If you find the world of home theater audio too complicated for your liking, Roku has just the ticket. Its new $180 Smart Soundbar puts everything you need to enjoy streaming media with great sound in one convenient package. It joins the more expensive $400 JBL Link Bar and the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Stage as the market for multi-use soundbars starts to expand.
With Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and of course, the Roku OS itself, there are two ways to use the 32-inch Smart Soundbar: If you already own a Roku TV or a Roku streaming device like a Roku Streaming Stick+, you can hook it up to your TV via HDMI-ARC or optical cable, and use it as a way to get much better sound out of your TV. It packs four 2.5-inch speakers, which can deliver 2-channel Dolby Audio to fill a room with sound. Your other option is to use the Smart Soundbar as your streaming device too — it’s perfect for people who have a “dumb” TV, or who would like to ditch their existing media streamer for a simpler, clutter-free setup. With Roku OS on board and compatibility with both Alexa and Google Assistant, the Roku Smart Soundbar is a modern take on the old home-theater-in-a-box concept.
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As a media streamer, the Smart Soundbar has some decent specs: It’s 4K Ultra HD- and HDR-capable and can handle streams up to 60fps. For those with older TVs, it can still do both 1080p and 720p resolutions. It’s worth noting that the Smart Soundbar isn’t Dolby Vision– or Dolby Atmos-capable. If you want those features in a Roku-powered product, you’ll have to buy a TCL 6- or 8-Series Roku TV (for both Dolby technologies) or a dedicated Roku device like the Roku Streaming Stick+ which offers Dolby Atmos pass-through to compatible TVs and A/V receivers.
The Soundbar comes with Roku’s excellent RF remote control, which gives you access to the Roku Voice function — a button- and a menu-free way to access and search for content. The Smart Soundbar also has some smart audio management features. Automatic Volume Leveling offers uniform audio levels across various types of content and can quiet loud commercials. Night mode lowers the volume for louder scenes and boosts it for quieter ones, making it less likely that you’ll disturb others in your home. Speech Clarity boosts voice frequencies for clearer dialogue.
If you really want to take that home theater idea to the next level, Roku is also debuting its $180 Roku Wireless Subwoofer. Designed to work in tandem with the Smart Soundbar, the Wireless Subwoofer has a digital amplifier with 250 watts at peak power (125W RMS), which moves a single 10-inch driver. Roku claims this is good for reproducing frequencies as low as 40 Hz. The Subwoofer will also — via a future software update — be compatible with Roku TVs that have an existing set of Roku TV Wireless Speakers. Digital Trends asked Roku if all three devices (soundbar, subwoofer, and wireless speakers) could be used to create a full-fledged 4.1 or 5.1 surround sound system, but for now, that’s not a supported configuration.
Both the Roku Smart Soundbar and the Wireless Subwoofer can be pre-ordered today through Roku.com, and they’re expected to ship in October — the same timing as general retail availability.
New leak hints at Sonos’ future: Bluetooth, spatial audio, and lots more home theater
You have to imagine that Sonos CEO Patrick Spence is getting a little tired of leaks originating from within the company's walls. For the second time in 2022, The Verge's Chris Welch has published details of an unreleased and unconfirmed Sonos product that Welch claims is code-named Optimo 2. According to this information, which he claims was gleaned from work-in-progress images of the Optimo 2, it's a speaker that will likely take over from the current Sonos Five, a product that hasn't been meaningfully updated since it debuted as the Play:5 in 2009.
If the report is accurate -- and it's worth noting that Welch's prior reporting on the Sonos Ray ahead of that product's debut was very close to what was eventually announced -- the Optimo 2 could represent the beginning of a new era for Sonos. It reportedly contains the mics needed for Sonos Voice Control, as well as plenty of RAM for future updates. A wireframe render of the speaker created by The Verge (which is what you do when you need to protect the source material) illustrates an unusual mirror-image shape -- it looks vaguely like a VR headset -- which appears to be designed to direct sound outward in at least two directions -- forward and backward -- though Welch says that some of the Optimo 2's drivers will aim sound upward, too.
Denon adds a wireless subwoofer to Home family of speakers
Denon has released the Denon Home Subwoofer, a wireless subwoofer that can connect to any speaker in the Denon Home family of wireless products, including the Denon Home Sound Bar 550. It goes on sale for $599 on March 9, online and in select retail stores.
The subwoofer has an 8-inch driver enclosed within a cabinet that matches the rest of the Denon Home range, with an understated black color and a wrap-around acoustic fabric. As with the other components in the Home collection, the Home Subwoofer supports Denon's HEOS multiroom audio system, which is also built-in on several of the company's A/V receivers.
Bose’s new flagship soundbar delivers Dolby Atmos for home theaters
Today, Bose took the wraps off its first Dolby Atmos soundbar, the $899 Smart Soundbar 900. It goes on sale on September 23 but can be pre-ordered as of today on Bose's website. The addition of Dolby Atmos puts the new model in direct competition with the $799 Sonos Arc, our current top pick for the best overall soundbar.
Available in black or white, the Smart Soundbar 900 bears a strong resemblance to the 5.1-channel Smart Soundbar 700, featuring a rounded rectangular shape and a glass top surface.
If you find the world of home theater audio too complicated for your liking, Roku has just the ticket. Its new $180 Smart Soundbar puts everything you need to enjoy streaming media with great sound in one convenient package. It joins the more expensive $400 JBL Link Bar and the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Stage as the market for multi-use soundbars starts to expand.
