SHARP HT-SBW800 REVIEW: A DOLBY ATMOS CERTIFIED SOUNDBAR

HT-SBW800 is the Sharp proposal with soundbar and wireless subwoofer dedicated to 50 "inch TVs to rise. A rather demanding product due to its width (1200 mm), while height and depth remain respectively at 75 mm and 105 mm. , for a total weight of 4 kg. techwadia

The separate bass unit , which acts as an LFE channel for home theater listening, has dimensions of 240 x 240 x 415 (L x W x H) and 5.57 kg of weight , therefore it is better to place it close to a wall at a certain distance from the central unit, to obtain the best performance.

Compact and powerful

Sharp's soundbard is prepared for a possible wall anchoring and offers a 5.1.2 channel configuration with Dolby ATMOS certification, while there is no DTS encoding . In all, there are four front speakers covering the front home theater section, corresponding to the center and front sides; then there are two drivers at the ends for the virtual surround and two up-firing for the vertical elements (6 x 25 Watt on 8 Ohm + 50 Watt on 4 Ohm / RMS), with a declared frequency response of 120 Hz - 20 kHz .

The subwoofer is 180 Watt (3 Ohm / RMS) with a declared frequency response of 40 Hz - 120 Hz . Sharp's soundbar exploits reflection for the bounce of sound, thus trying to envelop the listener: as always, the level of effectiveness is directly proportional to the solidity of the relative walls, to the presence of curtains, against the ceiling or placement inside a an open space, all factors that can drastically reduce the final result.

Design and flexibility

Both the soundbar and subwoofer are both aesthetically pleasing , with rounded edges and an important metal grille for the soundbar. The upper part includes the control keys that will hardly be used due to the presence of the remote control (not backlit) . The latter offers the complete set of commands, with rubbery keys a little small but still effective, unfortunately the design has imposed a rear camber in the pile area that favors accidental fall .

Frontally, the soundbar display indicates unit status, input terminal, audio encoding, surround effect, equalization preset and volume level of both devices, turning into a small bright dot once in stand-by. by. The connection with the subwoofer is almost instantaneous after pressing the rear paring button, the speaker is facing downwards, 21 cm in diameter and bass reflex tuning on the back .

Usage

Once turned on, the soundbar needs a few seconds to be ready, which is when the "ON" text stops flashing. At the rear here are two HDMI 2.0 inputs and an HDMI 2.0 ARC output for signal transit to the TV, which can be connected via an optical or coaxial digital connection. Present a USB 2.0 input for external drive and 3.5 mm jack that works only in input, to which any stereo audio signal can be passed, in addition to Bluetooth 4.2 . Despite its size, the soundbar maintains an external transformer for connection to the mains, absent on the subwoofer.

ATMOS yes, DTS: X no

Like any self-respecting soundbar, listening is possible with any input audio signal, both from the Dolby and DTS family, but with limitations. For DTS there is no native use of the signal, which means for example that the transit of a DTS-HD MA or High Resolution codec takes place via PCM . For purists it could be a demerit note, but considering the concept of this project and the 5.1.2 diffusion on balance it suffers mainly with the DTS: X, devoid of native processing .

The real bottleneck lies in the impossibility of DTS lossless management, contained in the vast majority of Italian Blu-ray. Only recently has there been an approach to localized ATMOS, mainly on UHD drives.

How it sounds with music

Absent Wi-Fi , the Bluetooth connection is fast and stable, for fast listening to programs via smartphone, even if the HT-SBW800's music diffusion is not its strong point . There is a prevalent dryness, metallic hints and more generally a limited soundstage in the midrange, with the bass requiring the subwoofer to be loaded. It is a little better when it comes to classical programs , but not much more is to be expected.

Sharp's soundbar is most comfortable when used as a replacement for TV speakers. Quality TV channels earn in stage presence, while acting on the equalization and the various presets the needle of the balance moves very little, to the point of suggesting to always leave "Cinema", which appears to be the most balanced for dialogue, music and effects.

How it sounds with cinema and TV

As mentioned, listening to lossless tracks offers the best result even when switching to PCM. This is the case of the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 channels (24 bit) of the "Allegiant" UHD Blu-ray , the third installment of the "Divergent" saga . The dialogues are functional and effective, there is a certain dynamics and also the perceived stage is not only frontal but semi-posterior and vertical transitions arrive , finding oneself more enveloped by the sound events, thanks to the excellent audio source.

Especially the more lively second part of the film is well served and exalted, as long as you act on the subwoofer by increasing its presence. The same goes for video games,The explosions have a certain substance , feeling at least in part the need for more detail outside the most bombastic moments.

  techdirtblog  slashdotblog   justhealthguide  healthandblog  supercomputerworld