Sound bars any good?

[clockwork]

I want to buy some audio stuff for the house. Surround sound wouldn't probably be the right thing to say. Basically I want to watch movies with good sound, but I also want to listen to music in stereo, have some background music when people come over, plug in my ipod (if possible) and have a tuner for radio. This isn't a dedicated cinema room. It's on my main floor which is open concept (kitchen, dining room, living room)

My house is narrow but long, and the way the openings of the house are, passing wires for a full blown surround sound system would require too much drilling, passing wires, etc.

Someone mentioned using a sound bar, claiming they're actually quite good. Have you guys every used them, and if so, can anyone recommend a good system to choose?

 

[EdT]

one word ...NO !

If your surroundings permit, always get a speaker with the largest diameter and dB efficiency possible.

Those Bose marketing guru made people think tiny speakers are good, what is happening is that the majority are buying tiny surround speakers with high powered amps that distort sound !

Current marketing is low efficiency tiny speakers or multiple drivers with high powered amps whereas the contrary is true for good audio. Just try it with a regular HT amp today, turn the volume knob down to zero and you will hear a hum due the high power output of the amp, that hum is present butchering the details of your audio ! With a good amp will be dead silent and you will not hear a hum when you turn the volume down to zero.

Example of high efficiency speakers that can be driven with an amp with 5w or less !, but of course a 5w amp is not sexy in the marketing world when people always think higher is better and get snubbed in buying 1000w amps that cloud the audio !

 

[J-Slim]

if i were you id get a receiver/amp that u can plug ur cd dvd and everything into and two tower speakers