Is the Amazon Fire TV soundbar the best-sounding soundbar on the market? Well, that’s very much down to personal preference. For bass freaks, you may find the Fire a little lacking in that department.
The additional power output makes an immediate and obvious improvement. The Fire’s DTS Virtual: X and Dolby Digital lift proceedings to new levels, the former delivering a sumptuous and truly immersive virtual 3D surround soundscape, and the latter doing what Dolby Digital does best, bringing clarity to dialogue and enriching bass for a heightened aural experience so good that you’ll wonder how/why you ever suffered sound without it.
But, with no option to expand with a separate subwoofer, you may want to explore other audio-enhancing avenues. However, I found the low-end more than acceptable on Blade Runner 2049, which is basically just bass throughout.
As to music, for my genres of general choice, covering the spectrum from blues to rock to ska to reggae to (some) pop and classical, I was more than pleased with the audio pumped out for a soundbar of the Fire’s size… and price.
Measuring just 65cm in length and capable of doling out 2x 20W of top-notch noise, this space-saving soundbar punches above its weight, especially for the low cost of £120. It comes complete with a remote (and batteries), HDMI cable, power cable, wall mounting kit and, of course, a quick start guide. So, all you need to get your telly set up and running in next to no time, free from any of the faff other sound solutions might present.
In a nutshell, small but perfectly formed, the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar may not have all the bells and whistles of others of its audio-enhancing ilk, but it does what it sets out to do and it does it well, keeping setup and operation simple and bringing the love back to lacklustre sound.