How do sound bars hook up?

coder_t2

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Dec 31, 2005
Messages
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Hey guys, planning on buying a Toshiba 55SL412U and from I can tell on reviews, good picture but crappy speakers. So I was thinking about buying a sound bar to take care of this. Are sound bars pretty universal? Or do I need to make sure I get a specific one to work with this TV? Thanks!
 
The vast majority of them are universal, but there are two different types of sound bars.

Passive sound bars require an external amplifier; you generally only see passive sound bars at higher price points, however.

Active sound bars are the most common and are generally plug and play.
 
About how much do active sound bars run? I am seeing sound bars for like $100 on amazon. I was thinking they would be cheaper.
 
$100 is already cheap for a sound bar.

They start low and go up to around $3,000 or so, not that you need to spend $3,000 for a good sound bar, haha.
 
My girlfriend and her sister both have the Vizio sound bar without the sub. It was on sale for $55 refurbished about 2 weeks ago (may still be on sale, check slickdeals.net). I don't think you will find one cheaper than that. They are both extremely happy with it. It is a huge upgrade from the TV speakers, and there is no need for a receiver or anything extra, so it doesn't take up much space at all.

I meant to also say that it connects to the TV with either an optical cable or composite jacks.
 
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