Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: This budget-priced Dolby Atmos soundbar is a bit of a steal

The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus promises big audio for a relatively small outlay. Slim and well-built, this all-in-one soundbar boasts Dolby Atmos support, a dedicated dialogue-tuned centre channel and offers a variety of content-specific audio presets, all without breaking the bank.

It’s easy to accommodate too, as it’s not bundled with a separate wireless subwoofer. So is this affordable soundbar the Atmos upgrade you’ve been waiting for? It’s time to put the Fire TV Soundbar Plus through its paces.

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: What you need to know

The Fire TV Soundbar Plus is the second Amazon soundbar to reach UK shores, following in the footsteps of the Fire TV Soundbar we reviewed last year. That bar was a basic 2.0-channel affair; the Plus model is larger and adds a centre speaker along with an integrated subwoofer to lift that channel count to 3.1.

The other big addition is support for the object-based audio formats Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, which bolster the Fire TV Soundbar Plus’ home cinema credentials. There’s also support for DTS TruVolume – a feature that seeks to avoid awkward jumps in volume when switching content platforms – a new Night mode that reduces the dynamic range to ensure you don’t disturb others, and a new mode for enhancing the clarity of dialogue.

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Price and competition

The Fire TV Soundbar Plus costs £250, an appealing price for budget-conscious buyers looking to upgrade their TV’s audio without breaking the bank. It also offers a usability benefit if you already have a smart TV that runs the Fire TV platform. It’s worth mentioning that the soundbar will likely see generous discounts during Amazon sales events, making it an even more appealing prospect.

There are plenty of other budget soundbars vying for your attention, however. The Creative Stage 360 is a Dolby Atmos option with a separate subwoofer and an impressive number of HDMI ports given it costs just £180. A more slender option is the Philips TAB3609 (£298), which pairs a very sleek soundbar with a beefy sub.

To get the most bang for your buck, you’ll want to check out the Hisense AX5125H. This 5.1.2-channel system includes a soundbar, subwoofer and two rear speakers; it also supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and won Value Soundbar of the Year at our Product of the Year Awards in January. Its multi-speaker setup delivers highly immersive surround sound and it’s the same price as the Fire TV Soundbar Plus at £249.

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Design and setup

It may come with a budget price tag, but the Soundbar Plus looks and feels relatively premium. The build quality of the bar, which measures 940 x 132 x 64mm (WDH), is decent and there’s reassuring heft to its 4kg frame.

The black top panel has a silky finish, while the wraparound charcoal fabric grille lends it a fashionable, far-from-plasticky appearance. However, for a Dolby Atmos soundbar, there is one obvious omission: up-firing height speakers.

On-body controls are minimal, with five physical buttons for Power, Input selection, Bluetooth and Volume. The soundbar’s recessed underside houses a similarly frugal selection of connections: one HDMI eARC, a digital optical audio input and a USB-A port. There’s also Bluetooth for wireless audio streaming – pairing is quick and painless.

While most users will probably plonk the bar in front of their screen (eight rubber pads on the base secure it in place), wall-mounting is an option, with included brackets and a paper mounting template making installation straightforward

The Fire TV Soundbar Plus comes with a dumpy-looking remote control, which offers EQ and Sound Effect control, as well as volume and basic bass/treble adjustments. There are also transport keys to play audio files from any connected USB thumb drive.

Set up takes just a few minutes. Connecting the bar via HDMI eARC ensures Dolby Atmos compliance, and most TVs will automatically recognise it as a connected, external speaker. Fired up, the soundbar provides voice command confirmation and offers LED indicators for volume and audio modes. The thing is about as plug-and-play as soundbars get.

In addition to Dolby Atmos, the Soundbar Plus also offers DTS:X support. Both are only available via HDMI eARC, not over Bluetooth or optical digital audio. DTS:X audio isn’t used by most streaming platforms but it’s useful if you have a Blu-ray player connected to a TV that’s able to pass the bitstream over eARC to the soundbar.

There are four sound modes, tailored for different types of content (Film, Music, Sport and Night). There’s also an adjustable Dialogue Enhancer, able to elevate voices over background sounds.

If you’re already a Fire TV user, you can also control the bar using a standard Fire TV remote. However, the Soundbar Plus lacks built-in Alexa functionality and does not support Alexa Home Cinema, which may disappoint those looking for smarter home integration.

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Performance

Amazon designates this soundbar as a 3.1-channel system. I’d describe its sound as bright, wide and rather dry. Behind the fabric grille are a trio of tweeters (assigned to left, centre and right channels), and two woofers. These unite for a soundstage that extends left and right, and there’s a crisp, sharp edge to its presentation.

With Dolby Atmos encoded audio, the soundbar creates an impressively wide soundstage, though the lack of up-firing drivers removes its ability to convey height effects. Even so, with Plankton the Movie (Netflix, Dolby Atmos), directional sound effects are very distinct; bubbles surface left and right during the Nickelodeon title intro, while the flight of squawking seagulls pans convincingly across the speaker array.

While Amazon doesn’t specify wattage, there’s a respectable level of volume, which I think makes it suitable for small to average-sized living rooms.

Testing with Mad Max: Fury Road (Blu-ray, Dolby Atmos), the opening pursuit sequence retains its celebrated sense of motion, even if rear surround effects are absent. As Max makes his escape, pursuing motorcycles and hot rods enter the picture left and right, rather than overhead. Still, the direction of sonic travel remains reminiscent of a larger home theatre system.

A 5.1.2-channel test tone sweep confirms that height channel information is amalgamated with rear channel content, and delivered via the soundbar’s left and right drivers. Inevitably, bass response is limited, with low frequencies only becoming truly noticeable around 50Hz. At around 30Hz, the bar merely makes a plaintive buzz.

When asked to double as a music system, the Fire TV Soundbar Plus makes a valiant attempt, at least at moderate volume. People Watching by Sam Fender once again showcases that broad stereo soundstage, and avoids the common all-in-one pitfall of sounding overly monophonic. For bass-heavy tracks, like Sleep Token’s Emergence, the low-end lacks the weight a dedicated subwoofer would bring, while the opening piano suits the mid-range tonality of the soundbar.

However, crank up the volume, and the audio becomes harsh. It isn’t a lot of fun to listen to, and I wouldn’t choose to use it over a dedicated Bluetooth speaker.

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus: Verdict

Reasonably priced for a Dolby Atmos-compatible soundbar, the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus delivers a clean, wide, soundstage with crisp dialogue handling, making it a great choice for casual viewers and budget-conscious buyers.

While it doesn’t offer genuinely immersive audio or deep bass, its widescreen audio presentation is certainly entertaining. For the money, I reckon the Fire TV Soundbar Plus is a bit of a steal if you can’t accommodate a separate subwoofer and rear speakers. If you can, the Hisense AX5125H is a more immersive option, but as far as affordable all-in-one soundbars go, the Fire TV Soundbar Plus is a solid investment.