Soundbars in comparison

Soundbars in the test


Three come with


Soundbars are hard at the moment. No wonder they offer astonishing surround-like fun from DVD and Blu-ray on TV and relaxed long-term listening with music. So what's closer than to equip the sound bars with a streaming function for songs on the tape?


Also interesting is


There are more and more soundbars on the market that can stream music from smartphones, tablets, the home network or from the Internet. Reason enough for CONNECTED HOME to listen to some interesting representatives of this smart species to look more closely.


Conclusion


Although there are appropriate offers with audio streaming of Bluetooth phones already in the range around 300 euros. But whoever wants to have his joy at his Klangriegel in the long run, should already invest a little more money. Finally, even a price of 1,000 euros is comparatively favorable, considering that a number of conventional devices are no longer needed: AV receivers and a battery of boxes are replaced by a single front loudspeaker. This saves the wallet and looks much better - apart from the simple setup and handling.


The Sonos PlayBar can be equipped with a network subwoofer. The soundbars of JBL, Teufel and Yamaha bring a separate bass module and the Sonos PlayBar can be equipped with a network subwoofer expand. Ideal for your own home cinema. Only the Libratone Lounge has to cope alone.


In terms of streaming everyone is cooking their own soup: JBL is content with Bluetooth. Libratone arranges with AirPlay. Sonos - if wireless streaming instead of cable-bound LAN pending - has an exclusive solution. Teufel lures a bundle of its WLAN-based Raumfeld multi-room solution and the proven THX soundbar. And Yamaha is adding a wireless transmitter to its set, which sends the music to the soundbar in uncompressed PCM format (Pulse Code Modulation) in CD quality from the iPhone, PC or Mac.

The simplest solution, which is also intuitive for non-professionals, is JBL: simply turn on the soundbar and cell phone, press the "pairing" button marked with the Bluetooth logo and select the American music system on the mobile phone. That's it. The SB 400 is the best choice for the most demanding users, regardless of the mobile or PC operating system, and the SB 400 is recommended for demanding beginners

The disadvantage of this solution: Bluetooth was designed for wireless communication in the after-field and was not designed for the highest sound quality. But the overall result is convincing, which allows a crisp, contoured and powerful sound. In normal homes, the range of Bluetooth should not be a problem. The only point of criticism: When streaming from the iPhone, it occured separately that during the jump between the titles the connection to the SB 400 demolished. Because of the exemplary handling, the re-connection was not a big deal.


The Libratone Lounge is a bit more difficult. But the developers created something like the mother of all modern paper manuals, which spares the different user groups to fight forever through instructions that are irrelevant to them. The network setup of the Lounge loudspeaker system via webbrowser is not exactly trivial and the renouncement of a remote control requires the download of a smartphone app for iOS devices.


If you do not want to enjoy it and after unpacking only a few bars of music with its deadly, kashmir wrapped designer bars would like to enjoy, thanks to Apple's AirPlay technology can also make short process. All you have to do is activate the WLAN on the iDevice or Mac and select the Libratone directly. Afterwards, it is available as an AirPlay speaker in the iPod player or in iTunes.


However, not all the functions of the chic Danes are available. And finally he also serves those who use smartphones or tablets with Android operating system or Windows computers. For those users, it supports the current DLNA standard. Otherwise, Android users need to purchase a third-party app, such as Twonky Mobile.


Before they get their money's worth with the Teufel system, it's first and foremost to pull out strings - not just the cable-bound subwoofer. The entire network connectivity was outsourced by the Berliners. Surely there are more elegant solutions. But from the point of view of performance, Devil's concept is absolutely top. The Raumfeld connector even has an analog input that allows music from high-level sources to be passed on to the built-in analog-to-digital converter and then distributed over the entire network. Even a LAN jack and a USB port are available on this external deck .


With Raumfeld you can play music files from the network, from a NAS system or from the hard disk or a USB stick in the formats MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG Vorbis, ASF, WMA and AAC. Thanks to Gapless Playback, there are no technical breaks between the tracks - for example, live recordings. It is also possible to stream Android smartphones and tablets directly, as well as interact with computers that have iTunes installed.


And the system brings besides internet radio a number of online music services like Simfy, Napster or Last.FM into the living room. The DLNA compliant space system can also stream songs from UPnP-enabled media players such as the Windows Media Player 12 or Twonky to the soundbar.


Yamaha's focus is on quality instead of simplicity. The Japanese manufacturer has developed its own AirWired technology to radio the audio data in linear PCM format uncompressed to the soundbar. So far so smart. But whoever wants to hear well has to suffer: the art trick requires its own transmitter. Therefore, each YSP-4300 is equipped with a wireless transmitter YIT-W12. It can be plugged into the dock connector used up to the fourth generation of the iPhone or connected to the Mac or PC using a USB cable.


To the consolation for everyone, which is too impractical or which have an iPhone 5 with Lightning connection, be noted that on the front of the YSP-4300 is a USB port for direct streaming of smartphones or USB sticks. It is also one of the few soundbars with integrated radio. And this also provides music around the clock.


What today is in smart bars, you had to pay dearly. For a price between 500 and 1,500 euros, there are serious alternatives to discreet AV systems. No wonder, then, if a boom develops here.