Amazon Fire Soundbar

First thing’s first, don’t be fooled by this soundbar’s moniker. Despite having Fire TV in its name, there’s no special Fire TV-type functionality here; it’s just marketing spin. This is a very basic, entry-level 2.0 channel soundbar, lacking wi-fi, Alexa smarts or a partnering app… a series of winking LEDs on the front give you basic settings info. And that’s it.

Given it’s priced exactly the same as its most obvious competitor, the JBL BAR 2.0 All-in-one (MK2), it’s no surprise to discover it has a near identical feature set. Dolby Digital and DTS Virtual:X are both supported, but Dolby Atmos, unsurprisingly, is off the menu. And what soundstage widening is provided is either on or off – there’s no fine-tuning or adjustment of levels possible.

You also get three audio EQ presets (Dialogue, Music and Movie) which get loudly announced when selected; thankfully, you can switch the vocal confirmation off from the remote. Lastly, there are three levels of bass enhancement, though I’ll bet good money the vast majority of users will end up just leaving the soundbar on the middle setting (settings 1 and 3 are conspicuously bass-shy and grossly overblown, respectively).

As mentioned there’s no wi-fi connectivity so it’s good to report that the Bluetooth pairing facility works smoothly, with my iPhone’s Spotify screen being replicated on the connected TV. Sound quality with music is pretty uninvolving though, so it’s unlikely you’ll want to do much critical listening via the soundbar.

Things slightly improve when listening to TV and movies, but not by a huge margin. Putting it delicately, this is not a soundbar that sounds especially spacious or enveloping. It’s better than the built-in speakers on most TVs but push the volume to middling levels and audible distortion sets in at the frequency extremes, particularly when listening to bass-heavy effects.

Without the surround mode engaged, dialogue and effects are also very box-bound and narrow sounding. Activating the mode brings a welcome sense of enhanced stereo width but, even partnered with a 48in TV, it still felt a little underwhelming; when hooked up to a 55in TV it categorically felt way out of its comfort zone.

At its best when used in a small room, preferably with a 43in TV or similar, Amazon’s Fire TV soundbar is very much a commodity product, one designed to do a job and fill a hole in the product line-up. 

Given that it’s unlikely to stay at its listed price – this is an Amazon-branded product, after all – it’s worth considering when it’s heavily discounted, for a second, or perhaps bedroom system.