CES 2018 Recap – Best Sound Bars Comparison

CES 2018 Recap – Best Sound Bars Comparison

Audioholics GoFundMe: https://bit.ly/GOFUNDAUDIOHOLICS

Can’t do a discrete multi-channel speaker system? Well, there are plenty of “high-end” soundbar solutions now that cost as much as an entire theater system and try to close the gap in performance with discrete speaker systems. Marshall heard the best of the best and gave us listening impressions from the Nakamichi shootout to the new Sennheiser (yes, that’s not a typo) super soundbar ($3k MSRP). But are these soundbars pricing themselves out of the market and are they growing too large to still be considered convenient and aesthically acceptable?

We also discuss how the market is changing with smart home assistant integration and how this might spell the death of bluetooth for anything other than portable audio applications.

Check out our full CES 2018 Coverage Page for all the latest products:
http://www.audioholics.com/trade-shows/2018-consumer-electronics-show-ces-coverage

Follow us on:

FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/Audioholics

GOOGLE PLUS
https://plus.google.com/+Audioholics

TWITTER
https://twitter.com/AudioholicsLive Become a Patron of our YouTube channel for cool features unavailable to regular subscribers: https://www.patreon.com/audioholics

50 Comments

  1. Saik Saikatai on March 15, 2021 at 2:01 am

    So Yamaha ysp serie is not anymore the champion ?!



  2. Vince Nardella on March 15, 2021 at 2:02 am

    Soundbars are for the bedrooms, discreet for living room and florida room. I love av and speakers to buy, install, and enjoy tinkering with the sound. Something I cant do with soundbars.



  3. Brad G on March 15, 2021 at 2:03 am

    Can you do a 2019 Good, Better, Best passive 3-channel speaker bar review, please, I.e Sonance vs Elura Red Label vs PSB vs Revel vs Klipsch vs other for both movies and music?



  4. Carravagio16 on March 15, 2021 at 2:03 am

    These manufactures are nuts, I bought a Vizio sound bar for my 70 year old mom installed it right under the tv so it practically look like it was built into the tv and the sound out of the $50 sound bar is 10x better than the TV. Sure i could have spent much more but there was no need. anything over 300 or 400 is nuts IMO.



  5. l kl on March 15, 2021 at 2:04 am

    In 2020 these Sennheiser Ambeo soundbar should not worth over $2K, I give $1.8K-$2K then is par value. Any price below $1.8 now is a good buy.



  6. bamlin52 on March 15, 2021 at 2:04 am

    The whole idea of the Soundbar is not to have all the wires and speakers and clutter around your room . If you have partner or kids then the Soundbar has it role to play. Unless you have a dedicated room but most people don’t.



  7. Terry Haney on March 15, 2021 at 2:04 am

    Sennheiser is very tempting but not for $3000. I like Yamaha sound bars. The search continues



  8. jbailey13 on March 15, 2021 at 2:06 am

    I found the Nakamichi Shockwafe 9.2 in Canada for over $2800 while in the US it lists for $1099. That makes the currency exchange, shipping, duties, etc around $1700. Sounds like way too much. How can their be this much of a difference. https://www.amazon.ca/Nakamichi-Shockwafe-Wireless-Subwoofer-Satellite/dp/B01NBYXRNQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1519435270&sr=1-2-fkmr0&keywords=Nakamichi+Shockwafe+9.1



  9. ErikT595 on March 15, 2021 at 2:06 am

    Cool T-Shirt man!



  10. M H on March 15, 2021 at 2:06 am

    My issue with the sound bars that appear to keep getting bigger in size is that they assume that your TVs are goin going to be wall mounted.  I have a 50" that sits on my dresser in the bedroom and it uses the stand that came with the TV.  However there is not enough room to fit a sound bar in front of the TV because it would eclipse the viewing of the TV at the bottom.  I would have to create a riser for the TV then the sound bar would still need to have room with the riser on the dresser.  It would be nice if the TV manufactures would increase the height of the stand so that you can fit a sound bar in front of the TV without blocking some of the screen.   I would only be willing to spend 250 to 300 tops for a sound bar.



  11. I love music! on March 15, 2021 at 2:07 am

    Enough talk



  12. MAGA on March 15, 2021 at 2:09 am

    Creative X-Fi Sonic Carrier :))



  13. Steve Story on March 15, 2021 at 2:11 am

    Great video. Looking to buy a soundbar sub $800 dollars, what would you guys recommend. Mainly watching tv and movies Thanks



  14. hildebrandphoto on March 15, 2021 at 2:15 am

    He never did say what he thought how the Polk sounded. What is your review on the Polk sound bar?



  15. lillnemo1 on March 15, 2021 at 2:15 am

    "How are you going to convince average joe to buy this massive soundbar?"

    YOU DONT average you wants small and cheap



  16. GR0404 Ralls on March 15, 2021 at 2:15 am

    It’s pretty easy to raise a TV a few inches with painted or stained quality plywood. My Samsung Q8F has approximately 5” clearance and I have a neighbor that is a skilled woodworking hobbyist! $3000.00 is a convenience factor and I agree unless you are using with a very high-end tv it would be hard to justify.



  17. AverageGuy Mend on March 15, 2021 at 2:17 am

    Hi guys hope everything well, am sorry but a sound bar is a waste of money maybe for a kids room so they can watch cartoons, jajaja.
    My budget is small but I got some good deals in a center speaker Psb and matching towards x2t for $400 and a Onkyo tx-nr777 have it set up 3.1 for now till I get my surround rears but the quality is ten times better then a sound bar hands down sound bars 👎 all day no good for hi quality sound



  18. Scott Davis on March 15, 2021 at 2:18 am

    Hold out for about two-three more years for a HDMI 2.1 pass-thru 7.1.4 soundbar that has 3 HDMI Inputs and 1 eARC output. Something like a Samsung KW-950 and Sony HT-ST5000 mashup. Wireless Sub and wireless rears. MSRP $1,500 and buy it for $1K.



  19. Arturo Hernandez on March 15, 2021 at 2:18 am

    So on a one to ten how scripted is this with all the pauses and eye movements to look at their lines?



  20. Marshall Timmons on March 15, 2021 at 2:18 am

    I think $1500-$1700 is enough for soundbars, and that’s with the sub included



  21. Jdl on March 15, 2021 at 2:19 am

    Simply put, this video is a commercial, make fun of who you don’t like and push who you like, good job



  22. l34052 on March 15, 2021 at 2:20 am

    3k on this or a set of real speakers and sub, hmmmmm let me think….

    Bose😆😆😆



  23. Robert Jackson on March 15, 2021 at 2:22 am

    I just unpacked the Soundwafe 9.2. Nakamichi. They blured the lines on a high end system and a sound bar.



  24. Do Hyun Lee on March 15, 2021 at 2:23 am

    This is good stuff! Wifi capability is really going far but for me, itll always be wires and wires and specialized dedicated source components.



  25. Randy Mullins on March 15, 2021 at 2:24 am

    I bought the 1500 dollar sony soundbar and took it back within a week. I picked up the nakamichi shockwafe and love it. I was wanting to switch from seperates to a more space saving streamline system and im very happy.



  26. Rui Pedro Silva on March 15, 2021 at 2:25 am

    Good video! Soundbars imo are not an desired product.



  27. Tom Zawacki on March 15, 2021 at 2:27 am

    Would love to see a comparison between Nakamichi and Enclave cinahome pro.



  28. Ed More on March 15, 2021 at 2:27 am

    No way I’d spend ANY amount of money in those soundbars… I hope the fashion trend hype just pass along with time and throughout common sense.



  29. José MANAGÓ on March 15, 2021 at 2:30 am

    To much words…and no sounds !!!!!



  30. Steve Carter on March 15, 2021 at 2:33 am

    Kilpch sound bar



  31. tactical renegade on March 15, 2021 at 2:35 am

    Yeah 3 g’s for a sound bar no thanks even though I’m sure it’s great



  32. lillnemo1 on March 15, 2021 at 2:37 am

    Why the lame dual reporter dual room interview style??



  33. Stony P on March 15, 2021 at 2:38 am

    Soundbars above $350 are pointless, better to get HIB or proper hifi. I’d go for good bookshelf self amped speakers



  34. Sami Debs on March 15, 2021 at 2:38 am

    I bought a nakamishi sound bar for my daughter I like it! But I like my home theater a lot better hahaha.



  35. Petru on March 15, 2021 at 2:38 am

    It’s 2,5k euros for this soundbar and it’s the best soundbar ever! For people looking for an all-in-one solution without the headache this is truly the best option



  36. Grimer180 on March 15, 2021 at 2:39 am

    @audioholics so was the 7" tall mostly a guess? The ambeo bar is interesting but if it’s super tall and not likely wall mountable it’ll be a reaaaally tough sale.



  37. william tew on March 15, 2021 at 2:40 am

    AVForums Since I will probably not upgrade my tv due to 2.1 coming out in 2019 for TVs I was wanting to upgrade my sound this year. I really like the concept of the new wisa klipsch speakers and have seen them on sale for around 1500 for a good setup. What are your thoughts on wisa and klispchs wireless system?



  38. mohammed farook on March 15, 2021 at 2:40 am

    I’m having jbl sound bar and it’s worth it.. And I’m enjoying with the sounds..



  39. Richland Zee on March 15, 2021 at 2:42 am

    Check out Yarra 3DX. Kickstarter where final production models have been sent out. Uses different my beam technology where no walls are needed for 5.1, 3D sound near and far field. Can’t wait to get mine in a few weeks to rest it out myself! I think so far think technology is very promising.



  40. Chris Jennings on March 15, 2021 at 2:43 am

    Say no to soundbars



  41. ralph gharbawi on March 15, 2021 at 2:44 am

    Thnx for ur efforts, technical analysis & comparisons but u didn’t say anything about atmos, dts th-x or dts x



  42. VIPete on March 15, 2021 at 2:46 am

    Where’s the LG Sk10Y soundbar with meridian tuning?



  43. Maciej W. on March 15, 2021 at 2:48 am

    Is it even better then Nakamichi or Samsung n950 ?



  44. Maria Fernanda on March 15, 2021 at 2:49 am

    Hi guys, thanks for sharing your opinions. What do you think about the Bose Soundbar + Subwoofer?



  45. bamlin52 on March 15, 2021 at 2:54 am

    I bought the Yamaha ysp 2500 soundbar of eBay for £320 in the UK. Room size 14 x15 ft.Set it up accurately then adjust the volume levels. Feed it 1080p Blueray disc and Wow. 50% volume is enough for sound response. It’s powerful, dynamic and exciting . It’s only good if you put something with dts hd support. Very impressive. I come from a 7.1 Kef system looking back it wasn’t as good as the Yamaha. Technology moves on. .I don’t miss it. I wouldn’t mind Dolbyatmos and dtsx.audio. Sony has a new one out this year.



  46. I love music! on March 15, 2021 at 2:54 am

    You guys getting married?



  47. Roy Martinez on March 15, 2021 at 2:56 am

    Get some espresso’s beforehand next time



  48. Mark Welch on March 15, 2021 at 2:59 am

    Great video guys. What’s the likelyhood that the nakamichi 9.2 shockwave will add atmos or Dolby vision via firmware update? The samsung has many negative reviews in regards to disconnecting. Sweet spot for pricing is about $1100 for soundbar system which will cover all the bases in a small form factor.



  49. Jim Richard on March 15, 2021 at 3:00 am

    Just turned 2021 now. Seenheiser is selling well with tremendous reviews at $2500.00.



  50. David Iossi on March 15, 2021 at 3:00 am

    The Yamaha YSP-5600 is one I’m looking at for my 4k living room. My current Yamaha is getting a bit long in the tooth! I’ve liked this YSP-4000 with a 8" Definitive Tech sub. But it’s not used for music… Good job guys!