Speakers vs Soundbar for TV. $300 budget

[szury]

I don't know much about audio. All I know is that I need some good sound for my TV.
Is a soundbar better or a speaker + receiver?

I am not interested in bluetooth, surround sound, remove for speaker etc. All I want is good sound.

Also tell me which speakers can be controlled with the TV remote and which can't be?
My budget is $300. My living room is quite big.

 

[jsmithepa]

With a large room, you probably want separates, should give u a wider sweet spot and larger drivers to move more air.

I know you don't want surround but I tell ya, that center channel does wonders to TV dialog, I didn't think I'd use surround that much but now it's full time even though I probably spend 50% of the time just watching broadcast TV.