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Dynex
Two things every HDTV owner must do: disable whatever settings lead to the dreadful soap-opera effect, and add at least one external speaker.
Because, let’s face it, regardless of how big or small your TV is or how cheap or expensive it was, its built-in speakers sound terrible.
Luckily, just about any sound bar will make a huge difference — even an inexpensive one like this. For a limited time, and while supplies last, Best Buy has the Dynex DX-SB114 sound bar for $39.99 shipped (plus sales tax). Regular price: $69.99.
I’ve written many times about the value of a sound bar, so I won’t repeat myself again. Suffice it to say, if you’re relying on your TV’s built-in speakers, you’re cheating yourself of the best possible viewing experience. (And doesn’t “The Walking Dead” deserve better?)
This particular sound bar is, as you might expect, totally no-frills, though with a decent-looking (and wall-mountable) tapered design and three audio inputs: optical, RCA and stereo. There’s also an output for connecting a subwoofer down the road, should you decide to. It even has three DSP modes: Standard, Theater and News. (Hmm, come to think of it, guess it’s not so no-frills after all.)
Audio quality is subjective, of course, but the couple dozen user reviews on Best Buy’s product page average out to 4.3 stars (out of 5) — a pretty clear indication this is a solid sound bar.
And typically when you find one selling for $50 or less, it’s refurbished. This one is brand new, with a full one-year warranty. What’s not to like?
Bonus deal: Looking for an inexpensive smartphone for your teenager? How about a Benjamin-and-done? For a limited time, and while supplies last, Yugster has the refurbished Samsung Galaxy S3 with free lifetime talk, text and data for $96.97, plus $5 for shipping. That’s after applying coupon code DEALNEWS3 at checkout. It’s a pretty low-end phone by today’s standards, but still capable of running Android 4.4 — and remind those ingrate kids that beggars can’t be choosers. FreedomPop’s free service includes 200 voice minutes, 500 text messages and 500MB of data.
