OpenTube

'Stop Buying Soundbars’ is Bad Advice.

Andrew Robinson

161,348 views

‘Stop Buying Soundbars’ Is Bad Advice. © 2026 Andrew Robinson
🔗 Links & other info ↓↑↓ My 2025 Favorites → https://bit.ly/m/ROBINSON-2025-FAVS
Need advice? Click THANKS to elevate your comment! 🙋‍♂️ Review ethics & commercial use info, ↳

FEATURED ▶

🔗 Sonos Arc Ultra https://bit.ly/3COjDHz
🔗 Canvas https://bit.ly/3TRJrrM
🔗 Bang & Olufsen Premiere https://bit.ly/4qXMg9G
🔗 Klipsch The Seven https://amzn.to/43KmFH8
🔗 Kanto YU6 https://bit.ly/3T2zcgW
🔗 KEF Coda https://bit.ly/3NcPmaV
🔗 Wiim Amp Ultra https://amzn.to/3LeV8r5
🔗 Cambridge L/RS https://bit.ly/4sKCLe9

🛍 TAP TO SHOP: Look for the product links embedded in this video or the shopping tab above the description.

VIDEO CHAPTERS

00:00 'Stop Buying Soundbars' is Bad Advice
00:23 Why Audiophiles Get Weird About Soundbars
02:45 The Problem Nobody Talks About
05:27 The Soundbar Reality Check

🗒️ CONNECT WITH US

New Videos ↳ Every Sunday! Become a Channel Member ↳ https://bit.ly/ARobMbr

Need a Direct Response? ↳ Consider a Super Thanks to highlight your comment.

Follow Me Behind The Scenes ↳ https://bit.ly/AndRobIG

Work With Us ↳ https://bit.ly/andrewbiz

⚖️ TRANSPARENCY & ETHICS

SPONSORSHIP: This video is NOT sponsored. No payment was received.

REVIEW POLICY: We do not accept payment or "free" gear. No brand sees our videos before you do. If we keep something, we bought it.

LINKS: Some links are affiliate links. Using them helps us keep the lights on & costs you nothing to support the channel!

🔐 LEGAL & COPYRIGHT

Publication date: March 15, 2026

© 2026 Andrew Robinson. All rights reserved. Visual and audio content may not be reused or distributed for commercial or editorial purposes without written permission. For licensing, contact us via our website.

#Soundbar #HomeTheater #SpeakerUpgrade

20 Comments

@andrewrobinsonreviews Creator 6 months ago Pinned

‘Stop Buying Soundbars’ Is Bad Advice. What other audio advice do you think is past its expiration date?
🔗 2025 Buyer’s Guide: → https://bit.ly/m/ROBINSON-2025-FAVS
Need advice or a direct response? Click the THANKS button below to elevate your comment! ☝ It’s the best way to get our attention and support the channel's independence.

@jodybiztube 4 days ago

Bose Companion 2 Series III for my TVs. Projector and 5.1 system in my movie room. I'm content.

@samwiseknows 2 weeks ago

Most people's houses especially in the UK are not set up to have surround sound systems. It's always a compromise and some poor sod gets stuck right next to the speaker in the back. A poorly setup 5.1 system is horrible and a sound bar is far better for these odd shaped living rooms and setups.

@RightWingRadioShow 2 weeks ago

This is audiophiles in a nutshell. They are insufferably delusional about the fact that everyone has different goals when it comes to headphones and speakers. It's the sort of crowd that has to convince themselves everyone has the same taste as them but is too dumb and they are very very intelligent.

@CapristoF 3 weeks ago

Thanks for the open mindedness and objectivity! I believe it was my projector that came with a mailin for a free soundbar. I installed it in my workshop where I want to listen with better quality than my cell phone, so there are other use cases out there where the perfect room is not the goal.

@descender2k 1 month ago

People who buy cheap stuff want to pretend it sounds "almost like" the expensive stuff.

You can have quality audio, or you can have a soundbar. Audiophiles aren't making a choice between those options.

Budget minded consumers that don't care about sound fidelity should buy soundbars. No one cares.

People that buy sound bars should not try to convince other people that they "actually sound good".

Everyone can stay in their own lane.

@jootpepet 1 month ago

Enthusiasts in every type of tech communities are always the most annoying, out of touch elitists i have ever seen

@JonahtheDreamer 1 month ago

I love this. For me, a Sonos setup is a perfect place for me. The sound just works for me. It’s got that magic. I know it doesn’t do that for a lot of people but it does for me. Even in my theater room, I run an Arc Ultra. Could I run something crazier? Sure. But it’s simple, looks great, and sounds fantastic. I think all theater and sound lovers should just work towards everyone just enjoying their movies and music!

@dwaynephilpot6154 1 month ago

That’s exactly like me I have a 10x11 room with only two outlets and I don’t have the room to spread speakers so I use a soundbar. I sit five feet away from the tv.

@koonley 1 month ago

Masterclass delivery!
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

@FeedScrn 1 month ago

"Why all the hostility?".... "Fear"... If I were king, I would design soundbars to be a 5.1 center channel speaker as well.... on OFC different inputs. Max flexibility.

@duncan359 1 month ago

Sometimes you just don't have the room for a 5.1. I have to mount my TV and soundbar in order to have a receiver on my console if I want one. I'm still on the fence between soundbar and 5.1

@deluge001 1 month ago

Home audio systems are a dying yesteryear dinosaur i have to sadly and regretfully admit. Soundbars and Bluetooth speakers are replacing home audio systems. Streaming Media either audio or video has almost entirely replaced store bought physical media and it will finally kill it down the road. Some people are trying to hold on to the past but will eventually succumb to the new way of doing things and that's a hard pill for me and others to swallow. I just accept the way things are now and only look back in reflection. The future is hear now and it is in front of us. get used to the new ways or be left behind

@JayPatrol 1 month ago

Nothing wrong with soundbars still like them.
But I like a 3.1 passive speaker setup.
Don't need surround speakers.

@danieldougan269 1 month ago (edited)

My dilemma is what to do with the rear speakers, as it is for many people.

I use a Rocketfish Wireless Rear Speaker Kit. It's good as long as you have clear line of sight between the transmitter and receiver. But maintaining that is the tricky part.

3.1 audio may be the solution.

@crossmission 1 month ago

It's strange there are still 'audiophiles' believing speakers are always the best solution for every use case. Not everyone has a dedicated room or even a big enough room to be able to enjoy a great surround system. And a decent Atmos soundbar sounds better for watching movies in 75% of the situations and 90% of the budgets AND technical 'knowhow' and setting up angles and distances properly.

@indo5359 1 month ago

Most audiophiles live on ego nothing more all the crap about cables ect .guess ppl fall for all the hipe..

@Rolling-Man-Cave 1 month ago

I now live in a Tiny-Home/RV. I put my Marantz receiver in a chest and got a Amazon Fire Soundbar with wireless subwoofer and wireless surround speakers. I just ordered a 2nd one as I have two big screen TVs. I have been into Home Theater since my college days. The Fire Soundbars use much less electricity and there are no power brics (I'm 100% off grid). The soundbars sound amazing and have tons of adjustability. The sound is super clean, crisp, tight and the bass is thunderous. There is no clipping or rattling just incredible surround sound.