Orbitsound BAR A70 Sound Bar With Air sound (aptX Bluetooth)

Product Information

There’s a learning remote function, which allows you to control volume using your existing TV remote. Panasonic TVs aren’t currently supported but it works with Sony, LG and Samsung sets. Orbitsound A70 airSOUND Bar – Performance You might be wondering how there can be a best soundbar for gaming; let us explain. If you're a gamer and find yourself with both the PS5 and Xbox Series X, on a large number of TVs you will often find you only have two HDMI 2.1 ports. One of these will be dedicated to eARC, the HDMI audio channel, leaving you with just one HDMI port for both consoles if you want the full 4K 120Hz experience.

Most modern TVs detect a connection to an external audio device over HDMI and automatically default to it. Other TVs don’t, so you’ll need to dive into the settings to make sure.Setting up the A70 couldn’t be easier, one of the benefits of a single-cable optical connection. The bar nestles nicely in front of our 55in set, although the size difference did look a little odd – aesthetically, it’s better suited to TVs between 32 and 42in. The one place that we think that M12 misses out, is not having a dedicated centre channel for speech. By its nature, this is inherently positional and should sound like it’s coming from the TV’s location. Soundbar’s with a centre speaker also sound a little clearer, for our liking, making dialogue easier to understand. An HDMI port means that the highest quality audio can pass from your TV to your soundbar, like Dolby Atmos. The A70 supports Bluetooth with apt-X for lossless audio streaming, while pairing is made easy by the inclusion of NFC. Orbitsound A70 airSOUND Bar – Operation Wherever you sit in a room there is a sense that the sound has been repositioned just for you. When you are camped in front of a movie this isn’t vital, but for music (when you are more likely to be moving around) it is a revelation and it won’t matter that the T9 itself is probably stuffed under the TV. Those who prefer to arrange their rooms stylistically rather than based around their audio equipment will rejoice.

However, you will still get quality audio and an optical connection does work with soundbars and surround sound systems. What size soundbar should I get? However, other devices with only one soundbar claim to offer surround sound. What this means is they deliver a stereo effect, which seems more like sound is coming from different directions, but isn't. The first is the size. You’ll want to make sure that your soundbar fits under—or next to, depending on your set-up—your TV. For example, the long Sonos Arc soundbar is designed specifically for large screens, so won’t look right with a smaller 50-inch TV. You’ll need to know the size of your current TV and the size of the space you have to fit it and compare those figures to the dimensions listed alongside the soundbar you want to buy. We have to say that the M12 sounds great and it’s very-well balanced, with the subwoofer blending neatly with the soundbar without overwhelming it. Sound effects in Star Trek sounded great, with explosions given real depth by the subwoofer. However, the rechargeable rear speakers that can also be used as bluetooth speakers, number of HDMI ports, easy setup and immersive sound make this such a flexible soundbar.(Note: in some countries, you get the JBL Bar 1300 – without the X – which has a smaller 10-inch subwoofer driver instead of the 12-inch in the X version. This is a relatively small difference, and doesn't alter our overall opinion.)If you want a premium, immersive listening experience you’ll want to be sure you have an HDMI connection to use from your soundbar and an HDMI ARC (that's audio return channel) port on your TV for it to connect to. You need to get a soundbar that fits in the space you have available. Some people have their TV mounted and a soundbar could happily be mounted underneath. Others have their TV on a stand and the soundbar can sit in front of it.

There are various ways of doing this, but the best option is HDMI. HDMI can transfer both picture and sound, and ARC has been around since 2009. It allows data to flow in both directions, so from the TV to the soundbar and vice versa. The A70 is more expensive than your average soundbar but justifies the price with an accomplished performance, elegant design and luxurious build quality. If you’ve got this sort of cash to splash on a soundbar then the A70 is a great choice. If you’ve bought a bar/subwoofer combo, the sub offers non-directional sound to the soundbar’s directional audio, therefore placement isn’t as restricted. However, this doesn’t mean it can be placed anywhere in a room, but some subs can be close to your seating position (i.e. the sofa), or you can have it near the soundbar instead.Spin some music over Bluetooth or through the auxiliary input and the speakers display a fine sense of rhythm and timing. Rihanna’s Don’t Stop the Music flows with pace and a decent sense of panache. The Sonos Arc draws on Dolby’s latest TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus sound codecs to deliver the best quality lossless audio found on cutting-edge Blu-ray discs and some of the leading streaming services. Crucially, that also includes Dolby Atmos support, and while the reflected height and side channels aren't as pronounced as some of the soundbars here can manage, they're still impressive, and the range of precision of the Arc is superb.

There is HDMI ARC and HDMI eARC. The former is supported by practically every TV on the market; the latter not as much. You can read more about ARC here, and get your head around eARC over here. The final way of connecting the soundbar to the TV is Bluetooth. The convenience is that it’s cable-free, but the sound quality won’t be as good, and there’s the possibility the connection may suffer from interference. Not every TV supports Bluetooth either. Taking centre stage in any Orbitsound review is the company’s spatial stereo technology and with the T9 it is no different. In a nutshell the claim is spatial stereo eliminates the geographic sweet spot for stereo in a room and instead allows it to be enjoyed from any position. We think the JBL Bar 1300X would suit anyone looking for a powerful and immersive soundbar option, but particularly those who are after the visceral excitement that the best home theater systems effortlessly deliver, while also being relatively easy to setup and not becoming a burden on your living room. If all else fails, consult the manufacturer’s manual on what they think is best. For Atmos soundbars you’ll need to sit at a certain distance to get a sense of height in the sound, and this measurement can be found in the manual or online.

Can I use Bluetooth with my soundbar or soundbase?

True surround sound means speakers are positioned around you. Some soundbars on this list, like the Samsung Q990C also come with a subwoofer and two smaller rear channel speakers, meaning you can place them around your room. We also liked the simple setup, which involved just a couple of steps on the smartphone app, and as you'd expect it's easy to hook it up to otherSonos speakers. The minimalist cable connections and all-in-one system construction add to this no-fuss feeling and streamlined aesthetic – though it's a real shame that there's no HDMI passthrough. The A70 eschews the rectangular shape of previous Orbitsound bars with a curvier design that emphasises the presence of airSOUND technology. The rounded aluminium grilles at the ends of the cabinet draw attention to the side-firing drivers, while the front speakers are hidden behind a pill-shaped grille. While some suggest placing a soundbar in a cabinet, that’s a definite no-no, especially for Dolby Atmos soundbars. There needs to be clearance above the unit so it can bounce sound off the ceiling. Even with conventional soundbars the potential for echoes, reverberations and vibrations is too much. Do not put the speaker on the floor either. When it comes to sound quality and features vs price, we think the Sony HT-S2000 is the best budget choice around. Although it's a little basic in terms of connectivity, the sound you get from this soundbar is impressive for the money and is certainly a good choice for those looking for an upgrade to their TV sound without breaking the bank.