Over the last couple of years, video quality for TV’s has made amazing improvements. However, there is one problem. TV’s have been getting flatter and flatter, which means that they don’t have much room for a proper audio system. Here’s where Bluetooth speakers and soundbars come to the rescue. However, this poses the question: Which one is better?
Are Bluetooth speakers better than a soundbar? Bluetooth speakers are generally better than Bluetooth soundbars when it comes to sound, size, and price. Speakers seem to offer better audio while taking up less space than soundbars. However, Bluetooth speakers are more expensive than soundbars with similar wattage.
This certainly doesn’t mean that you should completely avoid soundbars. There are many differences between speakers and soundbars, and the right choice for you may vary depending on your situation. However, before outlining the differences between the two and ultimately deciding what’s the best choice, we need to dissect their pros and cons.
Why Bluetooth?
First off, why are we discussing Bluetooth? This is because Bluetooth has so many advantages over cable and traditional cords, and new audio devices are starting to only feature a Bluetooth connection.
We all hate having a mess because of cables going from one side of the room to the other; this is especially true with speakers. If you purchase multiple speakers to create a surround-sound system, you would need to place them all over the room, meaning that this will not only cause a mess, but it might also involve the need to purchase cable extensions.
Besides, Bluetooth is incredibly easy to operate. You can pair your TV to a speaker or soundbar by just having the devices close together. Just go to your TV settings, give it a few seconds, select your device, and that’s it: no cables (except electricity cables) and no mess.
Now that we covered why I have specifically compared speakers and soundbars with Bluetooth functionality, let’s take a deeper look at each device.
What’s the Difference Between Bluetooth Speakers and Soundbars?
Although both speakers and soundbars are audio devices that can be an extension of the TV’s audio and enhance it in multiple ways, they are, in fact, very different sides of the same coin.
Bluetooth Speakers
Bluetooth speakers are very compact audio devices. They can be placed anywhere in the room, and you can connect multiple to your TV to create a surround-sound system, making you feel as if you are right in the middle of the action.
Newer brands of Bluetooth speakers also tend to be weather-resistant, have a rather long battery duration, and are portable, allowing the user to have them indoors and outdoors.
Another feature of Bluetooth speakers is that you can mix and match different brands of speakers, so if you already own one or two, there is no need to buy an entire set to create a surround-sound system.
Bluetooth Soundbars
Bluetooth soundbars are basically long speakers that go right below your TV or sometimes even above it. They can be heard as to how the TV would ideally sound like if it had space for a proper audio system inside of it since the sound will always be coming straight from the TV’s direction.
Soundbars are designed to operate either on their own or with a subwoofer. They have the purpose of creating enough sound to fill the room and have their own design to emulate a surround system.
Now that you’ve captured a brief description of the two, let’s compare and contrast them, so decide whether speakers or a soundbar is the right choice for you.
Bluetooth Speakers vs. Soundbars: What’s Better?
So far, it’s been established that speakers and soundbars have the same purpose. The factors where the real difference lies are price, audio quality, and practicality. Practicality simply refers to whether having the devices is easy or troublesome.
When it comes to price, soundbars tend to be somewhat cheaper than their speaker counterpart. Even if a single soundbar is more expensive than a single speaker, the main advantage of speakers lies in having many of them, so in the end, speakers do tend to be more expensive. So soundbars at the definite winners when it comes to price.
Now when it comes to audio quality, speakers, although small, tend to have a considerably better sound quality than a soundbar. This is mostly because speakers can be arranged all over the room, while a soundbar can only be in one place, which is non-ideal for bass and pitch functions.
Also, Bluetooth speakers can be used to create a surround-sound system. Since they can be placed at all four corners of the room, the speakers will try to emulate the direction of each sound on the TV, making you feel as if you are part of the action; this also allows speakers to fill the room with noise, giving off that ‘rumble’ that you feel and hear in cinemas.
Finally, when it comes to practicality, which choice is better for you truly depends on your situation. Both speakers and soundbars are easy to set up and require no more than a power cable to plug them in or to charge them.
However, the real difference is in space. Soundbars being singular and much longer take more space from a single area above or below your TV. Speakers, on the other hand, only need a small space to set up, but they need many small spaces if you are planning on taking advantage of their surround-sound system functionality.
So, in the end, speakers and soundbars seem to have their equal number of blessings and curses, which only makes deciding between the two all the more difficult. To find more variation, let’s look at some of the best individual speakers and soundbars to help you decide.
8 Best Bluetooth Speakers for TVs
For choosing and describing these speakers, we will be looking at price, special features, and size. The following are the top recommended Bluetooth speakers for TVs:
1. Bose SoundLink Revolve Portable Bluetooth Speaker
The Bose SoundLink Revolve Speaker comes in at $199.00. However, it would not have this cost if it could not justify it. It offers a wireless range of up to 30ft. It has a built-in microphone, giving it the capability to be paired with your smartphone to take calls and to operate it through voice commands with your smartphone’s virtual assistant. It has a battery life of approximately 12 hours.
The Bose SoundLink Revolve Speaker has a size of 3.30 x 3.30 x 6.00 inches, which makes it easy to place anywhere.
2. JBL FLIP 5 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker
The JBL FLIP5 Bluetooth Speaker comes in for $99.95. It offers a strong waterproof design allowing it to be used indoors and outdoors. It has a battery life of up to 12 hours and can be paired with an additional JBL speaker. It also comes in a wide variety of colors ranging from black to green camo.
The JBL FLIP5 Speaker has a size of 7.10 x 2.70 x 2.90 inches, making it incredibly compact and easy to carry.
3. Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker
The Anker Soundcore Boost Portable Bluetooth Speaker has a price of $59.99. It has weatherproof protection, and a 66ft Bluetooth distance. Alternatively, it can be plugged directly into the device you’d like to hear. It also has a battery life of approximately 12 hours. It has a size of 6.5 x 2.2 x 1.8 inches, making it compact, but the biggest of the three speakers that were mentioned.
4. Oontz Angle 3 (3rd Gen) Bluetooth Portable Speaker
The Oontz Angle 3 Bluetooth Speaker comes in for $25.99. It offers a 100-foot Bluetooth range and is compatible with smartphones, computers, and other Bluetooth devices. It also has a water-resistant design allowing it to function outdoors in the rain or even in the shower. It has a battery life of up to 14 hours.
The Oontz Angle 3 has a size of 5.25 inches x 2.6 inches x 2.8 inches, making it very compact and easy to place since it doesn’t need to be plugged when charged.
5. AOMAIS Real Sound Bluetooth Speakers
The AOMAIS Real Sound Bluetooth Speakers come in a pack of two for $39.99. Like the Oontz, they offer up to 100-foot Bluetooth range and a water-resistant design, making them ideal for almost any environment. It also possesses a battery life of approximately 24 hours—ideal for movie marathons.
The AOMAIS has a size of 5.5 x 1.6 x 5.5 inches, making it very compact and easy to place.
6. Vanzon X5 Pro Portable Wireless Speaker
The Vanzon X5 Portable Wireless Speaker has a price of $36.99. It has a strong waterproof design, allowing it to be played indoors and outdoors in just about any condition. It has a battery life of about 24 hours, but it varies depending on what volume level it is being played. It also has an effective connection range of 66ft.
Its dimensions are 7.3 x 3.2 x 2.7 inches, making it somewhat big, yet its lightweight design allows it to be effortlessly carried.
7. DOSS SoundBox XL 32W Bluetooth Speakers
The DOSS SoundBox XL Bluetooth Speaker has a price of $69.98. It offers a built-in subwoofer for enhanced bass as well as an effective Bluetooth connection range of up to 33ft. Its speaker is designed to be able to fill an entire room with sound using only one speaker. It also supports connection through cable and has a battery life of about 10 hours.
The DOSS SoundBox Speaker has dimensions of 11.8 x 2.6 x 5.2 inches, making it pretty big, but it is capable of getting the job done with one unit—unless you want to create a surround-sound system, in which case at least two will be needed. However, other speakers can be paired with the DOSS SoundBox if your main device allows it, which could save you lots of money.
8. Zamkol Waterproof Bluetooth Speakers
The Zamkol Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker has a price of $49.97. It offers a 360-degree audio range and can be paired with another Zamkol speaker for maximum output. It has a waterproof design, allowing for it to be used both indoors and outdoors. It is also compatible with Amazon Alexa for enhanced control and adjustments.
The Zamkol Waterproof Speaker has dimensions of 2.7 x 2.8 x 7 inches, making it very compact and easy to carry. It can also be placed horizontally or vertically, giving the user much more freedom when it comes to placement.
8 Best Soundbars for TVs
The following are some of the best and recommended Bluetooth soundbar options for TVs:
1. Bose Solo 5 Soundbar
The Bose Solo 5 Soundbar, and the one that I personally own and enjoy, has a price of $179.99. It comes with a remote and a built in subwoofer for enhanced bass, yet the sound still maintains its clear and true nature, which is reminiscent of others products in the Bose portfolio. It also can be hooked up with Bluetooth or with wire.
The Bose Solo 5 Soundbar is quite compact with a length of 21 inches, and allows flexible placements on a stand or on a wall with the included mounting points.
2. Polk Audio Signa Ultra-Slim Soundbar
The Polk Audio Signa Soundbar comes in at the cost of $170.57. It comes with a remote and a wireless subwoofer for enhanced bass quality. Its Bluetooth technology allows the user to play music from their smartphone from apps such as Pandora, iTunes, etc.
The Polk Audio Signa Soundbar has a size of 3.22 x 35.43 x 2.15 inches, its slim design makes it ideal for almost any placement and can be wall-mounted.
3. VIZIO 2.1 Soundbar
The VIZIO 2.1 Soundbar has a cost of $149.99. It includes a wireless, external subwoofer with a range of about 60ft for enhanced bass. It also comes in with a controller to adjust its 100db-capable quality speakers.
The VIZIO 2.1 Sound Bar has a size of 38.00 x 3.00 x 3.00 inches, making it not exactly compact. However, it is capable of being mounted on a wall, giving the user more freedom of placement.
4. Yamaha YAS-109 Soundbar
The Yamaha YAS-109 Soundbar has a price of $199.95. It has built-in subwoofers for enhanced quality bass. It offers Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity allowing it to be paired with Amazon Alexa for overall operation and even setting up alarms, timers, etc. It can also be controlled and adjusted through its soundbar control app on your smartphone.
The Yamaha YAS-109 has dimensions of 2.08 x 5.15 x 35.00 inches making it somewhat compact. However, it can be wall-mounted.
5. RIF6 Soundbar
The RIF6 Soundbar comes in for $93.89. It offers a pair of built-in subwoofers for enhanced bass quality and four different equalizer settings, which can be controlled and adjusted through its remote controller. Its Bluetooth feature offers a range of up to 33ft and is compatible with Bluetooth-capable tablets, smartphones, computers, and TVs.
The RIF6 Soundbar has a size of 35.4 x 3.1 x 2.8 inches, which means that it is somewhat compact. However, it includes the necessary components for mounting it on a wall.
6. BESTISAN Soundbar
The BESTISAN Soundbar has a price of $69.99, which is an incredibly good price for a soundbar of such quality. It offers three different sound modes for news, movies, and music. It also has adjustable bass levels. It has a control remote and the option of being hooked up with Bluetooth or with wire.
The BESTISAN Soundbar comes in three different lengths of 28, 34, and 40 inches, giving the customer the option to choose what is best for their specific situation. Its design also allows it to be mounted to a wall.
7. BOMAKER Soundbar
The BOMAKER Sound Bar has a price of $125.99. It offers four built-in quality speakers and a wireless subwoofer to enhance its bass. It has four audio modes: Treble/Music, Bass/Movie, Dialogue & Equalizer. These can be adjusted through the remote controller that comes with the soundbar or through your Bluetooth compatible device such as your smartphone.
The BOMAKER Sound Bar has a size of 37x 2.75 x 2.95 inches and can be wall-mounted.
8. Wohome TV Soundbar
The Wohome TV Soundbar comes in for $64.99. It includes a built-in subwoofer for enhanced bass and remote control to adjust and configure it in its four audio modes: movie, news, music, and default. It also offers a Bluetooth range of up to 30ft and Amazon Alexa support.
The Wohome TV Soundbar has dimensions of 32.00 x 3.00 x 4.00 inches, making it very compact and capable of being mounted on a wall.
Bluetooth Speakers vs. Soundbars: In Summary
In summary, speakers are obviously smaller, easier to place, and are cheaper. However, this is talking about an individual speaker versus an individual soundbar. When it comes to the surround-sound system of speakers, which involves at least four speakers, then the soundbar seems to be the cheaper option.
Additionally, it is important to remember that a speaker surround-sound system tends to have more overall sound quality, intensity, and bass than a soundbar. However, this by no means indicates that a soundbar has a bad sound quality. They are good, but a speaker surround-sound system is somewhat better.
Hopefully, this brief list and summary helped you decide whether a Bluetooth speaker or a soundbar is best for you. However, if you are still undecided, then let us discuss the alternatives that exist for Bluetooth speakers and soundbars for your TV.
Alternatives to Bluetooth Speakers and Soundbars
In order to find alternatives to Bluetooth speakers and soundbars, we have to go back in time. Before there were Bluetooth speakers and soundbars, there were speakers and soundbars. So the alternatives that we will be looking at are cabled audio devices.
Although they serve the same purpose and operate in just about the same way, there is a huge difference between Bluetooth and cable audio devices for the home. In fact, things can become a lot more complicated.
When it comes to cables, having a single speaker shouldn’t be such a huge deal since you would only need two cables: one for the electricity and another to connect to your TV. However, when you want to set up a surround-sound system is when things get tricky—or messy, to be exact.
For a surround-sound system, you would need four speakers at four different corners of the room, meaning that you will need to not only plug each of them to an electric outlet, but you will also have to connect them to your TV somehow. In addition, since there is usually a great distance between your TV and the other side of the room, you might need extensions and will have to arrange them accordingly.
On the other hand, a cabled soundbar will provide quality sound with only one device, and it is designed to be close to the TV, above or below it, making it incredibly simple to connect to both the electricity and TV.
The advantage that cable has over Bluetooth is that you don’t need to recharge your audio device and that these audio devices are compatible with just about any TV. However, you have to decide if the cable mess is worth it. Another good alternative is Bluetooth headphones, but they are for one person.
Besides these alternatives, there is yet another very important alternative to discuss which might actually solve the question of whether to purchase Bluetooth speakers or a soundbar. Why not both?
Can You Combine Speakers and Soundbars?
A soundbar is a good replacement for TV audio, and speakers are great for sound and surround quality. So you should get the best of both worlds! The question is, can you? The answer is yes, but you shouldn’t.
As previously stated, a soundbar is already a good replacement for a TV, and it tries to do the best job possible, which is partly the reason why adding speakers would, in fact, ruin the sound. A soundbar is designed with the mentality that it will work alone, maybe with a subwoofer, so it tries to provide surround, quality, and intensity on its own.
Adding speakers to your soundbar is like trying to add more water to a glass that is already full. It simply won’t add up. What it will create is disharmony in the sound of your room since both the speakers and the soundbar were not designed to work together.
On top of that, this might also mean that you will need a receiver to host the signals for both, which is an extra cost. In terms of operation, it is not a huge deal if we are talking about Bluetooth, but if we are talking about cable speakers and soundbar, there will be a huge mess for a sound that you will most likely be dissatisfied with.
There are, however, soundbars that include a surround system that would allow you to have some of the best of both speakers and a soundbar, but for a higher price, of course.
So, in the end, no, you can’t create a good surround-sound system by mixing speakers and a soundbar simultaneously.
So Which One Should You Choose?
In conclusion, Bluetooth speakers and soundbars try to fulfill the same role, to create an audio system that provides better quality than the TV’s own built-in speakers. They both have different ways of fulfilling this role and can’t be combined.
Bluetooth speakers shine when it comes to overall audio quality, especially when it comes to creating a surround-sound system. They are versatile, can work together with speakers from other brands, they are compact, and individual units actually tend to be cheaper than a soundbar.
However, the disadvantages of speakers are that to fully get their worth, you need to have multiple speakers, which are very often more expensive than a single soundbar, it can get complicated to set them up and operate them, and they also take little space in many areas.
When it comes to Bluetooth soundbars, they work as standalone units to replace the TV’s inner speakers and provide a far better intensity, quality, and surround sound than the TV. However, its drawbacks are that they are big, making them difficult to place, and that speakers surpass them in just about any aspect.
In conclusion, if you want good sound quality that is a definite improvement to your TV’s built-in speakers for an affordable price, then a soundbar is the right choice for you. However, if you want the best sound quality and surround-sound system and are willing to spend a lot of money on it, then you should go for the speakers.
There is a wide market for both speaker and soundbars, so you definitely have room to decide within the two. Hopefully, this guide helped choose what audio device will give you the best sound and feel for your TV.
References:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/geoffreymorrison/2013/07/09/are-soundbars-worth-it/#6b1cf1704d25
https://www.cnet.com/news/before-you-buy-a-sound-bar-speaker-read-this/
https://www.cnet.com/news/sound-bar-vs-speakers-which-tv-audio-system-sounds-best-in-2020/
https://thehometheaterdiy.com/add-surround-sound-speakers-to-a-soundbar/
