Soundbars represent a nice compromise. In an idealistic world of home cinema where budgets are bountiful and rooms are grand and spacious, an AV amplifier and a full surround sound system would be the way to go. Alas, this is usually not the case, so options like soundbars fill the void. And they manage to do a decent job when it comes to sound, but there's one thing that constantly bothers me about soundbars – their displays (or lack thereof).
Soundbar manufacturers often manage to improve the overall performance of their products year on year. A recent example of this is the Samsung Q990D system, which includes a main soundbar along with a subwoofer and a pair of surround speakers. The previous model, the Q990C, earned four stars when it came through our testing rooms for review – not bad at all. The new Q990D managed to top that, earning the full five stars for its improved and refined sound quality, despite being very similarly constructed.
One thing that was not improved, however, was the display. It uses the same dot-matrix design as the previous model, displaying just three characters at once. This means you have to wait for the display to scroll across the names of settings and controls if you adjust anything with the system’s included remote control, making a simple operation slower than it needs, or worse, rendering the remote completely impractical.
As a result of these issues, you will end up using the mobile app to change anything beyond volume when using a soundbar – and this is a problem. Ideally, I don’t want to be on my phone at all when I’m watching a show or a movie. It’s something I’m quite conscious of and do my best to avoid for obvious reasons; I want to dedicate my attention to what I see on screen and hear around me. On top of this, phones are enough of a distraction in day-to-day life as it is.
One argument for the small, limited displays we tend to see on soundbars could be that the manufacturers are doing their best not to distract us visually, but if I end up at the mobile app, that’s a far more obtrusive diversion of my attention.
If you’re like me, you want to spend as little time on your phone as possible, especially during movie night. Come on soundbar makers, your apps are lovely and all, but I’d rather be watching the show.
MORE:
This week: celebrating Home Cinema Week on What Hi-Fi?
It might not have Dolby Atmos, but my local indie cinema is still my favourite place to watch movies
