Vizio soundbar is also known as a media bar. It is a type of loudspeaker that projects audio sounds from a wide enclosure like a TV. It is wider than its height. For acoustic reasons mounted above or below a display device for example above a computer monitor, under a home theater and television screen. In a soundbar, multiple speakers are placed in a single cabinet to assist in creating stereo sound or a surround sound effect.
Soundbars were introduced by Altec Lansing in 1998 which he named the Voice of the Digital Theatre or ADA106. The powered speaker system offered stereo, Dolby Pro-Logic, and AC3 surround sound from the soundbar and a separate subwoofer. The soundbar housed four 3-inch full-range drivers and two 1 inch tweeters.
The subwoofer housed one 8-inch dual voice coil driver. It used Altec Lansing’s technology to produce surround sound from the sides, back, and front. This technology eliminated the wiring of separate speakers and saved on space.
Advantages of the Vizio soundbars
The Soundbars are relatively small hence can be easily positioned under a display, Are easy to set up, Are usually less expensive than other stereo sound systems and other extensive home cinema systems with a large number of speakers the more expensive the soundbar is the more equipped it is. Soundbars cost between 300 and 600 euros.
Due to their smaller size and lack of flexibility in positioning, soundbars do not fill a room with sound as well as separate-speaker stereo systems do.
No cables through the room because the subwoofer can be connected wirelessly. You can use HDMI to input all other equipment and more speakers for better audio and better speakers for a longer range and a more impressive audio reproduction.
Soundbars can also compact hubs for your home theater system. Currently, most soundbars come with access to streaming services like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Which makes it easy to display your music from your home network and internet services. The operation is usually also very simple; with a compact remote control.
Disadvantages of the soundbar
You are dealing with a compact sound system, so there are certain limitations. Soundbars don’t produce surround sound as the manufacturer says when you are dealing with one speaker in the front of your room. The elongated speakers try to imitate a surround experience with special directional drivers in the device and the acoustics of the room.
If you want to get some surround effect, the shape of the room and accompanying acoustics must be optimal. But some models can be supplied with wireless speakers in the back of the room which immediately produces a better surround effect.
Some soundbars are usually delivered without a subwoofer then which means that the real deep tones are missing from the sound. An external subwoofer then becomes reliable
A soundbar has a limited range of connections when we compare it with an amplifier. Soundbars usually have a minimal number of connections, especially in the cheap ones
Some soundbars lack HDMI ports which is a disadvantage which is a shame because almost all devices use HDMI so soundbars should also have HDMI.
When to buy a soundbar
A soundbar is especially suitable for those who want to boost the sound that their television produces, and have a smaller budget or have a small room. But one can buy more expensive models if he/she has a large space and wants to produce an excellent surround audio track.
Hybrid Soundbars
Currently, manufacturers are making soundbars in which they have the left, center, and right speakers a wireless subwoofer, and a back left and back right speaker. Sometimes producers make them with detachable back left and back right speakers which is an advantage to the soundbars.
Soundbar Noises
Weird static noises and sound is coming out garbled.
1) Check twice the audio settings on your TV and make sure it’s locked down to Dolby Digital Plus, DTS, or PCM.
2) Check twice the audio settings on any other source and make sure that they’re also locked down to Dolby Digital or the others.
3) Check whether the firmware on your TV is up to date. Because some TVs don’t allow you to update them if you can’t update it manually to ensure your TV is connected to WIFI.
4)Check the optical cable to make sure it’s not broken somewhere, and it’s properly seated at both ends.
Resolving Buzzing and Humming Sounds
How to resolve the ‘Buzzing’ or ‘Humming’ sounds?
- Repower the soundbar.
- Unplug the power cord from either the soundbars or the wall (whichever is easier)
- Check whether the cables are properly connected.
- Buzzing sounds can come from improper cords, for betterment completely disconnect and reconnect the cords you are using.
- If your cords fail- try connecting the soundbar using those other cords.
- Buzzing sounds can also be caused by cords that have failed and Replacing the cords may fix the problem.
- Try factory resetting the soundbar.
- The factory reset process may vary depending on what model of soundbar you have. But check the instructions in the manual.
- Check whether the issue happens to the TV when the soundbar is disconnected.
- If the buzzing sounds occur even when the soundbar is disconnected, we know the issue isn’t the soundbar, but the device itself. Try watching different content.
- It might be possible that the content watching is causing the problem.
Crackling Sounds
Cause of crackling sound: Speaker crackling sounds are usually caused by connection problems. Between the amplifier and the speaker, there is a wire which abruptly causes the interference. The bad connection could be in several different places. Nothing is frustrating like your music being interrupted by sounds that aren’t part of the soundtrack which are just crackling sounds from your speakers.
Where does the crackling sound come from in the speaker?
The first thing you should check is the wire connections between your amplifier and the speaker terminals. The wire usually has a tendency to move around, usually induced by a cat or by the dog, it’s evidence that something has come loose. Even if there’s no real reason for the connections to change, check them anyway. You will feel silly jumping ahead only to discover the issue was an easy fix.
You should also check the connections inside your speaker. It might be a soldier that has broken down over the period when it was being used and may now need to be repaired. Depending on your skills, you may be able to fix the problem. The fact is, that a bad connection will be obvious once spotted, and it is always as simple as rectifying a loose cable.
Conclusion
Soundbars were primarily designed to produce strong sound with good bass responses. The usage of the soundbar has increased steadily because the world has now moved to flat-screen displays.
Earlier television sets and display units used Cathode Ray Tube-based hence the box was bigger, so it could facilitate larger speakers with good sounds. But for the current flat-screen televisions the depth of the screen is reduced greatly, leaving little or no room for speakers. Which has resulted in the TV’s built-in speakers lacking good bass response.
If you soundbars, make those unnecessary noises like the ones stated above know the is a problem and with the above guidelines you will be able to solve the problem very simple. Soundbars are electronics and as usual, electronics must develop problems either mechanical or technical problems.
Related Article: Vizio TV Makes Loud Noise and Shuts Off- Causes and How to Fix.
