When the first soundbars appeared, their price was comparable to full-fledged Hi-Fi sets that perform the same functions. Today, of course, the situation has changed, but the price is invariably one of the signs of quality, though – indirectly. So when a new budget product comes along, doubts about quality creep in.
Philips HTL2160 Sound Panel
Specifications
Central unit
:
Speaker output power: 2 x 15 watts
Overall Average. power at 30 % EFR: 60W
Bass driver – 1 pc.,
Mylar tweeter 1 pc.
Typical loudspeaker impedance: 4 ohms
Tweeter impedance: 8 ohm
Subwoofer:
Subwoofer Type: Passive
Subwoofer driver: 5.25″ woofer – 1 pc.
Subwoofer frequency range: 45-200 Hz
Subwoofer impedance: 8 ohms
Subwoofer output power: 30 watts
Decoder
: Dolby Digital
Connections
Built-in connectors: Bluetooth
Interfaces:
3.5mm audio input side , USB Type A side , coaxial audio, optical Toslink audio, stereo audio.
Extras:
Bluetooth
Power:
Power consumption: 30W
Power supply: 110-127V 220-240V, ~50-60Hz
Power consumption in standby mode: 0,5 vt
Sound enhancement:
Virtual Surround Sound
Dimensions
Main unit W x H x D : 800 x 52.4 x 75.6 mm
Main unit weight: 1.2 kg
Subwoofer W x H x D : 165 x 240 x 295 mm
Subwoofer Weight: 2.6kg
Subwoofer Cable Length: 3m
Package dimensions W x H x D : 400 x 292 x 349 mm
Weight including packing: 5.4 kg
The design
The design
The price of this soundboard, compared to what’s on the market today, is low. This is reflected in the design: the central unit – a simple narrow “stick” cross-section as a diamond. Its length corresponds to the average size of 32-inch TVs although it can protrude a little – this we inform you in case you are going to place it under the TV, – the possibility of hanging it on the wall is provided.
Subwoofer external, but “tethered”. Certainly, it brings restrictions when locating the soundbar, but space saving is perhaps the main criterion, which customers are guided by when refusing from habitual “one-box” speaker systems in favour of “voice-activated sticks”. Passive subwoofer. In fact, it is a remote subwoofer concealed in a separate box. Its mass is not great, just over two and a half Kg, the frequency low end is also not impressive, just 45 Hz.
In general, the construction corresponds to the price, but the device is available in different colors – it is presented in five colors on the company’s website – you can choose almost the same color as the wallpaper.
Philips people in general take their products very seriously – for example, in the manual for this soundboard says that the corrugated panel is “80% recycled materials and the ink is soy-based”. For a domestic consumer such care about the environment, certainly, looks amusing, but one cannot deny the scrupulousness of the company.
Interface and Functionality
There are some buttons on the top, and the entire basic connection interface – two digital audio inputs, coaxial, optical and one analog audio – is located on the back.
On top there is another “spare” audio input in the form of a 3.5 mm jack and a USB port, – but the panel can only play MP3 and WMA files. A flash drive should be formatted in FAT16 or FAT32.
It is clear that the main task of the device is to help the regular acoustic system of your TV set, so this location is quite logical. If you want to listen to music from a USB memory stick, you don’t need to plug in a USB extension cord or remove the panel.
You can hook up your smartphone, tablet or computer with Bluetooth.
For movie buffs there is only one decoder – Dolby Digital. The tone control is made in the best traditions of “old-school” boomboxes, – separately for high and separately for low frequencies.
Sound
Despite the low-budget design, the device produces clear sound. Although, maybe this is the point, money is spent not for all kinds of fancy “extras”, but for sound quality. You can not observe any “dullness”, the dialogs are clear, the power is enough to sound a medium-sized room. If we talk about tonal balance, – for a system of this class it is not quite appropriate, – we hear a slight dip in the middle frequencies, – as if in the equalizer you put sliders in the form of “smile. This doesn’t bother you when watching a movie, but it may even be useful when listening to music or watching a concert. To tell the truth, if you’re really picky you can hear a little ducking of the subwoofer at high volume, but you can reduce it with low frequencies adjustment without any noticeable deterioration of the overall sound picture. To improve the treble you can also “play around” with the corresponding control – to bring the treble to the maximum, but the sound is really bright, not whistling and annoying.
There is also a Virtual Surround Sound mode that adds surround sound. The character of sound does not change, but you feel that you are watching a movie in the auditorium. It makes sense to include it in battle and various dynamic scenes – the effect from the video can intensify.
Summary
Philips engineers managed to get a good product for little money, which, you’ll agree, is not very common.
Advantages:
Quality sound with no discounts on cost, a wide range of colors.
Disadvantages:
No full-featured file access control from a flash drive.
Tip:
The Philips website has new firmware for the device – take advantage of this.
What makes the sound quality of Philips HTL2160 Sound Panel so outstanding that it surpasses the expectations typically associated with its price tag?