I don't venture into this part of the forum too much so forgive me if this has been asked (a search didn't help me much though)...

I have a pretty small apartment and not much of a home theater set up. Just an HDTV and a PS3. Eventually I'm going to upgrade but for now, I'm happy with what I have.

But I have been looking to upgrade in the audio department. But like I said, I don't have much room so I decided against getting even a small 5.1 system. Then I heard of these soundbars and as far as size goes, it's exactly what I'm looking for... but I don't know much else about them.

First question first... I know these can't fully replicate an actual 5.1 system but other than that, how is the sound? I'd be comparing it to my 3 year old Vizio TV speakers. Is the sound upgrade worth it? I'm willing to pass on this entirely if it's not.

Second... I would want to be able to have it work with both my TV and PS3. I don't know which ones will allow me to connect both.

Finally, I'm not looking to spend a ton. I eventually plan to dump the TV and soundbar in favor of a better tv and better audio set up... so this is really just serving as a bridge until I get that. I've done a bit of research and have seen some that come with a subwoofer... I don't really even need that, although I'll take it. Ideally I'd like to spend

I have the Panasonic SC-HTB500, it was part of a package deal with my panny plasma. I think there is a newer model that list for ~ $200. If you think of a sound bar as a step up from the TV built ins, the sound is fuller, more dynamic, some directionality, and some sub kick, then your expectations are met. I'm happy with it for now and it is doing the job while I save for a true HT system. check out avsforums, there is a section on soundbars. some are even "high end". I can play everything thru it, blu ray player, Wii, TV.

I have the Sony HT-CT100, it was about the cheapest you could get with HDMI at the time. The volume can be a little low on some TV stations but I haven't ever maxed out the volume when watching a DVD or Blu-ray. It doesn't decode HD Audio though so you need a Blu-ray player that can do the decoding. It is a cheap option for decent bass but not worth it if you want a surround sound experience.

I recently got in a refurb Boston Acoustics Tvee Model 20 soundbar (with a 6 or 8" sub). I ran it for about thirty minutes before boxing it back up and getting a return label to send it back. Was it a bump up from my stock LCD tv speakers? It definitely was, but not a $108 bump up so I'll eat the cost of returning it and consider it a lesson learned on my part.

After that I went back to my parents house and dug out a set of Altec Lansing ADA885 2.1 PC speakers I had purchased back in 2006. My own fault, but wish I had remembered those were buried away before I bought the BA soundbar setup. I used to use them for movie watching years ago, but stored them away to save space when I lived with my parents.

I'd still rather have even a budget HTIB like a Onkyo S3300, but the Altec's will get the job done when I have friends over to watch a movie (Clear, loud audio and decent kick from the sub). For the times I can't use those, or have the volume up loud, I use a set of Audio-Technica ATH-M50's through a headphone amp. Maybe the Boston Acoustics model I tried was an under performer, but, as an apartment dweller as well, I don't think I'll be looking into any other soundbar setups in the future.