I was looking at Yamaha YSP 2200 before I bought my current system.
It was about RM 2.7k at that time.
Have a look at them as they are supposed to be quite good but only if you are using it in a symmetrical room.

The thing with sound bar is that if the TV isn't mounted on the wall the sound bar tends to block a portion of the TV.

The thing with sound bar is that if the TV isn't mounted on the wall the sound bar tends to block a portion of the TV.

if your TV on a bench, put the soundbar at the lower shelf

My experinces with sound bar is terrible as I am comparing to normal hifi expectation.

With RM3k sound bar, the price can buy a stereo amp with decent speakers. Even a RM1k amp + RM1k+ speaker like Wharfedale Diamond 10.2 will perform much better than sound bar.

The only logical reason to use sound bar is there are woman in house complaits about looks and insist on simplicity looks... 

Well, they are getting better... but not at the rate where I thought it would be at. The problem with soundbars is not because they sound horrible, it's because they don't sound good enough for how much they cost.

The few that I found which are good soundbars for the money are:

- LG NB4530a
- LG NB3530a
- Sony CT-260
- Philips Fidelio HTL9100

The Sony HT-ST7 you listed is just... bad. Really bad. Considering how much it cost, it makes it all the worse.

We're still in the stage where a good RM1.5k 2.1 system will still beat any (if not most) soundbar on the market today however.

Generally soundbar has to be more expensive than a 2.1 speaker simply because it has more features and complexity. You need design in the wireless audio for the subwoofer. You need to design in the extra LCD and the IR remote circuitry. Probably need to be able to accept more inputs(optical, hdmi, coaxial, etc).  Need to decode DTS. Some comes with bluetooth function.

Still doesn't mean that many soundbars should cost over RM3k. Illogical, regardless of what they cram in.
The sad reality is that there are far more people who cares about looks and simplicity when it comes to audio equipments, rather than people who actually care about sound quality.

Why do you think beats is still surviving? 

3k is probably too much 1k range seems reasonable given the extra features that they give on top of a typical 2.1 system.

How much bro the ht 7...that one premium soundbar...

I've been searching for a sound bar for the past few months, tested a few but the sound when playing music is not good. When i tested Sony HT-ST7 2 weeks back at SONY KLCC i was impressed with the sound it managed to squeeze out form such a simple setup.

So last weekend I went to SONY KLCC and bought it haha! My requirement is minimalist, I don't like those sound system with many speakers here and there.

I agreed the price is on the more premium side, but considering the design which pleases my eye and a decent sound, for me it's a good deal

One more thing, it sounds good in my living room maybe due to the walls reflecting the sound. At SONY centre, the sound is a bit echo due to wide open space I guess.

So after having it for roughtly a month what's your thought on this soundbar? Was actually looking at this myself so would be nice to hear what you think

I am satisfied with the sound quality. Listening music via Bluetooth connection from phone is so convenient, music sounds good.

For movie, i mostly watch those 1080p "ahem" version, about 1.5GB to 2GB in size per movie. Don't expect true surround with this but it packs enough "umph" especially with action movie

The only con is the price which is expensive

Many thanks for the fast feedback    Just a quick question. Do the movies you watch do they come with DTS-track? Have you watched any true bluray movies and would there be a difference for those movies?

There wouldn't be. This is because soundbars are basically 2.1 setups, any multi-channel source will just be downmixed into a stereo source.
After that, a soundbar's DSP (if available) will play that downmix sournce in virtual surround if the user enables it.

There are a few exceptions though, some soundbars do come with additional rear speakers for a 5.1 setup. If you have these, then yeah the DTS/DD 5.1 track would make a difference.

Many thanks for the fast feedback    Just a quick question. Do the movies you watch do they come with DTS-track? Have you watched any true bluray movies and would there be a difference for those movies?

I understand it will of course downmix the source but as it can decode the DTS signal according to it specification it could do a difference. I'm not sure though.

I use LG NB4530a. Sounds pretty damn sweet. Just over 1K in Klang Valley when I bought. Wireless sub/optical cable included.

My setup:-
XBMC on Mac mini - set to downmix to 2.0 (hdmi)
Xbox 360 (hdmi)
Unifi Hypptv box (hdmi)
Sony 50W704a - optical out (pass through)
LG NB4530a (upscaler mode)

TV wall mounted, soundbar on cabinet.

All controlled with logitech harmony 300.

i bought a sony soundbar, regretting it, it seems like a huge speaker that other than making the sound louder, did nothing more

May I ask which Sony soundbar you got?

If you could do it over again, which one would you have gone for?

Thinking of a Yamaha soundbar.

ct-260, it sound awesome if u have high quality input, but how frequent u have good media with that kind of quality :/
and it doesn't distribute the sound and subwoofer nicely, tried many positioning but not much improvement, mainly use it for video gaming btw

That's because, if you did a bit of research: the CT260 is notorious for subwoofer lag.

The sub does not blend well with the soundbar simply because of the lag, you can minimize it by putting them side by side but even then, it doesn't help due to its poor implementation on its wireless frequency.
Many other soundbars employ their own frequency to work with the sub (not the standard 2.4ghz/5ghz wave), Sony doesn't... for whatever freaking reason.

i was thinking of those 5ch surround system, but they always come with a player and i have no clue of how to connect the speaker to the tv without the player so the sound come directly from the tv not the player itself, heard that it can be done but i'm noob in this field

how about Pioneer SP-SB23SW?
http://referencehometheater.com/review/pio...p-sb23w-review/
http://www.senq.com.my/hear-what-youve-bee...speaker-system/

Had a brief listen many months ago, it actually sounds good. Warm, bassy, with a fairly good soundstage. I would like the sub to be tighter in its presentation as the bass lacks texture and can indeed bleed into the low-mids quite often however.
It's a very barebones soundbar, sound quality first and everything else second.

The problem with the SB23SW is its functionality. It's really thick and that means you either need to be hanging your TV or have it on a pedestal, because the soundbar WILL obstruct vision to ANY TV under 60". Also, because it has no display, it means you have to go by memory to set up your functions. Not a big deal if you're tech savvy enough, but the majority of people who would buy a soundbar wants simplicity and this here could be a deal breaker. Not knowing what you press and screwing everything up, is an issue for many, many people.

Lack of HDMI ports (which other competitors at the SB23W price range offers) is a downpoint too. Pioneer could easily fit in 2 HDMI ports with a switch with the depth it has on the soundbar, I have no idea why they didn't. It wouldn't have hindered sound quality anyways.
Then there's the price, don't know why SenQ is selling it for RM1.7k but a soundbar like this isn't worth more than 1.2k.

good observations. The Senq price is RCP, so maybe other places could offer better pricing. Like you said, it's if SQ comes first, but I think the latest Philips Fidelio is also quite competitive...

It's available at Harvey Norman now, RM3000 however (which is overpriced).

I do not own it anymore, but I have tested it enough and I truly think that the HTL9100 is the best soundbar on the market now without paying even more for a Yamaha or JBL which doesn't even sound as good as the HTL9100.

On its own in 2.1 mode, it's just scintillating in how much detail the soundbar has in the mids (perhaps best of any soundbar so far), yet the soundstage is sufficient enough to rival even some high-end 2.1 speakers. The mid-treble is a little bit on the neutral side, but on the absolute highs there is enough energy in the HTL9100 without sounding harsh.
The sub then is obviously not going to even rival any mid-end sub you can get individually in a custom 2.1 setup, but at the very least the mid-bass hits with plenty of impact for its size and rarely bleeds into the mids. I do want more sub-bass for the rumbling factor and wouldn't mind for the sub to be a little bit tighter too.

Okay then, the main feature of the HTL9100... detach the sides and it becomes a 5.1 setup, though it's more like 4.1. There is no center speaker in the HTL9100, but the soundstage is wide enough to present the phantom center speaker not to lack too much detail. The detachable speakers may sound gimmicky, but boy does it sound pretty darn decent.
It obviously will not compare even to a modest entry level setup like the Pioneer Andrew Jones SP series of speakers. It does however rival something like a Sony N9100 HTIB, just with less volume.

There's enough detail in the rear speakers, without sounding muted and thin and 5.1 is always a welcome in movies, especially when it isn't half-assed like in many entry-level HTIBs today. The detached speakers has a battery life rated at 10 hours, but I think mine died out in under 5-7 hours though keep in mind I was playing at a relatively high volume (around 70%).

So then, is the HTL9100 worth RM3000? Not really, if sound quality is of the utmost importance to you. You can get a Pioneer HTP-AJ523 for just slightly more and that would handedly beat the HTL9100 with no answers from the latter. But if you need simplicity and you are planning to have a system in a rather small living room or even a bedroom, there's really not much else better than a HTL9100 other than going for a custom 2.1 setup.

If the HTL9100 is half the price of what it is selling now, it'd be an instant no-brainer for most moderate consumers I believe.

Looking forward to Sony's CT330 and CT770. Will be released this month and if it can keep it under the RM1.5k range, it would be interesting (although honestly they aren't worth more than RM1k to be honest).

have you heard the sony st3 and st7 before? Wonder if sony themselves aren't happy with it. Since they only came out late last year right? and there's a replacement already.

ST and CT series are 2 different line-ups. So the the upcoming CT330 and CT770 won't be replacing the ST series.
I doubt Malaysia will get both the 330 and 770 though, most probably the CT330 will only be coming in to replace the very old CT260. I'm hope I'm wrong of course.

I've heard the ST7 before. Didn't like it. It's got a pretty wide soundstage (rivaling the Philips HT9100), but the mids are too recessed for my liking. There's very little grunt, bass doesn't match well to bring out the impact in action movies. It's just dull sounding, neither wanting to be a dark nor bright, the ST7 is sort of like a soundbar with an identity crisis. Sony tried to make it a soundbar which does everything well, but unfortunately while it sounds decent, the price says a different thing.

Also having "7.1" directly from the soundbar is just meaningless. The similarly priced Philips HTL9100 with its detachable speakers and offering only 4.1 sounds so much more immersive with better positional cues.
For RM3k, I truly expected a lot more than this. RM3k is bloody hell a lot to spend on a soundbar and it's made worse when a custom 2.1 setup with an entry-level AVR would just mop the entire floor off the ST7 with no sweat, I see no reason to own one.

Haven't heard the ST3, so can't say anything about that.

Most HTIBs these days has at least an optical input on its Blu-ray player. Many even has HDMI inputs.
It is as straight forward as it can be, don't know why it's confusing. TV > Blu Ray player > speakers. That's it.

So which one to go?  Soundbar is somehow more expensive in comparison to those 5ch speaker combo, somr even sell as high as 2k, but is the quality really better or just because of its modern stylish compact design?

That depends on how your living room/bedroom is setup to be like. The shape of the room and the size most importantly.  Other factors are important too, but that's another topic.
A lot of people jump into a 5.1 setup without first looking at their room then ended up with dissapointing results. Sound bounces off objects and reflects off walls.

I've always believed that soundbars are meant for small bedrooms or small SOHOs.

so any good soundbar other than that ht-260 i'm currently using? (it's a big turn off )

LG NB4530 if you don't want to go above RM1.2k.
Other than that, you could want for the upcoming CT330 which shold be around the RM1.3k mark or lower.

Above that, I'd suggest starting to look for custom 2.1 setups.

im using philips fidelio sounbar. after listening all type yamaha soundbar im chosing this one.

all type soundbar surround sound crap in my ears. fidelio got true surround. u can detach left right front speaker and put at back left and right. battery operated.. anyway .. not everyday watch movie on surround mode..

for astro it depends.. if your astro hd setting audio to 5.1 .. the volume will a bit high compare non hd channel. but this model got auto volume... u just use auto volume at remote if you change from 5.1 to stereo non hd channel on astro.

when u try to soundbar, dont get cheat with boom boom sub sound.. compare with main dialoque balance between spoken lines, sound effects and music.

bring u own movie on your handphone.. u can try the sound yr fav movie cause this model got bluetooth.

Yamaha YS-2200 with Philips HTL9100?

Which is better?

The Philips.

HN Gurney Paragon selling rm2699 after rm300 discount. Tested and sound impressive. Detachable speaker as rear surround and can hang on to wall using a normal screw,like we hang our wall clock.

Bought LG 4530 soundbar yesterday at rm 990 in penang.
2.1CH sound not bad when direct compare to the sound from the TV....

The soundbar matched perfectly and looks neat and tidy under my Sony W904A LED TV ....unlike the full home theater system in my HT room.

Overall pretty impressed by the SQ for a sub 1k sound system.

Hi, Just got the HTL9100 philips fidelio from Legends Sri Petaling at RM2299 + RM99 for the Philips media player which I believe it's actually complimentary from philips anyway doesn't bother me much as it's still cheaper to be compare with Harvey or seng heng which is now selling at rm2699. Retail price is RM2999. Well must admit I really like this soundbar. It sounds great, it’s versatile, and I think the surround-on-demand option is a really neat idea. If you want good sound without the hassle of trailing cables and fiddly set-ups, this is the way to go. Anyway just want to find out with you guys about the cable connection for audio and video. FYI, I m hooking up this system with my Sony Smart tv. Question 1:Which cable actually gives or produce the best AUDIO output from my tv to the soundbar? Is it the HDMI or Optical cable?
Question 2:  Which cable can pump out the best video from Philip Media player to my Sony Tv? should I use the HDMI ARC or supposed just normal HDMI input for video connection? PLs advice. Cheers!

1) Both. HDMI and Optical are digital connections, doesn't matter which you use.
2) Read no.1.

Hi, Just got the HTL9100 philips fidelio from Legends Sri Petaling at RM2299 + RM99 for the Philips media player which I believe it's actually complimentary from philips anyway doesn't bother me much as it's still cheaper to be compare with Harvey or seng heng which is now selling at rm2699. Retail price is RM2999. Well must admit I really like this soundbar. It sounds great, it’s versatile, and I think the surround-on-demand option is a really neat idea. If you want good sound without the hassle of trailing cables and fiddly set-ups, this is the way to go. Anyway just want to find out with you guys about the cable connection for audio and video. FYI, I m hooking up this system with my Sony Smart tv. Question 1:Which cable actually gives or produce the best AUDIO output from my tv to the soundbar? Is it the HDMI or Optical cable?
Question 2:  Which cable can pump out the best video from Philip Media player to my Sony Tv? should I use the HDMI ARC or supposed just normal HDMI input for video connection? PLs advice. Cheers!

Thanks a ton, BTW, what's this ARC cable all about? I can see from my TV and soundbar description saying both are supported and are built in with ARC carriage. Is that really necessary for me to hook up the the HDMI-ARC to both console and what's that can I really get from there? Is is just the for audio or any chances of enhancement through this ARC I supposed?

1) Both. HDMI and Optical are digital connections, doesn't matter which you use.
2) Read no.1.

I also have surround on demand with my traditionak 5.1 speakers setup..
When there is demand for surround sound, I roll out the cables to the rear speakers
and roll it back up when there is no demand!!!

Thanks a ton, BTW, what's this ARC cable all about? I can see from my TV and soundbar description saying both are supported and are built in with ARC carriage. Is that really necessary for me to hook up the the HDMI-ARC to both console and what's that can I really get from there? Is is just the for audio or any chances of enhancement through this ARC I supposed?

ARC is for the audios of HDMI devices connected to your TV directed to your soundbar without the need to connect directly to soundbar

hdmi support newer lossless format like dolby true hd and dts master audio.
optical cannot

Bought LG 4530 soundbar yesterday at rm 990 in penang.
2.1CH sound not bad when direct compare to the sound from the TV....

The soundbar matched perfectly and looks neat and tidy under my Sony W904A LED TV ....unlike the full home theater system in my HT room.

Overall pretty impressed by the SQ for a sub 1k sound system.

Hi.

Can I ask where in Penang?
How does speech/dialogue sounds on the 4530?

Thanks.

I bought at BHL symphony park. Last unit there. Try other branch.

Guess everywhere clearing their old stock now ... good bargain time...

i tested the 1k to 3k sound bar on few model and this 4530 do the 2.1CH job for me .....just the sub abit boomy.

I recommend you to go audition ..... diff ppl got diff taste and requirement. Not the sound ..but the outlook as well...