TVs have gotten bigger and better. The picture quality from some of the top-tier OLED TVs nowadays is phenomenal (insert ‘chef’s kiss’). When it comes to sound though, even the best of TVs has subpar built-in audio. You have to upgrade this using external audio systems to enjoy not only movies but also TV shows, regular TV (news and sports), and games.
The two main choices that consumers have to improve the TV’s sound are soundbars and surround sound systems. Soundbars are sleek and simple while surround sound systems offer you an immersive experience. But what kind of system suits you the best? This topic has been up for debate for quite some time and will likely be that way as long as we have two compelling, capable, and competing choices.
In this Soundbar vs. Surround Sound comparison guide, we will look at the features, pros, and cons of traditional multi-channel audio systems and modern soundbars.
Overview Of Surround Sound Systems And Soundbars
Before diving into the ‘Soundbar vs. Surround Sound’ battle, let us take a quick look at the basics of these two audio systems.
One of the highlights of watching a movie in a theater (apart from the obvious large screen) is the high-quality sound from dozens of speakers placed all around us. The desire to reproduce “theater-like” sound at home led to the development of home theater surround sound systems in the late 1990s.
A basic surround sound system consists of five main speakers (center, left, right, surround left, and surround right) and one speaker for producing the low-frequency bass notes (we call this the subwoofer). This combination is popularly known as the 5.1 Surround Sound System.
There have been several technological improvements since then both in terms of audio formats such as Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Atmos, and DTS:X as well as audio channels such as 7.1, 10.2, 7.1.2, and 9.1.4.
As TVs got slimmer and slimmer, consumers looked for simple ways to upgrade TV audio without much hassle (and importantly, don’t have to spend a lot on surround sound systems). This is where the birth of soundbars (or rather their sudden emergence into the market) happened.
A soundbar is a long, slim speaker system (multiple speakers within a single enclosure) that can enhance the audio quality of your TV or home theater setup.
Soundbar vs. Surround Sound: Sound Quality
Surround Sound Systems
Let us start the comparison with one of the important aspects of an audio system, its sound quality. A surround sound system has a proper center channel and two more speakers in the front (left and right) that produce the stereo sound. These three speakers create the main front stage of a typical audio setup that produces the main vocal and instruments. The dedicated center channel helps reproduce the main dialogs with absolute clarity while the remaining two front speakers produce the rest of the voices, ambient sounds, and other sound effects. This clear separation of different sounds makes the dialogs audible and you don’t have to struggle to hear voices.
Another important point about the surround sound system (at least in the front audio stage) is the spacing between these speakers. While the center channel speaker usually sits just below the TV, the left and right speakers are spread out properly to the left and right of the main speaker. This physical distance between the three front speakers is important for producing a better sound field.
Soundbars
Most entry-level soundbars are two-channel speakers. This means, there is no dedicated center channel to produce the main audio. The left and right channel speakers produce all the vocals, music, and sound effects. As a result, the sound quality is very poor. You’ll find the dialogs (or vocals in general) to be muffled with a lack of clarity.
However, mid to high-end soundbars do have three channels in the bar. They have a better reproduction of sound than two-channel models and are a much better choice. The latest top-end soundbars have high-quality speakers and have improved the sound quality a lot with an excellent front audio stage. But as the center, left, and right speakers are very close to each other (all within a few inches apart), you don’t get a better sound field.
Irrespective of the number of channels, a decent-quality soundbar has better audio clarity compared to a TV’s built-in speakers. But if you want the best possible sound quality from your audio system, then there is no alternative to a dedicated surround sound system.
Soundbar vs. Surround Sound: Immersive Experience
While you can get excellent sound from a 3.1 channel (center, left, right, and subwoofer) surround system, you need those extra two channels (the surround left and right) to have a truly immersive sound stage. The 5.1 surround sound system is the bare minimum setup for home theaters and TV rooms. Another popular surround sound configuration is a 7.1 system with two more speakers on either side.
By strategically placing all these speakers in a room, you can get proper spatial audio that surrounds you from all directions. This might not be that important for listening to music but for watching movies (especially action movies), you can have an immersive experience where you will feel like you are right in the middle of the action.
A popular buzzword nowadays in terms of movies and home audio is Dolby Atmos. Apart from placing speakers all around you, there are also speakers above you (mounted on the ceiling). One such setup is the popular 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos system. The ‘7’ indicates the traditional surround speakers and ‘1’ indicates the subwoofer. ‘4’ refers to the number of overhead or Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers. The result is complete immersion in sound from all directions.
A simple soundbar setup with a bar and a subwoofer won’t offer any immersive experience. To overcome this, some soundbar models come with two additional channels/speakers to create the basic 5.1 surround sound system. While this is better than regular soundbars, they don’t even come close to a true surround sound system when it comes to a broad sound field.
We have to mention soundbars with Dolby Atmos. Some soundbars have speakers on the top of the bar that bounce sound off of the ceiling to create an artificial Atmos experience (which most of them fail at).
Soundbar vs. Surround Sound: Customization
When you buy a soundbar (either a simple 2/3 channel bar with a subwoofer or a 5.1 soundbar), you don’t have a choice when it comes to the speakers or subwoofer. You get a complete system that lacks any form of customization. This is good for those who require a plug-and-play system that works out of the box with minimal effort. You need not do the extra work of picking the right speakers for every channel.
Also, the placement of the soundbar is rather fixed as you have to place the bar just below the TV (either mount it on the wall or place it on a table) with little to no room for changes. The only freedom of movement you have is with the subwoofer (much better if it is a wireless one).
Things are different with a surround sound system. You can pick different kinds/types/styles of speakers (horizontal, bookshelf, floor standing, wall mount, in-wall, etc.) from a bunch of different manufacturers (if you want to, but we recommend getting speakers from one manufacturer to match the tone of the audio). Starting with the AV Receiver (yes, most surround sound systems need a dedicated AV Receiver), to the speakers, and the subwoofer, you can pick what you feel is right for you.
In addition to the choice of manufacturer and speaker type, you can also precisely set the position and orientation of each and individual speaker. Some AV Receivers provide calibration microphones, which help you tune the overall audio profile concerning all sitting positions in a typical home theater room.
While it involves some additional effort, surround sound systems give you the freedom to choose the right audio gear that precisely suits your needs.
Another benefit of surround sound systems in terms of customization is the ability to expand the system in the future. For instance, assume you purchased a decent 5.1 surround sound system but the AV Receiver is capable of handling more channels. You can add more channels in the future just by purchasing new speakers and pairing them with the AV Receiver. Soundbars of any kind lack this flexibility.
Soundbar vs. Surround Sound: Ease Of Installation
One of the main selling points of modern soundbars is their ease of installation. In most cases, all you have to do is place the main soundbar below the TV, connect it to the TV using one of its many connectivity options (HDMI is probably the best one, optical is also good), and provide a power supply. To make things even easier, subwoofers that come with most soundbars are wireless. So, you can place them anywhere in the room as long as it has an electrical outlet. It is that simple.
There are no wires running around the room and you don’t have to make holes in the walls. If you live in a rented apartment (or move frequently), soundbars are probably the best choice.
Setting up a surround sound system is an art on its own. In fact, several companies/installers work specifically on installing surround sound systems. Can we ‘DIY’ the process? Yes, you can. Although it might make your hands dirty (quite literally). You will need to make holes, route the speaker cables, terminate the cables and connect them to the speakers, properly place all the speakers, and calibrate the system.
The process of properly installing a surround sound system requires time and effort. Users who want to experience high-quality sound at the convenience of their home will go through this process. However, soundbars are always available for those who like a straightforward setup.
Soundbar vs. Surround Sound: Space And Aesthetics
Apart from being easy to install, soundbars are small, compact, and look easy on the eyes. All the soundbar needs is a couple of feet of horizontal box that houses 2/3 speakers (sometimes more), some connectivity ports, and a small power supply. It cannot get much simpler than this.
The physical impact of a typical soundbar setup on the overall aesthetics of the room is minimal, to say the least. The main idea behind the design of a soundbar is to provide a long, black box to sit under your TV. Most soundbars in the market do this job without much effort.
They don’t occupy a huge amount of space. You can tuck the subwoofer that comes along in one corner and forget. Even high-end soundbars (such as the ones with several drivers all over the soundbar for “Dolby Atmos” sound) are also pretty compact (maybe slightly larger than regular soundbars but nothing over the top or attention-grabbing).
Surround sound systems are quite the opposite. The main center channel speaker itself would be the size of a normal soundbar. Speaking of size, it depends on the type of speaker you chose (bookshelves are smaller but floor-standing speakers are pretty large). You need proper space to place all the speakers without anyone tripping on them.
Hence, you need a relatively large living room or a dedicated media room (a home theater room) to place all the speakers. They will have a major impact on the overall appeal of the room. However, you can manage/improve things with clever placement, opting for in-wall speakers, etc.
Soundbar vs. Surround Sound: Connectivity
The speakers in a surround sound system rarely do anything other than produce sound. All the signal processing, connectivity, and ports are a part of the AV Receiver. So, apart from speakers, the choice of the right AV Receiver makes a huge impact.
A typical AV Receiver acts as a hub that connects a bunch of input devices (gaming console, set-top box, Blu-Ray player, Nvidia Shield, PC, etc.) to the TV and takes audio from the TV (HDMI ARC works the best for such situations) and supplies it to the speakers. So, apart from managing all the speakers, the AV Receiver also has several HDMI ports for seamless switching between multiple sources.
Most soundbars in the market simply reproduce from the TV. For this, they have a bunch of connectivity options in the form of HDMI, Optical, 3.5mm AUX ports, and Bluetooth.
Soundbar vs. Surround Sound: Cost
Another key factor that impacts the soundbar vs. surround sound debate is the cost. Soundbars are rather straightforward in this aspect as well. Entry-level soundbars without subwoofers are available for $100 or less while basic 2.1 soundbars (2 stereo channels on the bar and a separate subwoofer) have prices in the range of $130 to $200.
If you really want a soundbar, we recommend getting one with three proper channels (a 3.1 soundbar) so that you get clear reproduction of vocals or dialogs through the separate center channel. Sadly, the number of options for pure 3.1 soundbars is way less than puny 2.1 models. Samsung and LG have good 3.1 soundbars between $200 and $400.
Models with additional speakers (5.1 soundbars) and with fake Dolby Atmos are also quite common. They will usually cost more than $200.
One of the simplest ways to experience higher quality immersive cinematic sound is to go with complete surround sound systems from Yamaha (or Onkyo) who sell decent quality systems that include an AV Receiver, a center channel speaker, 4 surround speakers, and a subwoofer, all for around $400.
However, if you want to experience the highest quality of sound right in your home theater or living room, then you have to spend a lot more than that. An entry-level 7.1 channel AV Receiver from reputable brands (Denon, Pioneer, Yamaha, etc.) starts at around $400. Now, you have to shop for the rest of the speakers. The total cost, depending on the choice of your components, can easily be $1,200 or more.
Which Audio System Is Better, Surround Sound Or Soundbar?
The answer is rather simple, it depends. If you want a simple no-nonsense system that can be better than TV’s audio without lashing out for money, the solution is a soundbar. You don’t have to worry about installation or wiring. However, you will miss the audio quality, the cinematic feel, and the overall immersive experience.
For proper spatial audio, better sound quality, and excellent sound field, there is no alternative to a traditional surround sound system. You have to spend a lot of money (not only the speakers but also on the AV Receiver) and it is slightly difficult to set up.
