Verdict
A surprisingly good and low-cost soundbar from Amazon that delivers spatial audio . It ’s good with dialogue and is improvement on a cheap TV . It ’s not the most featured , lack of puncher and power to the bass and its ok medicine performance are understanding to consider other legal profession , but for the money , the Fire TV Soundbar Plus is a pleasant surprisal .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
First it was video streamers . Then it was TVs , and now Amazon is make soundbars with the Fire TV Soundbar Plus .
I ’d reviewed the more basicFire TV Soundbarand found that to be a rather ho - hum offering – but the Fire video Plus promises more . Better phone , Dolby Atmos and DTS :X support for an attractive price .
There are still a few quirks about the approach Amazon has taken with its soundbars , but the Fire TV Plus is an unexpected surprisal .
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Availability
The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is priced at £ 249 / $ 249 / € 269 / CA$329 . There is a 5.1 rendering that ’s only available in the United States . you could find it for $ 489 .
Design
consider the £ 249 / $ 249 Mary Leontyne Price tag , the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus does not look half bad . In fact , it looks smart for the money .
It is grey , but that engage well with its minimalist aesthetic – it ’s not a soundbar that jump out when you walk into a room . The build character is solid , and the grey cloth around its midriff avoids the plastic , cheap attend some soundbars at this price have .
There are controls on the top open in case you lose the remote , which cover power , input selection , Bluetooth pairing and loudness . Around the posterior is a break up area for the inputs and at 94 cm broad it ’s not too farseeing that it take care ungainly on your Ab furniture . When partnered with a 55 - column inch Fire TV 4 Series model , the soundbar model perfectly between the feet .
Annoyingly Amazon has run for the display behind the fabric grille to assert the minimalist appearing . Like Samsung , LG , and Sony soundbars , it ’s a series of nictitate light . Some may not mind it but I find it irritating . I do n’t want to refer the manual to find out what the lights mean , and in some cases they flash by so cursorily I ’m not certain what they ’re referencing .
Case in point , when the soundbar detects aDolby Atmosor DTS :X signal , it recognises it with three immature lights . But blink and you ’ll miss it .
The remote control is small but button jam are responsive . It come with the same buttons ( and a few more ) as the soundbar itself . Accessories include a wall - mounting kit in the event you decide to heave it onto your bulwark .
Features
Dolby Atmos andDTS : Xcover 3D spatial audio . Dolby and DTS cover the standard soundtrack format . It ’s deserving noting the Fire TV Plus does n’t have upfiring speakers to produce the spacial audio effect through virtual processing .
There ’s more DTS bread and butter in the form of DTS TruVolume which supply a consistent loudness level with DTS audio recording .
Connectivity covers a singleHDMI ARC / eARCport to connect to a TV . There ’s also USB - A and digital optic for those without an HDMI interface on their goggle box . Bluetooth is the means of connect to the soundbar wirelessly .
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The Fire TV Soundbar Plus has a 3.1 conformation which is a unexpended , centre and right talker , get married with an internal subwoofer to give the humble frequencies some punch .
There are four EQ modes in Film , Music , Sports and Night – Night mode temper the low absolute frequency so they do n’t become a nuisance to other people in your mansion , apartment or next threshold .
And that ’s about it on the feature of speech front . This does n’t derive with built - in streaming ( despite the Fire TV branding ) nor does it have Alexa integration – it ’s very much a ‘ dumb ’ soundbar and not smart like theRoku Streambar . There ’s not even integration with the Fire TV app .
There is a 5.1 version that bundles in a subwoofer and two surround speakers but this is only available in America . I do n’t trust you’re able to mate it with the Echo Studio wireless speaker either .
Set - up is very elementary with an Amazon Fire TV as the TV instantly recognises its mate . Any button not uncommitted on the bar itself can be come up in the Fire TV interface – that ’s if you ’re connecting to an Amazon Fire TV – with the power to fine-tune bass / threefold , and enable DTS TruVolume and the Dialogue Enhancer .
Sound Quality
In goes a 4 kB Blu - ray of La La Land into aPanasonic UB820that ’s connected to the Amazon Fire TV 4 - Series , and right away the Fire video Plus showcases a surefooted sound .
It ’s easily a big improvement over the TV it ’s associate to – the highs are bright and clear , the midrange clear , and the low have adequate system of weights view this is just a undivided bar with no subwoofer attached .
Having a dedicated centre helps to give dialogue room to emit , and through all the moving-picture show and TV series I play , the Fire TV Soundbar Plus sounded natural with negotiation .
It ’s a spacious listen too , with dialogue positioned high up and even off - screen where ask in Civil War . With La La Land ’s music grudge , it ’s punchy and expressive , and there ’s no sense that the soundstage feels congested or heavyset .
It ’s all been positive so far . In Blade Runner 2049 , the make - in subwoofer fumbles the cinema ’s scuttle – the bass sounds categorical and there ’s some distortion throughout the opening title .
Treble sounds balanced enough but as soon as the heart look on screen , I was hoping for a magnanimous , expansive , way - fill sound – alternatively the Fire TV Soundbar Plus vocalise small .
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There ’s no mention of how much power is behind the Fire TV Soundbar Plus , but it lack a academic degree of heft and shell .
Tonally it sound as it should , and in terminal figure of its spacial public presentation , the action in the heights could have more definition but there is a presence above the TV as K ’s spinner comes down to land . The fight between K and Sapper has an intensity the TV ca n’t describe , with more force provided to the punches which hit with more clarity .
Dynamically it can slew between being dear and ordinary – in BR 20249 it remain at the same book rather than getting slow quieter as K piddle his mode to Sapper ’s firm . But with Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom , Michael Giacchino ’s sexual conquest zoom rather than fall down mat .
DTS tracks do voice as if they need to be flirt at a louder volume , which I do n’t conceive is a soundbar topic and has more to do with DTS ’ dynamic range of a function . Nevertheless , while voices sound readable and rude with Fallen Kingdom ’s DTS :X track , they lack a little system of weights .
When it comes to the activeness sequences , like the vent explosion , it does lack a moment of thrust and punch . Applying DTS TruVolume has the contrary result of making the soundbar quieter , which is not what you want .
I would n’t expect the same horizontal surface of performance from the Fire TV Plus as I would theSony Bravia Theatre Bar 8but on juncture , they fathom standardised . Both take a sharper tone to gamy frequencies which makes treble sound bright , but whenever the soundbar adjudicate to identify sounds that encounter out wide , there ’s a needlelike , rough tone that make up it sound thin .
With music overBluetooth , the Fire TV Soundbar Plus is … ok . Mogwai ’s We ’re No Here sounds thin and wanting in detail . The treble in GoGo Penguin ’s Atomised is vindicated if not quite needlelike or bright ; while basso does n’t offer much in the agency of astuteness and weightiness . At times the soundbar ’s music performance comes across as depleted .
Music does n’t go ‘ big ’ with the Music EQ on either , the soundbar does n’t push sound out and away from its body but the vocal music are well plow . Lianne La Havas ’ Bittersweet sees the barroom turnout a tender and politic vocal public presentation . you may give bass part a rise through the EQ but the miserable frequencies just miss punch and power to have an wallop .
Should you buy it?
It ’s not often there ’s a soundbar with both Dolby Atmos and DTS :X support for this low toll . If you ’re look to get spacial audio at a low price , this is a comely fit .
Yes , you ’ll have to pay more for a better Atmos soundbar , but if you really value a spacial audio experience , there are good model than the Fire TV Soundbar Plus .
Final Thoughts
The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is good than I thought it would be . It can be knavish to do spatial audio recording on a budget , and it does a fairly estimable job in delivering more top to plastic film and TV series .
The dialogue performance is clear and natural - sounding , which is a plus , but for home movie theater enthusiast this soundbar lack some scale and size . Bass is serviceable but if you look at yourself a cineaste you ’ll find it lacking . The music performance is another area where the Fire TV Soundbar Plus is just fine .
This a simple soundbar and its lean of features is not many . It ’s intended for people who want to give their idiot box a boost without spending a huge amount on the verybest soundbar , and in that esteem it ’s an admirable execution .
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I still think the Fire idiot box stigmatization is unusual , but for £ 249 / $ 249 this is a effective soundbar and certainly a challenger among thebest cheesy soundbars .
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We test every wireless speaker we review thoroughly over an extensive period of time . We use industry - standard tests to compare characteristic the right way . We ’ll always severalise you what we detect . We never , ever , accept money to review a merchandise .
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FAQs
There is a adaptation of the Fire TV Soundbar Plus that come with surround speakers and a subwoofer , but this is currently only useable in America .
Full Specs
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