Toshiba TY-WSB600 120W Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer

Product Information

Ease of use: Any sound bar that’s easy to use is a good long-term investment. Make sure the remote of the device is not fiddly as this often have buttons that are tiny and hard to press plus it can be easily lost. A sound bar remote with a built-in infra-red or IR is a good choice to avoid signal problem between your TV and the soundbar’s remote. Most soundbars today come with a LED display for adjusting sound settings and switching audio sources. In our review we found when listening to Little Simz's Woman "the bass sounds deep and well-controlled, while synth strings are warm and rich." This balance across bass and treble and clear vocals make the Beam ideal for getting the best out of your music.

Toshiba has stripped out all the frills, leaving Dolby Digital/DTS two-channel decoding and DTS TruSurround as the only features of note. There’s no Bluetooth, no HDMIs and no built-in subwoofer, but remember this is all reflected in the low price. A separate subwoofer delivers more convincing bass, adds richness and body to audio in general and can deliver room-shaking low-frequency sound effects. Look for a wireless subwoofer, which will allow you to hide the subwoofer away, out of sight. Certain soundbars also come with rear speakers that deliver truly enveloping 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound. If you’re not sure you want these, some bars allow you to upgrade your soundbar further down the line by adding wireless rear speakers. However, the rechargeable rear speakers that can also be used as bluetooth speakers, number of HDMI ports, easy setup and immersive sound make this such a flexible soundbar.(Note: in some countries, you get the JBL Bar 1300 – without the X – which has a smaller 10-inch subwoofer driver instead of the 12-inch in the X version. This is a relatively small difference, and doesn't alter our overall opinion.)

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Try to keep the cable clear of other connectors (especially power) in the tangle of wires behind your TV. Simply moving the 3.5mm cable can sometimes solve this issue.

We think the JBL Bar 1300X would suit anyone looking for a powerful and immersive soundbar option, but particularly those who are after the visceral excitement that the best home theater systems effortlessly deliver, while also being relatively easy to setup and not becoming a burden on your living room. Some manufacturers are introducing these HDMI 2.1 ports as inputs onto their soundbars, so what sets the Sony HT-A7000 apart from the rest here is that the two HDMI 2.1 ports not only passthrough at 4K 120Hz, which is perfect for gaming but, thanks to a firmware update, support VRR and ALLM to get the most of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Coming in, I was a big skeptic of the sound bar. They were everywhere at CEDIA just like headphones were at CES. As everyone jumps onto the bandwagon I worry that most companies are looking to go out there and just get something to market but not to make something that actually delivers. From the time that I hooked up the Toshiba SBX4250 until now, it made a big improvement in the quality of sound in my living room. Everyone that listened thought it was better than they imagined it would be, and it made me no longer a skeptic of sound bars. The answer could be simply that your soundbar isn't actually producing any audio, meaning you'll still be listening to your TV's speakers. Yes, the level of detail you get from a full home theater system compared to soundbars with 'virtual' Atmos or surround soundbars isn't quite as high, Dolby Atmos soundbars are becoming more sophisticated and provide an extra level of immersion to your cinema experience. Are soundbars worth it?The soundstage is pleasingly wide thanks to the soundbar’s side-firing speakers and the dedicated centre channel ensures dialogue remains clearly intelligible. Alexa built-in provides a decent level of smart functionality to complement the HW-Q990B’s first-rate sound, while the new design of the bar, sub and rear speakers mean it looks a lot better than its 2021 predecessor. We would have liked to have seen a couple of additional HDMI inputs and support for 4K/120 and Variable Refresh Rate passthrough, but the HW-Q990B is a roaring success regardless. There’s a newer model available – the HW-Q990C– but given the price difference, we’re still recommending last year’s model. Best of all, a decent soundbar doesn’t need to cost a fortune and, unlike stereo speakers, soundbars blend much more discreetly into your living room decor, resulting in a cleaner, more minimalist look. Absolutely. Even if you don't consider yourself a hardcore cinephile, the best soundbars make a world of difference to your TV watching experience—even the built-in speakers that come with the best TVs just don't do your favorite films, TV shows, and games justice. How much should I spend on a soundbar?