A:Answer In my opinion, the soundbar is the better way to go for just watching TV with drama, spoken voice, sports, etc.. Only if you plan to seriously listen to live concert music would I consider a surround system & spend the money on better speaker quality. Effect of UHDTV best when sitting closer to it. So at a distance of 6-8 feet away, it really doesn't matter. The subwoofer delivers low-range frequency sound that balances the mix, in my opinion. The curved shape helps distribute the sound evenly in all directions. You can also crank the soundbar to pretty high levels if you want to rattle some pictures on the wall.