And for those that still care and are willing to put in the legwork, $150 will score you a nice pair of Advents or similar on Craigslist, and almost any receiver you’ll find at your local thrift store will beat the pants off a cheap soundbar.

Never seen any decent audio gear at a thrift store.

Plus, does all of that stuff integrate with your tv remote like the right soundbar can? Most people don't want multiple remotes or have to manually turn a receiver etc on