If the manufacturer is not shipping their product in the best state, I don’t want it.

I’m glad you two get along.

You’re complaining about lack of bass… from a smart speaker. Get a subwoofer and two speakers. Don’t buy a sound bar. You’ll regret that even more. The KEF Q350 is on sale for $500 a pair right now. Pair that with a $120 SMSL amp and an SVS SB-1000 Pro, and you have yourself a killer 2.1 system.

For movies, yes. For music, you want a front stage. I’ve already explained this to you above.

Not true at all. If your AVR has separate left and right subwoofer channels, you can get stereo subs to match your stereo speakers. It also provides a much more even response. I always have two subs and always put them up front.