As a minimalist, I appreciate the streamlined look of sound bars. I researched the heck out of them until I realized they couldn’t provide the musical fidelity I was looking for. So I went with a traditional AVR + 5.1 loudspeaker setup, with all the clutter and complexity that entails.
I’ve been happy with the audio performance now that everything is dialed in. But I really don’t like staring at the equipment clutter. So for 2023, I decided I would build a blocker panel using a baffle board to hide the electronics. Because I use radio remotes and HDMI-CEC, I only need infrared to make the occasional AVR adjustment.
This is my current configuration. The TV stand is open on 3 sides. Since my summer 2022 gallery post, I upgraded the TV from a 52” 1080p occupying a 30º field of vision to a 65” 4K HDR at 40º. I can relocate the left and right channels to 60º when I’m in the mood, but it’s not a significant improvement.
https://i.postimg.cc/grgjkJVB/IMG-0040.jpg I bought a 20” x 30” black plastic corrugated sheet and a roll of adhesive/magnetic tape at the local arts and crafts store. The uncut panel blocked the entire TV stand, and looked much nicer.
https://i.postimg.cc/RVLnDCHt/IMG-0039.jpgSo I switched the AVR to 4.1 and 2.1 and had a listen. Not only was it an obvious difference, but the baffle board negatively impacted imaging, spaciousness, and tonality. This is nothing new, and Mr. Welker even warned of the deleterious effect of locating audio racks next to loudspeakers:
https://youtu.be/vmIRlqoLxl8I continued my original plan of blocking just the electronics.
https://i.postimg.cc/n9hLGbJk/IMG-0041.jpg I restored the AVR to 2.1 and 3.1 and had a listen while my son flipped the blocker panel up and down. I concluded that the blocker panel continued to have a perceptively negative effect on stereo performance but to a lesser degree, and a slightly negative but almost negligible effect in 3.1 audio.
Conclusion
As an N=1 anecdote, I think stereo speakers need room to breathe to sound their best; it’s probably less important as you add channels. Looks matter, so I'm keeping the revision.
But considering that sound bars are placed on top of cabinets, I wonder if they’re doomed to forever suffer from the same colorations I experienced when I blocked the entire TV stand.
