HOW TO CHOOSE A SOUNDBAR

Soundbars have changed their stripes in the last few years. They began as a convenience and a compromise, back when 5.1-channel surround sound was messing up lounges everywhere with rear speakers balanced on couches and cables tucked under carpets. The soundbar came along, offering a way to scale up TV sound without installing a large system that would compromise the ever cleaner décors and room designs which were sweeping through the world’s living spaces.

To that end, most early soundbars touted an ability to deliver pseudo-surround — because at the beginning they were presenting themselves as a direct replacement for a surround sound system, yet delivered miraculously from just a neat bar at the front. A subwoofer was generally required because a