From high-resolution flatscreens to soundbars that reproduce the soundtrack in phenomenal detail, your viewing parties can now deliver the magic of the cinema with the intimacy of the home.
As experts in all things audio, this KEF guide will unpack how a home theatre soundbar brings cinematic sound to your living room space for the most immersive and thrilling watch parties, movie nights, gaming nights and more.
What is a Soundbar?
Soundbars are speaker systems created for home cinemas. They feature multidirectional speakers in a single unit for incredible surround sound. So, rather than having to place multiple speakers around your home cinema space for the surround sound effects, you now only need one exceptional piece of technology, which can be positioned just beneath your screen.
Our guide to home theatre soundbars can explain this technology and its benefits further.
Soundbars for Home Cinema Hosting
A movie night with friends can be such an enjoyable communal experience. You feel the joy, fear, laughter, and heartache of the film in unison. With a soundbar for your TV, the intimacy of the experience is enhanced even further. Your entire space is wrapped in the soundtrack, with audio hitting viewers seated all around the room evenly and equally.
Soundbars for Sports Match Watch Parties
Whether it’s the World Cup final or a big boxing match, gathering your friends around to watch the game together always adds to the excitement of a major sporting event. And, if you have a soundbar for your TV, you’ll always be the go-to host for such watch parties.
With a home theatre soundbar bringing the roars of the crowd from every angle, you’ll feel as though you’re right in the stadium, while enjoying the comfort, warmth and snacks of your home.
Soundbars for Gaming Parties
Soundbars for your home cinema don’t just upgrade passive viewing. The next time you host a gaming party, treat yourself and your guests to elevated realism by allowing the soundscape of your game to envelop your space. Blasts, roars, background music, and more enter the room to achieve intensified competition and excitement.
Other Ways to Enhance Your Home Cinema for Watch Parties
Your soundbar brings so much to your viewing experience, but what other features should you add to your home cinema for the greatest viewing parties of all?
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos technology takes surround sound up another notch by including overhead audio for immersive 3D sound. KEF’s soundbar, the KEF XIO, is Dolby Atmos and DTS:X enabled for the most all-absorbing sound. Our Dolby Atmos blog can explain the benefit of this technology further.
High definition screen
A screen with 4K Ultra HD will provide magnificent clarity and detail, especially when paired with High Contrast Ratio and High Dynamic Range. Placing the TV screen correctly also affects the viewing experience, so see our guide to calculating TV height to help with this.
Can I Create a Home Theatre Without a Soundbar?
Soundbars are incredible for providing surround sound in a single unit. However, if you have plenty of space, you can also create a coordinated home theatre surround sound setup with multiple home cinema speakers. This can include centre channel, right and left speakers, plus rear speakers and, for Dolby Atmos, overhead speakers too.
Our guide to setting up the perfect home theatre can help you to position these for optimal cinematic audio.
Host with the KEF XIO Soundbar for Home Theatre
Our KEF XIO home theatre soundbar supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X for the most encompassing surround sound. Plus, it features some of our finest signature KEF technologies.
With the Uni-Q® MX driver, the sound spreads evenly across the room so that all of your watch party guests enjoy the same excellent audio experience. Dialogue Mode is perfect for when you’re hosting that one friend who always mishears lines, as it ensures each word is crystal clear. Plus, Intelligent Placement Technology (IPT) allows the soundbar to adapt to your space.
Host the best movie nights, game nights and more when you add the KEF XIO soundbar to your home cinema.
