Higher end soundbar.

[Deleted member 217926]

Hey guys. I don't frequent this section of the forums too much but I have a question for you audiophiles. I am looking for a higher end midrange / lower high end soundbar to match with my 55" Samsung TV and Directv DVR. The way the room is shaped a discreet 5.1 or 7.1 channel setup is pretty much out of the question.

I have been searching for a few weeks now and after consulting many user reviews and forums ( AVS and other ) I have basically narrowed it down to either a Klipsch SB 3 or a Yamaha YHT- S401.

I love the way Klipsch sounds and about tax refund time I am pretty sure a pair of RF 82 IIs is going to follow me home for another room and mostly music use to be paired with a Yamaha receiver. I would love some RF 7s but they are over my budget. Anyway, as good as their speakers sound does anyone have experience with this or any Klipsch soundbar? I have the feeling this would be the better choice if I needed it for music as well as TV. It only offers a single mode though with 3D sound on or off.

The Yamaha is a few hundred cheaper but with a built in receiver and offers quite a few sound modes. This unit gets very good reviews and I love Yahama head units but I just don't have any experience with their speakers.

So, I figured I might as well ask here. If anyone has any experience with either of these or has a different suggestion in the ~$800 and under range please feel free to chime in. I fully understand I'm not going to get a fully immersive experience out of any soundbar but I like getting the best bang for my buck.

Thanks in advance!

 

[soundguruman]

Any expert would know:
Yamaha = NS = Nasal sound.
I have never Like Yamaha sound, especially speakers.
Buy Klipsch of course.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Yeah I think I have sold myself on the Klipsch Icon SB-1. The SB-3 looks amazing but I am having a hard time selling myself on the $800 price tag. Not that $600 for the SB-1 is a huge difference but every single review I have seen of the SB-1 is positive. Also the length is perfect for my TV stand at 40". I will have to figure out a good way to raise my TV an inch and a half or so though so the soundbar does not cover the bottom of the screen. Maybe a couple of books and if that does not work I can build a little stand.

I will probably order this in a week so I'll keep the thread open until I can report back with some feedback. The good news is they sell this at Best Buy and HHGregg so I won't have to wait to get it shipped.

Thanks for the feedback! Anyone else who wants to chime in is welcome with any other models I should be considering. I am about 95% set on the Klipsch but a willing to listen to any other suggestions.

The only bad thing about buying this is now I have to wait to upgrade my SSD and graphics card again! So many toys so little time. :lol:

 

[Deleted member 217926]

The Icon SB -1 it was and it sounds great. I love Klipsch speakers. Now to decide between a Yamaha or a Marantz head to drive the 2 x RF 82 II and 2 x RB 81 II setup I have planned for music.