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Ken asked: “My daughter just bought me a 50-inch TV. I’m 80 years old and the problem I have is, it’s very hard to understand the sound. The speakers are in the back. I’d like to buy some kind of speaker bar. I’m not interested in how much it costs. I need to be able to listen to my TV. If it’s wi-fi, that would be even better.”
Ken, you probably won’t find many wireless soundbars, you will find soundbars that connect to extra wireless speakers or subwoofers, but the soundbar itself is typically tethered to the TV, there are bluetooth enabled soundbars, but your TV most likely won’t be able to beam its audio via bluetooth.
As for the soundbars themselves, the selection is almost endless, Amazon even sells it owns branded version for $69, but you can buy better ones with a subwoofer from brands like Sony for as a little as $99.
Since you mentioned that the price is not your main concern, we should mention the $700 Sonos Playbase
Since you mentioned that the price is not your main concern, we should mention the $700 Sonos Playbase, it’s expensive but it’s low profile and built to sit under your TV and blend in. It’s a good sounding speaker that doesn’t look that big and boxy. At $700 with an optional $700 subwoofer it’s definitely an pricy option.
If that price point is ok with you, the Bose SoundTouch is also $700 and it does have a dialogue mode to specifically make conversations easier to hear, which sounds like what you may be after.
Joe’s favorite soundbar is the ZVOX AccuVoice AV205, a product specifically designed to answer that question you and his father ask on a regular basis — “WHAT DID HE SAY?” His father is in his 70s and has dealt with hearing issues his entire life — he loves this thing. The AV205 allows you to make fine-tuned adjustments to all aspects of the sound. In fact, they recommend that you have your audiologist or hearing aid specialist help you adjust it to your specific hearing profile. That’s how configurable this soundbar is! And it’s only $350. Yes, you heard right! Pun intended.