This system you are looking at doesnt even have a subwoofer for bass so it will be just as bad as your telly. You'll regret this purchase I assure you.

SteelyDanJalapeno

Shocking bargain

Dudda

You have to look at this in perspective from a price point of view and what you want it for. If you watch a lot of classical TV concerts on TV then it’s definitely not for you but if it’s a football match and it’s to hear drunken fans sing the Fields of Athenry for the 12,000 time it’s probably fine.

It’s like comparing a €2,000 laptop to a €200 euro Google Chromebook. You’ll run 3D computer rendering programs like AutoCAD, Photoshop and resource hungry games at 60 fps on the expensive laptop but if all it’s used for is facebook and watching cat videos on youtube then the cheaper one is fine.

The speaker is adequate for certain people and their needs and for those it’s a great bargain.

SteelyDanJalapeno

Dudda wrote: »

You have to look at this in perspective from a price point of view and what you want it for. If you watch a lot of classical TV concerts on TV then it’s definitely not for you but if it’s a football match and it’s to hear drunken fans sing the Fields of Athenry for the 12,000 time it’s probably fine.

It’s like comparing a €2,000 laptop to a €200 euro Google Chromebook. You’ll run 3D computer rendering programs like AutoCAD, Photoshop and resource hungry games at 60 fps on the expensive laptop but if all it’s used for is facebook and watching cat videos on youtube then the cheaper one is fine.

The speaker is adequate for certain people and their needs and for those it’s a great bargain.

Agreed if people have TVs but have no way of hearing the sound, this is a great way to help this

54kroc

jameshayes wrote: »

I can blow more than 40watts out my nose... Most TVs have a better output than that so you'd be downgrading using this

Are there tv's out there that can output 40w rms through internal speakers?
I would have thought that would be a pretty rare thing.
I don't know if this soundbar is any good but from what I know the average tv outputs 5 - 10w, and you think 40w is a downgrade?

murphyebass

Dudda wrote: »

You have to look at this in perspective from a price point of view and what you want it for. If you watch a lot of classical TV concerts on TV then it’s definitely not for you but if it’s a football match and it’s to hear drunken fans sing the Fields of Athenry for the 12,000 time it’s probably fine.

It’s like comparing a €2,000 laptop to a €200 euro Google Chromebook. You’ll run 3D computer rendering programs like AutoCAD, Photoshop and resource hungry games at 60 fps on the expensive laptop but if all it’s used for is facebook and watching cat videos on youtube then the cheaper one is fine.

The speaker is adequate for certain people and their needs and for those it’s a great bargain.

I disagree with you on this.

Someone lookingfor amazing sound for classical music concerts etc that you mention will most likely want to be spending €500 plus.

Bear in mind these soundbars range into the thousands.

€100 or below soundbars will operate as a speaker but most likely have very low output like this one and when pushed in anyway shape or form will become distorted and sound tinny / trebley as they dont have a sub woofer.

A proper surround sound sub woofered package will cost a hell of a lot more but will do the job its there for.

Kinda like coffee machines more so than laptops.

Will the cheap espresso machine from aldi or argos or wherever make espresso?

Well it'll make what the manufacturer makes out is espresso when in all honesty its a strong black coffee that has had neither the relevant pressure or temperature to be truely called espresso.

This soundbar is essentially a glorified cheap speaker.

Unless the sound is actually broken on your telly I would pass on this op.

murphyebass

54kroc wrote: »

Are there tv's out there that can output 40w rms through internal speakers?
I would have thought that would be a pretty rare thing.
I don't know if this soundbar is any good but from what I know the average tv outputs 5 - 10w, and you think 40w is a downgrade?

Just looked over on Currys.

I have an LG. It has 2 by 20w speakers. ie 40w.

That is a run of the mill LG telly. About €500 which I'm sure is in pretty much every home across the country at this stage.

ibFoxer

murphyebass wrote: »

I'm most definately not wrong I can assure you. You get what you pay for in terms of quality sound be it a sound bar for a telly, set of headphones or an amplifer for your favourite guitar.

Without looking at this particular product in too much detail I'd hazard a guess that most flat screen tellys these days have sound nearly as good and similar wattage as this soundbar hence making it pretty pointless.

Realistically you want a bit/lot more power than this one will be capable of as the further you push it to its max the fuzzier the sound will become.

I havent played in a band now in over 6 months. That said I still have a pretty darn large gigging amp at home. Its by a well recognised brand name and has a huge output being a gigging amp.
Playing through this at level 2/10 lets say is infinately better than playing through my tiny practice amp I bought years ago for handiness which sounds like a tin can in comparison.

Dont get me wrong people will buy based on budget and thats fine but dont be fooled by a cheap product when it comes to sound. You will most definately get what you pay for.

Bose for example are a well known brand that have very big price tags on their goods. For the most part they have fantastic sound though. The bose speakers I had in my last car were better than most people would have in their houses!

Personally if I was in the market for a soundbar I'd be spending approx €200 I'd say for something decent. I saw an LG one recently around this price. I wouldnt say its amazing but a hell of a lot better than the one being talked about here.

edit... op I just looked at the first line of your post and you mention tinny and hollow. This system you are looking at doesnt even have a subwoofer for bass so it will be just as bad as your telly. You'll regret this purchase I assure you.

I'm certainly not going to question your experience, and I won't begrudge you your opinion. I will however say that my opinion on this product is based on actually owning one- the reason I purchased this was two-fold, I needed something in a hurry that was inexpensive, but it also had to be capable of accepting a digital coaxial signal. Having used this soundbar with an LCD & an LED I can say without question that it drastically improved the sound quality on both. As an aside I also own a more expensive soundbar that has a seperate sub, and comparing them yes, the more expensive one does have better sound quality, but the one offered here is a significant improvement over the stock tv speakers on both of my sets.

murphyebass

foxerv1 wrote: »

I'm certainly not going to question your experience, and I won't begrudge you your opinion. I will however say that my opinion on this product is based on actually owning one- the reason I purchased this was two-fold, I needed something in a hurry that was inexpensive, but it also had to be capable of accepting a digital coaxial signal. Having used this soundbar with an LCD & an LED I can say without question that it drastically improved the sound quality on both. As an aside I also own a more expensive soundbar that has a seperate sub, and comparing them yes, the more expensive one does have better sound quality, but the one offered here is a significant improvement over the stock tv speakers on both of my sets.

What watt are the speakers on your telly/s?

Im assuming lower than 40w otherwise its just not possible for this product to be a drastic or significant improvement as you put it.

As I say if your speakers are broken this product would do as a replacement but little else imo.

You would see a marked improvement with the likes of a €200 system but €35 you'd basically get another bog standard 40w speaker.

As I said earlier people will buy to what their budget will allow which is fine but realistically devices regarding sound require investment so save that bit longer.

You mention my experience. Probably no more than yourself. I have played in a lot of bands down the years so have had a lot of exposure to PA systems, amps, preamps, speakers etc.. alongside owning plenty of other household stereo systems etc..

I'm not saying I know everything but I do have a handle on what is important when it comes to sound.

A lot of people see something like this and think great a cheap fantastic soundbar. Its just not the case. I would hope my posts have helped some people think a bit harder about this decision as it can be so disappointing to get something and expect more from it.

Dudda

murphyebass wrote: »

I disagree with you on this.

Someone looking for amazing sound for classical music concerts etc that you mention will most likely want to be spending €500 plus....

I know that. I said this is definitely NOT for them.

OldRio

Life is about opinions. Budget is the biggest factor. If I had the budget for a Bose I would rather spend my money on something with proper sound. Hype and advertising can only get you so far.

_CreeD_

TLDR:
You're arguing the wrong specification (but then that's what the vendors want).


Watts only represent the input electrical limits of the speaker, not it's loudness (directly...). You need to understand the sensitivity of the speakers to get the SPL (sound pressure levels) it can produce. In other words a 40watts through higher sensitivity (more efficient) speakers will sound louder than the same electrical power through lower sensitivity. Then there's how they sound across the audible spectrum, all speakers (even high end) physically EQ to an extent, cheaper speakers will focus on things like bass and a little treble often at the expense of the rest of the spectrum so again even a higher wattage system can sound weaker than a lower system that more accurately reproduces the source especially when you take the Fletcher-Munsen curve into account.

54kroc

murphyebass wrote: »

Just looked over on Currys.

I have an LG. It has 2 by 20w speakers. ie 40w.

That is a run of the mill LG telly. About €500 which I'm sure is in pretty much every home across the country at this stage.

Any chance you would pop up a link to that tv please?

ibFoxer

murphyebass wrote: »

What watt are the speakers on your telly/s?

Im assuming lower than 40w otherwise its just not possible for this product to be a drastic or significant improvement as you put it.


You mention my experience. Probably no more than yourself. I have played in a lot of bands down the years so have had a lot of exposure to PA systems, amps, preamps, speakers etc.. alongside owning plenty of other household stereo systems etc..

You know, I'll actually check when I get home.

On your second point quoted- snap. Plenty of bands, plenty of loud noise. Crisp sound quality has become a lot more important the older I get, can only speculate why ðŸ˜

Back on topic, I'm not suggesting this soundbar will solve everyones problems, but for anyone with a tinny sounding set who might be working on a tight budget, it will get the job done adequately.

EDIT- as I think, perhaps the sound quality is improved on my set because its more directional from the soundbar, as opposed to the rear speakers??

Kenny Logins

_CreeD_ wrote: »

TLDR:
You're arguing the wrong specification (but then that's what the vendors want).


Watts only represent the input electrical limits of the speaker, not it's loudness (directly...). You need to understand the sensitivity of the speakers to get the SPL (sound pressure levels) it can produce. In other words a 40watts through higher sensitivity (more efficient) speakers will sound louder than the same electrical power through lower sensitivity. Then there's how they sound across the audible spectrum, all speakers (even high end) physically EQ to an extent, cheaper speakers will focus on things like bass and a little treble often at the expense of the rest of the spectrum so again even a higher wattage system can sound weaker than a lower system that more accurately reproduces the source especially when you take the Fletcher-Munsen curve into account.

...and the speaker enclosure? :pac:

_CreeD_

Kenny Logins wrote: »

...and the speaker enclosure? :pac:

Aye, I've been in headphone land too long...my pedantic-fu is weak

dodzy

FFS lads, this is turning into a pishing contest. So common on BA these days. Of course, it's not a first choice purchase for audiophiles but who really gives a sh1t?

It's only €35 and if someone wants to take a punt or had purchased and benefitted, what's the problem????

bromley52

I'm not sure if I want it but I've reserved one for collection by next Monday. Plenty of time to think about it and read this thread. The current price is only valid until tomorrow.

murphyebass

54kroc wrote: »

Any chance you would pop up a link to that tv please?

currys.ie .. choose LG tellies.

foxerv1 wrote: »

You know, I'll actually check when I get home.

Out of curiosity what was the wattage on your telly/s?

dodzy wrote: »

FFS lads, this is turning into a pishing contest. So common on BA these days. Of course, it's not a first choice purchase for audiophiles but who really gives a sh1t?

It's only €35 and if someone wants to take a punt or had purchased and benefitted, what's the problem????

Ok so I know a bit about sound/music/etc...
However I dont know about other stuff for want of a better word.
I would like to think if there was a bargain alert about lets say a cooking device someone would warn me about the quality of said bargain alert so I could make a better decision.
Genuinely thats the only reason I got involved in this thread. If it helps someone make a more informed and better decision great.
If I saw a bargain alert for a crappy coffee machine (i know a bit about coffee) I'd give my two cents there too.
Theres nothing worse than buying something that you think is a bargain only to find out its a piece of worthless rubbish. That way you end up spending money on worthless rubbish and saving for the proper item which ultimately leaves you feeling pissed off and having to save longer.

bromley52 wrote: »

I'm not sure if I want it but I've reserved one for collection by next Monday. Plenty of time to think about it and read this thread. The current price is only valid until tomorrow.

Hope its what your looking for Bromley if you do go for it.

Everyone else just ask yourself...

What are you looking for from your soundbar?

Surround sound, loud clear crisp bass notes or just another small speaker for your telly.

If the answer is the latter end this will suit you. If its the former maybe save a bit longer.

Good luck all.

daz76

Any idea of what connections are on this sound bar.

Kenny Logins

daz76 wrote: »

Any idea of what connections are on this sound bar.

3.5mm, co-ax and Bluetooth it seems..

http://answers.argos.co.uk/answers/1493-en_gb/product/1527197/questions.htm

ibFoxer

Kenny Logins wrote: »

3.5mm, co-ax and Bluetooth it seems..

http://answers.argos.co.uk/answers/1493-en_gb/product/1527197/questions.htm

Exactly this.

Murpheybass- I never checked, I got sidetracked by a delicious madras :P

I will definitely look tonight, reminder set in the phone and all!!

murphyebass

foxerv1 wrote: »

Exactly this.

Murpheybass- I never checked, I got sidetracked by a delicious madras :P

I will definitely look tonight, reminder set in the phone and all!!

Can't blame ya for that, although I now want a madras. Damn you!!!

54kroc

murphyebass wrote: »

currys.ie .. choose LG tellies.



Out of curiosity what was the wattage on your telly/s?



Ok so I know a bit about sound/music/etc...
However I dont know about other stuff for want of a better word.
I would like to think if there was a bargain alert about lets say a cooking device someone would warn me about the quality of said bargain alert so I could make a better decision.
Genuinely thats the only reason I got involved in this thread. If it helps someone make a more informed and better decision great.
If I saw a bargain alert for a crappy coffee machine (i know a bit about coffee) I'd give my two cents there too.
Theres nothing worse than buying something that you think is a bargain only to find out its a piece of worthless rubbish. That way you end up spending money on worthless rubbish and saving for the proper item which ultimately leaves you feeling pissed off and having to save longer.



Hope its what your looking for Bromley if you do go for it.

Everyone else just ask yourself...

What are you looking for from your soundbar?

Surround sound, loud clear crisp bass notes or just another small speaker for your telly.

If the answer is the latter end this will suit you. If its the former maybe save a bit longer.

Good luck all.

As you say "you know a bit about sound" you're probably far better informed than me.
By any chance did you just look at the wattage of the TV and double it as there are two speakers? because I've looked at the specs and can't find anything that outputs what you say.
I'm probably way off as you know a bit about sound.

eamon234

So can someone who has actually bought and heard this unit comment on the sound quality? No offence to the AV brigade but not everyone has your high standards.

daz76

Cheers thabks for the reply

ibFoxer

murphyebass wrote: »

Can't blame ya for that, although I now want a madras. Damn you!!!

Hope you enjoy it if you get it!!

Checked the LED, 2 x 5w but that's expected.

LCD is a bit trickier as its on the wall and lifting it down is a pain in the a$$. its a 39" Techwood if that's any help.

ibFoxer

eamon234 wrote: »

So can someone who has actually bought and heard this unit comment on the sound quality? No offence to the AV brigade but not everyone has your high standards.

I have offered up my opinion as an owner of one of these units back a ways in the thread.

murphyebass

foxerv1 wrote: »

Hope you enjoy it if you get it!!

Checked the LED, 2 x 5w but that's expected.

LCD is a bit trickier as its on the wall and lifting it down is a pain in the a$$. its a 39" Techwood if that's any help.

Really?! So 10w. Yikes.

makes sense as to why you reckoned it was far better than your normal speakers.

I am genuinely surprised though at 2 x 5w. As I said my run of the mill LG 37" LED is 2x 20w.

I say run of the mill as its only 37" and wasn't top of the range when I bought it a few years back. Most people I know I have spent more and bought larger tellys than myself.

ozmo

murphyebass wrote: »

A €40 sound bar WILL be rubbish.

Gone up to 50 euros now - does that make its sound 40% better?

Expired

adox

Jaysus some horrible advice from "those in the know" on this thread.

Using Bose as a yardstick for quality should send alarm bells ringing. The vast majority of their products are hugely overpriced for what they are so I certainly wouldnt be using them as a yardstick for "you get what you pay for".

Most modern flatsecreen tvs do need assistance with sound due to their ever decreasing size in depth i.e. flatter and flatter, there just isnt room to put in speakers like there used to be.

I have no idea of the quality of the soundbar linked in the original post but I would try and hear it myself or at least do some research on it before buying but I would most certainly ignore the ill informed advice on the majority of this thread when deciding.

bromley52

adox wrote: »

Jaysus some horrible advice from "those in the know" on this thread.

Using Bose as a yardstick for quality should send alarm bells ringing. The vast majority of their products are hugely overpriced for what they are so I certainly wouldnt be using them as a yardstick for "you get what you pay for".

Most modern flatsecreen tvs do need assistance with sound due to their ever decreasing size in depth i.e. flatter and flatter, there just isnt room to put in speakers like there used to be.

I have no idea of the quality of the soundbar linked in the original post but I would try and hear it myself or at least do some research on it before buying but I would most certainly ignore the ill informed advice on the majority of this thread when deciding.

Like anything with Argos one can always try itand if it doesn’t meet your expectations you can always return it. No questionsasked.

ibFoxer

murphyebass wrote: »

Really?! So 10w. Yikes.

makes sense as to why you reckoned it was far better than your normal speakers.

I am genuinely surprised though at 2 x 5w. As I said my run of the mill LG 37" LED is 2x 20w.

I say run of the mill as its only 37" and wasn't top of the range when I bought it a few years back. Most people I know I have spent more and bought larger tellys than myself.

To be honest I bought a technika LED in Tesco for €300, wasn't expecting great sound out of it anyway, picture is bloody fantastic though!! I'd be loath to spend big money on a telly, couldn't justify it. The LCD is used for gaming and again, great picture with better sound but the soundbar improves on it. Like I say, if you have a tv with poor sound it's a huge leap, if you're looking for something to make it a cinema experience then spend more!!

popsynesbitt

Hey everyone. I actually bought this sound bar yesterday and don't have a clue how to set it up - maybe the experience in this forum could help? I have a brand new flat screen with optical output. The soundbar does not have hdmi connection. Any suggestions? If I do get it working I will gladly post a review!

EuskalHerria

popsynesbitt wrote: »

Hey everyone. I actually bought this sound bar yesterday and don't have a clue how to set it up - maybe the experience in this forum could help? I have a brand new flat screen with optical output. The soundbar does not have hdmi connection. Any suggestions? If I do get it working I will gladly post a review!

Included is a headphone to headphone cable. If you don't have anything else, plug that into the soundbar. Even ancient tvs have headphone jacks.

bromley52

popsynesbitt wrote: »

Hey everyone. I actually bought this sound bar yesterday and don't have a clue how to set it up - maybe the experience in this forum could help? I have a brand new flat screen with optical output. The soundbar does not have hdmi connection. Any suggestions? If I do get it working I will gladly post a review!

Would you mind posting a pic of the connections it has?

popsynesbitt

popsynesbitt wrote: »

Hey everyone. I actually bought this sound bar yesterday and don't have a clue how to set it up - maybe the experience in this forum could help? I have a brand new flat screen with optical output. The soundbar does not have hdmi connection. Any suggestions? If I do get it working I will gladly post a review!

Does the soundbar take optical? edit - no optical.

is your tv bluetooth compatible? if so, use bluetooth.

If not, an option is to get a scart to 3.5mm (normal headphone connection) adaptor like this as most tv's have scart.

actually a lot of tv's don't have a direct headphone connection.

guil

I bought one today and hAve it connected to the digital out using one of the supplied RCA connections. Sound is very good for the price but it isn't really loud. My tv has a medi player built in but it's not working if I select that input. Not sure if I need a digital co axial cable or if it's some setting on the tv.

SCOOP 64

Hi , haven't brought one yet but thinking of it, can someone tell me do i connect soundbar to my sons xbox or directly to his tv and do i connect through headphones socket on tv to soundbar? thks

Dave..M

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

Hi , haven't brought one yet but thinking of it, can someone tell me do i connect soundbar to my sons xbox or directly to his tv and do i connect through headphones socket on tv to soundbar? thks

This has red/white din, headphone & digital coax as well as blue tooth connectivity, well worth the 35 quid.