We rarely test Blu-ray players anymore, for the simple reason that the market has been a bit quiet in recent years! Ever since Chinese Oppo shut down production of their popular players, several of the major electronics manufacturers have stopped making BD players. And those who still do, rarely come up with something new and …
The first time we reviewed the Sonos Arc was last summer. A likeable soundbar, that completely on its own – without a subwoofer or anything else – managed to elevate the film experience considerably. Not only is it much better than the sound you get from any TV (like mostly anything would be!), But it …
Creative is known for its affordable products. Admittedly, the low prices often come at the expense of the most important criterion for us, namely the sound quality. Creative may have gotten tired of standing in the cheap corner, when they now launch the home cinema soundbar SXFI Carrier. A packed soundbar with Dolby Atmos, and …
The Panasonic SC-HTB490 is a relatively small and compact soundbar made to match the Japanese manufacturer’s own TV models. With a fabric-covered exterior and glossy plastic sides, it should be able to slide into most interiors. It can be placed directly under the TV or hung on the wall with the included mounting brackets. The …
TCL TS8132 is a relatively large soundbar of exactly 1 meter in width. On the other hand, it looks discreetly dressed in black fabric, and the included subwoofer is quite tight and compact with a down-facing woofer. On the connectivity side, the TS8132 boasts HDMI eARC, and it also supports wireless music playback via Bluetooth, …
The Yamaha ATS-2090 is a compact soundbar with round shapes, and the wireless subwoofer does not take up much space on the floor either. Dolby Atmos is not supported; instead, DTS Virtual:X should give the impression of a height dimension in the soundstage. Even without top-mounted speaker units. You get Wi-Fi connectivity and voice control …
“Wow, that is a menacing looking sub!” exclaims Audun as he sees Geir unpack the box from Klipsch. On the underside of the Klipsch Cinema 600 is a hefty 10-inch woofer, which makes the other test participants fade in comparison. In front of the soundbar there are three horn tweeters for the left, center and …
Samsung HW-Q610A takes over from last year’s model HW-Q66T, which we named the best soundbar of the year in the basic class in 2020. The newcomer is pleasantly updated with 3D sound in the form of the sound formats Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Samsung’s soundbar is equipped with an HDMI input and output, and an …
Home entertainment has changed dramatically in recent years. Instead of having a lot of black boxes in the living room, you basically just need a TV with internet connection to stream the latest movie titles at home in the living room. But then you will miss at least half of the experience: Great sound! Fortunately, …
Samsung delivers a wide range of soundbars in all sizes and price ranges, crammed full of speakers that send surround sound to all sides. The common denominator for many of these, however, is that they have a pretty – well, industrial design! Not necessarily the most tempting to decorate the living room with – especially …
Samsung has just released this year’s new TV models, and as usual they have many exciting new features and improved picture quality on the equipment list. But the common denominator for these (and pretty much all TVs) is that the sound seems to come as an afterthought! If you want a sound reproduction that matches …
Panasonic has kept a low profile in soundbars so far, but now things are starting to happen at the Japanese manufacturer, which also has the sound specialists from Technics behind it. Although their latest soundboard, SC-HTB01, is not very big! In fact, this is one of the smallest soundbars we’ve had in our hands. The …
Ever since we first started seeing gaming headphones with Dolby Atmos and DTS Headphone:X, I have felt the need for a pair of proper headphones for home theater use. With a real feeling of proper surround sound. Imagine. There you sit alone late at night, and all you want is to crank up the sound …
Overheard at Yamaha’s development meeting: – Guys, I have an idea. What if we make a surround receiver with only five channels, and remove almost all of the inputs? – Hmm, that might be interesting. Is there anything else we can do? – You know the 3D audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS: X? …
Do you find the sound from your TV thin, tinny and indistinct? Then it’s time to hit the bar. Or rather upgrade the sound experience with a soundbar! TV manufacturer have become good at giving their screens great design, but the sound experience usually comes second. The slim TV chassis leaves little room for decent …