Verdict
Decent value for money , the Groov - e 160 Soundbar ’s crisp , clear , and energetic sound works well with TVs and film , though at gamey volume it is prone to sounding shrill and unfocussed .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
On this site we ’ve talked about the grandness of ameliorate a TV ’s audio caliber greatly . Flatscreen tv set do not always have the elbow room to incorporate expectant enough verbalizer drivers , which moderate to a reduction in levelheaded quality . There are times when an outside solution is better and with the Groov - e 160 soundbar , you wo n’t have to bust start the piggy bank to regain one .
plan to be a commodious manner to improve a idiot box ’s sound , the 160 soundbar is Groov - e ’s most expensive option , but within the soundbar market it ’s an low-priced choice , but is it among one of the best options you’re able to get ?
Design
Groov - e describes the looking at of the 160 soundbar as stylish , though I ’d be give to calling functional rather than esthetically dapper .
It ’s a two - tone grey / black finish with silver ringlets on each side , the grey part turns out to be moulded charge plate while the black is the grille that take up the entirety of the speaker ’s fascia . It ’s not the most inspiring look but the material body quality is solid , nevertheless .
It is slimly heavy and bulky , though more practical than theMajority Snowdon II ’s blueprint as though the rarefied foot lift it off its surface , it can ( just ) fit beneath the skeleton of TVs that I place it under without blocking the IR receiver .
There ’s an light-emitting diode presentation in the centre of the measure that prove the current source and loudness level . The lettering and numbers can calculate crude if you ’re not sitting head - on , but it stay sharp enough to decipher . Through the remote , there ’s a dimmer control ( high , intermediate , low , and off )
There are noHDMIports with this soundbar , with strong-arm connection amounting to digital optical , auxiliary and USB located in a recess area on the rear , and helpfully a digital optic cable is included in the packaging .
On top of the Browning automatic rifle are buttons for power , stimulus , book , playback , and source . The small , spaciously place out remote provide a few more pick with more playback choice , a mute button , and sound modes .
Strangely there ’s a consecrate button for ‘ Movie ’ , or you could just cycle between the other choice with the Sound Mode button . It seems surplus to me to have two button that perform alike affair .
Features
The Groov - e 160 soundbar is n’t exactly packed with features . There are three presets to choose from in Movie , Music , and Voice but no further options to adjust the EQ in any other way .
Bluetooth 5.0wireless support offers another means of link to the soundbar with a mobile equipment .
Groov - e cite 160W of peak power that the 160 soundbar can achieve ( a cue as to why it has its name ) . Though in reality speaker great power from the two medium / mellow - frequency drivers ( 25W each ) and built - in woofer ( 40W ) equal 90W of power in most habit cause .
Sound Quality
Groov - e describes the performance of the 160 Soundbar as crisp and cleared , and for the most part that is what you get from this soundbar , though some slight issues serve to restrict usage of the soundbar .
Tonally it can fathom quite irritable and energetic , which at gamey mass does give it sounding brash in how it goes about its business , lack a degree of composure and din sound into a room .
This trait was most obtrusive playingGran Turismo 7on thePS5 , specially when the intensity was above level 20 . The Groov - e 160 Soundbar can mistake vigour for just transparent gaudiness , becoming an unfocused wall of dissonance . It gain its volume ceiling at level 32 , which feels quite small but then anything above 20 seems to call forth some stridence in its performance .
vocalization sound natural enough , though they can be a little heavy in whole tone too , this soundbar is rather direct in tone and it can sound a tad continuant with some female voice which come across as a piffling too acute ( verging in strident ) in their replication . Choose the Voice preset and the soundbar is much smoother with voices , in particular female voices . Movie way serve to be a little loud and more active .
So far , I ’ve been more or less on the negative with the Groov - e 160 Soundbar but there are plenty of things it does well . Watching time of year three of The Mandalorian , that excitable tone rewards itself with a dynamical , clear , sharp , and attacking performance with the action scenes , but it ’s not all firework and excitement as it calm things down with the more dialogue - focused scenes .
There ’s no Game mode but using the Movie EQ withGran Turismo 7did result in a crisp , uninfected , and elaborated execution , with a decent stereo effect and sense of blank , give a near mental picture of cars to the remaining and right of me during a race .
With the plane sequence in Tenet , the Groov - e offers a dynamic performance , and there ’s musical scale and size of it to the action sequence whether it ’s the jet engines whipping up . Then there ’s its sense of sharpness that ’s just about well - guess as the plane collides with vehicles on its agency to crashing into a repair shed . And when it does crash into the social system , the explosion that ignite from the speakers compact a surprising amount of punch .
sea bass performance is n’t what I ’d label as big or cryptic , but the 160 Soundbar manages it better than the Majority Snowdon II does with Blade Runner 2049 . The punch between Sapper Morton and K are enounce with more depth , clarity , and depth – the punches experience like they hurt on the Groov - e whereas they come across more lightweight on the Majority . The Groov - e 160 ’s functioning is certainly better than most TVs it is potential to be partner with .
Sending music to the soundbar over Bluetooth and it ’s a bit of a sundry travelling bag . Tonally medicine feels denude back , there ’s not the same level of get-up-and-go as there is with the Movie EQ present , but the music is readable and detailed with a respectable centering on vocals .
It does n’t sound as big as the Majority does with medicine , mostly because that soundbar ’s angled speakers elevate sound higher into a room , but the Groov - e ’s bass execution is again better with Talib Kweli ’s We Got the pulse , putting a more detailed and exact performance .
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Should you buy it?
The Groov - e 160 Soundbar gives movies an appropriate boost with lots of free energy and lucidity , plus a decent amount of lick to the low frequencies .
The volume cap with the Groov - e 160 Soundbar is n’t as much as desire , as even though it can go to level 32 , anything above point 20 starting line to sound shrill and too excitable .
Final Thoughts
All thing considered , there ’s much to like about the Groov - e 160 . It ’s vindicated , crisp , dynamic , and energetic in its approach to sound recording , easily a stair up over a budget TV ’s audio operation . It also plays well with music over Bluetooth , and the EQ presets give scope to alter the operation of the soundbar .
It can sound a little surd with talks , and the way it scales up the volume levels is n’t particularly bully , sounding sharp and too excitable at louder volumes .
It ’s this lack of calmness that means it fall short of getting contend with thebest soundbarswith theMajority Snowdon IIavailable ( for less money as well ) .
Trusted Score
How we test
We prove every soundbar we review thoroughly over an extended geological period of fourth dimension . We use industry stock tests to compare feature properly . We ’ll always recount you what we see . We never , ever , accept money to critique a product .
Find out more about how we test in ourethics insurance policy .
FAQs
There are no HDMI connections on this soundbar , just a selection of optical digital out , ancillary and USB input signal
If you ’re looking to wall - mount the 160 soundbar , the wall wall bracket must be buy individually .
