Sound Bars - Are they useful in upgrading sound in flat screen tvs?

[No Vested Interest]

I see Bose sound bars (among other brands) advertised on home shopping networks for use with large flat-screen TVs.
The sound on my flat-screen TV, a hand-me-down from a family member, has never been great, and I'm wondering if a sound bar would be the answer, or at least an improvement.
I know little to nothing re technology and would need assistance with installation if a sound bar would be recommended for my situation.
They are not cheap - Bose sound system would cost about $250.00

[Aussie105]

1. No big secret that audio from a flat screen TV isn't all that good.

There is no room (depth) for any sort of decent speaker, and most of them fire the sound back to reflect off the nearest wall.

A sound bar would be an improvement, but an amplifier with graphic equalizer connected to the audio out feeding stereo or 5 channel speakers in well engineered boxes would be a step further if you want good sound.

So a sound bar is a step up but not the best if you are after the best audio.

If you have any decent stores around in your area, perhaps look for a sound bar setup on display so you can judge for yourself.

[mockmonkey]

2. I'm not an expert on this

One thing you should do is check what kind of audio output you have on your TV to see if it is compatible with the sound bar you are interested in. That way you can buy whatever special cables you need right away. I had to buy a fiber optic cable and then some kind of adaptor when I purchased a sound bar for my TV. I thought it would be a universal thing for all TVs but that wasn't true at the time. Maybe the industry has agreed on a standard format by now.

[ZZenith]

3. Most definitely an improvement.

I think Bose are overpriced.

Have had good luck with Sony, JBL and Yamaha. You don’t need to spend much to get a much better sound.

[Chainfire]

4. I got my first flat screen about two years ago. The sound was so bad that I could not follow conversations. Instead of

a soundbar, we opted for wireless headsets. The cost for a pair is probaly about the same as a sound bar, but each user has control of their own volume. (helpful for older people who may have hearing issues) The only drawback with the headsets, to me, is the inability to communicate with your watching partner. Of course, my wife may see that as a positive, as she can ignore my snide comments. Sometimes I am a little suspicious about the hearing issue, as she never misses my question, "Would you like an ice cream?"

[ratchiweenie]

5. We have a Samsung flat screen with lousy sound and we use a Roku fire stick. We bought a

Roku sound bar for about $130 ( I think they are now about $99) and it worked seamlessly right out of the box. The sound is not stupendous but it is fine for us and a 100 times better than what we had.