Why are TV soundbars so expensive?!

DullGreyGuy

EssexExile said:

I use a Denon mini hi-fi for TV sound, about £400.

Thats where I started with a set of Mission speakers

Then it became a c£800 Denon AVR and more Mission Speakers, then a better Denon AVR, then an Onkyo AVR and then onto the Arcam AVR I still have. Mission made way for KEF and then we bought our home and wife nagged about all the speakers so moved Kef In Wall

Nothing more needed on the sound side, the AVR will be upgraded at some point but the new models arent offering enough more and I dont do gaming so dont need 4k at 120hz. Now were we to consider the projector and screen, thats a whole different matter but the wife reads here so thats enough said. 

DUBVENDOR

I had a Bose Solo good for smaller rooms . On sale used online around £100 Now use Naim Muso as a soundbar but does streaming and internet radio and more . Cost new around £900 

SneakySpectator

Exodi said:

This post seems a bit contradictory to me to be honest.

So you're OK with spending £1800 for an LG 55" OLED TV, despite the fact you can pick up an LG 55" OLED TV for under half that, e.g.: https://www.currys.co.uk/products/lg-oled55b42la-55-smart-4k-ultra-hd-hdr-oled-tv-with-amazon-alexa-10262628.html (and it gives you a 50% discount on a soundbar), but can't see why people would spend extra for a soundbar?

Why are you opting for a £1800 TV over the one I linked? You can appreciate, if it's because it has extra nits, or  other relatively minor improvements, then this is exactly the argument that could be used for why someone would spend lots of money on a soundbar.

Don't get me wrong, I'm also guilty -  I ended up choosing a Mini LED 65" 4K TV, got it out the wall, brilliant, time to take advantage of the crisp fidelity and superior image quality.

Only kidding, I watch it without glasses (so I can't see the fidelity), turn the brightness down to save electricity and most of the stuff I watch (e.g. TV or YouTube) is at best 1080p.

I have not bought a TV yet but the one I saw was this one https://www.currys.co.uk/products/lg-oled55g46ls-55-smart-4k-ultra-hd-hdr-oled-tv-with-amazon-alexa-10263129.html (it didn't have the discount yesterday when I made this thread.)

I probably will buy a cheaper one I'm still looking, I was just asking about the soundbar price.

DullGreyGuy

SneakySpectator said:

Exodi said:

This post seems a bit contradictory to me to be honest.

So you're OK with spending £1800 for an LG 55" OLED TV, despite the fact you can pick up an LG 55" OLED TV for under half that, e.g.: https://www.currys.co.uk/products/lg-oled55b42la-55-smart-4k-ultra-hd-hdr-oled-tv-with-amazon-alexa-10262628.html (and it gives you a 50% discount on a soundbar), but can't see why people would spend extra for a soundbar?

Why are you opting for a £1800 TV over the one I linked? You can appreciate, if it's because it has extra nits, or  other relatively minor improvements, then this is exactly the argument that could be used for why someone would spend lots of money on a soundbar.

Don't get me wrong, I'm also guilty -  I ended up choosing a Mini LED 65" 4K TV, got it out the wall, brilliant, time to take advantage of the crisp fidelity and superior image quality.

Only kidding, I watch it without glasses (so I can't see the fidelity), turn the brightness down to save electricity and most of the stuff I watch (e.g. TV or YouTube) is at best 1080p.

I have not bought a TV yet but the one I saw was this one https://www.currys.co.uk/products/lg-oled55g46ls-55-smart-4k-ultra-hd-hdr-oled-tv-with-amazon-alexa-10263129.html (it didn't have the discount yesterday when I made this thread.)

I probably will buy a cheaper one I'm still looking, I was just asking about the soundbar price.

It's £1,450 at RicherSounds, if you drop from the G to the C it's £1,200 or £850 for the B. 

In some years there are vast differences between the different grades, in some years it's much closer. 

Now is an odd time to buy... the 2025 models have been announced but not yet released. The 2024 models have good discounts and are in good supply. In principle their price will be cut again when the 2025 models come out but you then potentially start running into stock issues of the discontinued models. 

We have the C model from over 6 years ago and it's great. The 2024 models didnt tempt me much at all, another evolutionary year. The 2025 G however does sound like its more revolutionary, at least compared to ours, so may demo it (with the credit card left at home)

Exodi

SneakySpectator said:

Exodi said:

This post seems a bit contradictory to me to be honest.

So you're OK with spending £1800 for an LG 55" OLED TV, despite the fact you can pick up an LG 55" OLED TV for under half that, e.g.: https://www.currys.co.uk/products/lg-oled55b42la-55-smart-4k-ultra-hd-hdr-oled-tv-with-amazon-alexa-10262628.html (and it gives you a 50% discount on a soundbar), but can't see why people would spend extra for a soundbar?

Why are you opting for a £1800 TV over the one I linked? You can appreciate, if it's because it has extra nits, or  other relatively minor improvements, then this is exactly the argument that could be used for why someone would spend lots of money on a soundbar.

Don't get me wrong, I'm also guilty -  I ended up choosing a Mini LED 65" 4K TV, got it out the wall, brilliant, time to take advantage of the crisp fidelity and superior image quality.

Only kidding, I watch it without glasses (so I can't see the fidelity), turn the brightness down to save electricity and most of the stuff I watch (e.g. TV or YouTube) is at best 1080p.

I have not bought a TV yet but the one I saw was this one https://www.currys.co.uk/products/lg-oled55g46ls-55-smart-4k-ultra-hd-hdr-oled-tv-with-amazon-alexa-10263129.html (it didn't have the discount yesterday when I made this thread.)

I probably will buy a cheaper one I'm still looking, I was just asking about the soundbar price.

But this is exactly the point I was making. You seem to have no problem with the price tag of a G4 being over double the B4, despite them both being 55" LG OLED TV's and the only difference really down to brightness and other small improvements as I said before, yet have a problem with excessive spending on a soundbar.

I hope you can appreciate, if small improvements to picture quality could potentially be worth a grand to you, then it's not hard to see why small improvements to sound quality might be worth a grand to someone else?

Grumpy_chap

I have an alternative and different answer to the OP's original question "why are soundbars expensive?"

Is it all down to marketing and market-perception?
People will shop around and compare the prices for a TV to get the best deal.  The sale goes to whoever has the TV at the lowest price.
The soundbar is a step-up in terms of the extent to which it is a "discretionary" spend so the price comparison is probably less intense, even to the point that the soundbar may well become an impulse purchase encouraged as "upsell" by the retailer at the point of purchase so less susceptible to price comparison by the consumer.  Some may even link the competitive price for the TV as extrapolating to the price for the soundbar also being competitive, especially when that is promoted by the retailer at point of sale as a special bundle offer.

DullGreyGuy

You could go further down the rabbit hole as its not uncommon for TV's to be bundled with a free soundbar "worth £300", in fact Richer Sounds has a page dedicated to TVs with a free soundbar https://www.richersounds.com/brands/tvs-with-free-soundbars/ 

Always better to get something thats "worth" £300 for free than something worth £50. 

Exodi

Grumpy_chap said:

People will shop around and compare the prices for a TV to get the best deal.  The sale goes to whoever has the TV at the lowest price.

I disagree, I don't think TV's are commoditized like that and even if some people were exclusively persuaded by size and price, there are plenty of others who aren't (myself and the OP being obvious examples).

I'd argue exactly the same thing (marketing and perception affecting price) happens for TV's (as we can assume the OP's decision-making isn't primarily driven by price, else they'd be looking at Bush/Hisense/etc 55 Inch TV's for under £300 for Argos).

Even if you compare raw specs, it has been the case for a long time that you can get similar specs for a fraction of the price opting for something like a TCL over, Samsung, Sony or LG.

Not only has the OP made a conscious decision to go with LG (which I'm not necessarily knocking as they are reputed to be one of the best OLED TV's on the market), but they're also consciously considering one of the most expensive models (G4 instead of B4).

Brand premium (as in, paying over the odds because of the name on the box) exists for TV's just as it does for soundbars and just as it does for all products. If you want the brand name, you must pay for it. Alternatively there are plenty of soundbars retailing for well under £100.

Grumpy_chap

Exodi said:

Grumpy_chap said:

People will shop around and compare the prices for a TV to get the best deal.  The sale goes to whoever has the TV at the lowest price.

I disagree, I don't think TV's are commodity like that and even if some people were exclusively persuaded by size and price, there are plenty of others who aren't (myself and the OP being obvious examples).

I'd argue exactly he same thing (marketing and perception affecting price) happens for TV's (as we can assume the OP's decision-making isn't primarily driven by price, else they'd be looking at Bush/Hisense/etc 55 Inch TV's for under £300 for Argos).

Even if you compare raw specs, it has been the case for a long time that you can get a similar specs for a fraction of the price opting for something like a TCL over, Samsung, Sony or LG.

Not only has the OP made a conscious decision to go with LG (which I'm not necessarily knocking as they are reputed to be one of the best OLED TV's on the market), but they're also consciously considering one of the most expensive models (G4 instead of B4).

Brand premium (as in, paying over the odds because of the name on the box) exists for TV's just as it does for soundbars and just as it does for all products. If you want the brand name, you must pay for it. Alternatively there are plenty of soundbars retailing for well under £100.

I don't think a TV has to be a pure commodity item for the product to still be very price sensitive.

An individual might well decide they want a specific LG or Samsung  or Sony rather than Bush or Hisense, but I suspect it is very common to then seek out the most competitive price for that specific LG or Samsung or Sony choice.

Once at the point of purchase, whether a real life shop or online, the retailer will attempt the "upsell" to add the soundbar or other items that can be added as bundle and increase the overall sale value.  These "upsell" items are relying on spontaneity to achieve the value.



EDIT - I just had a look at the Curry's link upthread and my overwhelming conclusion is that the pricing for TVs (plus upsell items) is simply made totally opaque so we don't know whether we got a good deal or not.
 - That TV is £1,700 right now.
 - With a trade in offer on any TV save £150 (so grab a TV from a charity shop if you need to)
 - Plus a "free" soundbar worth £700 if purchased with the TV
 - Plus £50 off a specific LG soundbar
 - Plus 50% of any LG soundbar
 - Plus save £300 if you also buy a PS5
 - Plus some free Apple TV.
It would take half a say just to work out the best price at Curry's

Then, other websites are listing £1,500 (Amazon), £1,450 (Richer Sounds), £1,600 (AO), £1,300 (Smart Appliances?)

I feel glad I don't need a new TV.

Exodi

Grumpy_chap said:

Exodi said:

Grumpy_chap said:

People will shop around and compare the prices for a TV to get the best deal.  The sale goes to whoever has the TV at the lowest price.

I disagree, I don't think TV's are commodity like that and even if some people were exclusively persuaded by size and price, there are plenty of others who aren't (myself and the OP being obvious examples).

I'd argue exactly he same thing (marketing and perception affecting price) happens for TV's (as we can assume the OP's decision-making isn't primarily driven by price, else they'd be looking at Bush/Hisense/etc 55 Inch TV's for under £300 for Argos).

Even if you compare raw specs, it has been the case for a long time that you can get a similar specs for a fraction of the price opting for something like a TCL over, Samsung, Sony or LG.

Not only has the OP made a conscious decision to go with LG (which I'm not necessarily knocking as they are reputed to be one of the best OLED TV's on the market), but they're also consciously considering one of the most expensive models (G4 instead of B4).

Brand premium (as in, paying over the odds because of the name on the box) exists for TV's just as it does for soundbars and just as it does for all products. If you want the brand name, you must pay for it. Alternatively there are plenty of soundbars retailing for well under £100.

I don't think a TV has to be a pure commodity item for the product to still be very price sensitive.

An individual might well decide they want a specific LG or Samsung  or Sony rather than Bush or Hisense, but I suspect it is very common to then seek out the most competitive price for that specific LG or Samsung or Sony choice.

But that would be an example of marketing and market-perception as you said earlier.

If I go to the supermarket for some ketchup and I absolutely must have Heinz, even if I then filter through to get the best price by seeing which bottle of Heinz is on offer, or whether I save more buying a bigger bottle or the reduced salt/sugar version, etc my primary consideration was the brand, and my secondary consideration was pricing.

All products are price sensitive and I don't necessarily think TV's are a notable example of extreme price sensitivity, and as can be seen from the OP there are many who will focus or stick to specific TV brands, due to marketing and market-perception, just like any other type of product.

Grumpy_chap said:

Exodi said:

Grumpy_chap said:

People will shop around and compare the prices for a TV to get the best deal.  The sale goes to whoever has the TV at the lowest price.

I disagree, I don't think TV's are commodity like that and even if some people were exclusively persuaded by size and price, there are plenty of others who aren't (myself and the OP being obvious examples).

I'd argue exactly he same thing (marketing and perception affecting price) happens for TV's (as we can assume the OP's decision-making isn't primarily driven by price, else they'd be looking at Bush/Hisense/etc 55 Inch TV's for under £300 for Argos).

Even if you compare raw specs, it has been the case for a long time that you can get a similar specs for a fraction of the price opting for something like a TCL over, Samsung, Sony or LG.

Not only has the OP made a conscious decision to go with LG (which I'm not necessarily knocking as they are reputed to be one of the best OLED TV's on the market), but they're also consciously considering one of the most expensive models (G4 instead of B4).

Brand premium (as in, paying over the odds because of the name on the box) exists for TV's just as it does for soundbars and just as it does for all products. If you want the brand name, you must pay for it. Alternatively there are plenty of soundbars retailing for well under £100.

EDIT - I just had a look at the Curry's link upthread and my overwhelming conclusion is that the pricing for TVs (plus upsell items) is simply made totally opaque so we don't know whether we got a good deal or not.
 - That TV is £1,700 right now.
 - With a trade in offer on any TV save £150 (so grab a TV from a charity shop if you need to)
 - Plus a "free" soundbar worth £700 if purchased with the TV
 - Plus £50 off a specific LG soundbar
 - Plus 50% of any LG soundbar
 - Plus save £300 if you also buy a PS5
 - Plus some free Apple TV.
It would take half a say just to work out the best price at Curry's

Then, other websites are listing £1,500 (Amazon), £1,450 (Richer Sounds), £1,600 (AO), £1,300 (Smart Appliances?)

I feel glad I don't need a new TV.

This I wholeheartedly agree with, which implies that the soundbars have been inflated (to be used in up-sell offers with TV's), which I'll concede is very valid and goes some way in answering the OP's question.

The antics are generally on the more expensive TV's with fatter margins, but I ended up settling for a TCL for our main living room TV, where we got all the bells and whistles for a fraction of the price of the likes of Sony, Samsung, LG, etc. Looking on forums that focus on TV's (they are such a thing), TCL has received a considerable amount of praise and is often recommended (that it's of no help to the OP as they don't make OLED's yet).