I recently received this sound bar manual. It is not a complete science.
As a general rule, sound bars are better, but it’s not a universal rule. The manual indicates a sound bar’s use to be “all-purpose,” but it was written by someone who was clearly not a sound-bar expert. This is one problem with learning how to use a sound bar. We use sound bars to improve our audio. We use them to improve our sight. We use them to improve our hearing.