Apartments and condominiums are small spaces that are very tricky to decorate and pimp out. If you see some furniture you really like and buy it without doing some measurements first, you may end up returning it or even selling it because of space constraints. This is the challenge most unit owners face, leading to higher costs for made-to-order pieces that fit snugly in a corner or folded in a wall.
Appliances and electronics are on the same boat. If you’ve fallen in-love with a refrigerator with French doors and an ice maker, prepare to have your heart broken – it might not fit in your condo’s kitchen! For those who can’t watch a movie without 7.1 surround sound and a kickass HDTV, living in a condo might not sound as appealing because there simply won’t be enough space for a home theater system unless the unit is 200sqm whopper.
Enter the Soundbar
If space is a problem and you really want to have a decent audio-video setup for movies or gaming, don’t go small – go slim. Small kitchen appliances and other stuff in the condo can be of the smaller variety and some of them are actually a little cute, like smallish coffee makers and table top dishwashers. But for audio and video, it’s sacrilege to go small because it won’t look cute at all – it’ll just look pathetic.
If you already have a slim 32”- 47” LED TV (don’t go any smaller, trust me) wall mounted in your condo, good job! Not having a big, cumbersome TV rack is a definite space saver. Now, all you need is a good soundbar to make your living room the heart of your new place. Soundbars are thin and can be mounted on the wall, just like flat screen TV’s.
Sound ain’t Cheap
When I was out looking for a new condo in Montreal so I could live near the office and save on gas, I planned what my living room would look like and what electronics I could theoretically place. I already owned a 46” HDTV and a PS4, but my 7.1 surround sound setup plus the Yamaha amplifier were just too big and too much of a hassle to set up. I ended up selling the whole thing on eBay and I went soundbar shopping.
When it comes to sound, you get what you pay for. Cheap really is cheap, and if you take that route, prepare to be disappointed – the sound coming out would be tinny and soulless. Some brands would try to add virtual base, but it just makes the sound worse. While you can’t go wrong with brands like Sony, Bose and Pioneer, there’s one Soundbar that is an absolute must have – the Yamaha YAS 203.
The Yamaha YAS 203 is worth every penny because of the separate subwoofer and myriad of connectivity options including Bluetooth. The only thing I don’t like with this soundbar is the absence of an HDMI port, but other than that, it’s a winner. The sound is full and you’ll think the sound is coming from a true-blue surround sound system.
Final Word
If you really want a good audio-video experience in your condo, but lack the space to do it, you can always get a soundbar and mount it on your wall under the HDTV. Now all you need is a small shelf for your gaming console and blue ray player to enjoy a movie in high-definition.Don’t forget to buy a comfy couch; you may hang out in the living room more often than you want.