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Not all TVs have great speakers, and this can seriously hamper your viewing experience. Furthermore, sometimes you can barely hear dialogue in shows or movies, with only the volume turned up for music and sound effects. If you constantly find yourself adjusting the volume while watching your favorite shows, investing in speakers makes sense. There are many others Useful tips and tricks To get better TV sound, but nothing works as well as adding a proper soundbar to your TV.
If you’re looking for a speaker that delivers plenty of bass as well as clear dialogue without using a subwoofer, the Zvox SB500 is a great buy. Better yet, the company has added more levels of audio enhancement since I reviewed the SB500, which should make it even easier to dial in dialogue the way you want it.
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Pros
- The Zvox SB500 speaker offers great sound quality and a simple setup process. Bass is abundant despite the lack of a subwoofer. The design is stylish and the unit seems to be well put together.
cons
- Does not include wireless subwoofer or subwoofer output jack. Deep bass can cause the sound field to collapse into mono. The bar is longer than most and may block the TV’s IR sensor if you’re not wall mounting it.
Expand the pros and cons
The Polk React is a follow-up to Command bar – The first speaker to contain Amazon Alexa On board – and offers an excellent combination of features and performance. Polk’s VoiceAdjust is one of the best dialogue enhancement systems out there, and it’s put to good use in this speaker. It’s end of life now, but that also means it’s a great value at the selling price of $159.
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Pros
- Amazon Alexa on board works well
- Excellent sound quality for the price
- Smart looking design
cons
- Only one HDMI input
- Optional subzones and surrounds are expensive
Expand the pros and cons
The Zvox speakers are great, but they lack HDMI connectivity. The compact Yamaha SR-C20A doesn’t just provide ease of use HDMI ARC connection — found on most newer TVs — but it also has a dedicated Clear Voice mode to make dialogue easier to understand. It’s also the second least expensive option on this list.
Skip to details
Pros
- Easy to set up and use
- Great sound with movies and music
- Lots of communication options
cons
- There is no possibility to add a subwoofer or back
- DTS playback does not limit your DVD viewing options
- The Vizio V21 beats it for home theater use
Expand the pros and cons
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Seriously improve your speech clarity with a loudspeaker
Besides providing more immersive sound and better overall sound quality, there’s a lot more to it Sound bars They have a dedicated speech mode to improve dialogue clarity (although some do it better than others). One notable company is Zvox. They specialize in dialogue, and most of their products have at least one audio enhancement mode (some as many as 12). Another audio-focused brand is Polk, with its excellent VoiceAdjust feature. Yamaha makes affordable speakers with similar options as well.
A Speakers can cost much less From others Home theater systems But it can improve your TV’s sound just as much. Whether you’re looking for a budget speaker or something a little more premium, these are the best sound bars for dialogue.
Pros
-
The Zvox SB500 speaker offers great sound quality and a simple setup process. Bass is abundant despite the lack of a subwoofer. The design is stylish and the unit seems to be well put together.
cons
-
Does not include wireless subwoofer or subwoofer output jack. Deep bass can cause the sound field to collapse into mono. The bar is longer than most and may block the TV’s IR sensor if you’re not wall mounting it.
If you’re looking for a speaker that delivers plenty of bass as well as clear dialogue without using a subwoofer, the Zvox SB500 is a great buy. Better yet, the company has added more levels of audio enhancement since I reviewed the SB500, which should make it even easier to dial in dialogue the way you want it.
Pros
-
Amazon Alexa on board works well
-
Excellent sound quality for the price
-
Smart looking design
cons
-
Only one HDMI input
-
Optional subzones and surrounds are expensive
The Polk React is a follow-up to Command bar – The first speaker to contain Amazon Alexa On board – and offers an excellent combination of features and performance. Polk’s VoiceAdjust is one of the best dialogue enhancement systems out there, and it’s put to good use in this speaker. It’s end of life now, but that also means it’s a great value at the selling price of $159.
The Bose Smart Soundbar is a compact Dolby Atmos speaker with dedicated loudspeakers in a built-in woofer, and its sound quality is top-notch. Especially for dialogue-heavy movies and TV shows. The speaker also adds features like multi-room music and Alexa voice assistant.
Pros
-
Easy to set up and use
-
Great sound with movies and music
-
Lots of communication options
cons
-
There is no possibility to add a subwoofer or back
-
DTS playback does not limit your DVD viewing options
-
The Vizio V21 beats it for home theater use
The Zvox speakers are great, but they lack HDMI connectivity. The compact Yamaha SR-C20A doesn’t just provide ease of use HDMI ARC connection — found on most newer TVs — but it also has a dedicated Clear Voice mode to make dialogue easier to understand. It’s also the second least expensive option on this list.