Soundbars are a cheap way to upgrade your TV audio, especially if you go for a budget option. The problem with soundbars is that there’s often no upgrade path from there. If you want to get better audio, you have to either buy a better soundbar or replace it with a set of speakers. To be fair, not a lot of people want to fully upgrade their system, but it’s a bummer to want to and be stuck with something that you spent $100 on that is now a paperweight.
There’s a way to avoid this and actually end up with something on par with a soundbar. You can also do it for much cheaper. My method is to grow accustomed to shopping for used items, and once that door is opened, you can find many deals and put together a quality audio setup without breaking the bank. Trust me, it’s a pathway I wish I had discovered much sooner.
You can build a nice soundbar replacement for cheap
Leave that piggy bank intact
If you’re happy with a cheap soundbar, you don’t have to take this advice at all. I don’t want to tell somebody how to spend their money, but I can tell you I can get a lot more enjoyment hunting for deals and building out a nice audio setup. I know I’m an outlier, because not many people I know own four different receivers and over 10 bookshelf speakers.
The big thing you need is an audio receiver, and there are a few different paths you can take for that. Depending on sales, you can find a cheap stereo receiver on Amazon, like this Pyle one I bought, that won’t give you fancy bells and whistles. If you just need something to power a pair of speakers, this will get the job done. I used mine for a few months before replacing it, so I can’t speak to how long it’ll hold up, but it met my needs. I paired it with a pair of Elec bookshelf speakers I found on eBay for $40, and it gave me a massive upgrade over my TV speakers. Keep in mind that a stereo receiver will only allow two speakers at a time, so if you have plans to add more, you should look for a 5.1 or 7.1 receiver.
For people looking for a little more versatility, a true surround sound receiver would be needed. Instead of buying the newest option available and dropping hundreds of dollars, what if I told you that you could get a working receiver with HDMI support for very cheap? I found a decent Yamaha receiver from Goodwill, of all places, for just $15. I used this to replace my Pyle one, and I got it for cheaper than that one. You could get lucky by walking into an actual store, but my advice is to shop Goodwill auctions and look for something that fits your needs. You’ll find many receivers available for cheap, and the ones that are a bit older don’t get a lot of interest. This let me be the only bidder on a receiver, and after paying more for shipping than I did for the receiver itself, I got a 5.1 receiver setup in a spare bedroom.
Save your cash and blow a soundbar out of the water
Just do some research beforehand
I think a very underrated thing for people getting into the hobby to do is buy high-end gear from just a few years ago — and this applies to soundbars, too. This is especially the case if you don’t need modern features such as Dolby Atmos. The receiver I snagged doesn’t have Atmos support, but since I don’t have plans of adding Dolby Atmos into the room it’s in, that’s not a big deal.
My method is to grow accustomed to shopping for used items, and once that door is opened, you can find many deals and put together a quality audio setup for very cheap. Trust me, it’s a pathway I wish I had discovered much sooner.
Doing this can save you a lot of money, and you’ll often find stuff in good condition that people are simply trying to recoup some costs on after they upgraded to something new. My dad is still using a receiver that’s more than 40 years old, so if you can take care of your tech, it can last a very long time. Since I got my receiver for $15, even if it lasts a year or so, I’ll feel like I got my money’s worth from it.
No matter how you slice it, my method is cheaper than a soundbar, especially the high-end ones, and it’s a great entry point into upgraded audio. The Pyle receiver paired with the bookshelves will set you back about $70. If you look for an older 5.1 audio receiver, you pay about the same thanks to shipping, but if you manage to find a receiver at a thrift store, you might be able to drop the price down to around $50. Good luck finding a decent soundbar in that price range.
