Bose and Sonos watched nervously as Amazon entered the soundbar market after noticing the category’s massive sales potential. Amazon’s strategy was simple: create their own hardware and undercut premium brands on price while delivering competitive quality. The Fire TV Soundbar Plus represents this approach perfectly and packs 3.1 channels, a built-in subwoofer, Dolby Atmos, and DTS:X into a package that costs a fraction of comparable models.
At $149, down from $249, this newest model has hit an all-time low price on Amazon for Black Friday.
Best Soundbar
The integrated subwoofer addresses the most significant compromise in budget soundbars by housing appropriate bass drivers within the main unit. You get deep, room-filling low-end without buying and placing a separate subwoofer box. Action movies provide satisfying rumble during explosions and car chases. Music playback maintains warmth and body across genres from hip-hop to rock.
The 3.1 configuration adds a dedicated center channel specifically for reproduction of dialogue. Conversations, narration, and vocal performances come through exceptionally well. You finally stop reaching for the remote when scenes switch between quiet talking and loud action. It also keeps your center channel focused on speech frequencies while left and right channels handle music and effects, which stops a muddy audio mix plaguing cheaper 2.0 soundbars.
Dolby Atmos support introduces 3D audio that flies around and above your listening position. Height virtualization bounces the sound off your ceiling to create overhead effects in movies and shows. Helicopters fly over your head, rain falls from above, and atmospheric sounds envelope you on all sides. DTS:X offers similarly multi-dimensional audio with somewhat different processing. Both transform your living room into a theater-like experience without needing to install ceiling speakers.
Setup takes only minutes via a single HDMI cable attached to the eARC or ARC port on your TV. Audio automatically stays perfectly synchronized with video over the HDMI connection. You avoid the lip-sync issues that plague budget setups with optical cable connections. Power the soundbar on, and your TV instantly recognizes it. The included HDMI cable means you do not need to invest in any more accessories.
It has four preset audio modes that automatically adjust the sound, depending on the content. Movie mode enhances dynamic range for cinematic experiences with deep bass and clear dialogue. Music mode balances frequencies to accurately reproduce your favorite songs and albums. Sports mode amplifies crowd noise and commentary for live events. Night mode compresses dynamic range so late-night viewing won’t disturb others.
The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus delivers premium features at nearly half the retail price this Black Friday, priced at $149. Amazon actually made up the soundbar category to begin with specifically to provide better value than the established brands. If cinematic audio is what you need but want to avoid the premium prices, then this record-low deal proves that you don’t need to spend over $500 on a soundbar.
