Archer A6 1200 Wireless Router by TP-Link
Audio and Video in One
You want a Soundbar and you also are in need of a new or newer streaming device- but where do you turn and what do you do? Our crew faced a similar issue and after looking around for 2 separate setups we landed on 1, go-to choice for cutting the clutter: a Roku Smart Soundbar
Roku Smart Soundbar is as if a strong, clear, and powerful audio experience had a technology baby with their staple Roku Streaming Player(s). The Smart Soundbar is a clear alternative to a separate streaming device and another audio component. So if you’re in the market for cutting the cord literally and metaphorically than this smart at may be the wise choice.
Roku likes to share this video for some reason (we think this video needs some upgrades but hey they can’t win it all) explaining why you need one:
We now will try and tell you why WE think you oughta get one.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
Our initial impression right out the box is this: it is simple to set up and easy to see why it has a 4.8 rating on Roku’s website.
The Roku Smart Soundbar includes:
Soundbar
Roku Smart Soundbar
Premium High Speed HDMI® Cable
Optical cable
Voice remote with TV power, volume, and mute buttons
Two AAA batteries
Power cable
What makes this so simple is you can connect HDMI from the Soundbar to an HDMI-ARC input on your TV (assuming you have one) thus eliminating the audio cable you may have had. See- already one cord gone.
For our setup we wanted to also connect a cable box (yes we still have a cable box) to the Soundbar so we could nab audio off that box in addition to programming through the Roku. With the simple connection of an Optical audio cable from the TV to the Roku Soundbar, we were golden and experiencing clear audio when streaming and while watching cable.
If your TV is not as new, you can connect HDMI to the Soundbar and add in the additional audio Optical cable to other devices you want to watch and hear!
Overall the initial setup, connectivity, and time it took to be up and running was faster than our internet speeds (that’s another story).
STREAMING QUALITY
Before we dive into the overall quality we wanted to point out a special troubleshooting tip-
***NOTE: if you have internet speeds that could handle prior Roku streaming player models, it may not be fast enough to handle this upgraded Soundbar. We had to increase our speed from
100 Mbps to 250 Mbps to handle the buffering required for full 4K HD quality. Before upgrading the speed, the Roku Soundbar alerted us that our download speed was as good as stale milk.
Once our download speed issue was fixed we found clear, crisp, and powerful streaming of our favorite TV, news, sports, movies, and more. HD, 4K, or HDR -this Roku Soundbar handles it all. The color is crisp, the resolution is on point and if you have a TV with an HDMI port you are good to go!
SOUND QUALITY
So now the sound- how does it hold up? For us we replaced a standard surround sound system off a receiver and found the quality honestly the same if not better. The Roku Soundbar allows you to boost the audio volume of voices with Speech Clarity while lowering loud commercials for a more consistent and uniform sound. We hate watching a show and once an ad pops up the volume sounds like an announcer at a game. This Soundbar fixes that. There is a Night mode as well, giving you the ability to watch something without altering the whole house when a car chase scene takes center screen.
Are you going to pump out arena level sound with this bad boy? No- but if you’re looking for a living room sound quality that gives you clear sounds, decent bass range, and uniform volume throughout varying media, this Soundbar may be your go to.
STANDOUT FEATURES
The Roku Smart Soundbar has some key standout features that are an added value to this system:
The all-in-one Roku player and Soundbar pack a 1-2 punch for audio and visual quality
The Smart Soundbar is compatible with voice enabled devices like Alexa and Google Assistant
With the FREE Roku mobile app you can control the Soundbar from your phone and even listen to what’s on the big screen through your phones’ headphones
The price point is a great selling point for those looking to consolidate cords and cut expenses from other costly equipment
BONUS FEATURES
As an added bonus to the already stellar Roku Smart Soundbar, the Soundbar will enable you to easily enjoy music from popular channels or a Bluetooth® device.
You can also use the Voice remote with TV power and volume buttons to consolidate your remotes into one simple solution.
One other cool bonus is the ability to connect the Roku Wireless subwoofer for added bass (and yes, cost) to the Soundbar in any location of the room that meets your bass fancy.
Roku Smart Soundbar Overall duuude Factor: Worth every penny!
Price: $179.99/ on sale for $149.99
To learn more about Roku’s lineup of devices or to explore a more full picture (no pun intended) of what the Roku Smart Soundbar has to offer, head over to Roku’s website and start streaming!
***duuude Crew Tip: if you have a universal remote, similar to Logitech, the Smart Soundbar is only recognized as an “audio” device, not allowing you to select it for playback streaming. Easy fix is to add a “dummy” Roku streaming player in addition to the Soundbar on the remotes “activities” and the remote will automatically adjust and select the Soundbar for both functions!
