Good Value
Pro's
Good base and volume for the size of the unit.
Nice to have the ability to pause and jump back and forth by controlling your Bluetooth device with the included remote control.
Wonderful array of inputs, with HDMI ARC, RCA phono, optical, 3.5 mm Jack and Bluetooth connections.
Fully integrated ARC functionality, powered off and on with the TV, connecting instantly, muting the TV sound automatically when connected. Volume controlled by the TV remote and Azatom remote. Ideally suited for those with impaired hearing as very clear and loud but lacking a bit of base response, as TV digital out is set to flat and not changed by tone/equilizer settings as apposed to other devices like cellphones having tone adjustments.
Lovely finish and a doddle to set up.
Great to find a UK based firm.
Conn's
No HDMI loop through so if connected to the ARC HDMI socket on a TV, there will be one less input available.
Little or no stereo immaging, left channel speaker is at the left end as you would expect but right channel speaker is well in from the end of the sound bar as the amplifier etc. seems to be located at the end. Perhaps the electronics should have been located in the center with control buttons either on top or stay where they are but be on the end of a internal ribbon cable.
Although the sound is powerful it does not have a spatial property, the impression is of single source source of sound that can be pinpointed exactly. Almost like listening to a Hi Fi through one speaker I even found myself checking all the drivers were working.
On music with non distinct base, the metal speaker grill has a loud rattle.
This has an external switch mode power supply which is fine but being 20 volts this is a lost opportunity not to make the supply 12 volts even though it would be larger due to the increased current. This unit is powerful enough and has enough inputs to be used as a sound system for a 12 volt mobile home, caravan, canal boat etc. Maybe a DC to DC converter could be offered as an accessory, possibly be built into a cigarette lighter plug. Although it might be able to function on a 24 volt system but I'm shure this would not be recommended by the manufacturer.
Conclusion
This is no Bose unit but niether is the price. The base can't be compared to a sound bar with a decent separate Sub Woofer. Capable of very high volume levels without distortion but the sound although powerful, does not exactly fill a room, phase shifting modes (ie. Hall effect etc.) might well have improved this. Incredible value for what you get but might be worth spending a bit more to achieve a sound quality better than up market TV's. This would be a good purchase to compensate for the sound produced by a cheap TV or those with impaired hearing requiring loud clear sound with Crystal clear speech.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: New