Philips TAB6309 review: Slender yet muscular

The best soundbars don’t just need to sound the part, they also need to look it. While their primary objective is to improve your TV’s audio quality, they score extra points for blending into your living space as seamlessly as possible.

The Philips TAB6309 is a budget-friendly soundbar that does that extremely well. It’s a super-slim Dolby Atmos soundbar and wireless subwoofer combo akin to the Samsung HW-S800D but is available for less than half the price.

It’s not perfect. There’s no in-built voice assistant and the limitations of its 2.1-channel arrangement mean it’s unable to deliver truly convincing surround sound. However, its powerful delivery and slender figure make it an appealing choice for those seeking something sleek and affordable.

Philips TAB6309 review: What do you get for the money?

The TAB6309 will set you back £299. That’s a popular price point for 2.1-channel soundbar and subwoofer pairings, but most similarly priced alternatives tend to be rather chunky or a bit of an eyesore.

Not so the TAB6309. The main soundbar unit measures 811 x 42 x 37cm (WDH) and weighs just 0.61kg. As a result, it’s very easy to accommodate on your AV cabinet and won’t obscure the bottom of your TV if it’s got limited clearance, such as the Philips OLED806 I tested it with. If you want to wall-mount the bar, Philips includes a bracket so you can do that.

The wireless subwoofer is heftier at 155 x 161 x 391mm (WDH) and 3.7kg but doesn’t feel or look unwieldy by modern subwoofer standards. It’s of the bass reflex variety, with a single port located on the left-hand side of the cabinet, and pairs with the bar over wireless.

The TAB6309’s connection ports are found in recesses on the rear of the soundbar. On one side you have an AUX-in and optical input alongside the DC-in socket, while on the other, there’s an HDMI (eARC) output and a USB-A input. It’s worth noting you don’t get an HDMI cable in the box but most people should have a spare one lying around so this isn’t a big issue. Wireless connectivity is supported in the form of Bluetooth 5.3 (SBC), allowing you to stream music through the soundbar from your phone, tablet or laptop.

Control options are reasonably generous. There’s a small remote control included in the box (along with a pair of AAA batteries) and five touch-sensitive buttons on top of the bar that allow you to adjust volume, initiate Bluetooth pairing, switch sources and power the soundbar on and off. The TAB6309 is also compatible with the Philips Entertainment app and it’s here that you’ll find the full range of control and personalisation options at your disposal.

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Philips TAB6309 review: What did we like about it?

Tall soundbars that block the bottom section of low-lying TVs are a bugbear of mine so the TAB6309’s slimline design is right up my street. The Philips OLED806 I own has next to no clearance underneath its panel but the TAB6309 sat in front of it without any issues.

It’s also easy on the eye. Philips has gone with rounded edges over sharp corners, and this, combined with an acoustic cloth that spans the facade of the bar, makes it look rather elegant. The tower-shaped sub isn’t as aesthetically pleasing but it is discreet enough that it doesn’t stand out like a sore thumb.

Despite the compact dimensions of the soundbar, it’s able to put out an impressive level of noise. Philips says it can hit a peak output of 320W with the accompanying subwoofer and deliver 160W RMS. I’ve no reason to doubt these figures; at maximum volume, it was more than capable of filling my open-plan living room.

For the most part, the sound the TAB6309 creates is expansive and well-balanced. There are four EQ modes available – Movie, Music, Voice and Stadium – and I gravitated towards the Movie mode, which sounded best for general viewing.

Both the left and right front-facing channels comprise a tweeter and full-range driver and these did a great job of articulating sonic elements across the upper sections of the frequency spectrum. The orchestral arrangement that plays on the Elden Ring title screen had impressive scale and I was able to easily pick out the various instruments. While playing the game, I got a clear sense of stereo separation and the TAB6309 handled both the excellent soundtrack and the numerous sound effects capably.

The crossover point with the subwoofer is well-judged, with lower frequencies and mid-range and treble sounds knitted together into a cohesive forward-firing soundstage. That soundstage is limited in scope by the absence of side- or up-firing drivers but reasonably broad nonetheless.

I was particularly impressed by the TAB6309’s subwoofer. Philips states it can go as low as 35Hz, which is very respectable, and it does so with potency and skill. Booming soundtracks, smashes, crashes, bangs and wallops all had plenty of guttural punch but their impact didn’t come at the cost of clarity.

By default, voice clarity is fine. I didn’t find myself struggling to hear lines of dialogue while watching Tracker on Disney+ but the aforementioned Voice EQ and a separate Dialogue Enhancement toggle, which can be used with any EQ, provide options for those that do. I preferred the latter and found it effective at foregrounding speech; it did detract from my immersion in the blockbuster action sequences during Deadpool 2, though.

You can cycle through the various EQs using a button on the remote and there are also buttons for increasing and decreasing the treble and bass as well as staples like volume control, mute and source switching. Everything is sensibly laid out and the remote does what it needs to do in no-nonsense fashion.

If you dip into the Entertainment app, you’ll find a couple of additional options. There, you can use AV Sync to ensure the soundbar matches the on-screen action if you’re having latency issues or choose to switch off the LED lights on the front of the bar. Neither were options I needed to use but they may come in handy for some.

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Philips TAB6309 review: What could be improved?

Like most budget soundbars, the TAB6309’s cinematic presentation is superior to its musical chops. While listening to Spotify playlists over Bluetooth with the Music EQ mode engaged, I felt it sounded a touch anaemic. It still conveyed a decent amount of detail and plenty of low-end weight but it lacked the rhythmic expression you’d get from a good wireless speaker.

I wasn’t hugely impressed with Stadium mode, either. I used it while watching several Euro 2024 games and felt that it could have done more to elevate the atmosphere and recreate that feeling of being at a live sporting event.

Its other main weakness is one it shares with every other soundbar of its ilk; it can’t do proper justice to surround sound soundtracks. There’s support for Dolby Atmos and the surround sound virtualisation of stereo content courtesy of DTS Virtual:X, but these can only do so much given the inherent limitations of the 2.1-channel setup.

You do get a bit of extra breadth when watching Atmos content, but there’s next to nothing in the way of verticality. Engaging DTS Virtual:X expands the soundstage further but still falls short of creating a convincing sense of sonic envelopment.

My final criticism of the TAB6309’s audio is that it loses its way as it approaches maximum volume. Upper frequencies began to sound strained when I pushed it above 90% but I’m willing to forgive this as the soundbar’s sound levels dictate that you shouldn’t need to go much higher than 50% anyway.

I don’t use voice assistants at home very often but the absence of one here will be a disappointment to some. Were the TAB6309 to have Alexa built-in that would of course increase the cost, so ultimately it’s an omission I can live with.

A small but rather annoying niggle is that the TAB6309’s volume is set very loud when you turn it on. If you’re not prepared for it or sneaking in a bit of early morning viewing, it’s liable to startle you or disturb those dozing in another room.

Finally, I didn’t find the LED lights on the front of the bar helpful at all. They’re there to indicate which EQ you’re using, which source you’re connected to and so on but trying to memorise the various patterns of lights proved an unwanted faff. A digital display would have been preferable and the absence of one meant I used the mobile app rather than the remote for everything except volume controls.

Philips TAB6309 review: Should you buy it? 

The Philips TAB6309 should be high on your list if you’re in the market for a soundbar and have around £300 to spend. It’s a doddle to set up and use, can be controlled in a variety of ways and sound quality is good for the money if your primary concern is watching TV and movies.

2.1-channel soundbars like this always struggle to make the most of Dolby Atmos content, though, and that plays out here. And, while DTS Virtual:X is a welcome inclusion and works reasonably well, it’s important to temper your expectations; this soundbar will not immerse you in a bubble of sound. For that, you’ll need a system with up-firing drivers and rear speakers.

If you don’t have the space or budget for a setup like that, you can do far worse than the Philips TAB6309. Its low-profile and stylish design is a real winner and it’s got the muscle to throw down in the audio department, too.