Question Soundbar recommendation for someone who only hears with one ear

[francisluipen]

Hi everyone,


I’m looking for a soundbar and I’d like to ask for your recommendation for a somewhat unusual case.


I can only hear with one ear, so I have no spatial perception (left/right). For example, in daily life I can’t tell where a sound is coming from, and with TV or movies it’s the same: I always set my PC and TV to mono so I don’t lose any audio information.


What I’m looking for:

• A compact soundbar, without an external subwoofer (it’s a small apartment and I don’t want booming bass).
• Preferably with HDMI ARC/eARC, so I can easily control it with my Samsung TV.
• Budget: around 150 € (though I can stretch it a bit if it’s really worth it, or go cheaper if not).
• It should offer clear dialogue, but without sacrificing music quality, since I also want to enjoy music with a balanced sound.

In the past I had a Samsung soundbar with a subwoofer (HW-K450) and I didn’t like the subwoofer. I also tried “voice enhancement” modes, but they sounded too artificial to me.


Do you have any concrete recommendations for a soundbar that could work well in this situation?
I also wondered if a flat studio monitor speaker could be a good idea, instead of a soundbar.
Do you think it’s better to get a simple bar with a good center channel, or something focused more on overall fidelity (voice + music) than surround effects?
And out of curiosity, do they even sell “half soundbars”? XD


Thanks in advance!

 

[CParsons]

I also wondered if a flat studio monitor speaker could be a good idea, instead of a soundbar.

Probably not. You'll almost certainly be losing out on the HDMI Arc/eARC connection and they're not really designed for what you are looking for and there's not really a center channel focus. The Sony HT-S100F, meets a lot of your criteria and comes in under budget. As for half soundbars, I don't believe that's a thing. That said, I personally use a Roku Stream Bar and I can't say enough great things about it. I don't really use the Roku system but for a small, compact soundbar in a smaller living space it has been pretty great for me.

 

[francisluipen]

Thanks! The Roku Streambar actually sounds perfect for me — I don’t need a wide soundbar since I only hear from one ear, so a compact bar that keeps the sound centered makes sense. I had the Sony HT-S100F on my radar (found one second-hand, like new, for about 60), but I’ll definitely check the Roku now. My main concern is paying extra for features I won’t use (like Roku OS, Alexa, Atmos, etc.) when all I really want is clear dialogue and decent music playback.