If you want to enjoy top quality films and series at home, you can hardly avoid a soundbar. But when making a selection, you need to take a closer look, as the current test by Stiftung Warentest shows.
Voices that are too soft, explosions too loud and hardly any bass: those who rely on the television speakers will often spoil the enjoyment of films or series by the weak sound. Sound bars are a popular solution. Stiftung Warentest has just checked which ones are worthwhile.
The test experts brought 20 models into the laboratory, ten of them as one-piece devices and ten with a separate bass box. The disappointing result: only one of the devices achieved a “good” overall result. The good news: Both of these are affordable mid-range models.
Clear test winners
With the one-piece devices, the best off. The sound is good, especially if you use the soundbar primarily for watching movies. It is a little less convincing when it comes to music playback. The testers are also satisfied with the setup and operation in everyday life; the power consumption is one of the lowest in the test. There is a slight rebuke – typically a product test – for defects in the data protection declaration. The overall result “good” (2.2) is, however, the best in the overall test. The price from 350 euros is therefore fair.
In the case of the models with a separate bass box, that cuts best off. Surprising: Despite the additional bass box, the sound is slightly worse than that of the test winner, especially with regard to film effects. But voices and music sound a little better. In terms of setup and power consumption, both are practically on par. Because no data is sent, there is no data protection assessment. The overall rating: “good” (2.4). The set can be found online from 450 euros, the manufacturer also offers it as B-goods from 400 euros.
Best sound with compromises
However, neither of the two test winners offers the best sound, but the set . It convinces with both music and film enjoyment. Handling is also good. The fact that it still only receives an overall rating of “satisfactory” (2.7) is due to the fact that Warentest is not satisfied with both the power consumption and the data transmission behavior – and therefore devalues it. If you don’t mind that and are looking for the best sound, you can buy from 400 euros.
Incidentally, the price alone is not enough for the selection. The two most expensive devices in the test – the and the – are only “satisfactory” despite a price of around 900 euros each. Albeit for very different reasons. While Sonos botched the operation in the opinion of the product testers, Canton is a widespread failure in data protection to doom. Both are annoying: Both are at the forefront when it comes to sound.
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