SOUNDBARS are a blessing for audiophiles. Not only do they boost a TV's audio, they also eliminate the need to
have cables for rear surround speakers.
Consumer technology brand Prism+ has a couple of soundbars, and I tested its Symphony recently.
THE SYMPHONY
Soundbars come with components that send different waves or beams of sound that bounce off of walls, also referred to as virtual sound.
There are also soundbars that can presume room sizes and shapes so the audio waves bounce accordingly.
The Symphony soundbar features a full suite of 11 speakers: four upward firing, four full-range frontal speakers, two surround speakers, and an eight-inch subwoofer.
While some allow you to set the calibrations to accommodate the room's dimensions to avoid dead zones and enjoy great audio, others use EQ settings to achieve the same result.
The Symphony comes with five audio profile presets: movie, music, news, sport and gaming.
ENJOYING MUSIC
Sounds can be enjoyed in many forms. Some enjoy a room-filling sound for action movies, some enjoy calming rainforest sound, or others appreciate BTS songs to dance along to.
For me, it changes according to my mood, and it's for this very reason that I like the fact that the Symphony supports Bluetooth connectivity.
I still enjoy music from my phone, because sometimes you just want to enjoy good music.
I played different music genres on the bar. To me, the sounds were fulfilling, but let me warn you, it was overwhelming when I played techno or electronic music.
Maybe I was too old to appreciate clubhouse music, but sound-wise, it was not a let down.
WATCHING TV
Talking about connectivity, I believe you won't have any problem with the Symphony as it comes with multiple connectivity options for seamless integration.
On top of its Bluetooth 5.1 wireless connections, the bar also has a HDMI IN to feed Dolby Vision, and HDMI eARC that passes lossless three-dimensional sound formats, just like Dolby Atmos.
Having an HDMI port allows you to control the volume with either the TV's or the Symphony's remote control, whichever is nearer to you.
The soundbar also has an optical port, which means even if your TV is not exactly the latest, you can enjoy Dolby Digital sound.
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions (soundbar): 120 x 10.8 x 7cm
Weight: 9.7kg (soundbar + subwoofer)
Speaker output (number of channels): 5.1.2ch
Speaker Output (peak power): 760W
Interface
Optical In / Coaxial In / AUX In / Bluetooth 5.1 / USB Playback / HDMI Video In / HDMI (eARC) / AC In
Dolby technology: Dolby Digital / Dolby Digital Plus / Dolby TrueHD / Dolby Atmos
VERDICT
The Symphony produces impactful sound and is even better with music. For its price, it is something to be expected of the soundbar.
It is suitable for a bigger room as the sound really travels.
I barely got over 30 per cent before I started to feel that the sound was too loud.
This means the soundbar produces good sound and can be used in a bigger room, as compared with my 37-plus sq m room.
The soundbar is not exactly small, and when placed on a table in front of a TV, it might block its IR receiver or a part of the screen.
Do check the dimension, and like me, you might have to position it to avoid mounting it on a wall.
Don't worry. Screws and plugs for this are included in the box.
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