Buzz
Beyond the increasingly affordable prices and diverse designs, soundbars can meet all the varied listening needs of users.
1. Soundbars have never been out of 'fashion'
Apart from the increasingly affordable prices and a rich variety of designs, soundbars (soundbar) can cater to all the diverse listening needs of users.
After half an hour of contemplation in an audio store, Mr. Thanh (Hanoi) still can't decide whether to buy a new soundbar or an old Japanese domestic speaker system for this Tet holiday. At home, the new 55-inch TV has been acquired for over a week, but not satisfied with the original speaker system, he wants to add an external speaker system.
'Soundbars have a beautiful design, fitting well with the TV in the room, and they also integrate with computers, phones. As for the domestic speaker system, people still praise its excellent sound quality,' he shares.
Alongside the boom of large-screen TV markets, soundbars are gradually becoming more prevalent in Vietnamese households.
Not just him, many users are gradually shifting from the habit of buying traditional audio systems to multimedia setups like soundbars. Partly because of their aesthetically pleasing coordination with large-screen TVs, and partly because prices have become more affordable and diverse in variety than ever before.
'I plan to buy a TV around 35 million VND and a speaker system mainly for watching movies, listening to music in the 20 million VND price range. I'm torn between a soundbar and a 5.1 system in the same price range. I like soundbars for their compact design, wireless connectivity, less complexity,' member Stevemai shares on an online forum.
A few years ago, soundbars had few models and were expensive, but now, this concept has completely changed. Consumers have a variety of brand choices from JBL, Bose, Bowers & Wilkins, MartinLogan to LG, Samsung, Sony in price ranges from a few million to tens of millions of VND. With diversity in design, models, they help satisfy different needs for decoration and pairing with TVs of various sizes. A basic soundbar typically includes a main speaker and a subwoofer, sometimes with additional pairs of smaller speakers. The purpose is to reproduce, simulate various sound ranges to serve different purposes such as watching movies, soccer, and listening to music.
Modern technology is continually applied, innovated by manufacturers, somewhat shortening the gap between soundbars and 5.1 systems or home theater systems compared to before. The variety of connection ports (Optical Audio, HDMI, ARC, AUX, Bluetooth, NFC...) on soundbars also provides greater convenience for users compared to traditional audio systems.
'The market for audio systems like soundbars will be stronger than the market for amplifiers and regular speakers. Despite being introduced only a few years ago, it has quickly gained momentum because in modern society, people simply need an audio system they can use right after plugging in,' shared the owner of an audio store.
Mr. Thanh finally was convinced by the smartphone connectivity feature of the soundbar because he usually stores many music albums on his personal phone and wants to listen to them as soon as he steps into his home.
Soundbars now come in various designs and models, ranging from a few million to tens of millions of VND.
Mr. Thanh Tung, the owner of a major distributor of large audio brands in Vietnam, says that instead of bulky systems with amplifiers, speakers, wires... users are trending towards plug-in speakers that can be used and easily connected to all devices such as computers, TVs, phones...
Mr. Tung himself agrees with choosing soundbars and even often advises customers that 'this speaker system is a way to make entertainment much lighter' as it provides standard sound while almost requiring no effort.
However, he only accepts choices in the price range below 70 million VND as a 'smart choice,' while at higher prices, they cannot replace high-end audio systems. The simple reason is that current simulation technology is limited to mid-range entertainment needs.
'Soundbars are extremely valuable in the price range from 10 to 70 million VND. Its strengths are reasonable cost, convenience, universally liked sound, just plug it in and enjoy. Established TV and audio brands are also following this path. Its weakness lies in limited sound quality, unable to compete with high-end systems,' he remarks.
Currently, there are two popular types of soundbar systems on the market, one from audio brands and one from TV manufacturers like Samsung, LG, Sony. However, Mr. Tung highly values soundbars from major audio brands like JBL, Bose... and believes that leading global manufacturers have specific research on sound to apply to their products. As for the rest, although they have the advantage of beautiful design, good integration with TVs, their quality cannot be compared.
Users highly appreciate the ability of soundbars to connect to various devices.
Mr. Quang Huy, an experienced audio enthusiast, also mentioned that a few years back, many people became interested in soundbars as they are a direct complement to thin TVs like LED, OLED. This stems from the fact that the width of TV sets has been reduced, resulting in poor quality amplifiers and built-in speakers. This trend is likened to the trend of using portable speakers in the past and has attracted the attention of many young people due to their diverse functionality. Soundbars are also very suitable for families with a moderate budget, especially in apartments, as they emphasize aesthetic harmony, minimizing cables between devices compared to traditional speaker systems.
'Many people criticize the bass of soundbars, but that's with budget models under 6.7 million VND. In the higher price range, users have the option to pair them with a subwoofer, providing performance comparable to 5.1 systems,' this expert notes.
Mr. Huy states that when compared to a 5.1 system in the same price range, soundbars in the 30 to 50 million VND range have comparable or even superior quality and power. Additionally, they come in compact sizes and support Smart TV services like Netflix, YouTube, online music streaming...
A soundbar is a type of speaker typically mounted above or below a display device such as a computer monitor or TV, with a design that prioritizes width over height.
Essentially, it consists of multiple speakers placed closely together in the same unit, creating surround sound and stereo effects.
