Adding a TV, picking an audio solution and sharing a sub?

Hi

I have a desk in our open living space, with a pair of Audioengine A5+ speakers in a near-field setup that also double as our main speakers for casual listening to music through Roon. I know this is not ideal, but with a toddler in the space, floor standing speakers would not last long… I have been eyeing LS50W’s or adding a subwoofer but haven’t decided yet…

I run the A5+'s off a Topping DX3Pro DAC which is fed through USB from my pc. I have a mac that uses an AQ Dragonfly Red on the same speaker on it secondary input. The speakers have a subwoofer output connector but I don’t think they have a crossover.

We recently bought a TV, which has a Chromecast built in. It’s a Sony Vaio A8G. I can cast music from Roon to the TV, which was unexpected, but nice… It even transmits the album art. I haven’t tested it’s capability yet, but it seems to support lossless redbook files…

While the sound is rather good for just a TV, I feel it is lacking compared to proper speakers. I tried the A5+'s as output, but they are at a 90 degree angle from the TV and that just does not work.

I have been contemplating to add a soundbar, preferably a rather nice one, that I could also use as a Roon endpoint (by itself, or through the TV’s built in Chromecast), for casual listening. Sonos, Sennheiser and Sony seem to be making models from 500 to just over 1000 euro that are reviewed rather good. I haven’t owned a TV for over a decade, so I am not really knowledgeable about what is being done now… Simplicity (for my family members) is key and an unintrusive and child-proof design is a must.

Is a soundbar a good option and if yes, which ones are best? What are my alternatives?

Lastly I still want to add a sub for listening on my desk. Ideally, The same sub could be shared between the TV and the desktop stereo system. Is that possible?

I think it is unlikely you could use the same subwoofer for both a soundbar and your desktop stereo. My Bose Soundtouch 300 is a “system” composed of soundbar, sub, and rear surround speakers.

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Thanks for linking that thread. That was usefull…

I read the Sennheiser Ambeo has a connection for a dedicated external sub, but haven’t seen that on less high end models.

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yeah, that one…
I’m not willing to spend that much money on a soundbar. I don’t use the TV often enough to warrant that expense.

I was thinking about maybe stretching to a Sony HT-ST5000 or a B&W Formation, but that latter one doesn´t have HMDI ARC, only optical. It does come Roon Ready however, but adding a sub will also push it to the price point of a Ambeo…

Sonos gear seems to be a compelling option for many but I really don´t plan to go for any other streaming solution than RAAT…

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