Topic: Gaming TVs, Soundbars, Headsets and Shelving

I saw the Sennheiser Ambeo on sale again for $500 off, and, you might be able to stack the WELCOME10 new user coupon for another 10% off, taking it down to $1799 from MSRP of $2499.

It's also on BestBuy for $1999, where you can use BestBuy CC for 5% back in rewards.

https://en-us.sennheiser.com/ambeo-soundbar

Fuzzy earcups. Never was a fan of closed back, but those look like cans I'd like to try.

I have voice chat all worked out via the Arctis 9 wireless which connects wirelessly to Switch with 2.4 GHz wireless dongle and wirelessly to phone via Bluetooth and mixes the audio. But because the dongle is USB-A with a cable attached it's not ideal for handheld.

So.

I just grabbed a Homespot Pro aptx LL Bluetooth adapter for Switch and an aptx LL Bluetooth receiver to use with my Hifiman Aryas (Sennheisers stay corded for TV play- this is for handheld only). This will allow me to pair my wired headphones over Bluetooth, while also connecting my phone over Bluetooth, and mixing the audio. The Homespot Pro adapter has a built in mic too. Might not be the best but as long as it works.

This will enable voice chat via Discord with the audio mixed with the game while in handheld mode. Was gonna buy a special pair of aptx LL bluetooth headphones to use with the Homespot adapter for handheld voice chat, but then thought... why? I have too many headphones already. Surely there's a way to make a wired set wireless? Turns out, there was.

Avantree aptx LL Bluetooth Receiver

Homespot Pro aptx LL Dual Bluetooth Adapter

@NeonPizza
Well, I wouldn't recommend going wireless for audio in general, but for voice chat specifically? That's something where I have to go wireless. I'm not worried about pristine audio when I'm voice chatting, I just want to hear what's going on in the game and hear the person I'm talking to, and do it without all these wires and adapters running from my headphones to my Switch to my phone, etc.

I saw the QD-OLED, but it was Samsung, not Sony. They were saying Samsung might just call it "QD" because they've been so aggressive against OLED in the past, it might not be good marketing for them to keep OLED in the name.

But ya, I'm hoping my TV will last until the time it's out and cost has come down.

I recently bought the Samsung Neo QLED 65" gaming TV, and I'm really happy with it. Colors and contrast are really crisp compared to my old "cheap" 55" 2015 Samsung TV.
Also, in summer I got a pretty nice Samsung sound bar with surround and I do believe also Dolby Atmos, as well as a woofer or whatever it's called that's on the ground and makes the bass I think. Pretty good sound. But I had to mount my TV on the wall, since the soundbar is ridiculously big lol

So the new Switch has pretty much sold me on OLED and I'm thinking of picking up a 48" TV in the coming months.

Seems the two main options here are from LG and Sony. The latter generally costs ~£200 (~$273) more than the former. Specs seem largely the same (same size, pixel count, 120hz).

Any recommendations here? I know there's been a bit of controversy around LG littering their OS with ads...but is there any reason to go for Sony over LG? Might it overall be a better quality display?

I have a question about the picture settings of a LG C1 or similar models, if I damage the TV or something with this.
I've experimented with the PC mode a little for the Switch to get a better picture without getting more input lag compared to Game Mode. Surprisingly PC Mode on Vivid looks absolutely amazing! Though it's a tiny little bit blurry, you only notice it at some text maybe.(sharpness at max)
I can't do something wrong with this setting, do I?

@WaveBoy
I noticed in PC mode, depending on the picture modes ABL has different behaviours. The game I was playing looked the best in Vivid because the brightness wasn't jarringly flactuating because of ABL.
I have to try ISF Bright Room again with other games. Thanks for the suggestion.

Welp, getting a new sound bar, since my current one has been acting up lately. This new one has eARC, but then again I'm hearing that the Switch STILL won't do surround sound even with that...but others are saying it's fine...? Ugh, I don't know...why is this a pain in the butt to do? Maybe the HDMI-IN will work better at least...

EDIT: out of pure boredom, tries to get surround sound on Switch working via HDMI-IN
...Yup, still doesn't work at all, or works with audio cutting out for a few seconds the exact moment the Switch's audio goes silent.

I'm limited with money, so I can't go for the $1,000+ sound systems...I just managed to get lucky with my TV due to certain events. (C9) but yeah Vizio is basically my best option since everything else out there is too expensive.

...I'm talking about the audio with Vizio...lol

I love my OLED TV, it works perfectly fine, aside from having one semi-dead pixel. It's the sound bar that I've been having issues with, and getting my Switch to use surround sound. It either doesn't work at all, or when it does work (for some bizarre reason) the audio cuts out for a few seconds almost instantly when it detects no audio from the console, it's highly annoying and I can't figure out why. It also feels like the overall quality dropped slightly.

Welp, got my new sound bar...
...
Yeah, I give up completely. I got surround sound on Switch to work ONCE via eARC and even then...it was stuck at a super loud volume, unable to control it, and I think the bass/subwoofer didn't even work. HDMI-IN? Nope, that just doesn't work at all, no audio...

People have said unplugging the sound bar would fix this but, nope, it just stopped working after that...I'm done.

@Joeynator3000
When I got my Sennheiser Ambeo, at first I couldn't get it working with Switch and was frustrated.

Then, I updated the firmware of the soundbar via ethernet, then I unplugged it and disconnected all HDMI cables, pressed the power button 10 times to run out any juice left (an old college trick), reconnected it but connected Switch to HDMI Input 2 instead of Input 1, and it worked.

When you say "it worked through eARC" what does that mean? You mean you plugged HDMI from Switch directly into the eARC HDMI port on the soundbar? Cause that isn't how it should be set up. There should be at least one other HDMI in (which I know you said wasn't working), but you should absolutely get sound when running HDMI into the HDMI In on the soundbar. The video can then be passed through via eARC on soundbar out to TV.

If you're not, I'd troubleshoot why

• Is the HDMI cable 2.0b or 2.1?
• Is the Source Input on the soundbar changed to the same Input Switch is connected to? (e.g. set to Input 1 but Switch is connected to Input 2)
• Is the firmware updated (almost all soundbars need a firmware update out of the box)
• Is Switch set to Surround specifically, not Automatic?
• If all these things have been ruled out, is there another HDMI Input you can try on the soundbar? (For some reason my Ambeo wouldn't work with Switch on a specific Input, but did on another, no idea why)

Just trying to help

I'm done...there's basically no way to get it working, the one time I did get it to "work", I couldn't turn down the maxed out volume, and now video passthrough has issues. I just don't care anymore, I'll just stick with stereo on Switch.

@JaxonH Despite being frustrated, I calmed down a bit and remembered to try...ONE. LAST. THING.....my HDMI splitter. lol

It works...surround sound works, no audio cutting out or stuttering like the last one. Yeah, more cables, though...but whatever. It does seem like the volume drops slightly but at least it works.

Yeah, aside from those issues, Switch surround sound works perfectly fine. I decided to test it out with Mario Kart 8 (people told me the shells were more scary with surround, I'm disappointed, lol), yeah everything works. Problem with the last bar was that the audio would cut out way too often with HDMI In (and sometimes during blurays which was irritating when watching movies). But yeah, no matter which Vizio bar it is, HDMI-IN passthrough doesn't fully work, there's always some issue.

No idea what causes it, the first time the audio wouldn't work at all, but video was fine. This second time (where I said I was giving up after) audio worked but the video kept cutting out (the resolution seems to be lower as well). There were also times where the surround sound randomly wouldn't work and rear speakers would just be played through the front, lol.

So yeah, more HDMI cables have to be used, but the splitter helps. I don't have to deal with the passthrough weirdness. Only thing is that I would have to remove the cable in HDMI IN to my capture if I want to record. (and switch the audio back to ARC)

ANYWAYS, yup...this sound bar has absolutely NO audio cutouts, no matter the settings. The only thing that bugs me that I don't think there's a way to disable...is that the sound bar's "voice" when changing inputs or messing with settings. It's annoying, I don't like it when things talk to me, how do you shut it up? >.< lol

@Joeynator3000
Right on!

Weird that the old soundbar wouldn't work with the HDMI splitter but this one does. You should post the brand and model of the soundbar and the splitter so that others have a confirmed option that works on Switch. Along with mine and anyone else, can start assembling a kind of list of confirmed setups for others to reference.

Is there a subwoofer attached also? And separate side speakers? Or does it simulate surround by bouncing off the ceiling and walls?

@JaxonH The old one worked with the splitter, it was just the HDMI In that has issues (with the audio cutting out and video passthrough not working right)...this one also has issues but only with the passthrough thing. It seems to be a common issue with Vizio bars in general. Also any HDMI splitter will work.

Yeah this is an actual 5.1 sound bar, wireless subwoofer with wired rear speakers connected to it.

Samsung S95B 55" QD-OLED TV is now up for preorder on Amazon for $2197 (MSRP is like $2500 I think). Releases April 11th, 2022.

The first QD-OLED has arrived. Its the dawn of a new era. I'm gonna use my LG C1 OLED til the wheels fall off, but when they eventually do and it's time to buy a new TV, I think QD-OLED is the way Im going next.

https://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-55-Quantum-Self-Illuminating-Q...

Yeah my C9 is still working just fine, but I'll keep an eye on this. Saw a video on the TV, I don't completely get HDR and all of that stuff...even some 4K blurays I've seen look...fine? I dunno, lol

Great news for those looking for a top tier audio experience!

The Sennheiser Ambeo (MSRP $2499) is getting a cheaper brother model this year, aiming to compete with the price point offered by competitors (I'm expecting something in the $999 to $1499 range), yet they claim it will still offer comparable performance.

If you can get mini-Ambeo for half the price with 90% of the performance, that'll be one heck of a tempting offer, seeing as the Ambeo is definitively the best soundbar money can buy. I already have the current one, but for those who are in the market for a soundbar, and want top tier performance without the $2500 price, this seems like the way to go.

Per Sennheiser:

"Our plan in the future is to bring this technology into those price points here the competition is playing," Sennheiser's director of portfolio management Stefan Krämer explained. Reading between the lines, this would likely mean at least one new Ambeo model should clock in around $1,000 as that's where much of the Dolby Atmos-equipped competition resides. He also said we can "expect a very similar experience" to the model that debuted in 2019