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I spent a month testing the 11.4.6-channel Nakamichi Dragon, and it’s a Dolby Atmos soundbar on steroids
7:00 pm | February 1, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Soundbars Televisions | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Nakamichi Dragon: Two minute review

The Nakamichi Dragon is an 11.4.6-channel soundbar system that pushes the outer limits of what a soundbar is capable of. It’s more akin to an AV receiver in its design, features, and execution. Using it, I was frequently reminded of AV receivers by everything from the system’s heavily buttoned remote control to its extensive, detailed setup menu. The Dragon is not aimed at someone interested in simple plug-and-play sound (though it does provide basic setup options and is easy to get up and running) but rather users who like to dig in and painstakingly tweak settings.

At $2,999.99 (around £2,400 / AU$4,750), the Nakamichi Dragon costs double what you’ll pay even for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars on the market such as the Samsung HW-Q990D. That’s quite a lot to pay for a soundbar system, and it takes you into an AV receiver and separate speakers package price territory. But an important Dragon advantage is that it’s a wireless system, though one with the high channel count you’d get from a receiver-based home theater audio rig.

The Dragon isn’t as feature-packed as expected given its relatively lofty price. There’s processing onboard for Dolby Atmos and the Pro version of DTS:X, and there are four HDMI 2.1 ports (one with eARC) that support 4K 120Hz and Dolby Vision pass-through. The system comes with a full-scale remote control that provides quick access to a wide array of audio adjustments and it has Bluetooth aptX HD for wireless music streaming. There’s no AirPlay or Chromecast support for streaming over Wi-Fi, and the system’s control app is primarily used for system setup.

Automatic setup and room EQ features, either the more basic ones you get in premium soundbars like the Sonos Arc Ultra, or advanced ones such as Audyssey or Dirac Live in AV receivers, are also nowhere to be found. Basic setup of the Dragon soundbar system is surprisingly easy, however.

The Dragon system’s sound does its name justice. It can go incredibly loud and the dual subwoofers, each with two 8-inch opposing drivers, provide deep-reaching and very full-sounding bass. Having two subwoofers also helps to even out bass performance, which compensates to a degree for the lack of room EQ processing. (Two subs are provided with the system configuration I tested, but it supports up to four subs.)

With six up-firing Atmos height drivers between the soundbar and the surround speakers, which also provide both side and rear surround channel driver arrays, the level of immersion provided by the Dragon system surpasses any other soundbar system I’ve heard. Not all is perfect with the Dragon’s sound, however: it can come across as aggressive and treble-forward with some content, favoring clarity and presence over subtlety. But if your main thing is action movies or gaming, there’s not too much here to complain about.

At 58.1 x 7.7 x 4.4 inches, the Dragon system’s soundbar is fairly huge – it just about fit my TV stand, which is designed to support TVs up to 75 inches. The soundbar’s stainless steel enclosure is superior to the plastic ones you get on budget models, and the system’s design strikes a nice balance between function and style. A large front panel LED display can be customized to show the names of sources (Blu-ray, Xbox, etc.) and it can also provide visual feedback beyond basic source and volume settings when you hit the Info button on the remote control.

Paying $3,000 for a soundbar system might sound a bit outrageous, but the Nakamichi Dragon is no ordinary soundbar system. It delivers a level of performance that’s more like what you get from a traditional AV receiver-based home theater system from a big honkin' soundbar with wireless subwoofers and surround speakers. If that all sounds appealing to you, you’ll find the Dragon to be a good value.

Nakamichi Dragon soundbar seen from above with Apple TV 4K menu on TV screen

At 58.1 inches wide, the Dragon requires a substantial TV stand for support (Image credit: Future)

Nakamichi Dragon review: Price & release date

  • Released in October 2023
  • $2,999.99 (around £2,400 / AU$4,750)

The Nakamichi Dragon soundbar system with two dual-opposing eight-inch subwoofers is listed at $3,999.99, but sells for $2,999.99. It is available in the US on Amazon, and can be purchased and shipped internationally through B&H Photo Video.

Along with the base configuration reviewed here, the Dragon can also be purchased in configurations with two 12-inch subwoofers ($4,199) or four 12-inch subwoofers ($7,199). Dragon pricing is high compared to other premium soundbar systems such as the Samsung HW-Q990D and LG S95TR, both of which have a lower overall channel count and lower rated power.

Nakamichi Dragon review: Specs

Nakamichi Dragon soundbar detail shot of tweeter with subwoofer in background

The Dragon soundbar and surround speakers use matching 1.5-inch Air Motion tweeters. (Image credit: Future)

Nakamichi Dragon review: Features

  • 11.4.6-channel Dolby Atmos and DTS:X
  • Four HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz and Dolby Vision pass-through
  • Bluetooth aptX HD wireless streaming

The Nakamichi Dragon combines a sizeable 58.1 x 7.7 x 4.4-inch main soundbar unit (1476 x 112 x 196mm) featuring a stainless steel enclosure with two wireless subwoofers and wireless rear surround speakers. The soundbar provides processing for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X Pro and features four HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz and Dolby Vision pass-through along with optical digital audio and 3.5mm aux inputs and outputs. There’s no onboard Wi-Fi for streaming, but the Dragon soundbar does support Bluetooth aptX HD for streaming music.

The soundbar’s speaker array consists of three 1.5-inch “Air Motion” folded ribbon-type tweeters, each flanked by a pair of 3-inch mid-range drivers for the left, center, and right channels. Two pairs of 3-inch height speakers are arrayed on the soundbar’s top surface, with the pairs angled at 10 and 20 degrees, respectively, to evenly distribute Atmos height effects from the front toward the back of the room. Along with these, 3-inch drivers are located on the soundbar’s side panels for an enhanced surround sound effect.

Nakamichi’s tall, tower-like dual-opposing wireless subwoofers each house a pair of eight-inch drivers inside a ported cabinet. The system’s Omni-Motion Reference wireless surround speakers each contain side and rear surround speaker arrays consisting of a 1.5-inch Air Motion tweeter and three-inch mid-bass driver, with a three-inch height speaker mounted on top. A PerfectHeight adjustment on the Omni-Motion Reference’s top surface lets you rotate the height speaker up 180 degrees to optimize height effects for your specific room layout and installation.

Unlike other premium soundbars on the market from brands like Samsung, LG, and Sonos, the Dragon has no automated setup or room EQ features. The system’s dual subwoofer configuration does help to evenly distribute bass in your room and compensate for room modes, however, and the extensive sound level and delay adjustments allow for a precise manual setup.

  • Features score: 3.5 / 5

Nakamichi Dragon subwoofer in corner of room

The Dragon's dual subwoofers are fairly tall, but can be tucked unobtrusively into the corners of a room. (Image credit: Future)

Nakamichi Dragon review: Performance

  • Powerful, immersive sound
  • Deep, impactful bass
  • Overly aggressive sound with some content

The Dragon system sounded good out of the box but strongly benefitted from a manual calibration in the Advanced Sound Setup menu. Once that was done, I cracked open a new 4K Blu-ray disc of the recent Twisters remake that I had bought specifically for this test.

On the Dragon system, the sound of violent tornadoes ripping through space in the Twisters soundtrack was potently rendered, providing an almost unnerving sense of being directly inside the path of destruction. Vehicles propelled through the air and crashing to earth had a powerful impact, so much so that I found myself dialing back the bass adjustment – conveniently located right next to the volume button on the system’s remote control.

On Top Gun: Maverick, another movie that I regularly use to test soundbars, the sounds of jets in the first training scene early in the movie had a strong trajectory as they swooped from the front to the back of the room, and there was impressive verticality to the sound as they crisscrossed overhead. The drums and bass in The Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again that plays in this scene came through with equal power, with Roger Daltrey’s yawps soaring along with the jets on the soundtrack.

Dolby Atmos music streamed from Apple Music on my Apple TV 4K sounded equally vivid and exciting on the system, especially tracks like Kraftwerk’s Nummern / Computerwelt. This track sounded almost endlessly wide and immersive, showcasing the benefits of six separate height speakers for delivering Atmos mixes. The low-end on this track was powerful and deep but also well-integrated with the rest of the mix, the system’s dual subwoofers working together to energize my room with bass.

With more subtle-sounding fare – Severance season 2 on Apple TV Plus, for instance – dialogue was very clear, and that was the case with most shows and movies I watched. As part of my initial setup, I selected the system’s Movie (Movie 1) sound preset (Music, Game, and Night modes are also available) and also dialed back the treble to the minimum setting. That’s because the Dragon system, while it has a considerable roar, can sound aggressive and even a bit harsh with some content.

I’ve listened with multiple speakers that use the same Air Motion-type tweeter that’s found in Nakamichi’s system and those generally had a much more laid-back quality to the treble. This tells me that the Dragon was voiced to have a bold, even in-your-face sound that befits its name.

  • Performance score: 4 / 5

Nakamichi Dragon rear input ports

The Dragon soundbar's rear input ports include 4 HDMI 2.1 ports (1 w/ eARC) (Image credit: Future)

Nakamichi Dragon review: Design

  • Large soundbar and subwoofers
  • Soundbar height may block the TV image
  • Solid overall build quality

At 58.1 x 7.7 x 4.4 inches, the Dragon’s design is anything but subtle. This is a big soundbar, and its 4.4-inch height means the top edge will definitely obscure the screen bottom of some TVs. At 32 pounds (14.5kg), it’s also a heavy one – not surprising given its stainless steel enclosure. Nakamichi sells optional floor stands for the Dragon, which will allow it to be used with wall-mounted TVs and projectors.

Aside from being massive, the Dragon soundbar has an appealing design, with top panel controls that light up when touched, angled front corners, and exposed Air Motion tweeters poking through the metal mesh front. The same design chops carry over to the Omni-Motion Reference wireless surround speakers, which also get optional stands. Nakamichi’s wireless subwoofers have a plainer, more utilitarian look, but their tall form factor lets them tuck fairly unobtrusively into the corners of a room.

The Dragon soundbar’s front-panel alphanumeric LED display is a feature I fully expect to see in a soundbar at this price. While it’s welcome, I would have liked an option to dim the display or to shut it off entirely with the remote when viewing, which is a feature you get on some AV receivers.

  • Design score: 4.5 / 5

Nakamichi Dragon surround speaker against wood panel wall background

The Dragon surround speakers have matching tweeter-woofer arrays on either side to deliver rear and side surround channel, and there's an upward-firing driver on top for Atmos height channels. (Image credit: Future)

Nakamichi Dragon review: Setup & usability

  • Easy wireless speaker setup
  • Extensive manual sound adjustments
  • Alphanumeric front panel LED display

The basic setup of the Dragon system was incredibly easy. After positioning the soundbar on my TV stand, where it occupied nearly the stand’s full width with an inch to spare on each side, I located the subwoofers in the front corners of my room and the surround speakers at either side of my sofa. After plugging all speakers in, they made an automatic wireless connection to the soundbar, with a blue LED indicating that the system was up and running.

After connecting my sources to the soundbar’s HDMI inputs, and my TV to the HDMI eARC port, I renamed the inputs in the setup menu so they would show up on the front panel display as “Blu-ray disc player, Xbox One X console, and Apple TV 4K.” I next made a Bluetooth link to my phone for music streaming by pressing the Bluetooth button on the remote control, which put the Dragon into wireless pairing mode.

So much for the easy part – the next part of the setup was much more laborious. Nakamichi gives you an easy out by providing Small, Medium, and Large room options. (Guidance on which option is best for your particular room is provided in the detailed and well-organized PDF owner’s manual.) Sound with the Small option selected – the closest match for my room – was good out of the box, but for my test, I wanted to go through the full manual setup to see what difference it would make.

Pulling out my tape measure and trusty old Radio Shack SPL meter, I manually entered the listening distance for each channel and also ran the pink noise output to adjust the sound level. With 11.2.6 total channels for the Dragon system I tested, we’re talking a lot of speakers to adjust! The effort was completely worth it, though, since sound clarity and bass evenness received an immediate boost.

Nakamichi’s remote control is large, has an aluminum faceplate, and is packed with buttons to access a wide range of fine adjustments for things like individual speaker channel levels, including height and subwoofer channels. There’s also a Dragon control app that gives you many of the same adjustments. The only thing I didn’t like about the remote is that the keypad doesn’t have the same backlighting feature typically found in AV receiver remote controls offering the same level of granular adjustments.

Another gripe I had with the Dragon was the setup menu, which requires you to jump out of any program you’re watching to make adjustments other than the ones with dedicated keypad controls on the remote. My annoyance with this was mainly during my initial setup and early use, however. Once I had dialed in my preferred settings for movies/TV and music, those adjustments could be stored in the two available Favorite Settings buttons on the remote for easy recall.

  • Setup & usability score: 3.5 / 5

Nakamichi Dragon remote control on black background

The Dragon's full featured remote provides instant access to many adjustments for tweaking the system's sound on the fly. (Image credit: Future)

Nakamichi Dragon review: Value

  • Unique value proposition
  • Other premium soundbars available for much less
  • Approaching AV receiver-based system price range

The Nakamichi Dragon occupies a unique space in the home theater audio world, combining many of the functions of an AV receiver in a high channel-count soundbar plus wireless surround speakers and subwoofers package. At $3,000, you’re getting a lot for your money here, and there’s really nothing out there that parallels it.

While not as elaborate or high-impact as the Dragon, other premium soundbar systems can provide a similarly satisfying and immersive home theater audio experience. For around $1,500, you can get the Samsung HW-Q990D, an 11.1.4-channel system that also has multiple HDMI inputs with 4K 120Hz passthrough. And for under $1,000, there’s the LG S95TR, a 9.1.5-channel system. Both of these soundbars support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and they offer unique audio processing features designed to work with Samsung and LG TVs.

Another option is the Sony Bravia Theater Quad (around $2,200). This 4.1.4-channel wireless speaker system offers audio processing features designed specifically to work with Sony TVs, but it can also be used with any TV or projector setup. It’s a more compact and elegant alternative to soundbar-based systems, and with Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping at work, it doesn’t skimp out on audio immersion.

Finally, the Dragon’s $3,000 price is a threshold where you should also consider an AV receiver-based system. You can buy a 9.2-channel receiver such as the Onkyo TX-RZ50 for as little as $999, and then the sky is the limit when it comes to which speakers you add to your setup. The advantage to this option is that receivers offer extensive switching and control options, and they also provide automatic setup and room correction processing solutions such as Audyssey and Dirac Live. But going the AV receiver route means running wires – lots of them – plus a more complicated setup.

  • Value score: 3.5 / 5

Nakamichi Dragon top panel controls shown from above

The Dragon soundbar's top-panel control buttons (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Nakamichi Dragon?

Buy it if...

You want a wireless home theater audio system
With an 11.4.6 channel count and dynamic overall audio performance, the Dragon comes closer to a traditional home theater speaker system than other premium soundbars.

You want a soundbar without typical soundbar limitations
The Dragon’s six upfiring height speakers mean it doesn’t skimp on Atmos immersion, and its dual subwoofers deliver deeper and more powerful bass than you get with typical soundbar systems.

Don't buy it if...

You want a simple, no-fuss setup
While the Dragon system’s various components easily make a wireless connection, optimizing its sound for your particular space can be time-consuming.

You listen to music as much as watch movies
The Dragon system’s sound is a good match for electronic music and action movies, bringing everything to vivid, dynamic life, but it can also sound aggressive and in-your-face with some content.

Nakamichi Dragon review: Also consider

Sonos Arc Ultra
The new flagship soundbar from Sonos is an all-in-one 9.1.4-channel unit, and it can be supplemented with the company’s wireless speakers and subwoofer for an even higher level of Atmos immersion. It has no HDMI inputs beyond an HDMI eARC connection for a TV, however, and also no DTS support. Here's our full Sonos Arc Ultra review.

LG S95TR
LG’s 9.1.5-channel soundbar system also has Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support and it provides impressive surround sound immersion at a considerably lower price than the Dragon. Bonus points if you own an LG TV, which provides features to enhance the S95TR’s performance and usability. Here's our full LG S95TR review.

Samsung HW-Q990D
Samsung’s flagship soundbar system tops out at 11.1.4 channels, which is the closest you’ll get to the Dragon when it comes to Atmos (and DTS:X) immersion. It’s also half the price, supports AirPlay and Chromecast, and has similar HDMI 2.1 connectivity and gaming support as the Dragon. Here's our full Samsung HW-Q990D review.

How I tested the Nakamichi Dragon

Nakamichi Dragon system with TV showing green landscape

The Nakamichi Dragon with its two subs in my home. (Image credit: Future)
  • Tested for over a month
  • Served as my main system at home
  • 4K Blu-ray discs, TV streaming apps, and Apple Music used as sources

The Nakamichi Dragon arrives in a shipping container about the size of a coffin, so expect to enlist help when lifting it into your home. Once unboxed, I set it up in my near-3,000 cubic foot home theater room and connected TV, Apple TV 4K, Xbox Series X, and 4K Blu-ray sources via HDMI. For music testing, I listened to Dolby Atmos music streamed on the Apple Music app by the Apple TV 4K.

I listened with the system for over a month, using it as my main system for casual TV watching, movies, and music. I performed an in-depth audio calibration, measuring the distance between all speaker channels and my listening seat, and then inputting that data in the Dragon’s setup menus. This also involved adjusting the sound level for each channel with pink noise generated by the soundbar that was measured with a sound pressure level (SPL) meter.

I have 20-plus years of experience reviewing home theater speaker systems and components, including soundbar systems. Prior to testing the Dragon, I used Sony Bravia Theater Quad wireless speakers as my main home theater audio system, and before that an AV receiver-based 5.1.4-channel speaker system, so I have a good understanding of where the Nakamichi Dragon sits among its wireless and wired speaker competition.

Hisense HS214 review: I was impressed by this small soundbar’s audio capabilities, especially given its incredibly low price
3:00 pm | January 20, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Soundbars Televisions | Comments: Off

Hisense HS214 review

The Hisense HS214 could be the perfect soundbar for you if you've decided it's time for an upgrade on plain ole TV audio, but you’re working on a pretty tight budget. The Hisense HS214 is a popular budget option, typically priced at just $99 / £79 (about AU$160). It’s a 2.1 channel soundbar with a built-in sub that aims to offer powerful audio via a compact, all-in-one build. But does it deliver?

Well, before I answer that definitively, let’s take a look at sound quality. I’m happy to report that out of the box, the Hisense HS214 sounds pretty good. When watching I Think You Should Leave on Netflix, a scene with two characters conversing in a people-filled room had clear dialogue, which was decently separated from background murmurs.

Similarly, when watching Howl’s Moving Castle, the vocals of protagonist Sophie felt a bit more defined in the overall mix than with standalone TV audio. During one scene, whistling winds were also replicated accurately, without any tinniness or unintentional harshness – something I always listen out for in my hunt to find the best soundbars available in all price brackets.

Red LED light on Hisense HS214

(Image credit: Future)

One aspect of the HS214 that Hisense talks up is its bass output. That’s mainly because the Hisense HS214 has a built-in woofer, which is meant to offer “powerful bass”, according to the Chinese electronics giant. And in fairness, the soundbar mustered up a bit more of a boom than my TV could manage alone – although it wasn’t massively striking, that’s to be expected given its size.

I watched the horror movie Smile and during a heart-racing scene with screaming and object-smashing, the deep bass playing throughout was a touch underpowered, meaning the full weight of the scene was slightly restricted. Luckily, this can be remedied significantly, thanks to the bass boost/reduce option on the remote. This enables you to raise or decrease bass output by five levels. When cranking up low-end output, the spooky scene in Smile had more impactful bass, which created a darker atmosphere in the build up to the scene’s climax (I won’t spoil it, don’t worry).

So, even if you won’t get massive, imposing bass out of this mini soundbar, it has the potential to offer a considerable leg-up to some of the best small TVs. You may notice the soundbar struggling with deeper bass tones and sub-bass when listening to music, however. For instance, when I tuned in to the bass-heavy Splash Mountain by Yung Gravy, the low-end boom from deep bass running throughout the track was a little bit feeble. More generally, music sounds solid with the HS214, though. It’s decently clear for the most part and doesn’t get awful tinny like some cheap soundbars.

Underside of Hisense HS214 exposing subwoofer

(Image credit: Future)

I mentioned that bass boost/reduce option a moment ago, but you might be wondering what other features the Hisense HS214 has to offer. You get three different sound modes here: Movie; Music; and Night. However, those of you with a Hisense TV will also be able to access Sport and Night mode if you alter the EQ mode via the soundbar settings menu, rather than the soundbar’s remote. Each of these are well differentiated, with Movie adding a bit of emphasis in the low-end. I used this for the majority of testing.

Another feature is surround sound mode, which to clarify, has nothing to do with Dolby Atmos or DTS:X/Virtual:X. When I realised this was an option, I was looking forward to trying it, because even if the HS214’s overall audio quality was good, it didn’t offer much of a spatial impression. Unfortunately, though, surround mode isn’t worth activating. I tried using it when playing Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth on PlayStation 5 and despite providing broader, more nuanced positioning, it wasn’t long before I switched it off. And that’s down to one big issue – it significantly hampers audio quality, which is tinny and a bit unpleasant.

This isn’t the end of the world, of course – the HS214 sounds totally fine without surround mode. And even if it doesn’t offer mesmerizing spatial audio, it does plate up a solid helping of power. It has a total power output of 108W and can get pretty loud, making it an ideal step-up for TVs with weaker audio, or sound that gets easily distorted at higher volumes. And placement isn’t too bad either. During gameplay, one character whizzed across the screen on a motorbike and I got a solid impression of his directionality. Of course, this is a small soundbar and you won’t get much width out of it – especially with Surround Mode off – but general audio placement is decent.

Side of Hisense HS214 with Hisense logo

(Image credit: Future)

One more feature worth mentioning is the dimmer option, which can alter the brightness of the LED light display on the front of the soundbar. I kept it at max brightness, but I have to say, I wasn’t a massive fan of the LED display used here. Rather than displaying volume numbers, EQ modes and more, you just see a small light flash when you change settings or volume. This isn’t the most clear or intuitive and a lot of cheap soundbars, like the Majority Elias, for instance, use clearer displays with words and letters.

But look, I don’t want to be overly critical, especially as I personally like the design of the Hisense HS214 overall. It has an almost leather-like plastic casing on top of that soundbar which is attractive and adds a touch of class. It also has button controls for power, source and volume if you don’t have the soundbar's very neat-looking remote to hand.

Hisense HS214 remote

(Image credit: Future)

On the reverse side, there are a number of ports that enable you to connect your soundbar to a TV in multiple ways. These include: HDMI (ARC); AUX; coaxial; digital optical; and USB-C. That means it should be good to go with any modern TV and gives you plenty of options if all of your HDMI slots are used up. I opted for the HDMI ARC connection type and found setting the soundbar up incredibly easy – just plug in the connector and a power cable and you’re good to go.

All in all, the Hisense HS214 is a very solid budget soundbar. It’s wide of the mark on spatial audio and you may not be wowed in the bass department, but it’s an attractive, compact, easy-to-use soundbar that plates up clear dialogue and solid amounts of power. Given the price you pay, that does make it an attractive offering. If that’s all you need, I’d say this soundbar is worth considering, but for those seeking a stronger spatial impression, one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars will offer a more nuanced, expansive and premium-sounding experience.

Connectivity ports on underside of the Hisense HS214

(Image credit: Future)

Hisense HS214 review: Price and release date

  • $99 / £79 (about AU$160)
  • Launched in 2021

The Hisense HS214 is positioned as a budget, entry-level option for those looking to add a bit of power to their TV setup. It was released back in 2021 and has a list price of $99 / £79 (about AU$160). However, you may well be able to snap this soundbar up for even less. I’ve personally seen this soundbar available for less than £70 via Amazon UK, for instance, so keep an eye out for some sweet deals.

Hisense HS214 review: Specs

Power port for Hisense HS214

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Hisense HS214?

Buy it if...

You’re working with a fairly tight budget
If you’re looking for a solid, cheap soundbar, the Hisense HS214 is an option worth considering. For less than $100 / £80, you get decently powerful audio, clear dialogue and a bundle of connectivity options – not bad at all!

You’re a little low on space
Something I really liked about this soundbar was its ultra-compact build. It was small enough to just fit under my TV stand and so if, like me, you’ve not got a ton of space to play with, this soundbar will fit the bill.

Don't buy it if...

You want truly cinematic sound
Sure, the Hisense HS214 has a surround mode, but it’s just not very good. On top of that, it’s a small, standalone soundbar, so you’re not going to get the most immersive sonic experience.

You’re an audiophile
And if you’re someone who’s picky about sound, this soundbar might not quite hit all the right notes for you. It’s by no means a poor-sounding soundbar, especially for its price, but if you’re hoping for top-tier music replication, deep, impactful bass and supremely crisp vocals, this may fall short.

Hisense HS214 review: Also consider

Panasonic SC-HTB100
This soundbar is UK only, but if it’s available to you it’s a great budget option. You don’t get any fancy tricks from the Panasonic SC-HTB100 – no Atmos or DTS:X and no hi-tech display either. But if you want clear dialogue, strong connectivity options and solid EQ options at a low price, you’ll be well-served here. Read our full Panasonic SC-HTB100 review.

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar
But here’s one that’s available in the US as well – the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar. This budget option supplies pretty impressive sound, as well as a simple setup process and ultra-compact build. Once again, there’s no Atmos and you’re unlikely to be blown away in the bass department, but this is still a very solid option. Read our full Amazon Fire TV Soundbar review.

Hisense HS214 review: How I tested

  • Tested for one week(s)
  • Used at home with the Hisense U7K TV
  • Predominantly used the HDMI ARC connectivity option

I put the Hisense HS214 to the test over a week-long period. I mainly used HDMI ARC when connecting the soundbar to my Hisense U7K TV – a model which had integrated support for the HS214 in its options menus.

While testing, I watched a number of TV shows, videos and movies – mainly using streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and YouTube. I also played Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth on the Playstation 5 to judge the soundbar’s capabilities for gaming. In addition, I connected the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE to the Hisense HS214 using Bluetooth connectivity for playing music. I made sure to play tracks from the TechRadar testing playlist to assess the quality of the soundbar’s Music EQ configuration.

  • First reviewed: January 2025
  • Read more about how we test
Samsung HW-Q800D review: one of the best mid-range Dolby Atmos soundbars around
2:43 pm | November 27, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Soundbars Televisions | Tags: | Comments: Off

Samsung HW-Q800D: Two-minute review

The Samsung HW-Q800D is a mid-priced soundbar, carrying a list price of $999 / £749 / AU$1,099, but don’t be fooled: you won’t get middle-of-the-road quality. In fact, this is a truly excellent 5.1.2 channel Dolby Atmos soundbar, which boasts crisp vocals, rumbling bass and engrossing expansiveness. If you’re looking to unleash truly cinematic sound into your living space, look no further than the Samsung HW-Q800D.

The Samsung HW-Q800D is a soundbar and subwoofer combo – rear speakers are available, but must be purchased separately. But despite the absence of rear channels, this soundbar still asserts a striking spatial impression. That’s in part thanks to fantastic Dolby Atmos and DTS:X effects, both of which are bolstered by upfiring speakers. When watching movies, the positioning of on-screen characters and objects is mapped beautifully by the Samsung HW-Q800D. Atmos helps to create plenty of width and verticality, so you can be enveloped in the action at all times. Overall audio quality is top-drawer too, with super-clear voices, punchy deep bass and detailed musical performance all rolled into one.

On top of that, the Samsung HW-Q800D has a feature-set that is well up to par with many of the best soundbars. For instance, there’s SpaceFit Sound Pro, which uses the soundbar’s built-in mic to tailor audio to fit your room’s acoustics. But there’s also Samsung Q-Symphony, which can integrate your recent Samsung TV’s speakers with the soundbar output for an even more expansive sonic experience.

That’s not to mention a bunch of other options, such as wireless Dolby Atmos with compatible Samsung TVs, Game Mode Pro and Voice Assistant compatibility. But these features may, to some, seem extremely familiar. And that’s because all of them were available with this soundbar’s predecessor, the Samsung HW-Q800C. This 2023 release offers almost the exact same user experience, just without non-region-locked Chromecast compatibility, and with upgraded Bluetooth connectivity (Bluetooth 5.2). So really, the Samsung HW-Q800D is a slight refinement of an already great product – so owners of the HW-Q800C need not upgrade.

For a lot of gamers, the HW-Q800D will be a wonderful companion. You get a specialized game mode which optimizes surround sound for in-game action and 4K HDR passthrough. However, there’s no 4K 120Hz HDMI passthrough – meaning you don’t get the ultimate next-gen gaming experience via the HW-Q800D. That’s a shame, when Sony's mid-range Bravia Theater Bar 8 offers this.

But this isn’t a game-breaking omission. And there were none of those, in my view. Apart from a slight issue with subwoofer pairing, which I swiftly overcame, I had a blast during my time testing the Samsung HW-Q800D. The only other aspect some may feel unsatisfied with is its design. That’s because the soundbar has quite an angular, chunky design, rather than a sleek, curved look you’d see with the Sonos Arc Ultra, for instance. However, I personally felt that the soundbar’s high build quality and durable build made up for what is a solid-looking, but perhaps not stunning appearance.

Overall, the Samsung HW-Q800D is a beautiful-sounding, immersion-inducing soundbar system with a very fair price tag. If you have the cash – along with a desire for rear speaker channels – you may actually find that the slightly more premium Samsung HW-Q990D is better for you. And if you already have the Samsung HW-Q800C, the small incremental improvements aren’t worth an upgrade. But for anyone else, this is a soundbar that I can wholeheartedly recommend. Awesome Atmos, incredible movie or music performance, and a fountain of features – you can’t ask for much more.

Samsung HW-Q800D review: Price & release date

  • List price of $999 / £749 / AU$1,099
  • But regularly available for considerably less
  • Launched in July 2024

The Samsung HW-Q800D is the South Korean company’s mid-range soundbar offering for 2024. It has a list price of $999 / £749 / AU$1,099 – by no means cheap, but not all too expensive given the inclusion of a highly competent subwoofer.

But good news – even if it only released this year, you’re probably not going to have to pay quite so much for the HW-Q800D. I’ve already seen it listed for $699 / £699 on Samsung’s US and UK site, making for a very tidy saving on a shiny new soundbar – and there seem to be further discounts around during sales events.

End of Samsung HW-Q800D showing the words 'Dolby Atmos', 'DTS:X' and 'HDMI'

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung HW-Q800D review: Specs

Samsung HW-Q800D review: Features

  • 5.1.2 channel system with 360W total power output
  • Effective Dolby Atmos and DTS:X
  • 4K HDMI passthrough, but not at 120Hz

The Samsung HW-Q800D is a true 5.1.2 channel system. Firstly, it has five channels on the main soundbar: one in the center; two more on the front, on either side of the center; and two on each end of the bar. Alongside that, it has two upfiring speakers on the top of the soundbar and a dedicated subwoofer.

This configuration helps to deliver fantastically immersive audio – something only improved by Dolby Atmos and DTS:X functionality. When watching movies, I found Atmos to be very effective – you get incredible width from audio output, which follows on-screen action very competently. The upfiring speaker drivers also add impressive verticality for movies and TV shows – but I’ll go into more depth on that in the next section.

If you want even more expansive sound, you can add the Samsung SWA-9500S rear speakers, but extra spend may not be necessary for a surround sound boost. That’s because you can harness the power of your TV – well, if it’s a select Samsung model from 2022-2024 – with Q-Symphony. This feature allows your HW-Q800D to work in tandem with your TV’s inbuilt speakers for even more of a three dimensional output.

Q-Symphony, of course, is a Samsung TV-exclusive – as is another feature, dubbed Wireless Dolby Atmos. Again, you need a compatible Samsung TV released after 2022 to use this, but it enables "pinpoint" delivery of sound effects wirelessly without HDMI. It’s worth noting, however, this will be compressed, unlike the Atmos TrueHD available with one of the best 4K Blu-ray players and a wired connection. If you only ever stream movies, though, it won't make a difference.

Perhaps my favorite feature that this soundbar offers though is SpaceFit Surround Pro. This harnesses the soundbar’s inbuilt mic, which listens to your room’s acoustics and optimizes sound for your space. SpaceFit Surround Pro is automatically on, so you get spatial audio that’s fine-tuned to you from the get-go. The effects of this are excellent and I found that no matter where I sat in my small-medium-sized living room, I was able to experience immersive sound without fail.

Not to exhaust you, reader, but there’s so much more. Some highlights include sound modes, which include: Standard; Adaptive; Surround; and Game. Adaptive uses AI in order to assess the on-screen action and deliver tailored audio depending on content. I found this mode to be particularly pleasing when watching news channels – with impressive vocal clarity on offer. And vocal clarity is improved further thanks to Active Voice Amplifier, or AVA. AVA identifies background noise in your environment and calibrates audio in a way that emphasizes vocal clarity – ideal if someone’s vacuuming in the room across, for instance.

I want to focus on Gaming, though. One sound setting, Game Mode Pro, adjusts audio output to offer a more three-dimensional soundstage, so you can get a better sense for where in-game sound effects are coming from. When playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on PlayStation 5, I got a great spatial impression, especially during combat, which helped me to ascertain the movement, actions, and whereabouts of my foes. Samsung TVs with Game Hub support are also able to switch the soundbar to Game Mode Pro automatically, which is a neat addition.

Unfortunately for gamers, however, the HW-Q800D leaves out one very handy feature. I’m talking, of course, about 4K 120Hz HDMI passthrough. Sure, you get 4K HDR 60Hz passthrough here and that’s going to be enough for a lot of people, but if you want full next-gen capabilities, this won’t cut it.

This speaks to something more generally – as strong as this soundbar's feature-set is, almost everything that’s here was already present in the HW-Q800C. The only ‘major’ additions are non-region-locked, built-in Chromecast and an upgraded Bluetooth version (5.2). That’s it. Does that take-away from the HW-Q800D’s feature quality? No, it truly is exhaustive and brimming with options. But what it does mean is that there’s pretty much no reason to upgrade if you already have last year’s model.

  • Features score: 4.5/5

Samsung HW-Q800D subwoofer on table

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung HW-Q800D: Audio performance

  • Crisp vocal clarity and booming bass
  • Great for movies and music alike
  • Fantastic Dolby Atmos effects

This soundbar serves up a mighty sonic performance thanks to its 11 speakers and total power output of 360W. And you really feel that power at all times, whether watching movies or even just listening to music – with the included sub providing some serious low-end boom.

For instance, I tried watching Top Gun: Maverick and the sound of jet engines firing up was deep, imposing and room-filling. Low-frequency audio was never thin or lethargic either – I found it to be pleasingly deep and responsive when jets soared through the skies, which added serious impact to combat-filled action scenes.

Similarly, I found bass to be excellent when listening to music. The drum machine in Black Eye by Allie X is intended to be strikingly deep and the HW-Q800D does a phenomenal job of replicating that. The dynamism of the song’s bass connecting up to the lower mid range was also captured beautifully – so if you’re into bass-heavy bangers, this soundbar will likely cut it for you.

Sticking with music, I found Standard mode was perfectly up to the task, although Dynamic worked nicely too. Beyond bass, things are equally awesome. I tuned into Clair de Lune by Kamasi Washington and felt that organ in the background had a subtle yet super clear sound profile, with the sporadic piano playing also occupying a well-defined sonic pocket and the trumpet sounding pleasantly forward. On top of that, percussion was clean, rhythmic and tinniness free, tying up a non-grating, highly enjoyable listen. As you’d hope, there’s well-defined separation on offer from the HW-Q800D with a wide, nuanced soundstage that kept me listening for hours.

But let’s move onto arguably the most crucial aspect – spatial audio performance. This soundbar supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, but I was mainly viewing content with the former. And Atmos effects are brilliant here. When watching The Boy and the Heron, the trajectory of the heron’s flight was very well mapped and during the tension-filled opening, the roar of flames and sound of the protagonist – Mahito – running were traced and fed back to me accurately and impactfully. In a fire-consumed area, both the width from the soundbar’s side speakers and verticality from its upfiring ones played into the frightening, heart-racing atmosphere of the opening scene, so you can have no doubts about the immersive nature of Atmos here.

The only real negative in terms of audio presentation is that you’re not getting rear speakers from the off. That lack of rear staging may feel a little unbalanced for some – but you can purchase SWA-9500S rear speakers separately and pair them if you want to boost expansiveness further. For me, sitting in a small-medium-sized room, however, I felt highly satisfied with the soundbar and sub combo alone.

More generally, the sound quality on offer from the HW-Q800D is amazing. I tuned into live news and found that vocal clarity was very good, especially in Adaptive mode – there was no tinniness or distortion to be found, even at high volumes. I also found instrumental and vocal separation to be top-notch when playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on PS5. Near a ranch, I could hear the sound of Chocobos walking, wind flowing, soft strings playing and characters speaking – but all of it was easily discernible and expertly weighted. I briefly flicked back to my TV speakers and the quality difference was astonishing – the HW-Q800D really can transform your listening, viewing and gaming experiences.

Overall, the HW-Q800D is just more of the same from its predecessor – but that’s a highly positive thing. You’re getting deep, immersive audio, ultra-crisp vocals and tasty Atmos effects to boot. Given you’re not actually paying top-of-the-range price, performance isn’t going to come a whole lot better – especially if you have the cash to add those rear speakers into the mix.

  • Sound quality score: 5/5

Button controls on the Samsung HW-Q800D soundbar

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung HW-Q800D review: Design

  • Strong build quality
  • Though slightly chunky and angular
  • Metallic grilled finish is attractive

This isn’t the largest soundbar and sub combo ever, but it’s definitely on the hefty side of things. The soundbar itself is pointed, angular and fairly chunky – in fact I had to place it on a shelf below my TV as it was too big for my usual setup. However, if you have a decently wide and long TV unit, you shouldn’t have too much trouble fitting it in.

For some, the aforementioned angular, slightly chunky look might be a bit of a turn-off. And I’d certainly argue it’s not the most elegant or pleasing to the eye. What its aesthetic does say to me, though, is that you’re getting a sturdy, durable, high-quality bar – and it’s certainly all three of these things.

Similarly, the included woofer is quite a tall, broad beast. It’s got a felt-covered driver on its side, as well as a vent on its reverse side and looks pretty clean overall. Both the sub and main soundbar have the same color code as their predecessor – a slightly grayish matte black that in my view, is classy-looking and suits its more chunky appearance to a tee.

  • Design score: 4/5

Reverse side of Samsung HW-Q800D subwoofer

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung HW-Q800D review: Setup & usability

  • Easy to control in-app
  • Neat, simple-to-use remote
  • Personally experienced an issue with sub pairing

OK, one slight gripe I had with the Samsung HW-Q800D was related to the setup process. After hooking up the soundbar and sub to power outlets, I strapped in and got ready to listen… but I instantly noticed something. A distinct lack of low-end punch. I soon discovered, however, that this was due to the subwoofer failing to sync up with the soundbar out of the box. Happily, a simple unplug and replug was enough here – meaning this was a pretty small issue overall. Nonetheless, this was a setback and although most are unlikely to encounter this, it was slightly frustrating for me.

Otherwise, though, the Samsung HW-Q800D was straightforward to setup. I connected it to my TV using HDMI eARC, meaning I could use my typical TV remote to alter volume – a super-handy feature. There’s also an included wall bracket if you need that for a mounted setup.

This soundbar is very easy to use, too. I used the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE to download the Samsung SmartThings app, which is well laid-out and simple to use if you want to adjust soundbar settings. You can also change surround sound, tone, volume and channel level settings with the included remote, which is diminutive, sleek and super responsive.

The soundbar itself also has controls, if you need them. It has an inbuilt mic which can be used to activate Amazon Alexa or Google voice assistants – and there’s a button to activate or deactivate this on top of the bar. Alongside that, there’s also a volume up and down button – both of which are well-sized and again, very responsive.

  • Setup & usability: 4/5

Person holding Samsung HW-Q800D remote

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung HW-Q800D review: Value

  • Outstanding performance for the price
  • Additional rear speakers don’t come cheap
  • Upgrades on predecessor extremely minimal

For the price you pay, the Samsung HW-Q800D offers incredible performance for movies and music alike. If you want detailed, expansive and super-clear audio, you get all of that, so even if it's still quite the investment to spend approximately $699/£699/AU$1,099, you’re certainly getting your money’s worth.

Having said that, it’s not all good news in the value category. Now, if you decide that you do want to add rear speakers to the base offering, you’re going to have to cough up more. Specifically, the Samsung SWA-9500S rear speakers cost around $199/£199/AU$349, making the overall cost here quite hefty. Of course, this is merely an option, but it’s worth bearing in mind if you want the full package.

Something I am more critical of, however, is the real lack of improvements over 2023’s already incredible Samsung HW-Q800C. Other than some small incremental additions, this is almost the same product, so it’s not worth upgrading to and if the last-gen model is available for less, you’re getting almost equal amount of bang for less buck. So, even if it's excellent for its class, the lack of improvement is a slight dampener here.

  • Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the Samsung HW-Q800D?

Buy it if...

You want cinematic sound, powered by Atmos
The Samsung HW-Q800D offers punchy, immersive sound with ‘true’ Atmos, DTS:X and fantastic vocal clarity. You’re getting the full package here – that is, unless you want rear speakers from the off.

You’ve got a modern Samsung TV
If you have a selected Samsung TV released between since 2022, you’ll be able to access Samsung Q-Symphony and Wireless Dolby Atmos. Q-Symphony puts your soundbar to work alongside your TV speakers’ audio, whereas Wireless Dolby Atmos supplies “pinpoint” sound effects, taking the 3D audio experience to the next level.

Don't buy it if...

You need 4K 120Hz HDMI passthrough
For gamers that want the most premium sonic performance when playing, this soundbar might not quite cut it. That’s because – like its predecessor – it doesn’t offer 4K 120Hz HDMI passthrough. You might have to splash a bit more cash if you’re craving that from your soundbar.

You’re on a tight budget
If you want a truly cinematic listening experience but find this soundbar a touch expensive, worry not, reader – there are some great options out there. For example, the Hisense AX5125H plates up quality, powerful audio with Atmos and DTS:X, and it’s often available for around half of this Samsung soundbar system.

Samsung HW-Q800D: Also consider

Sonos Arc
OK, so the Sonos Arc may be a standalone soundbar, but if you want a top-drawer all-in-one option, it’s incredibly hard to beat. With strong speech clarity, great Atmos effects and brilliant performance across both music and movies, it’s sure to impress most listeners. If you’re sold on Sonos but want to add more units for true surround sound, you can purchase them separately, although things could get quite pricey if you decide to take that route. Read our full Sonos Arc review.

Hisense AX5125H
If you want truly incredible value for money, it doesn’t get much better than the Hisense AX5125H. This 5.1.2 channel system comes with a soundbar, sub and rear speakers but also delivers both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound. It doesn’t skimp on quality either, offering immersive Atmos, punchy bass and clear vocals. We’ve often spotted the AX5125H available for as little as $299 / £349 (around AU$449), so if you want surround sound at a considerably cut price, this could be the best option for you. Read our full Hisense AX5125H review.

How I tested the Samsung HW-Q800D

  • Tested over a week
  • Integrated the soundbar into my usual setup
  • Used while watching movies, streaming music over Bluetooth, and gaming

When testing the Samsung HW-Q800D, I had it hooked up to my Hisense U7K TV via HDMI eARC. I also connected to the soundbar using the Samsung SmartThings app on the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, which allowed me to alter settings and play music over Bluetooth.

The soundbar was placed on a shelf below my TV in a small-to-medium-sized room, with the subwoofer positioned beside my TV unit. I tested only the included soundbar and subwoofer, without any add-ons.

I tried viewing, playing and listening to a wide variety of content during my testing time – which spanned over a week-long period. I watched a number of movies and TV shows, played games on my PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch and listened to music on Tidal with the Bluetooth connectivity option. I tuned into the TechRadar testing playlist when assessing the quality of music on the HW-Q800D – which includes songs from a wide variety of genres.

  • Read more about how we test
  • First reviewed: November 2024
Sonos Arc Ultra review: the best one-box Dolby Atmos soundbar for the price, with one grating flaw
9:00 pm | November 9, 2024
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Sonos Arc Ultra review: Two minute review

The Sonos Arc Ultra is the new flagship in Sonos’ soundbar line-up, and it takes everything that was good about the original Arc and cranks it up to the next level. Better Dolby Atmos effects, better bass, better speech clarity, better connectivity.

The Sonos Arc Ultra is a huge step up for music quality over the original Sonos Arc, and while it’s less of a jump up from the original with movies, it’s still a clear and obvious improvement, and ranks among the best soundbars.

Is it worth upgrading from the original Sonos Arc? I think that’ll depend on how much of a cinephile you are; I really appreciated the improved sound balance and the clearer speech, and the obvious improvement to Dolby Atmos effects positioning, and found it hard to go back – but the original Sonos Arc is no slouch, and more casual viewers may find the difference to feel less essential.

The Sonos Arc Ultra keeps the original’s biggest flaw, which is not having any HDMI passthrough port in an era when HDMI ports are becoming a bit of a premium, and effectively all its key rivals offer this. The lack of DTS is also a shame, but won’t be a big problem for most people. I still thoroughly recommend the Sonos Arc Ultra, but it just may not be the best fit for your setup because of its HDMI limitation.

For those wondering about Sonos’ app, I had no problems setting it up, playing with different configurations, and changing settings.

I’m reviewing the Sonos Arc Ultra as a single soundbar here, though I have tested it with the Sub 4 and rear speakers, and I’ll talk about that experience too.

I think the Sonos Arc Ultra gives you the best cinematic experience you can get from a single-unit soundbar for under $1000 / £1000. However, in the UK, you can get the Samsung HW-Q990D for around the same price during sales events, and if you’re happy having a four-box surround system, you’ll get a far more immersive experience. And Sony’s Bravia Theater Bar 9 is a key competitor around the world – it's a single-box soundbar like the Arc Ultra, but it offers the missing HDMI port, and with 4K 120Hz support, no less. It officially costs a lot more than the Sonos Arc Ultra, but sales season discounts bring it down to around the same price. It’s even bigger than the Arc Ultra, though.

Sonos Arc Ultra in front of a 55-inch TV

(Image credit: Future)

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Price & release date

  • Released on October 29, 2024
  • Priced at $999 / £999 / AU$1,799

The Sonos Arc Ultra is priced pretty well at $999 / £999 / AU$1,799, considering that other flagship one-box soundbars can be far higher, such as the $2,399 / £1,990 / AU$3,999 Devialet Dione, or the $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$1,795 of the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9.

Obviously, it's not cheap, and you can find the Samsung HW-Q800D for significantly less, but that's not a one-box soundbar, and building high-quality sound into a single unit that isn't huge (which the Devialet Dione especially is) is hard. For a premium soundbar, the Arc Ultra is competitive.

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Specs

Sonos Arc Ultra showing the Sonos logo

The Sonos Arc Ultra features the first use of Sonos' Sound Motion driver tech. (Image credit: Future)

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Features

  • 9.1.4 speaker channels, with Sound Motion bass driver
  • All Sonos' usual special skills, plus Bluetooth
  • Dolby Atmos support, but no DTS

Much like the original Sonos Arc, this is a Dolby Atmos soundbar with HDMI eARC connectivity, Sonos multi-room wireless support, and optional voice control from Alexa or Sonos’ own more limited voice assistant.

The biggest new feature is the Sound Motion driver, which delivers big bass performance from a small speaker, and a generally improved speaker setup that now promises 9.1.4 channels of sound, compared to 5.0.2 from the original Sonos Arc.

There’s also Bluetooth connectivity in the Arc Ultra, which is a first for a Sonos soundbar, but is now standard on the best Sonos speakers at last, including the recent Sonos Era 100 and Sonos Era 300.

Naturally, the Sonos Arc Ultra works with Sonos’ Sub options (including the new Sub 4 as well as older models) and you can connect it to rear speakers for a real surround sound setup. The Arc Ultra is the first Sonos soundbar that doesn’t work with the Sonos Play:1 or Play:5 speakers – but it still works with Sonos One, Sonos Five, the Era models, or with two wired speakers connected to a Sonos Amp.

Sonos’ TruePlay room-tuning tech is here, and it’s finally available on Android in a new ‘quick’ version, which is also available on iOS. This new version will probably be preferable for a lot of people because it’s much easier. It uses the Arc Ultra’s own mic array to test your room using a series of pet-alarming tones, to adjust the system’s sound for better precision and Dolby Atmos surround effects. On iOS, it still asked me to hold my phone where I sit for a set of measurements there first, which is what the full TruePlay system does – but then I didn’t have to walk around the room waving my phone up and down.

The biggest flaw in the Sonos Arc is the lack of any HDMI passthrough ports. Most premium soundbars have more than one HDMI port – one to connect to your TV, and then at least one other that passes video through to your TV, so that you don’t lose the use of one of your HDMI ports for connecting consoles or other video boxes. This is doubly annoying in the majority of TV models available today, which only have two HDMI 2.1 ports for 4K 120Hz support at most, and the HDMI eARC is usually one of those ports, so you’re losing one of the most important ports. (Many LG and Samsung TVs have four HDMI 2.1 ports, so this is less of a problem, and in 2025 far more TVs will have four HDMI 2.1 ports thanks to a new chip from MediaTek – but that doesn’t help TVs today.)

Even ignoring the type of ports, four video devices is not an uncommon amount for people to want to connect to a TV here in 2024, and yet if you have the Sonos Arc Ultra, you can only connect three.

It’s so frustrating, given that it was a complaint I had about the original Sonos Arc when that launched in 2020. I’ve spoken to Sonos about the topic, and the company’s stance has been that HDMI passthrough adds complexity and it wants its soundbars to be as simple as possible. But that only holds true if someone doesn’t then have to deal with the headache of what a good solution is if they want to connect more devices than they have ports free, once the Arc Ultra is connected. I think Sonos has simply off-loaded the complexity to users. With an HDMI passthrough port, I’d have been seriously looking at giving the Arc Ultra a five-star rating overall.

The other notable issue is a lack of DTS decoding. This is not a big problem if your TV or playback device will decode DTS-HD to LPCM, as many will. I had a great time playing DTS-HD Blu-rays while testing the Sonos Arc, and getting the big, powerful, high-quality sound I was expecting. The lack of DTS:X is the more annoying part for purists, especially with it now used on Disney Plus for some movies, but it really isn’t a dealbreaker for the vast majority of people.

The Sonos Arc Ultra works with the audio-swap feature of the Sonos Ace headphones, so you can watch anything that plays on your TV with great spatial audio on the headphones to avoid disturbing others in the house – our Sonos Ace review has more on how well that works, but it’s not affected by the Sonos Arc Ultra's performance, so I won’t go into it here.

  • Features score: 4 / 5

Sonos Arc Ultra with Sonos Sub 4 and Sonos Era 300 speakers

I tested the Arc Ultra on its own, and with Sonos' complete Dolby Atmos setup. (Image credit: Future)

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Performance

  • Excellent dynamic range
  • Very strong Dolby Atmos effect
  • Very clear speech and detail

In my opinion, the Sonos Arc Ultra is the best-sounding single-box soundbar you can get for under $1,000 / £1,000. It delivers fulsome balance and exciting sound with clear speech, and superb height and width. The Devialet Dione maybe does this all better as a single-unit soundbar, but at around twice the price and twice the size, it’s a harder sell in several ways.

Dolby Atmos surround effects don’t seem like they’re coming from behind you, inevitably, but they do feel like they reach you when there are movement effects in particular. Height channels have motion and precision, despite being part virtual – Sonos claims four channels of overhead sound, but there are only two drivers, with the width drivers combining with the height drivers for a sense of four channels, and it works well.

Sound is layered very impressively in Dolby Atmos, with a sense of 3D positioning across the whole space in front of you.

Everything is an improvement over the original Sonos Arc. It’s not quite night and day, but it’s a clear step up anyway. That especially goes for speech clarity and Dolby Atmos effects in movies, with everything feeling just more expansive and more in the room than from the older soundbar.

I tried Sonos’ new and upgraded speech enhancement tools for the Arc Ultra, and they’re very effective, but they affect the sound balance (as do all such tools), and I found that I really didn’t need them anyway on the Arc Ultra. It’s a bit unoriginal to say that the speech in Christopher Nolan movies is hard to hear, but I tested the old and new Arc with them, and there was a big jump in legibility on the Arc Ultra that meant they really weren’t hard to follow any more (generally).

Surprisingly, the new bass driver didn’t create that big an effect compared to the original Sonos Arc in movies that already ramp up the bass, but it does help to make the sound feel fuller in general. It makes the bass that the Arc Ultra can generate better connected through to the mid-range, so the overall balance in low-end-heavy scenes is stronger – and just excellent overall. There’s a good dispersal of the bass so that it doesn’t feel too directional, and the impact is really pleasing for such a relatively compact soundbar.

The Sound Motion bass speaker did really jump out during music though. This actually was a night and day difference from the original Arc, with a massive improvement across the whole frequency range. For music, the original Arc sounded unclear and subdued compared to the Arc Ultra at the same volume. Having said that, I would still put the Arc Ultra essentially on par for music quality with the Sonos Era 300, which is half the price. It’s easier to fill out that sound when you can be thick and tall, unlike a soundbar.

Sonos Arc Ultra viewed from the side

(Image credit: Future)

Running TruePlay tuning helps the Dolby Atmos and finer details to come through more clearly, so I absolutely recommend it. There wasn’t a clear difference between the quick version and the full version in my setup, so as I mentioned above, the quick version should be all that most people need to bother with.

To repeat myself from the start of this section, I think the Arc Ultra delivers the best-value cinematic experience from a single-box soundbar. It’s the best combination of a demure design, effective sound reproduction and 3D effects, and a reasonable price given what it can do. More expensive soundbars may do better, but the audio package here is excellent.

I’m reviewing it as a single unit for all the scores here, but I also tested it with a Sub 4 and Era 300 speakers in Sonos’ full-power ultimate system. I also tested it with a Sub 4 only, and then slotted it and the Sub 4 into my existing setup using my Sonos One rear speakers.

Make no mistake – despite the Sound Motion tech being very impressive for bass, the Sub 4 adds a whole new dimension of bass you can feel, in frequencies the soundbar alone simply can’t touch. You will literally get more from your movies with a big sub, though obviously for a premium of $799 / £799.

In the full elite surround mode, with Era 300 units behind as well, you can really feel the overall power of the system. Even with one sub (you can connect a second to more fully spread the bass around) you can feel the power of the low frequencies everywhere, with excellent fullness through to the mid-range, and a clear separation of higher frequencies from that mix. It’s a really well-connected whole system, and testing against the Samsung HW-Q990C, I say you get a more satisfying overall sound profile from the Sonos setup. However, not by that much, considering you’ll pay a lot more for the Sonos system – it kind of proves why Samsung’s top-end soundbars are five-star products among the best Dolby Atmos soundbars. Still, for those with the ear, I think the Sonos system’s sound is superior.

Even with my Sonos Ones as rear speakers, I felt like I was getting a different sound profile from the rears (post TruePlay) than with my Sonos Arc and Sub Mini that I usually have. They felt punchier and with a little more bass added to them, perhaps to match the broader sound profile the bar is capable of compared to the original Arc. I feel that swapping the Arc for the Arc Ultra in my setup would be an upgrade, albeit one that I would enjoy as someone who’s obsessive over sound and setups – perhaps someone more casual about home theater wouldn’t find it to be as good value.

  • Performance score: 5 / 5

Sonos Arc Ultra volume control close-up

The concave volume control matches other recent Sonos releases. (Image credit: Future)

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Design

  • Very well made and subtle
  • Some key buttons hidden at the back
  • Shorter but wider than original Arc

The Sonos Arc Ultra is 18% smaller by volume than the original Sonos Arc, according to Sonos, and this manifests in it being less tall (which is very welcome) and less deep (also welcome for those with chunky TV stands, though it’s still somewhat deep because it has a chunky bar across the back). However, it’s actually wider than the Sonos Arc. It’s still good for TVs of 55 inches and up, though, and the shorter height can make a real difference with some TVs.

It comes in black and white, and the overall look is very simple and classy. A hard, curved grille covers the entire thing, and it’s good at just disappearing into the room, which is what most people will want. The new design seems to pick up fingerprints worse than the old one, so be warned if you’re fastidious and have handsy kids.

The button for activating Bluetooth pairing mode is on the back, which is inconvenient for a soundbar, especially if it’s wall-mounted. You can pair from the Sonos app instead, but it would be better still if the Bluetooth button was on top, for maximum flexibility – especially since the button layout here was redesigned anyway, including moving volume over to the right, for whatever reason. In the middle, you still have buttons to play/pause, and skip tracks.

The switch to kill the voice control mics is also on the back, and is turned on by default, so the privacy conscious should remember to hit this before getting it situated. Also on the back is an Ethernet port, and then the power and HDMI ports are on the sides of the bit port cutaway on the rear – just like the original Arc.

The Arc Ultra is wall-mountable and works on the same mounts as the original Arc, which is nice for upgraders – though some of the mount may be visible, due to the change in size.

  • Design score: 4 / 5

Sonos Arc Ultra rear, showing the mount and recessed connections.

The connections are all in that recessed area. (Image credit: Future)

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Setup & usability

  • Use Sonos app to get started
  • TruePlay is now easier, and very useful
  • Once connected to the TV, very little effort needed

If you have read or watched anything about recent Sonos releases, you will have seen strong opinions about the new Sonos app. We can’t post a video covering Sonos without a cascade of comments saying no one should ever buy Sonos again because of the state of the software. At launch, earlier in 2024, the app was missing a lot of features, and a lot of people had problems accessing or making changes to their systems.

At the time of writing this review, Sonos says that it has added 90% of the missing features back in, and is still committed to updates every two weeks to address bugs and performance while adding the remainder of the features.

I had no problems at all setting up the Arc Ultra at home through the app, making the settings adjustments I needed, and then adding/breaking multiple different surround setups while I tested different configurations of Sonos setups.

I did have trouble setting the surround system up in our office testing rooms, where the connection between the components would drop regularly – but this is pretty common on our office Wi-Fi outside of Sonos. I’ve had a problem getting Samsung’s soundbars to connect to register on the SmartThings app, and it can be difficult with smart home tech, so I don’t blame Sonos for this – but it’s only fair to note it if I’m going to dig into the experience. At home, on my normal mesh router setup, I had no problems at all.

The usability of Sonos’ soundbars continues to be a slightly mixed bag – I think if you designed an app for controlling a soundbar as its first priority, rather than playing music as its first priority, you probably wouldn’t bury settings like the Speech Enhancement that far down in the settings.

I’d love to see Sonos change how it approaches its Now Playing screen when you’re connected to HDMI, so it puts more emphasis on making settings available to you instead of a lack of artwork.

But setting it up was smooth, and most people won’t need to go back into the app, especially if you won’t connect other devices. As I mentioned, I found the speech clear enough without using the enhancement, and I didn’t think the EQ needed adjustment. TruePlay will be suggested as part of the setup too, and it worked with my remote (over HDMI-CEC, but infrared is also enabled by default) out of the box with no tinkering required.

  • Setup & usability score: 4 / 5

Sonos Arc Ultra with Sub 4

The Sonos Arc Ultra with the Sub 4. (Image credit: Future)

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Value

  • Premium, but competitive price
  • As good sound as you can get for the price
  • Surround-ready products available around the same price

The Sonos Arc Ultra isn’t cheap, but if you want powerful, expansive, clear Dolby Atmos sound from a single inoffensively-designed soundbar, you can’t do better for the price – as long as you’re not tight on HDMI ports.

You can get a full surround setup for a similar price to this, but the core Sonos Arc Ultra is designed for people who don’t want to deal with having four boxes including a hefty subwoofer. And I think it’s the best, most cinematic single box you can add to your TV for the price, making it very strong value.

But as I say, if you’re already filling your HDMI ports, that value is harmed, because the Arc Ultra may create a new problem for you. For the price, it should really offer you the solution.

  • Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Sonos Arc Ultra?

Buy it if...

You want the best sound from a single-unit soundbar
At this price, and without extra satellite speakers, nothing beats what the Sonos Arc Ultra can do.

You want clearer speech and Dolby Atmos cinematic effects
The Arc Ultra is a big step up over the Arc for dialogue, and boosts Dolby Atmos positioning skill at the same time.

You want Sonos' extra skills
Part of a multi-room music system? Check. The ability to add other speakers in the future to improve the sound? Check. TruePlay room tuning? Sound check.

Don't buy it if...

You're short on HDMI ports
No HDMI passthrough really could be a dealbreaker.

You want the best value sound and could have more than one box
The Sonos Arc Ultra is very good value for a one-box system, but if you can live with more hardware, you can get bigger sound for the price.

You're a home theater purist about DTS
Sonos' continued lack of DTS support will irk those those with physical media in DTS:X.

Sonos Arc Ultra review: Also consider

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8
We didn't rave about this soundbar overall in our Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review, but it's cheaper than the Sonos Arc Ultra and offers 4K 120Hz HDMI passthrough, so it might be the most practical option for some people – or its more expensive sibling, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 is the beefier-sounding option, but is pricier than the Sonos.

Sonos Beam 2
Want to go even more compact and have Sonos' options for expansion? The Beam 2 delivers surprisingly full sound for such a compact soundbar, and supports Dolby Atmos, but not with anything like the effectiveness of the Arc Ultra. But it's half the price, so swings and roundabouts – definitely read our Sonos Beam 2 review if you want to know more.

Samsung HW-Q990D
Look, if you can find this full Dolby Atmos surround system for close to the Sonos Arc Ultra's price, know that it will give you a truly mind-blowing Dolby Atmos home theater experience – as long as you can live with four boxes instead of one. We gave it five stars in our Samsung HW-Q990D review.

How I tested the Sonos Arc Ultra

Sonos Arc Ultra with original Arc in front of a TV

The Arc Ultra sitting on top of the original Arc. I didn't test it like that, obviously… (Image credit: Future)
  • Tested over a week
  • Tested at home, in my usual setup
  • Tested with Sonos surround configurations

For the crucial portion of this review, I used the Sonos Arc Ultra at home, in the same setup where I usually use the original Sonos Arc, so I had a good point of direct comparison. I directly compared the sound of the two bars to gauge the difference, but mostly I just used the Sonos Arc Ultra for my normal viewing, which included 4K Blu-rays and streaming. I listened in both lossless quality and compressed, as well as in Dolby Atmos, regular 5.1 surround sound, and in stereo.

As mentioned above, I tested the Sonos Arc Ultra on its own mainly, but also tried it with the Sub 4, and then with the Sub 4 and different Sonos rear speaker options.

I also tested a Sonos surround setup for a short time compared to the Samsung HW-Q990C in TechRadar's TV testing rooms. On our corporate Wi-Fi systems, I had connections problems that meant I couldn't do longer-term comparisons; at home, I use a Google Nest Home mesh Wi-Fi system and had no problems with the Sonos app or network connectivity.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: a competent performer struggling to be heard in a crowded market
3:32 am | October 1, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Soundbars Televisions | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8: One-minute review

When Sony announced its 2024 AV lineup, it wasn’t just its TVs that received a more straightforward naming system, but its soundbars too. This year, the potentially tricky-to-remember model numbers have been replaced with a much simpler Bravia branding. The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 replaces the HT-A5000 as the company’s mid-range model – sitting below the Theater Bar 9 and the Bravia Theater Quad four-speaker audio system – and arrives with the aim to be one of best soundbars.

As with the HT-A5000, this latest model is a standalone Dolby Atmos soundbar. There are no wireless rear speakers included, nor is there a wireless subwoofer, but these can be added as optional extras if you wish to create an even more immersive surround sound experience. Despite the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 cramming 11 speakers into its slimline body to create a “bubble of sound” in Sony’s words, we would recommend true movie buffs consider adding at least a subwoofer to handle the low-end.

The Bar 8 is smaller than its predecessor – by some 30% – and is low in height, meaning it slots effortlessly in front of a TV. Connectivity is good rather than great with just two HDMI ports, one of which is eARC to connect to your TV. Thankfully, however, the other HDMI input is the 2.1 standard and it supports 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz passthrough, meaning you can confidently connect external devices including games consoles and 4K Blu-ray players. Elsewhere there is Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth for streaming music.

While some may expect more from a soundbar that costs $999 / £999 / AU$1,499, where connections or additional rear speakers are concerned there’s no denying the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 does an excellent job of boosting the sound of your TV. Although as for true Dolby Atmos it does fall a little short of the competition. The company’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping tech does work in creating phantom speakers, but we found during our testing that the soundfield was more of a half-dome as opposed to a full-dome covering an entire room.

We also found that the Bravia Bar 8 performed at its best in small to medium-sized rooms, as it seemed to lack the power to fill a larger open space. Adding the optional rear speakers and/or a subwoofer will undoubtedly help (we didn’t have them for this review), but the total cost of such a package adds up to far more than tried and tested complete Dolby Atmos soundbar packages, despite the Bravia Bar 8 receiving what seem to be permanent price cuts globally (as of September 2024, it's typical street price is generally around $849.99 / £799 / AU$1,249).

So while it might not be the outright best option for your main TV viewing room, the Sony Bravia Bar 8 can certainly find a spot in a bedroom or smaller TV room. The only question you’ll need to ask yourself is if you’d rather opt for the Sonos Arc. It doesn’t cost that much more than the Sony, handles music better and has the added potential benefit multiroom functionality.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Price and release date

  • Launched in July 2024
  • List price of $999 / £999 / AU$1,499
  • Has received price cuts since launch

The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 was announced in April 2024 and went on sale in July 2024 in the US, UK and Australia for $999 / £999 / AU$1,499. That puts it right in the firing line of the Sonos Arc, which also goes without a wireless subwoofer or rear speakers included.

It’s less than the MSRP of the Samsung HW-Q990D – our current favorite Dolby Atmos soundbar on our list of the best soundbars – although recent price drops against Samsung's soundbar make it approximately the same price as the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 in most regions.

Samsung’s flagship bar comes with a wireless subwoofer and rear speakers included, although the rears do require constant power. Sony’s selection of optional rear speakers run off rechargeable batteries and so could prove to be a more appealing option for anyone short on power outlets in their room.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Specs

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Features

  • 5.0.2 speaker channels
  • Phantom speakers for extra 'virtual' channels
  • HDMI 2.1 with 4K 120Hz support

Top-down view of the Sony logo on the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

As you’ll find with soundbars from the likes of LG and Samsung, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 can connect to a Sony TV from 2021 or newer and use it as a center channel via Bravia Acoustic Center Sync. It would have been nice for this to have worked via HDMI – whereby the soundbar should be able to detect it’s connected to a Sony TV – but you have to connect them together using the included cable. If you don’t own a Sony TV, but your TV has an S-Center speaker input, you can take advantage of this feature via the same 3.5mm cable wired connection (the 3.5mm port on the rear of the Bravia Bar 8 can only be used for this feature and can’t be used as an input from external devices).

There are only two HDMI ports on the Bravia Bar 8, and with one needed to connect to a TV via eARC, there is just one spare for external devices. Fortunately, this input does support 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz passthrough and gamers will appreciate that it supports auto low latency mode (ALLM) and variable refresh rate (VRR). Having just one spare HDMI input shouldn’t alienate too many users, but the previous HT-A5000 had two spare, so it’s peculiar as to why Sony has dropped one this time around.

Setting up the Bravia Bar 8 is incredibly easy. Simply connect it to your TV via the aforementioned HDMI port, open up the Bravia Connect app on your iOS or Android device and connect it to your network. Once done, you’ll want to run a calibration to ensure the soundbar is optimized for your specific room. It’s a process that only takes around 20 seconds and sees the soundbar emitting various tones to determine the acoustics of your room to optimize the sound output based on your usual seating position.

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Rear view of the HDMI, DTS:X and Dolby Atmos logos on the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
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Picture of the remote control supplied with the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
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Picture of the remote control supplied with the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar, being held in a hand

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

There’s no option to manually adjust speaker channel settings as you can with other soundbars such as the Samsung HW-Q990D, but you can choose from three height modes – lower, default and higher – and three different sound field settings. The default option here is Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, but you also have the option of DTS Neural:X or Dolby Speaker Visualizer. You can also turn the sound field mode off entirely if you wish (I’ll discuss the effects of this further down in the performance section). And, when rear speakers are connected, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 can deliver an IMAX Enhanced certified audio presentation.

There aren’t any sound modes along the lines of ‘Movie’ or ‘Music’, which is an interesting omission, and there’s also very little mention of AI being used. The only AI-related feature of the Theater Bar 8 is to detect human voices and make them clearer via “AI sound separation”.

If you want to play music through the Bar 8, you can do so via HDMI, Bluetooth, Spotify Connect or AirPlay 2. Hi-Res audio is supported from compatible sources along with Sony’s LDAC wireless codec. You can also stream songs mixed in Sony’s own 360 Reality Audio via Amazon Music Unlimited.

  • Features score: 3.5/5

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Performance

  • Powerful with genuine height
  • Bass handling would benefit from a dedicated subwoofer

With 11 speakers inside the bar, including two up-firing and two new side-firing drivers, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 is certainly capable of delivering powerful, expansive sound into your room. But expansive doesn’t necessarily mean enveloping, as I found it to produce more of a half-dome of sound rather than a complete bubble to include sounds coming from behind my viewing position.

I began my testing in a smaller room of the house, with the soundbar connected to the Sony Bravia 8 OLED TV and a scene from The Incredibles streaming on Disney Plus – the part where the children are in the jungle escaping from Syndrome’s henchmen. There was obvious height and width to the sound, with the flying saucer-like vehicles shooting across the screen and up above the listening position when they went off screen.

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Wide view of the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 in front of the 65-inch Sony Bravia 8 OLED TV

The Bravia Theater Bar 8 nestles perfectly in front Sony's own 65-inch Bravia 8 OLED TV. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
Image 2 of 2

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar with feet attached and sitting over the feet of the Sony Bravia 8 OLED TV

Optional feet can be attached to the Bravia Bar 8, so that it slides over the feet of 2024 Sony Bravia TVs. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

For the majority of my testing, I had the height sound setting set to ‘higher’ as it provided the most immersive experience. I toggled between ‘default’ and ‘lower’ settings but found both to have a negative impact on the movie I was watching. I wasn’t personally able to find a scenario where either of these settings would be useful when watching a film.

Sony says the Bravia Bar 8 is capable of bouncing sound off the ceiling to create phantom speakers behind the listening position, but I wasn’t able to distinguish these during my testing. Dedicated rear speakers would no doubt alleviate this, as they’ll be on hand to actually deliver sound from behind the viewing position.

Dialogue was notably impressive, however, coming through crystal clear even when the volume was turned up. I also found the Voice Mode – activated within the Bravia Connect app or on the supplied remote control – did indeed give dialogue a boost without sacrificing too much of the rest of the soundtrack. And as for the Bravia Bar 8’s bass handling during the same scene in The Incredibles, I was pleasantly surprised by the depths it could go to, especially given the absence of a wireless subwoofer.

But, those same opinions didn’t translate over to the chase scene in The Batman – I loaded up a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on a PlayStation 5 and was left a little disappointed. The engine growl from the Batmobile was lacking impact and the chase as a whole lacked excitement. The bass output from the Theater Bar 8 is good, but it was apparent it had a limit to its capabilities. A subwoofer would help here as it would take away much of the low-end duties from the soundbar, leaving it to focus on other tasks.

A positive to come from this sequence, however, was that bullets fired at the Batmobile’s windows did pierce through the presentation, which is something I’ve found other soundbars such as the Sonos Arc can falter on.

View of HDMI connections on the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8

There are just two HDMI 2.1 connections on the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar, one of which is reserved for an eARC connection. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

I also streamed music to the Bravia Bar 8 via AirPlay from my iPhone using Amazon Music Unlimited. I loaded up a few tracks that had been mixed in Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format, but that were also available in Ultra HD – Amazon’s version of Hi-Res – so I could switch between the two.

Put simply, songs streamed in the latter format sounded much better. Miley Cyrus’ Flowers, for example, was delivered with extremely good vocal clarity and decent low-end bass when streaming in the Ultra HD format. Having the soundbar’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping soundfield selected also added some extra expanse to the performance, resulting in something that was perfectly enjoyable and listenable. However, switching it to the default setting did yield a more natural-sounding performance.

It wasn’t such good news when moving over to the 360 Reality Audio version of the same song. Bass was essentially eradicated and the overall performance sounded tinny and not too dissimilar to a very cheap Bluetooth speaker. I tried to fix it by turning off the soundfield setting, but it didn’t make a huge amount of difference, other than removing any notion of height from the song.

  • Performance score: 3.5/5

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Design

  • Premium build with cloth wrapping
  • Suits 55-inch to 75-inch TVs
  • A front display would be nice

Sony’s website claims the Bravia Theater Bar 8 outputs sound in a 5.0.2-channel configuration – the same as the Sonos Arc – but we’ve also been told directly from Sony’s product managers that this isn’t so definitive. This is because the sound output will be different for every room, as Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology calibrates the output on a room-by-room basis. Plus, it makes use of phantom speakers with the intention of creating a bubble of sound.

The Bravia Theater Bar 8 is pretty attractive by soundbar standards. It measures 1100 x 64 x 113 mm, making it slightly shorter than a 55-inch TV (which roughly measures 1200mm). I had it setup in front of a 65-inch Sony Bravia 8 OLED and a 77-inch LG G4 OLED TV (top image) during my testing and in both instances it looked perfectly fine, meaning it would be well-suited to be placed in front of a 75-inch TV, too. Coincidentally, 55-, 65- and 75-inch are the three sizes the Sony Bravia 8 OLED TV is available in and, to further highlight how both 8-series TV and soundbar are ideal partners, Sony includes a set of feet in the box with the soundbar to raise it slightly so that it can slide over your TV’s feet if your TV bench isn’t deep enough to accommodate both.

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A picture of the optional feet for the Sony logo on the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8

Sony supplies optional feet and screws to attach to the bottom of the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
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The optional feet attached to the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)
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Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar with feet attached and sitting in front of the LG G4 OLED TV

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

If you want to add rear speakers to the Bravia 8, you have a choice of the SA-RS3S or SA-RS5, although only the latter pair features dedicated up-firing speakers. As for subwoofers, you can pair the Bravia Bar 8 with either the 200W SA-SW3 or 300W SA-SW5.

The entire soundbar is covered in a cloth fabric which means when you’re watching TV the soundbar’s top panel won’t reflect the screen above it.

Close-up image of the front LED indicator on the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar.

A small LED is the only indicator for power and input. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

One feature I would have liked to see is a proper front panel display for information such as current input or even volume level. There are two small LEDs on the front right of the Bar 8, one to indicate when you’re adjusting the volume and one to indicate the current source. An HDMI device shines white, for example, while Bluetooth is expectedly blue. For more information relating to volume level and source input, you need to open up the Bravia Connect app.

  • Design score: 4/5

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Setup & usability

  • Quick sound calibration
  • Bravia Connect app and remote for easy control
  • HDMI eARC connection to TV

Screenshots taken from the Bravia Connect app when connected to a Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 soundbar

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Setting up the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 is a relatively straightforward affair. All you need to do is connect an HDMI cable from the soundbar to your TV (Sony supplies one in the box), wait for it to register and you’re away. You’ll need to turn to the Sony Bravia Connect app for iOS and Android to get it connected to your home Wi-Fi network and to carry out the speedy sound optimization calibration.

A remote control is supplied too, for those moments when you don’t want or need to use the app. There is a central button for volume control (you can’t press and hold to turn the volume up and down), along with a dedicated button to adjust the bass level, turn the soundfield mode on or off (but not toggle through them), and toggle voice mode and night mode. The Bar 8 does work via HDMI-CEC, allowing you to adjust the volume using your TV’s remote control.

  • Setup & usability score: 4.5/5

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Value

  • Premium price
  • Similarly-priced competitors include rear speakers and subwoofer
  • Not a class leader

While it launched at $999 / £999 / AU$1,499, the Bravia Theater Bar 8 appears to have received a regular discount in all territories, seeing its price drop to $849.99 / £799 / AU$1,249. In the US at the time of writing, it can be picked up with a further discount of $150. At its MSRP, the Bravia Bar 8 was immediately pitted against the Sonos Arc, which we consider to be one of the best standalone Dolby Atmos soundbars and which does outperform the Sony.

Now it appears to have received a price cut, it’s a more appealing option and somewhat helps stomach the extra cost for a wireless subwoofer and/or wireless rear speakers, should you want to add them. Considering its performance isn’t quite at the level we were expecting, it’s not the obvious choice for anyone looking to create a Dolby Atmos experience at home.

Our current pick for the outright best Dolby Atmos soundbar is the Samsung HW-Q990D, which can regularly be found for much less than its launch price in all territories. If you have one of Sony’s 2024 Bravia TVs, then the Bravia Theater Bar 8 is a natural pairing, but for anyone else, the Samsung soundbar still gets our vote.

  • Value score: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8?

Buy it if...

You want a simple solution for a smaller room
The Bravia Bar 8 will struggle to fill a large space, but if you want boosted TV sound in a smaller room or bedroom, it's worth an audition.

You want a full-range soundbar that supports Dolby Atmos
The Bravia Bar 8 can indeed deliver a expansive soundstage with good object placement, and it has the option of additional hardware to create a complete system.

Don't buy it if...

You want an authentic Dolby Atmos experience
Without the rear speakers or subwoofer included, the Bravia Theater Bar 8 can't deliver a true Dolby Atmos experience, despite its best efforts through calibration techniques.

You own Sonos speakers
This may sound strange, but if you already own Sonos speakers such as the Era 100 or Era 300, you're better off getting the Sonos Arc. It has the same speaker configuration as the Sony, but can be paired with speakers to create a full home theater. Plus, it handles music more confidently.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 review: Also consider

Sonos Arc
It’s been mentioned throughout this review for good reason. The Sonos Arc doesn’t cost much more than the Sony Bar 8, yet delivers a more authentic and immersive audio performance. It’s much better with music and has the obvious additional benefit of being able to be added into a larger multiroom system.

Read our full Sonos Arc review

Samsung HW-Q990D
You may need to pay a little extra to pick up Samsung’s latest Dolby Atmos soundbar, but it is absolutely worth it. Wireless rear speakers and a subwoofer are included in the box to deliver a sensational home cinema experience. It also has an extra HDMI 2.1 input, making it better for owners of multiple playback devices or games consoles.

Read our full Samsung HW-Q990D review

How I tested the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8

  • Connected to the Sony Bravia 8 and LG G4
  • Tested with a variety of sources
  • All soundfield modes tested

I tested the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8 over a period of two weeks. I connected it to a Sony Bravia 8 TV in a small room to test its sound output and any same brand exclusive features. I also moved it to a much larger room and connected it to an LG G4.

The majority of testing was conducted with the highest soundfield setting enabled, although I did toggle between the other options to analyze the sound output.

I played content from streaming services and 4K Blu-ray discs to test the Bravia Theater Bar 8's ability to handle Dolby Atmos soundtracks, and analyzed not only its spatial sound performance, but also bass, trebles and vocal clarity.

I also streamed music via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to test music playback. I played hi-res audio, Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio tracks via Amazon Music Unlimited and Apple Music.

Read more about how we test

  • First reviewed: September 2024
Ultimea Poseidon D50 review: this cheap soundbar surround system offers truly excellent value
5:00 pm | July 28, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Soundbars Televisions | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

The Ultimea Poseidon D50 is another super-cheap sound solution from a company that's really nailing this area. For just $119.99 / £149.99 (about AU$180), you get a soundbar, subwoofer, and two rear speakers – which isn’t bad at all. Not only that, but the quality on offer is pretty solid, making the Poseidon D50 a viable budget option for those interested in adding surround sound to their living space.

This sound system will supply considerably bolder audio than you’d expect to get from your TV alone. With a total power output of 400W, your favorite movies, TV shows and games will fill the width of your room pretty effectively. Surround sound was accessible swiftly, too, thanks to the Poseidon D50’s straightforward setup process. I simply connected the soundbar – which is wirelessly pre-paired to the included subwoofer – to my TV via HDMI, and then connected the subwoofer to the rear speakers via stereo RCA to RCA cables. 

This means you don't need a cable running from the soundbar across to the rear speakers – but you'll need to position the subwoofer somewhere convenient near the rear speakers. Of course, this wired connection isn’t going to be the easiest on the eye, nor the most practical, but it’s what you’d expect from a sound system with such a small price tag.

I’ll be upfront: you’re not getting astonishing quality with this product. There’s HDMI ARC, but not eARC (which can transmit lossless audio), no groundbreaking feature set, and no Dolby Atmos or DTS:X to create truly three-dimensional sound. So if you’re looking for next-level spatial audio or superb quality sound, you may be better off checking out some of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars and speakers instead.

Ultimea Poseidon D50 soundbar on wooden surface

(Image credit: Future)

With that said, the sound you do get is definitely adequate. When watching Top Gun Maverick on Netflix, I was impressed at the three-dimensional sound of soaring aircraft, especially in the absence of Atmos or similar tech. Sure, audio wasn’t the most dynamic or expansive, but for the price you pay, the surround sound certainly surpassed expectations.

I also put the Poseidon D50 to the test with live sport, and found it offered an imperfect, yet relatively enjoyable performance. Similar to when I reviewed the Ultimea Nova S50, I didn’t get particularly clear-cut commentary over the clamor of the crowd, but whistles from the rear speakers and beating drums from the subwoofer helped to immerse me in the viewing experience.

At those times when speech wasn’t competing with similarly pitched background noise, it usually sounded pretty clear, which is ideal for watching the news or listening to podcasts. However, I did feel that higher-pitched voices sometimes sounded a bit tinny, especially when I sat closer to the soundbar, which means speech isn’t always very natural-sounding.

Nevertheless, there are times when vocals are pretty faithful. For instance, when playing Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance on PlayStation 5, one deep-voiced character gave a monologue in a wide-open indoor space, and the Poseidon D50’s surround sound helped to emulate the setting effectively, with his bellowing tone carrying without too much distortion.

Ultimea Poseidon D50 subwoofer

(Image credit: Future)

I also connected my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 to the Poseidon D50 over Bluetooth, and tried listening to some music via Spotify. I wasn’t particularly shocked to find that songs didn’t sound amazing played through this soundbar; it's not tuned that way. When listening to St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins, the saxophone’s high notes didn’t sound the sweetest, and percussion was harsh-sounding at times, especially at higher volumes. Such harshness was more apparent when I sat close to the rear speakers and, sometimes, to the soundbar itself. If you have an especially limited space, this could get a little grating.

The balance of sound in movies is pretty good. At times, I felt that the rear speakers were just a bit too quiet, but, thankfully, the Poseidon D50 has a feature that lets you adjust the weighting between the surround speakers and the soundbar. This was pretty useful when I found myself thirsting for a bit more volume from those rear speakers, and I often found myself setting the system to “Surround +1”. If you ever find yourself wanting to dull the surround speakers, you can set the Poseidon D50 to “Surround -1”, and you can also turn them off entirely with “Surround -2”.

Ultimea Poseidon D50 rear speakers

(Image credit: Future)

There aren’t too many other features to play with here, although the Poseidon D50 does come with Ultimea BassMax technology. This enables you to apply a boost or reduction to low-frequency sounds. I didn’t feel particularly inclined to crank up the bass, mainly because I didn’t want low-frequency levels to become overbearing, but dampening it was effective if I wanted to make vocals sound clearer. 

The Poseidon D50 also has three sound modes: Movie, Dialogue and Music. All have distinct enough audio profiles to make them worth using. However, the soundbar actually displays a variable between 1-3 when switching between them, and I wasn’t initially clear on which number represented which setting – a slight inconvenience, although you can keep the user manual at hand if you forget which is which.

If you’re looking for a super-sexy soundbar that’s going to wow your guests, the Poseidon D50 may not be it. Don’t get me wrong – it doesn’t look too bad, but you can tell it’s budget tech. Like I mentioned in my Ultimea Nova S50 review, these are ultra-affordable products, so it’s no surprise that they have a pretty cheap-feeling and plasticky look. The Poseidon D50 comes with a remote (without the required AAA batteries) that serves its purpose well, and you’ll need to use it if you want to flick through the different sound modes, or alter BassMax levels and surround sound settings.

With the Ultimea Poseidon D50, you’re getting a solid overall package. Its sound quality does waver at times; it doesn’t have a stunning design, nor does it arrive with Atmos or DTS:X. Nevertheless, the Poseidon D50 is still worth considering if you’re in the market for a budget 5.1 soundbar – after all, you get adequate surround sound from it, it's a lot more powerful and expansive than the speakers on any budget (or even mid-range) TV, it's easy to set up, and it offers some simple yet effective features. 

So if you’re on a tight budget, this is a decent option for cheap surround sound. But if you have a bit more cash to play with, I might suggest picking out an alternative from our guide to the best soundbars instead, such as the highly rated and well-priced Hisense AX5125H.

Top of Ultimea Poseidon D50 displaying power, volume and connectivity options

(Image credit: Future)

Ultimea Poseidon D50 review: Price and release date

  • $119.99 / £149.99 (about AU$180)
  • Launched in September 2023

The Ultimea Poseidon D50 initially launched at $219 / £169, but it’s now available for $119.99 / £149.99 (about AU$180) on the official Ultimea website. This is low for a four-box soundbar system, especially with HDMI support. 

It's not hard to find single-unit soundbars for this kind of price, but we'd usually be suspicious of anything offering multiple units – Ultimea has proven itself to be capable of quality products for a low cost, though.

Ultimea Poseidon D50 review: Specs

Reverse side of Ultimea Poseidon D50 soundbar

(Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the Ultimea Poseidon D50?

Buy it if...

You want a super-cheap entry into the world of surround sound
Ultimea has a knack of offering soundbars at obscenely low prices, and the Poseidon D50 is no exception. To get a soundbar, subwoofer and two rear speakers for just over $100 / under £150 is an absolute steal.

You’d like to add more powerful bass to your TV setup
One of my favorite things about using the Ultimea Poseidon D50 was the added bass compared to my plain TV audio. If you’re watching a movie with an ambient soundtrack or booming sound effects, this soundbar does a decent job at providing some added power and punch.

Don't buy it if...

You’re an audiophile
I never expected high-quality audio from the Ultimea Poseidon D50, especially at its super-low price, so I can’t recommend it if you’re an audiophile. This soundbar doesn’t supply awful sound by any means, but if you’re hoping to find a 5.1 soundbar that delivers a big step up in quality, you’ll likely have to stretch your budget a fair bit further. 

You’re looking for Dolby Atmos or DTS:X
If you’re seeking out top-drawer spatial audio, this isn’t going to cut it. Ultimea does have some other soundbars with Dolby Atmos, though, including the Nova S50 and Poseidon D60, both of which also have pretty low price tags.

Ultimea Poseidon D50: Also consider

Roku Streambar
Okay, this might not be a 5.1 channel soundbar, but if your top priority is to get an upgrade over your TV’s audio for a low price, this is a good option. The biggest boost this soundbar offers over the Ultimea Poseidon D50 is its larger feature set, which includes voice controls, bass boost settings, sound mode options, and even a built-in Roku streaming player. It's compact, making it ideal if you’re limited space-wise, but if you do crave surround sound, then you can purchase a subwoofer and rear speakers separately from Roku and pair everything together. See our full Roku Streambar review.

Ultimea Poseidon D60
We haven’t yet got our hands on the Ultimea Poseidon D60, but it's clearly very similar to the D50, but with some noticeable improvements. For instance, you get HDMI eARC, which means you can access a higher caliber of sound quality. However, the real draw is Dolby Atmos. I wasn't blown away by the Atmos on offer from Ultimea’s Nova S50 model, but you still get relatively decent depth there – so I'm willing to bet it elevates the D60 just beyond the S50. If you have the extra cash, it’s likely that the D60 will outperform the D50.

Ultimea Poseidon D50 review: How I tested

  • Tested for three weeks
  • Connected to my Hisense U7K TV at home
  • Predominantly used the HDMI ARC connectivity option

I tested the Ultimea Poseidon D50 at home over the course of three weeks. I mainly used HDMI ARC when connecting the soundbar and subwoofer to my Hisense U7K TV. 

I put the Poseidon D50 to the test watching a variety of TV shows, videos and movies across streaming services, including Netflix and YouTube. I also played multiple video games on the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch consoles, and listened to music from the TechRadar testing playlist on Spotify by pairing my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 with the Poseidon D50 via Bluetooth.

Saiyin DS6305 review: a flawed but astonishingly cheap soundbar
7:01 pm | July 13, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Soundbars Televisions | Comments: Off

Saiyin DS6305: Review

Product Info

In the US, Saiyin sells a similar product, the DS6345, that comes with a subwoofer. Please note that this is not included with the DS6305, available for purchase in the UK and Australia. This review was conducted in the UK and covers the soundbar only, although specs and dimensions for the subwoofer will be included. 

The Saiyin DS6305 is an extremely cheap soundbar that aims to provide a bit more depth for your home viewing experiences. At just £39.99 (about AU$75), you won't find many cheaper alternatives out there, but you will, inevitably, have to make some sacrifices in terms of features and sound quality. 

With the Saiyin DS6305, you get decent enough audio without any bells and whistles. There’s no Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, or anything like that – so don’t expect spatial, ultra-dynamic sound. The overall quality is actually quite good for the price, with the main draw being the relatively powerful bass output. I was impressed by the added depth it offered compared to the plain old TV audio from my Hisense U7K TV, which, for reference, has a built-in subwoofer to bolster low-end frequencies. 

When streaming Dune (2021) via Netflix, the film’s deep, atmospheric score and sound effects were far more impactful with the DS6305 than just my TV. Bass was still not super clean or intricately detailed, but it was delivered with a solid amount of power nonetheless, especially considering the absence of a subwoofer. The movie’s dialogue was sometimes a little lacking in clarity, but totally passable – just don’t expect the kind of quality you’d get from one of the best soundbars. 

I then tested how the DS6305 fared with sport by tuning into a UEFA Euro 2024 match. The commentary wasn’t crystal clear amidst the booming crowd noise – which was emulated a lot more faithfully than in standalone TV audio – but it wasn’t totally drowned out, resulting in an adequate listening experience. 

To measure the soundbar’s gaming performance, I played Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance on the PlayStation 5. Jumping in an open, echoey area sounded a lot more natural than on my TV audio, especially the depth of the character’s feet against the concrete floor. The game has a very ambient, atmospheric soundtrack, which was complemented by the DS6305, but, again, the bass was a little muddied at times. This really sums up the audio quality on offer here: you’ll get more power, bass, and full-bodied sound than from just your TV, but don’t expect impeccable quality or game-changing expansiveness.

Saiyin DS6305 positioned below Amazon Fire TV

(Image credit: Future)

When watching videos, TV, or films, I made sure to use the Movie EQ mode – one of the three available options alongside Music and News. When listening to some music on Spotify, I switched between Music and Movie mode to gauge the key differences, but surprisingly, I couldn’t make out any discernible change. I also tuned into BBC News to test out the News mode, and apart from a very slight increase in volume, I didn't hear anything strikingly different. As a result, I’d have to say that changing between the 3 EQ ‘modes’ is barely worth your time. 

Looping back to my Spotify listening session, I wasn’t anticipating something that would produce beautiful-sounding audio and I honestly felt that the DS6305 didn’t perform too badly. When tuning in to I Want You by Moloko, I will admit that the opening vocals – intended to have a pure, breathy sound – weren’t particularly clear, perhaps less so than my normal TV audio. Beyond that, though, the overall listening experience was far better with the soundbar, which wasn’t bad at capturing the various instruments entering into a densely layered, exciting mix. Sure, it did tend to lean more heavily on bass and I couldn’t make out every last detail of the track, but this is pretty typical for the price. 

I also wanted to get a sense of how high-frequency sounds came through, so I listened to Rains Again by Solji. This song has markedly high-pitched vocals throughout and I found that these certainly didn’t have the sweetness or delicacy that really make it pop, but the audio wasn’t particularly tinny or grating. If you do want to use this soundbar for any kind of music, it will do the job – just don’t expect great quality.

Front of Saiyin DS6305

(Image credit: Future)

The DS6305 is very cheap, and unsurprisingly, it looks cheap. It’s enclosed in standard black plastic housing and has a relatively feeble foam material protecting the speaker. The soundbar has an LED light strip that fills up depending on volume level and changes color depending on the connectivity option being used – a neat inclusion (though it simply flashes off and back on when you flick between the different EQ presets, which isn’t the clearest way to show you’ve switched to a new mode). The shape is perhaps a little unorthodox – due to its triangular form, I couldn't fit it under my TV stand – so ensure you have enough space to play with if you’re planning on purchasing this soundbar. 

The DS6305 comes with a remote, which requires two AAA batteries (not included). It may seem like a small thing, but I was disappointed by the quality of the controller – particularly because lower-case 'i's on the buttons have backward-leaning accents (for some reason), and the use of capitalization across the different buttons is sporadic, to say the least. Grammar issues aside, the remote is responsive and enables you to adjust volume levels and switch between connectivity options (including digital optical, AUX, and Bluetooth). There are also button controls on the soundbar itself for ARC coaxial, which is a bit odd because it doesn’t come with a cable to support this. 

There’s no option to connect the DS6305 via HDMI, meaning you won’t be able to use your standard TV remote to control the soundbar’s volume levels. The lack of an HDMI port also means that setup isn’t optimal, but it was fairly straightforward to connect the soundbar to my TV via the included digital optical cable instead. 

Saiyin DS6305 remote on wooden surface

(Image credit: Future)

The Saiyin DS6305 soundbar impressed me in some departments but failed to inspire in others. If you want a super cheap solution to add a bit of bass and power to your setup, this could be worth taking a look at. The build quality is, of course, pretty unimpressive and the soundbar’s awkward shape makes it a little less ideal for those working with limited space, not to mention there’s no HDMI connectivity option, which is a shame. 

If you want a soundbar that offers slightly better audio quality at a price that’s easy to stomach, you’ll be better off selecting a product from our guide to the best cheap soundbar deals.

Saiyin DS6305 positioned below Amazon Fire TV

(Image credit: Future)

Saiyin DS6305 review: Price and release date

  • $59.99 for soundbar with subwoofer (US) on Amazon
  • £39.99 (about AU$75) for soundbar only (UK & Australia) on Amazon
  • Launched in March 2023

Saiyin doesn’t have its own online store, but you can purchase the DS6305 from Amazon – prices are, of course, subject to change. In the US, the DS6305 comes with a subwoofer and costs the ultra-low price of $59.99. In the UK and Australia, however, you purchase the soundbar on its own for what is still a very modest price of £39.99 (about AU$75).  

Saiyin DS6305 review: Specs

Reverse side of Saiyin DS6305 exposing 'power' and 'sub out' ports

(Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the Saiyin DS6305?

Buy it if...

You want a super-cheap soundbar
At £39.99 (about AU$75) you won't find many cheaper soundbars out there. The Saiyin DS6305 isn’t a phenomenal product, but if you’re on a tight budget and just want an improvement over standard TV audio, this could be worth it for you. 

You’re not overly fussy on quality
Of course, the DS6305 isn’t going to offer premium sound. In fairness, you’ll have to spend a bit more if you’re someone who values top-quality audio, and there are a lot of strong budget options sitting at around the $100 / £100 / AU$150 mark. However, this soundbar will give you a bit more power, especially in the low-end, so if you want to get a little more enjoyment out of blockbuster movies or gaming experiences, it could be a decent pick.  

Don't buy it if...

You want a sleek, stylish aesthetic
The DS6305 doesn’t look amazing due to a combination of its slightly awkward shape and cheap build quality. That’s not a massive problem for many, but if you’re the sort of person who prioritizes style, then it’s worth looking elsewhere. A budget alternative that has a more diminutive soundbar and even includes a subwoofer is the Ultimea Nova S50 – more on this later. 

You’re on the hunt for spatial audio
The DS6305 is a 2.0-channel soundbar so you won't get all the benefits of surround sound. There’s no Dolby Atmos or DTS:X at play either, so if you’re expecting expansive, three-dimensional audio, you’ll be disappointed. If you want to experience Atmos, then it may be worth selecting a soundbar from our guide to the best Dolby Atmos soundbars and speakers.

Saiyin DS6305: Also consider

Ultimea Nova S50
The Ultimea Nova S50 is another super cheap option for those looking to elevate their TV audio setup. It comes with an ultra-slim soundbar as well as a subwoofer, which means it'll be a bit more pleasing in the bass department than the Saiyin DS6305 and can add a bit more atmosphere to your viewing experiences. It doesn’t offer particularly great sound quality, and although it's labeled as Dolby Atmos compatible, you don’t really get three-dimensional audio. However, if you’re not too picky on quality, the Nova S50 could be a decent choice. Read our full Ultimea Nova S50 review here. 

Hisense HS214
It may be a few years old now, but the Hisense HS214 is still a solid soundbar for those on a tight budget. It’s a bit wider than the Saiyin DS6305 and has a built-in subwoofer. It doesn't have Dolby Atmos, so you won’t experience massively immersive audio, but you do get pretty clear vocals and decent build quality. 

Saiyin DS6305 review: How I tested

  • Tested over the course of a week
  • Connected to my Hisense U7K TV at home
  • Predominantly used the digital optical connectivity option

I put the Saiyin DS6305 to the test for a full week. I used the digital optical connectivity option to connect the soundbar to my Hisense U7K TV at home. 

I tracked performance across three key areas: video media; gaming; and music. When testing, I watched a variety of TV shows, videos, and movies on Netflix and YouTube, among others; played multiple video games on the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch consoles; and listened to music from the TechRadar testing playlist via the PS5 version of the Spotify app.

Ultimea Nova S50 review: this ultra-cheap, ultra-compact Dolby Atmos soundbar brings big sound
2:17 pm | July 10, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Soundbars Televisions | Tags: , | Comments: Off

The Ultimea Nova S50 is pitched as a budget soundbar that can offer 'cinematic' audio from the comfort of your own home. Although this ultra-slim soundbar and subwoofer combo undoubtedly packs plenty of power for its small size, and it can definitely beat the scale of sound you get from mid-range or budget TV speakers, the sound quality on offer won’t blow you away. Considering the soundbar’s very modest price, though, it may still be worth buying. 

Perhaps the biggest selling point of the Ultimea Nova S50 is that it claims to support Dolby Atmos content, implying that you will be able to experience three-dimensional, immersive sound. Let’s be realistic: given that this soundbar is available for less than $100 / £150, you’re not going to expect it to supply top-drawer expansive audio. Even with that in mind, I really couldn’t get much of a sense for the layered, positional audio you’d hope to experience from Dolby Atmos or similar technology, in part because the Ultimea Nova S50 doesn’t have upfiring or side-firing speakers – a staple of ‘true’ Dolby Atmos. But although the Nova S50’s digital processing isn’t able to emulate the sense of sitting right in the center of the mix for true Atmos feels, you’ll certainly sense more depth and dynamic range than you’d typically get from your TV’s modest drivers alone – remember, you’re receiving audio from both the soundbar and an included subwoofer with the S50.

It’s important to note that the Nova S50 has three different EQ presets – Movie, Game, and Music – and I switched between each according to the activity I engaged in. Of course, Movie mode has to cover a broad swathe of things out of those three options, so I tried watching a UEFA Euro 2024 match in it, and despite instantly being hit with powerful volume levels, I felt that crowd noise was pretty lacking in clarity and expansiveness. Furthermore, commentary wasn’t very defined in the overall mix, though it was certainly passable.

Movie mode was not grating or offensive quality-wise, and was more atmospheric than my 55-inch mid-range TV’s audio – it’s just that it failed to offer striking spatial or 'cinematic sound' – an aspect which the best soundbars typically excel in. For example, when I took a step up by testing the $399 / £299 (about AU$600) Sony HT-S2000 in comparison, I was struck by its ability to more effectively disperse sound across the width of my room.

Ultimea Nova S50 soundbar on a wooden surface in front of a TV

(Image credit: Future)

Watching an episode of Cowboy Bebop on Netflix, things were largely similar. When one character stepped through a corridor area, the echo of footsteps sounded more natural and realistic than it did with TV audio, but I didn’t get the depth you’d expect from more expensive Dolby Atmos speakers. Another thing I realized when watching the show was that Movie mode was pretty noisy; with the volume set to only 3 or 4 I was getting more than enough loudness. Even with volume set to 1, the soundbar wasn’t exactly quiet, and I would’ve preferred a sound level between 0 and 1 for playing videos, movies, or shows in the background in my apartment.

Onto the second EQ preset: Game. As a pretty keen gamer, this was one of the more important modes for me. Happily, here the volume levels were far less imposing than they were in Movie mode – as a result, I felt comfortable knowing that my neighbors could get some beauty sleep if I wanted to play during unsociable hours. 

When playing Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance on the PlayStation 5, the Nova S50 was responsive throughout action-packed segments and I was never troubled by latency. The subwoofer produced more powerful, fuller bass frequencies than my TV’s speakers, which complimented the game’s ambient atmosphere pretty well. However, it did sound a little muddy – something I also sensed when playing EA Sports FC 24, with commentary lacking clarity when crowd noise ramped up. 

If you want a soundbar that can offer high-quality audio when listening to music, this isn’t it, unfortunately. When using the Music EQ preset, I found that the Nova S50 produced a pretty condensed sound, in which individual sonic elements were sometimes lost in a confused mix. For instance, when I played Young Blood by The Naked and Famous via Bluetooth, the line between guitars in the lower-mid frequency range and the bass was bloated, resulting in a bit of a congested, compressed-sounding output. In addition, the cymbal beat that runs through much of the track lacked definition, and more generally, the treble clarity felt impacted.

I don’t think the Nova S50 necessarily has to deliver premium musical output for the price you pay, and if you’re not too picky on sound, it may even do the job for you. All three modes confirmed that the Nova S50 won’t wow you for sound quality, but it is a competent enough performer for the money, adding a splash of ambience and depth to the home-theater experience.

Ultimea Nova S50 subwoofer on a wooden surface against a pink background

(Image credit: Future)

Features-wise, the Nova S50 doesn’t set out to do anything game-changing. Other than the three EQ modes, it also has something called BassMax, which can be used to either crank up the bass or turn it down a bit. I found that the latter option was pretty handy in enabling extra clarity for vocals in the mid-range or treble, or if I didn’t want to disturb others in my building with booming low frequency sounds. I very rarely felt the need to turn BassMax up for more low end power, and when I did, it functioned well, though as expected, did come across as quite overbearing.

The Nova S50 has Bluetooth compatibility, meaning that you can connect your other devices remotely to play music or podcasts. However, there are a lot of other ways to connect your soundbar to your TV or other devices, including digital optical, aux-in, USB, and of course HDMI eARC. 

It’s pleasing too, that no matter what connectivity option you’re using, setup is very straightforward. After unboxing the Nova S50, all I had to do was connect an AC adapter to the subwoofer, and then use a (mercifully very long) audio cable to link that to the soundbar itself, which was wired to my TV via HDMI eARC. The Nova S50 also includes a wall-mounting kit that’s easy to install thanks to clear setup instructions.

Ultimea Nova S50 soundbar with remote control balanced on top

(Image credit: Future)

When it comes to usability, the Nova S50 performs well too. It comes with a remote (without AAA batteries included), which is pretty responsive and has clear, well-sized button controls. There are individual buttons to switch between the three EQ presets, turn BassMax levels up or down, and switch between connectivity options. The remote is well-sized and has a pretty clean design too. 

Using HDMI eARC, I was also able to use my standard TV remote to adjust the soundbar’s volume levels, but beware – you’ll still need to use the included controller to switch between EQ presets and adjust BassMax levels. More generally the Nova S50 is a decent-looking product, with both the soundbar itself and the subwoofer being pretty compact. Both are enclosed in relatively cheap-looking (and feeling) plastic, but for the price you pay, this is to be expected. 

All in all, what you see is what you get with the Ultimea Nova S50. Yes, it has a very low price, and in turn, you’re not going to experience game-changing audio quality or hear Dolby Atmos in its full-fledged glory. What you do get, though, is a pretty powerful mini soundbar and subwoofer that will offer adequate sound with plenty of connectivity options to boot. 

If the lack of expansive audio doesn’t bother you too much, the Nova S50 could be a solid choice, but if you want stronger room-filling sound without having to break the bank, it may be worth checking out alternatives in the budget section of our best Dolby Atmos soundbars and speakers guide instead.

Ultimea Nova S50 soundbar on a wooden surface in front of a TV

(Image credit: Future)

Ultimea Nova S50 review: Price and release date

  • Currently priced at $99.00 / £139.99 (about AU$150)
  • Launched on July 25, 2023

 Yes, you’re reading that correctly, you can pick up the Nova S50 for less than $100. That’s much cheaper than the vast majority of budget soundbars out there, and the inclusion of a subwoofer makes the cost even more impressive. It’s worth noting that the product’s original list price was $219.99 / £219.99 (about AU$330), but it’s not being  sold for anywhere near this much across the vast majority of online retailers.  

Ultimea Nova S50 review: Specs

Reverse side of the Ultimea Nova S50 showing the various connectivity ports

(Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the Ultimea Nova S50?

Buy it if...

You’re a little low on space
If you’re not working with a lot of room for audio equipment then fear not – the Ultimea Nova S50 has you covered. The soundbar itself is particularly diminutive at just 15.7 x 1.5 x 3.0 inches / 400 x 38 x 76mm and even the subwoofer can be easily tucked away in smaller rooms. 

You want an easy-to-use plug-and-play soundbar
It doesn’t get much more straightforward than the Nova S50 when it comes to setup and usability. It will likely only take a total of about five minutes to get the soundbar and subwoofer out of the box and plugged in. The remote is also simple and easy to navigate, and there’s a simple wall-mounting kit that you can use if you’d like.

Don't buy it if...

You’re in the market for strong audio quality
The Nova S50 doesn’t sound very impressive in any of its three EQ modes. If you want to be wowed by beautiful treble, rich mids and controlled bass, you’ll need to look elsewhere. As a result, it’s not an ideal option if you’re mainly going to use this to play music with muddied audio causing sonic details to get lost. 

You want the true Dolby Atmos experience
The Nova S50 doesn’t have upfiring speakers and its digital processing doesn’t give much of an impression of additional height or expansiveness. If you want ‘true’ Atmos, you’ll be best served by a soundbar with upfiring speakers, but there are budget options without this that can produce great results too, such as the Sony HT-S2000, which has dropped to as low as £299 in the UK, though is more like $399 in the US.  

Ultimea Nova S50: Also consider

Roku Streambar
The Roku Streambar will provide a step up from standalone TV audio without setting you back too far financially. There’s no subwoofer included, which might be better for you if you have very limited space – but you can purchase a Roku Wireless subwoofer to pair with it if you’d prefer. The soundbar has Roku streaming built in too, enabling you to watch your favorite TV shows and movies in 4K quality. Read our full Roku Streambar review. 

Yamaha SR-C30A
At a glance, you may think the Yamaha SR-C30A is far too expensive to be pitted against the Ultimea Nova S50. And although its list price is considerably higher, the soundbar often holds a far lower price tag in the UK and Australia, coming in at less than £200 / AU$300 with certain online retailers. This is an impressive budget soundbar which comes with a wireless subwoofer and boasts strong full-range audio. It doesn’t have Dolby Atmos support and it’s larger than the Ultimea and Roku alternatives, but if you’re working with more space, it's worth checking out. Read our full Yamaha SR-C30A review for more.

Ultimea Nova S50 review: How I tested

  • Tested over the course of a week
  • Connected to my Hisense U7K TV at home
  • Predominantly used the HDMI eARC connectivity option

I tested the Ultimea Nova S50 at home across the span of a week. I used the HDMI eARC connectivity option to connect the soundbar and subwoofer to my Hisense U7K TV.

In order to judge audio across the three main presets, I watched a variety of TV shows, videos and movies across streaming services, including Netflix and YouTube, among others. I also played multiple video games on the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch consoles, and I listened to music from the TechRadar testing playlist on Spotify when connecting my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 to the Nova S50 via Bluetooth.

Hisense AX5125H review: impressive Dolby Atmos performance in an affordable soundbar system
9:00 pm | June 22, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Soundbars Televisions | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Hisense AX5125H review: Two minute review

The Hisense AX5125H is a 5.1.2-channel soundbar system comprising four units –  a soundbar, a subwoofer and two satellite speakers.

Compared to the best soundbars, the Hisense AX5125H has somewhat basic features, with only Bluetooth connectivity for music streaming as opposed to the Wi-Fi streaming you’ll find on the similarly priced Sonos Beam and Bose Smart Soundbar 600. However, unlike those soundbars, the AX5125H provides a ‘real’ surround sound experience with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatibility out of the box as opposed to requiring optional speakers at an additional cost. 

The AX5125H takes a no-frills approach, and it shows. But for a budget soundbar, the AX5125H’s sound is impressive, providing plenty of punch, clarity and immersion. Dolby Atmos and surround effects are accurately reproduced, speech is crystal clear and bass is weighty yet controlled. Even streamed music sounds good despite being limited to Bluetooth quality. For an affordable system, the Hisense AX5125H rivals some of the cheaper examples of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars. 

Its main bar may be a little on the wider side, but the AX5125H’s sub and rear speakers have a compact design – ideal for those looking to minimize the impact of external boxes. Its materials and build quality aren’t the most premium, but both are better than expected thanks to stylish metal grilles and a reassuringly solid feel. The provided remote feels every bit cheap, however. 

The Hisense AX5125H's simple plug-and-play approach makes setup a breeze. Those who like a good app for control and settings adjustments will be disappointed as one isn’t available, leaving all control to the provided remote. But for those looking for simplicity, the AX5125H provides.

For a 5.1.2-channel speaker array with nine speakers across four units, including two up-firing drivers for Atmos, the AX5125H is an incredible value at under $350 / £350 / AU$450. Those looking for a soundbar with all the bells and whistles may want to look elsewhere, But, if you’re after a soundbar that’s going to add plenty of oomph to your TV plus real surround immersion on a budget, look no further than the AX5125H.

Hisense AX5125H main soundbar connected to Hisense U6N

The Hisense AX5125H's main soundbar provides excellent speech clarity (Image credit: Future)

Hisense AX5125H review: Price & release date

  • Release date: 2023
  • Price at release: $449 / £499 / AU$599 
  • Price at time of writing: $299 / £349 / AU$449  

The Hisense AX5125H is a 5.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos soundbar system that comes with a main soundbar, subwoofer and two satellite speakers. Upon its release in 2023, the AX5125H sold for $399 / £499 / AU$599. At that price, it was in a similar price range to the Sony HT-S2000, one of the best budget soundbars on the market.

Since its release, prices for the AX5125H have dropped, and at the time of writing, we’re seeing it available for as low as $299 / £349 / AU$449 – again in line with the Sony HT-S2000’s current prices. 

Hisense AX5125H review: Specs

Hisense AX5125H connections

The Hisense AX5125H's connections include not only HDMI but also a 3.5mm AUX input (Image credit: Future)

Hisense AX5125H review: Features

  • 5.1.2-channel configuration
  • Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatible
  • Bluetooth-only streaming     

Featuring nine speakers across four ‘boxes’, the Hisense AX5125H offers a 5.1.2-channel speaker array and supports the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats, along with the Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio formats. 

The AX5125H has seven preset ‘AI EQ’ sound modes such as Movie and Night, and includes an AI mode that analyzes content to improve the sound. Unlike soundbars from brands such as Sonos, Bose and Sony, the AX5125H does not have a companion app or any kind of EQ customization, instead relying on basic Bass and Treble adjustments with the provided remote control. 

The AX5125H has two HDMI ports (one with eARC), plus optical digital, 3.5mm AUX, and USB connections. There’s no built-in Wi-Fi, but Bluetooth version 5.3 is provided for music streaming. 

Some of the AX5125H’s budget and mid-range rivals such as the Sonos Ray, Sonos Beam and Bose Smart Soundbar 600 provide Wi-Fi connectivity and app features such as EQ. On the other hand, you are getting a more complete surround package out of the box with the AX5125H. 

  • Features score: 4/5

Hisense AX5125H soundbar, sub and rear speakers

The Hisense AX5125H soundbar with sub and two rear speakers: 9 speakers and 5.1.2 channels across four units (Image credit: Future)

Hisense AX5125H review: Sound quality

  • ‘Real’ Dolby Atmos sound 
  • Punchy, dynamic performance  
  • Small satellite speakers can get overwhelmed

Watching Star Wars: A New Hope on Disney Plus, the effectiveness of the surround sound was immediately apparent during the final attack run on the Death Star. The screeching TIE fighters and roaring rear engines sounded like they were coming from all around thanks to the Hisense’s effective Dolby Atmos delivery, led by the main soundbar’s up-firing speakers. The soundstage was surprisingly wide, and it gave all aspects of the soundtrack room to breathe. Dialogue was crystal clear, and the horn-heavy score, explosions and gunfire were all presented with equal importance. 

Switching to The Batman on 4K Blu-ray, the opening crime scene section demonstrated the AX5125H’s subtleties. Dialogue was impressive, and the low hum of the officers' voices, camera clicks, and even the stretching of Batman’s leather suit were all easily distinguishable and accurately placed. 

Moving to the chaotic batmobile car chase, the same punchy power and balance I heard in Star Wars was present, and the driving rain showcased the AX5125H’s Atmos chops.

Music listening was also enjoyable with the AX5125H, despite the streaming quality being limited to Bluetooth. Whatever genre I threw at it, the AX5125H obliged. The pounding drums, bassy synths and gravelly vocals of Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark were all well-handled. Thelonius Monk’s Japanese Folk Song demonstrated the AX5125H’s ability to convey all frequencies, with the twinkling piano keys and sharp sax balancing well with the smooth drums and double bass. Finally, listening to Caroline Polachek’s Welcome To My Island, her soaring vocals could be pushed to high volumes with no strain.

The Hisense AX5125H is not all perfect, as its smaller satellite speakers could sometimes get overwhelmed reproducing surround effects. Even so, its performance was meaty and even feisty. 

  • Sound quality score: 4.5/5

Hisense AX5125H sub

The Hisense AX5125H's sub provides plenty of powerful bass in a fairly compact size (Image credit: Future)

Hisense AX5125H review: Design

  • Compact subwoofer and rear speakers 
  • Decent build quality 
  • Front LED display 

The Hisense AX5125H’s main soundbar measures 36.2 x 18.8 x 3.5-inches (920 x 478 x 90mm), the subwoofer 8.5 x 12.3 x 11.9-inches (210.5 x 310 x 300mm) and the satellites 3.6 x 5.7 x 4.3-inches (90.1 x 140.5 x 110mm). 

Build quality is mixed, though the grilles for each speaker are the kind of black mesh metal you’d expect to find on more premium units. It also features a front LED display. There is an option to dim and brighten the LED display to four levels, plus turn it off completely to prevent distractions.

The provided remote is basic but serviceable, with Bass and Treble EQ buttons and a dedicated button to cycle through the sound presets. 

  • Design score: 4/5

Hisense AX5125H remote

The Hisense AX5125H's supplied remote is basic and feels a bit cheap, but is simple to use (Image credit: Future)

Hisense AX5125H review: Usability & setup

  • Two HDMI ports
  • Easy, basic setup
  • No app support   

Setup of the Hisense AX5125H is easy. Once I connected the main soundbar to a TV using its HDMI eARC port, I then connected the wireless sub and satellite speakers by pressing the pairing button on each unit and all were connected and ready to go. Once paired, there was no need to pair again on the next usage even when I unplugged them.

With no companion app, everything is controlled using the provided remote (or your TV remote using HDMI-CEC). 

The AX5125H’s front alphanumeric display gives clear feedback from input commands and adjustments without any need to rely on the blinking LEDs you find on some soundbars such as the Sonos Beam and Ray. Although obscured somewhat by the soundbar’s grille, it’s still a welcome feature. 

  • Usability & setup score: 4.5/5

Hisense AX5125H rear speaker next to remote

Despite the fairly small size, the Hisense AX5125H's satellite speakers (one shown next to the AX5125H's supplied remote) provide excellent immersion (Image credit: Future)

Hisense AX5125H review: Value

  • Full soundbar package for a budget price 
  • Good performance for the money 
  • Lacks premium features such as Wi-Fi  

At roughly $349 / £349 / AU$449 for a complete surround package with two up-firing speakers, the Hisense AX5125H provides excellent value. Despite missing some features such as Wi-Fi connectivity and a companion app for EQ control, the system’s performance more than makes up for the omission.

At this price range, there is budget competition from Bose, Sonos, and Sony, but crucially, these will be all-in-one bars that don’t provide the full surround sound experience you get from the AX5125H. Yes, it may not rival more premium soundbars, but the sound quality it provides is nothing short of impressive for the price.

  • Value score: 4.5/5

Should I buy the Hisense AX5125H?

Buy it if...

Don't but it if...

Also consider

Hisense AX5125H soundbar, sub and rear speakers in testing room

The Hisense AX5125H in our testing room, connected to a Hisense U6N TV (Image credit: Future)

How I tested the Hisense AX5125H

  • Tested with a variety of sources
  • Connected to a Hisense U6N TV
  • Dolby Atmos, surround and stereo sound tested

I tested the Hisense AX5125H connected to a Hisense U6N TV, and although Hisense-specific features were on offer, testing was done without these turned on. 

After cycling through the different AI EQ modes, including News, Night and more, I opted for Movie, which was the most accurate and immersive. After this, I tested the AX5125H with a variety of sources, including broadcast TV, mainly testing lower-resolution speech and signals, and 4K Blu-ray and Disney Plus for Dolby Atmos and surround playback.

I next tested music streaming from Spotify and Tidal using Bluetooth, playing reference tracks from multiple genres that I have used to test soundbars, headphones and speakers in the past. 

Read more about how we test

  • First reviewed: 21st June, 2024
LG S95TR soundbar review: Dolby Atmos immersion done right
2:00 pm | May 26, 2024
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Soundbars Televisions | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

LG S95TR Soundbar: Two minute review

LG S95TR in living room

The LG S95TR soundbar system fresh out of the box (Image credit: Future)

I’ll cut to the chase: The LG S95TR is a fantastic soundbar system. In fact, it might be among the best soundbars available right now. And that’s without considering its first-party feature set when paired with certain LG TVs – something I’ll touch on but won’t dive into too deeply.

Overall, there’s very little to dislike about the LG S95TR. Just about everything that keeps it from being perfect, besides its high price, is due to how basic the LED display is or the fact that some features require opening the app. Having to reach for the phone to turn on “Night Time” mode is a bit of an inconvenience, especially when that setting could have been made available on the remote, for instance.

However, the positives here far outweigh the cons. Even though this is a 9.1.5-channel system, for example, setup and even calibration were about as streamlined as it can get when multiple units are involved. And the feature set is about as deep as one could expect from a system competing with the best Dolby Atmos soundbars. None of that matters if the sound quality isn’t there, but the LG S95TR delivers in that regard as well with its immersive, engrossing, and engaging audio.

In the grand scheme of things, the LG S95TR’s $1,499 / AU$1,699 (about £1,200) price is actually not bad when compared to the competition. And if you were to buy a separate Dolby Atmos speaker system with one of the best AV receivers, you would spend even more. So, despite the high asking price, the S95TR’s cost does seem reasonable when you put it in perspective.

Whether the LG S95TR is for you will depend on your needs. If you’re working with a small room or setup, this system is probably too much for you. You might be happy with something that only costs a couple hundred dollars. However, if you want to match the convenience of a soundbar system with the immersive performance of a true home theater speaker setup, you can’t go wrong here.

LG S95TR in living room

The LG S95TR's front panel LED display provides insufficient visual feedback, forcing you to rely on the app for settings and adjustments (Image credit: Future)

LG S95TR Soundbar review: Price & release date

  • Released in March 2024 (US and Australia)
  • $1,499.99 / AU$1,699.01 (about £1,200)

As part of LG’s 2024 AV lineup, the LG S95TR is fairly new. It isn’t even available yet in the UK, where the previous generation, the S95QR, is still on offer for £1,699. However, those in the US and Australia can get it right away as of May 2024 for $1,499.99 / AU$1,699.01 (about £1,200).

Considering that the LG S95TR is a 9.1.5-channel system, its price tag is not as exorbitant as it might seem. After all, a regular home theater audio setup can get much more expensive when you take into account the need for at least five quality speakers, a subwoofer, and an AV receiver. And, that’s even before accounting for the upward-firing Dolby Atmos speakers (the “5” in 9.1.5).

LG S95TR Soundbar review: Specs

LG S95TR in living room

Dual HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz support are provided on the soundbar (Image credit: Future)

LG S95TR Soundbar review: Features

  • Some features meant specifically for LG TVs
  • Wi-Fi streaming and voice assistant support
  • AI Room Calibration is a revelation

Let’s first discuss the LG S95TR features that owners of the LG B4, LG C4, and LG G4 Series OLED TVs may enjoy. These include WOW Orchestra (uses the TV’s built-in speakers in conjunction with the soundbar system for an even fuller sound), WOW Interface (lets you use one remote for both the TV and soundbar, with setup available on the TV), and WOWCAST (lets you pair the soundbar with the LG TV wirelessly). I didn’t have access to an LG TV during my review and could not dig into those features. But even so, I found the LG S95TR soundbar still very feature-filled.

For instance, even if you can’t take advantage of WOWCAST, the rear speakers and subwoofer still pair wirelessly to the soundbar. So, outside of the power cables, the only wire you’ll see is the HDMI or optical cable connecting the soundbar to the TV.

The LG S95TR is also plenty room-filling without WOW Orchestra. Not only do you get full surround sound, but five upward firing speakers that work with both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks. It should also be noted that you can listen to stereo content as if it’s in surround sound. That’s not to say that the soundbar’s processing will remix the music so that a saxophone (if you listen to music with a saxophone) only comes from the back left speaker, but, you will get an immersive sound presentation.

Some other critical features include Wi-Fi streaming so you can play music from your favorite streaming service without having to use a lower-quality Bluetooth connection (though you can do that as well). You can also use Alexa or Google Assistant for voice control. 

My favorite feature, however, is LG’s Advanced AI Room Calibration. Speaker placement is critical for getting good sound, and a feature that can adjust how sound is projected based on speaker placement is key, especially when one of your rear speakers is literally sitting on an old chest. It’s a quick process as well that is available through the app.

My neighbor’s favorite feature, though they don’t know it, is the Night Time mode, also only available in the app. This feature makes everything sound a bit flatter as the audio gets compressed to keep sound peaks from getting too loud. It’s a useful feature for when you’re worried about waking someone up when watching a movie late at night.

  • Features score: 5 / 5

LG S95TR rear speakers on floor in living room

The LG S95TR's rear-channel speakers feature up-firing drivers for immersive Dolby Atmos sound (Image credit: Future)

LG S95TR Soundbar review: Performance

  • Clear sound, even at low volume
  • Very good Dolby Atmos immersion
  • Slightly forward mid-range response

With 810 watts of power, the LG S95TR has more than enough volume on tap. Loudness doesn’t necessarily equal good sound, but thankfully the LG S95TR sounds very good.

When testing, I watched movies and shows including Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, Shogūn, and Psych, and listened to plenty of music. Also during testing, I used different audio modes including the AI mode from the room calibration feature.

When watching Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, the LG S95TR was in Cinema mode. Not only did I feel the rumble from the subwoofer every time there was some low-end information, but it came through clearly (some cheaper soundbar subs often produce a flabby bass response). And the same held even when I lowered the volume.

In fact, I did a lot of listening on this soundbar at a lower volume. Why? Because at lower volumes, TV audio is often uneven and tinny with some sound getting swallowed up. But the LG S95TR soundbar reproduced everything in a way that I could have the volume just above audible and still make out every sound and nuance.

The system’s surround and Dolby Atmos capabilities are very robust. Shogūn has a lot of dialogue inside traditional Japanese homes overlooking gardens. Watching it, I at first wasn’t sure if I was hearing anything, but when I put my ears to the rear speakers, I realized that there actually was a lot going on because I heard the ambient sounds of a garden and pond. The ambient sound also had a sense of dimension thanks to the upward-firing Atmos drivers in the rear speakers.

Night Time mode was effective in that if flattened the sound (it’s compressing the audio after all) but in a way that made everything still very audible. I had no issues hearing anything even with the feature on and the volume low. Compared to similar modes on TVs when using the TV’s built-in speakers, the S95TR’s Night Time mode was superior.

Lastly, the LG S95TR’s stereo up-mixing is a treat when listening to music. You still get a stereo image, but all of the speaker drivers on the soundbar and rear speakers are engaged. It’s not as detailed as what you would hear with audiophile speakers, but unless you’re deep down that rabbit hole, you’ll be very happy. As far as its overall frequency response, LG’s soundbar has a slightly forward mid-range, and it’s a profile that lends itself better to audio from movies, TV shows, and games.

  • Performance score: 5 / 5

LG S95TR subwoofer on floor in living room

LG's wireless subwoofer adds real low-end rumble to soundtracks (Image credit: Future)

LG S95TR Soundbar review: Design

  • Discreet and mostly wireless design
  • LED indicators don’t provide enough information
  • Many features and controls require app

 The LG S95TR soundbar’s looks aren’t going to wow anyone. It looks like a basic matte black soundbar with a subwoofer and two slightly strange-looking wedge-shaped rear speakers, all with some extra upward-facing grilles (well, except the sub). But even though it doesn’t have the mid-century chic of a Bang & Olufsen soundbar, which would cost almost twice the price, it fits in discreetly enough – something helped out by the wireless subwoofer and rear speakers.

However, any complaints I have about the LG S95TR will be in this section. Three LED indicator lights near the right side of the soundbar take the place of an LED display. You’ll see a red light when you power down, some green lights when adjusting the volume, and three blinking white lights when trying to pair with a Bluetooth source. Considering how many features are on hand here, there just isn’t enough information on the soundbar that's visible at a glance.

The remote, for instance, has a button to toggle through different sound modes such as Cinema, Music,Game, etc. But not only do you not know which mode you’re on, but you don’t know which one you’re switching to just by looking at the soundbar or remote, and the same goes for the volume level. 

The only way to get that information is to download, pair, and open LG’s control app – my second bone of contention. The app itself is perfectly fine. However, some features, such as Night Time mode are only available in the app, when they could have had their own button on the included remote control. Overall, these are far from dealbreakers, but they still are little annoyances.

As far as ports go, the selection is pretty minimal, with two HDMI ports (one with eARC), a USB port, and an optical digital input. The HDMI ports at least support 4K 120Hz and HDR10 passthrough, something PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X gamers will appreciate.

  • Design score: 4 / 5

LG S95TR packaging on chair

LG's packaging for the S95TR is mercifully free of styrofoam, using mostly recyclable paper and cardboard (Image credit: Future)

LG S95TR Soundbar review: Setup & usability

  • System is well packaged
  • Setup is quick and easy
  • App is intuitive to use

The LG S95TR is a soundbar system and not just an all-in-one soundbar, so getting it out of the box is somewhat overwhelming. The box is big, but that’s partially because of how well-packaged everything is. I also appreciate that LG didn’t use styrofoam for its packaging.

Once everything is unboxed, you need to scope out where to place the rear speakers and plug in the various speakers in the order specified in the manual. Interestingly, when I first plugged everything in, the soundbar announced via a voice prompt that the rear speakers were on the wrong sides. Plugging everything in took five or ten minutes, which is quite convenient compared to a standard home theater system.

With everything set up, using the system is very easy. With the soundbar connected to the HDMI ARC port, I could use my TV’s remote to control volume. The app is also very easy and intuitive from adjusting volume, switching modes and sources, to setting up the various features. You can even manually adjust sound settings per speaker, which is a nice touch.

  • Setup & usability score: 5 / 5

LG S95TR on table top surface shown

Three up-firing Atmos drivers are located on the LG S95TR's top surface, with the center driver also helping to elevate dialogue to screen-level (Image credit: Future)

LG S95TR Soundbar review: Value

  • Pricey
  • Reasonable compared to high-end competition
  • Stiff competition from Samsung and JBL

Although the LG S95TR is pretty expensive, this is a 9.1.5-channel system, so you’re getting much more than just a soundbar. If you want detailed sound with some dimension but don’t care about a true surround sound experience, you can get a standalone soundbar and save money. Even the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar, which is still relatively pricey at £899 / $899 / AU$1499, will set you back much less (and take up less space). 

Of course, if you want the rumble of a subwoofer and real surround sound – basically, the home theater experience – you’re going to have to spend more. For instance, the flagship Samsung HW-Q990D, a 11.1.4-channel soundbar system, retails for even more than the LG at $1,799 / £1,699 / AU$1,995.

Or consider the JBL Bar 1300X with its rechargeable rear speakers. At $1,699 / £1,299 / around AU$2,570, it also costs just a little more than the LG system but doesn’t have 4K 120Hz HDMI passthrough for gaming.

  • Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the LG S95TR Soundbar?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

LG S95TR Soundbar review: Also consider

How I tested the LG S95TR Soundbar

LG S95TR on table with subwoofer on floor

(Image credit: Future)
  • I used the LG S95TR Soundbar for a few weeks
  • Tested with both TV, movies, and music

I used the LG S95TR Soundbar regularly for a few weeks with TV, movies, and music. I compared it to just my TV’s speakers alone, listened to the different sound modes, and tested the various features.

As expressed in the review, this is a powerful, immersive system that delivers a true home theater experience in a convenient soundbar package.

I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and use my expertise to give an honest, fair, and informed opinion on any product I test.

Read more about how we test

  • First reviewed: May 2024
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