In a world where soundbars can easily top $1,000, finding one that elevates your home entertainment setup for a fraction of the price feels like a win.
That’s why I was keen to test the Fire TV Soundbar Plus. Priced between $150 and $250, it’s dramatically more affordable than premium models yet still promises features like built-in subwoofers and Dolby Atmos support.
So, I put it through a lineup of movies and music to see whether this budget-friendly soundbar can truly deliver as one of the best soundbars – and how close it comes to competing with the high-end alternatives.
One-Minute Verdict
The Fire TV Soundbar Plus is impressive for the price, delivering extra volume, depth and impact to movies, TV shows and music. But while it's a significant upgrade from your regular TV speakers, this hardware is nowhere near as sophisticated as the soundbars that cost 2-4x as much.
Essentially, it gives everything an extra 'oomph', amplifying bass, mids and trebles so that everything sounds fuller. But there isn't a great deal of attention paid to sound balance or fine details, and things can get tinny or scratchy at times.
It's an excellent soundbar if you're on a budget, but if you're happy spending a little extra, I'd recommend going for the Yamaha True X Bar 40A. It sounds better in every way, and only costs around $200 more.
Fire TV Soundbar Plus: Specifications
Control |
Soundbar remote, TV remote, soundbar buttons |
Speakers |
8 |
Channel configuration |
3.1 |
Dolby Atmos? |
Yes |
Bluetooth? |
Yes |
Supports |
Bluetooth only, no WiFi app support |
Soundbar width |
37 inches |
Fire TV Soundbar Plus: Setup
The setup for the Fire TV Soundbar Plus couldn't be simpler. It's plug-and-play, so all you have to do is plug in the power cord, then connect the HDMI cable from the soundbar to your TV's ARC port.
And as the Fire TV Soundbar Plus doesn't use an app, there's no online setup. It's what's often referred to as a 'dumb' soundbar, but while it technically won't form part of your smart home setup, it still has many of the sound customization features you'd find in the more expensive models.
Fire TV Soundbar Plus: Design and Features
The Fire TV Soundbar Plus is a budget soundbar, and doesn't have the features you'll find in ones that cost 4-5x as much like the Sonos Arc Ultra or Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8. It's a compact, back-to-basics model that simply provides an upgraded sound setup, with limited functions to tailor the sound to your liking.
You can choose between four EQ presets: Movie, Music, Sports, and Night. These are pretty self-explanatory, with Night mode being able to soften high impacts and amplify quiet sounds, ideal to prevent disturbing neighbors and family members.
You also have the option to adjust the treble and bass from levels 1-9, and can adjust the dialogue volume from levels 1-5. I've tested soundbars that cost twice as much that don't have these options, like the Yamaha True X Bar 50A, so it's impressive that this budget option has them.
However as there's no app, you can only change these settings by pressing the bass, treble, or dialog buttons on the soundbar remote, and with each press the soundbar loudly exclaims a voice prompt like: 'Treble level five.'
It does this for each increment: If you tap it three times in succession, for example, it will say the voice prompt for each level rather than skipping to the level it lands on. It's quite irritating, and as playback is quietened when the voice prompts are played, you can't test the sound while watching something. It's a little counterproductive.
The compact soundbar has an impressive eight speakers – two woofers, three tweeters, and three full-range speakers. There are no up-firing speakers, explaining why the surround sound capabilities are limited, but it still supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.
The Fire TV Soundbar Plus has Bluetooth connectivity if you're looking to use the soundbar as a music speaker, too.
Amazon has touted the Fire TV Soundbar Plus as being a seamless addition if you already use a Fire TV Stick or have a Fire TV, claiming that you'll only need one remote. However, the only controls that sync are power and volume, and normal TV remotes can usually control these aspects of a soundbar anyway.
Fire TV Soundbar Plus: TV and Movies
Considering its price, the Fire TV Soundbar Plus is a strong upgrade that improves the depth, impact and volume of movies and TV shows, and you'll get somewhat of a sense of which directions sounds are coming from.
But this step-up in sound quality is nothing compared to more expensive soundbars like the Samsung HW-QS750F and the Sonos Arc Ultra. It can occasionally sound tinny, shallow or distorted, especially when there's a lot going on, and there isn't as much rich detail in the quieter sounds.
I started with the opening compilation scene of Our Planet II, spanning flocks of birds, swarms of fish, crashing waves, and hurtling avalanches. I appreciate this is when Our Planet II sounds its best – as many of the sounds in the rest of the documentary are Foley – but I never expected a cheap soundbar to sound this impressive.
Its two small woofers sounds great. The bass isn’t always the most present, but every now and then it will add sudden booms and tension when you aren't expecting it.
John Wick Chapter 2 demonstrated that, really, what the soundbar does is provide extra oomph. I would say that the sound ‘booms’ – meaning there’s greater depth and impact to what happens on screen, but it doesn’t necessarily have the best balance, everything booms. The music, the footsteps, the background sounds – all of them are amped up to make the most of the soundbar’s limited hardware capabilities.
During The Trial of the Chicago 7, I certainly noticed the difference in dialogue quality between the Fire TV Soundbar Plus and the flagships from Sonos and Bose, but to be honest, it’s not as drastic of a difference as I anticipated.
Every voice resounded through the courtroom and I could somewhat hear the different directions from where the characters are sat, and I felt the impact of the gavel, chairs and doors slamming. As tensions rise, voices didn't distort, they became deeper and fuller.
Watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, I didn't have to turn it up loud to hear the bass. The subwoofer delivers roars, and as the flaming bird flies towards the screen I could hear it approaching from a distance, with a real rumble in the room beneath my feet. There’s depth to each impact and a tightness in the smaller sounds like footsteps and chairs falling, but it doesn’t stay too clear during busy scenes.
Fire TV Soundbar Plus: Music
The Fire TV Soundbar Plus produces music that sounds good, definitely an improvement from modern TV speakers, but nowhere near the levels you'll find in more comprehensive setups like the Samsung HW-QS750F or Yamaha True X Bar 40A.
This improvement comes from simply having a large speaker that amplifies bass, mids and trebles above what you'll usually experience from your TV, earphones or portable speakers. But this hardware has its limits, and lacks rich intricacy within the details, spatial sound, and the crisp quality you can enjoy if you spend more.
There's also distortion and scratchiness at times, which I especially felt during Erykah Badu's Didn't Cha Know. After upping the volume to see what the soundbar is capable of, the instruments and her vocals all started to sound scratchy. Not completely, but enough that you feel the difference compared to how it's supposed to sound.
At other times the vocals can sound pleasant, as they did in Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues, but they can also sound tinny like in Morcheeba's The Sea. It's essentially a huge portable speaker – great for louder music and deeper bass, but it can crackle and distort at certain volumes and frequencies.
All Day Breakfast Cafe's What If Nile Rodgers And Fela Kuti Were Friends sounded good, with the different instruments coming through distinctly. But while there was decent clarity and impact, the sounds themselves weren't always true-to-form. The brass occasionally sounded too sharp, and the vocals a little scratchy at times.
The bass is surprisingly impressive, though. If you turn it up loud enough you can feel it beneath your feet, as I did during Daft Punk's Phoenix. I was also impressed by the tight impacts of the cymbals and the lush synths and bassline.
I found that the volume levels weren't always consistent, however. There can be moments where a track will play slightly louder or quieter for a quick moment, then back to where it was. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it for your music room unless you're on a tight budget, but you can spend $200 more for the Yamaha True X Bar 40A which produces much fuller and clearer music.
Fire TV Soundbar Plus: Price
The Fire TV Soundbar Plus costs $249.99 at Amazon at full price, but is frequently discounted to around $150-$200. It's one of the most affordable branded soundbars you can buy, with premium models costing upwards of $900.
You can get the Fire TV Soundbar Plus with an external subwoofer for deeper, fuller bass, for $374.99 at Amazon, and you can often find it on offer with around $100 off. Or you can get the soundbar with the subwoofer and two surround speakers for $489.99 at Amazon, for the ultimate surround sound experience.
That's the most comprehensive setup available with the Fire TV Soundbar Plus, and it costs a similar amount to the single soundbar Yamaha True X Bar 40A, which outperforms the Fire TV Soundbar Plus in every way. It shows the drastic price differences between the Amazon model and the rest of the market.
It's undoubtedly a great budget option, but it's the least impressive soundbar I've used so far, and if you can afford spending a little extra, I'd go for the Yamaha.
How I Tested the Fire TV Soundbar Plus
I tested the Fire TV Soundbar Plus in my own home, in a large room with a mixture of soft furnishings, hard floors, and rugs. As the Fire TV Soundbar Plus is limited on features, I didn't have an app to test, but I played with every sound setting available on the Fire TV Soundbar remote, as well as assessing how straightforward the setup was.
I test the same list of scenes and songs with every soundbar to make sure that every model is judged under the same criteria. You can find the full list here.
For more sound bar options, see why we rated the Samsung HW-QS750F soundbar so highly.
