Amazon Fire TV Soundbar in the test: Cheap TV speaker for 140 euros

Televisions often only produce a weak sound because their built-in speakers offer little volume due to their flat design. A soundbar can help here. It takes up little space and is quickly connected, but produces a full and dynamic sound for an intense home cinema experience.

With the Fire TV Soundbar, Amazon now offers its own TV speaker, which expands the sound range around the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED (test report) or Fire TV Stick 4K Max (test report). While top models from well-known manufacturers often cost just over 500 euros, the soundbar from Amazon sells for a reasonable price of 140 euros. But is the sound and operation also good? Our test report shows this.

The Fire TV Soundbar is a typical representative of its kind and comes to the buyer in the familiar cuboid design. The housing is made entirely of plastic and does not look particularly high-quality, which should not surprise anyone given the price. The workmanship is clean, however, and there are no sharp edges, as the corners are strongly rounded. There is nothing to complain about here.

The speakers themselves are covered with fabric. There are three LED lights behind them. These flash white when the soundbar is switched on. When playing with Dolby Digital, an LED lights up green, when connected via Bluetooth it lights up blue, and when an incompatible device is connected via USB it lights up red.

The buttons for on/off, volume, Bluetooth and the sound source are located at the top in the middle. The connections and the power connection are on the back. There are also two openings at the back for attaching the soundbar to the wall with a dowel if there is no space on the sideboard in front of the TV.

The soundbar weighs around 1.8 kg and measures 610 × 90 × 65 mm. This makes it one of the more compact models, although there are smaller models. We tried it out with a Samsung TV, and the soundbar protruded more than a finger’s width into the picture because of the TV’s low stand. The height is also not ideal and could have been a bit flatter.

Connections include USB-A, HDMI eARC (enhanced audio return channel) and an optical input. An HDMI cable, power cable and remote control are included, but an optical cable is not. The 2.0 speaker also offers Bluetooth. Dolby Digital and DTS Virtual:X are available as audio decoders. However, Dolby Atmos is not available. The peak output is 40 watts. A subwoofer cannot be connected.

The soundbar starts automatically when you use an eARC input on the TV, if available. This is practical because you don’t have to go through the hassle of selecting the sound source in the TV settings. In our test setting with an older Samsung TV and Fire TV Stick 4K Max (test report), we were also able to use the TV stick’s remote control. However, the input here responds with a delay. If you turn the volume down or up, you can quickly turn the device too quietly or too loudly if you’re not careful.

It’s a bit like that with cheap soundbars: you shouldn’t have too high expectations of the sound. The Fire TV soundbar is no different. The pleasantly warm and clear sound is better than that of most speakers integrated into the TV. However, after switching it on for the first time at a low level, you’re not quite sure whether the sound is coming from the sound bar or the TV. It’s only when you turn it up that you notice the difference. Voices are easy to understand, action scenes seem much more powerful, and mids and highs are well defined.

The Fire TV Soundbar is effective with films, series or sporting events. However, it is clearly weaker with music, as the overall sound is too dull, nasal and undifferentiated. Adjustments to the equalizer can be made via remote control. If you press the bass button on the remote control twice, you get a bit more oomph. You won’t get full 3D sound, as advertised by Amazon. But the Fire TV Soundbar offers solid surround sound if the source allows it.

At Amazon, the Fire TV Soundbar currently costs 140 euros. This is a fair price for the features offered.

The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar is definitely a bargain for 140 euros and offers solid sound as an upgrade to the otherwise great TV sound. Operation and setup are child’s play with eARC, plug in and go – done. The sound bar is quite compact, but in our opinion could be a bit flatter. In our test, the soundbar protruded a bit into the picture. Alternatively, you can also mount it on the wall.

For the price, the sound is good and clear, without distortion. The sound is a bit muffled, but this is particularly noticeable with music. A certain spatial sound is offered, but it does not come close to a surround system. If you want to upgrade the sound of a cheaper TV without spending a lot of money, you can’t go wrong with the Fire TV Soundbar. However, you should not expect a voluminous home cinema.

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