The idea behind a conventional surround sound setup is simple: the speakers surround you, and thus, so does the sound. But a new generation of soundbars, the all-in-one devices that sit below your TV and house multiple drivers in a horizontal layout, also claim to have surround sound capabilities. How can that be possible if the only speaker is directly in front of you? The simplest answer: most of them don’t. The “surround” feature of a lot of soundbars, especially cheaper models, is just a more exaggerated stereo effect from two or more speaker drivers. But some of the more expensive models, especially the newest ones with Dolby Atmos capability, can simulate a surround sound setup with surprising effectiveness. This isn’t “real” surround sound either—you cannot change the laws of physics—but it creates a convincing illusion by bouncing sound waves off the walls of the room. Cheaper Soundbars Are Better Than TV Speakers, But Can’t Do True Surround A typical speaker bar or speaker base, up to about $200, is simply a better set of stereo speakers than the one that’s in your television. Though these inexpensive sets can’t even “fake” surround sound, they’re nothing to sneeze at: most will have at least 100 watts or so of power and much clearer, richer sound than the small, back- or down-firing speakers embedded in today’s thin LCD televisions. Some of these sets also include a subwoofer for 2.1 stereo, but even so, the individual drivers are still restricted to, at most, two… Click below to read the full story from How To Geek
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