The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar is designed to provide TVs with room-filling sound for just under 140 euros. The practical test by ntv.de shows what the speaker really has to offer in this small box.
Good soundbars usually cost a few hundred euros. But not everyone wants to spend that much money to improve the sound of their TV, especially if it's a cheaper device. For such users, the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar could be the ideal choice, because for only around 140 euros it is supposed to provide room-filling sound in no time at all. ntv.de has tried out whether this is true.
Simple and compact
The box has buttons on the top for the most important functions.
(Photo: kwe)
The soundbar is compact, at 61 x 9 x 6.5 centimeters it also fits in front of small televisions or monitors. You can also screw it to the wall; Amazon supplies screws, dowels and plastic discs for this. That's enough, because the box weighs just 1.8 kilos.
The design with a black plastic casing and a fabric cover in the same color in front of the two front-facing speakers is simple but impressive. There is nothing to complain about in terms of workmanship either.
Quickly set up
Setting it up is child's play, and there's no need to be put off by it. The package includes a small manual in which every step and every function is explained in an understandable way. You connect the soundbar to a power outlet and to the TV using an HDMI cable and switch on the speaker box using the remote control or the corresponding button on the top.
The soundbar offers three ports and Bluetooth.
(Photo: kwe)
If the TV has an ARC or eARC input, that's it. You can then adjust the volume with the TV remote control and the box goes into standby mode with the TV. With older TVs without an ARC connection, you may still have to select the input.
No WiFi, but USB and Bluetooth
If there is no free HDMI space, you have the option of connecting the soundbar and TV with an optical cable, although this is not included in the delivery. You can also plug a playback source into the USB-A port on the back of the box.
The remote control is a little chubby, but fits well in the hand.
(Photo: kwe)
It is not WiFi-enabled, but you can use the Fire TV soundbar as a Bluetooth speaker. Devices are quickly paired. You just have to press the corresponding button on the remote control or the box and the soundbar will announce its readiness to connect via voice output, as with other settings – in English, no other languages ​​are available. If that gets annoying, you can turn off the announcements by long pressing the mute button on the remote control.
Pleasantly good sound
So far, so good, but ultimately the sound is what matters. And the small, simple soundbar with Dolby Audio was quite surprising in the practical test. You can't compare its sound with that of much more expensive speakers, but it doesn't sound much worse. The sound is clear, distortion-free and offers very decent mids and highs. Unfortunately, you can't connect a subwoofer, but the Amazon Fire TV soundbar also produces a decent bass that is definitely more powerful than that of most TVs.
Three LEDs indicate changes in volume or modes.
(Photo: kwe)
To do this, you first have to press the bass button on the remote control twice to get the maximum bass out of both speakers. You can see which level you have set by the three LED lights on the front of the box. All three light up when you select surround sound.
This option is not a given in the price range of the Fire TV soundbar and ntv.de actually suspected that the DTS Virtual:X advertised by Amazon could be a PR stunt. But if the source allows it, the box at least opens up a fairly wide stereo stage on which voices, instruments or effects are well placed. However, you should not expect “full 3D sound” as advertised by Amazon, and this is also something that much more expensive soundbars without satellite boxes fail to deliver.
Using the EQ button, you can select three different sound modes to amplify voices or optimize playback for films, series or music. In the practical test, the soundbar performed best with video games in cinema mode. The box makes a lot of noise in action scenes, but it doesn't rattle and voices remain intelligible. It does a similarly good job with streams with 5.1 sound. Music playback is also okay; many similarly inexpensive Bluetooth speakers sound worse.
The power consumption of the small soundbar is limited. ntv.de measured about 4 watts in operation and 1.4 watts in standby.
Conclusion
At just under 140 euros, the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar is a good and, above all, inexpensive way to improve the thin sound of a television. For its small price, it delivers very acceptable sound, is uncomplicated to set up and easy to use.
