The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is an enhanced version of Amazon’s standard soundbar, and its included wireless subwoofer adds the extra channel needed for a 3.1-channel setup. The 37-inch-wide bar includes separate speakers for all three main audio channels, left, center, and right, with a full-range speaker and a tweeter in each. The device supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and it has a feature called DTS TruVolume, which helps keep quieter parts of a movie from getting lost so that louder action scenes don’t blast you out of your seat. There are four pre-programmed listening modes available on the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus, including Movie, Music, Sports, and Night, and setup runs through a single HDMI cable to your TV.
Head over to Amazon to get the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus for just $250, down from its usual price of $375. That’s a $125 discount and 33% off.
A quick and easy way to improve your entertainment center’s audio
When you read through the numbers in a soundbar specification, it’ll tell you what you get. If your soundbar is listed as a 2.0 model, it has a left and right speaker and nothing else, which is an improvement over TV speakers but not by much. When a soundbar is listed as a 3.1 model, it means the product includes three separate speakers plus a subwoofer, and the third speaker is used solely for dialogue.
A wireless subwoofer produces low-frequency sounds and only needs a plug to connect, so you can place it anywhere you have space. Low frequencies aren’t as directional as higher ones, so tucking it beside a couch or behind a chair works fine. In addition to that external subwoofer, there are two built into the bar itself, though the external one does most of the work.
DTS TruVolume is worth knowing about if you’ve ever spent a movie riding the volume button. It monitors the audio and levels out the difference between whispered dialogue and an explosion, which makes late-night watching a lot less disruptive. Long-pressing the Dialogue Enhancer button on the remote turns it on and off.
That remote also has dedicated treble and bass buttons with nine levels each, plus five levels of dialogue enhancement, which gives you more granular control than most soundbars in this price range. The EQ button cycles through four listening modes, and the bar has media buttons to control music played over Bluetooth or through the USB port.
If you want to go further, the Soundbar Plus expands to 5.1 with a pair of optional wireless surround speakers, though those are sold separately. The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is $250 right now instead of $375, and note that it isn’t Alexa-enabled, so it takes commands from your TV remote rather than your voice.