Is the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar too late to the party?
Amazon is throwing its hat into the budget soundbar ring, but does the Fire TV Soundbar have what it takes to succeed?
With Prime Day just around the corner, you’d be forgiven for having missed the news that the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar is coming to the UK following a successful launch in the US.
The retail giant’s first soundbar will be released at the end of the month and, like many of its products, aims to undercut most of the competition. Priced at £120 – or just £100 if you pre-order before 29 July – it’s a very affordable way of boosting your TV’s audio output.
But the market is already awash with budget soundbars, meaning the Fire TV Soundbar has its work cut out to claim a piece of the pie. And, based on specifications alone, it doesn’t do a huge amount to stand out from the competition.
Amazon Fire TV Soundbar: Key specifications
- Dimensions: 610 x 90 x 65mm (WDH)
- Weight: 1.8kg
- Connections: HDMI, digital optical, USB-A, Bluetooth
- Speaker channels: 2.0
- Power output: 2 x 20W
- Supported audio formats: Dolby Audio, DTS Virtual:X
- Price: £120
- Availability: Pre-orders available now ahead of release on 29 July
Aside from an enticing price and Amazon branding, the soundbar’s primary hook is that it’s Fire TV Ready. This means it will play nicely with televisions such as the Fire TV 4-Series and Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED and the company’s extensive selection of Fire TV Sticks.
Once set up, the Fire TV Soundbar can be controlled using your existing Fire TV device remote or the remote that comes bundled in the box. There’s nothing groundbreaking about this, however, as many soundbars can be controlled via your TV remote courtesy of HDMI-CEC.
So Amazon isn’t bringing anything truly innovative to the table in that regard, and the same is true of the Fire TV Soundbar’s design and audio chops.
At 610 x 90 x 65mm (WDH), it’s reasonably compact, so finding space for it shouldn’t be an issue, and it comes with a mounting kit if you want to attach its 1.8kg frame to your wall. But it looks every inch the budget soundbar it is; Amazon typically prioritises function over form, and that’s certainly the case here.
Connection options are reasonably varied, with an HDMI port, digital optical input and USB-A slot located in a recess on the rear of the bar. There’s support for Bluetooth, too, enabling you to stream audio from your phone, tablet or laptop. But again, that’s something just about every other cheap soundbar offers.
As a result, the Fire TV Soundbar will be relying heavily on the audio performance of its 2.0-channel setup to make a splash. I can’t say a total of 40W (2 x 20W) amplification fills me with a great deal of hope, but there is at least support for DTS Virtual:X.
While not a patch on Dolby Atmos or DTS:X coming through a true surround-sound system, DTS Virtual:X should at least be able to use virtualisation to make content sound slightly more cinematic and immersive. There are also three EQ presets – Films, Music and Dialogue – to help optimise your listening experience across different types of content.
While I completely understand why Amazon is expanding into soundbars, there doesn’t look to be much to get excited about the Fire TV Soundbar save its wallet-friendly price. That may well be all it takes to convince Fire TV fans to pick one up, however, and you never know, it may just surprise us where audio quality is concerned.
The Fire TV Soundbar is available to pre-order at an introductory price of £100 until 9am on Monday 29 July. After that, it will increase to £120, so if you do like the look of it, you’ll want to get in there early. If you’re interested in reading about other great cheap soundbars, check out our current favourites on our best budget soundbars roundup.
