Sound Bar August 02, 2010, 04:56:01 pm Yahoo Message Number: 114970Hi, yall, I am curious. After a lot of research, I pulled my CRT/VHS out, replaced it with a Vizio 24" 1080p TV. I found one that, in home mode, only drew 35 watts, whereas the bulk of 24" flat screens that I found, drew 60-75 watts. I am wanting to replicate the home theater experience with a soundbar. I am thinking as a fulltimer (next year, I hope) who plans on doing a lot of boondocking. As such, power consumption is something I am wanting to consider for every purchase or mod. I have also thought about installing a soundbar behind the grill above the opening where the CRT sat in my entertainment center (in cabover area). However, I haven't found one that had an acceptable power consumption. OTOH, many that I have looked at, most in fact, don't list the amount of power used. So, I am wondering if anyone else has gone down this same path and had any luck with any particular brand of sound bar? If you have, please share your experience. On a related note, I had thought I had a front plug in the dash stereo for external input. Went out and looked, and I guess I was thinking of the upgraded stereo in my Jeep, as it isn't in there on my 2002. That may be another option, if I don't find a sound bar option I like, replace the indash stereo, and use the coach's built in speakers. Anyone have any idea how much power that uses?Thanks in advance,Lee
Re: Sound Bar Reply #1 – August 02, 2010, 06:42:14 pm Yahoo Message Number: 114976"I am wanting to replicate the home theater experience with a soundbar." A soundbar is convenient if you're looking for a one-piece speaker system to mount underneath your wall-mounted flatscreen TV at home, and it will give you somewhat better audio than the tiny, tinny speakers built into most TVs. But the audio delivered by most soundbars is far from theater-quality, especially in the bass registers that are so crucial in a home theater setup. And the physical shape of the bar is poorly suited to mounting in a small RV. My advice is to go with a "sub/satellite" system instead: one that consists of two or four small tweeter/midrange speakers, plus a larger subwoofer that also contains an amplifier. The satellite speakers can be mounted in suitable locations: at the same vertical level as the screen, but as far apart as possible for optimum stereo separation. Because they're small, it's easy to find places for them. (For example, the satellite speakers of my Cambridge Soundworks system are cubes just 2.5" x 2.5" x 2.5".) The subwoofer/amplifier is typically about the size of a shoebox or a little larger. (Mine is 9.5" x 6" x 6"). Because bass is pretty much nondirectional, woofer placement is noncritical--the box can be off-center, on the floor beneath a seat, pretty much anywhere that's convenient. The three speakers are carefully designed to complement each other's acoustics. Working together, they deliver full, rich audio that sounds as if it's coming from much larger speakers. Amplified sub/satellite speaker systems are widely sold by both audio and computer stores. The ones in the computer stores tend to be more affordable, and unless you're a "golden ears" audiophile, you should be able to find a setup with entirely satisfactory sound for well under $100. I paid $60 for my Cambridge Soundworks sub/satellite system (it's no longer made, or I'd link to it), and I can't tell you how many times people have asked in amazement, "You mean all that sound is coming from those tiny speakers?!" Here's a link to an assortment of affordable two-channel sub/satellite speaker systems:http://tinyurl.com/2fy3m8n> And if you want full surround sound, here are sub/satellite systems that will give it to you--still for less than $100 in many cases:http://tinyurl.com/2fqbb27> To summarize: to get decent audio from a soundbar, you'd have to add an amplified subwoofer... and that that point, you might as well go with an amplified sub/satellite system instead. You'll have better sound, and much better flexibility with regard to speaker placement. You'll probably spend less money, too. :-)Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
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