*this reviewer is not an audiophile in any way
AS TV picture quality is getting better all the time with buzzwords like OLED, HDR, 8K spreading like wildfire, it can be easy to forget the other major component to the home theatre experience.
To capture the true surround sound experience – like something you would experience in a premium movie theatre – a soundbar is a necessity.
For the uninitiated, soundbars create an all encompassing wall of sound with just the soundbar itself and the accompanying subwoofer. It simplifies the process of getting surround sound because you don’t have to set up multiple speakers all around the living room (or bedroom) to imitate the cinema experience.
On the face of it, TVs are already expensive so you might think turning up the volume is good enough. Fortunately, PRISM+, the consumer technology company operating out of Singapore has recently launched a pair of soundbars for both premium and value-minded consumers.
The PRISM+ Symphony and Flow are the company’s first entry into the soundbar market, having just been released in the middle of November.
The PRISM+ Symphony features all the bells and whistles such as Dolby Atmos spatial audio, an 8” wireless subwoofer, and 3D-surround sound will retail at RM1,999.
The PRISM+ Flow on the other hand retails at RM799 and is one of the few in its price range to feature a wireless subwoofer, supporting a 2.1 speaker with Dolby Audio Technology.
Plugging it in
As someone who has never used a soundbar before I decided to start with the Flow – though the setup process for both is identical.
Inside the box there’s the soundbar itself (which is 890mm in length), the subwoofer, all the necessary cables (HDMI, power for both devices, aux cable), a remote with batteries, and a manual.
There’s also a kit to use for wall mounting if you feel like drilling into your wall, but really if you have your TV on a stand just put the soundbar right in front of it. Ideally your TV is in the centre of your living room so the soundbar should also be centrally located.
The soundbar and subwoofer are wirelessly connected, so you just need to plug them into separate power outlets (make sure your power strip has enough ports beforehand). The back of the Flow has all the inputs you need for a basic setup – HDMI ARC, USB, coaxial, optical, and auxiliary.
As long as your TV was built in the last few years, HDMI ARC should be enough as there is a corresponding port on the back of the TV. The USB port is if you want to plug media directly into the soundbar. Similarly you can also connect to it via Bluetooth and play media that way.
Now, it’s not just plug and play, you’ll need to use your remote to dig through the settings on your TV. You need to turn on HDMI-CEC and ARC must be set to On. Otherwise, you’ll be left scratching your head wondering why the soundbar is silent.
Play it again
For someone who’s never used a soundbar before, the effect is instantaneous. While on paper the Flow doesn’t have the feature set of the Symphony, it is very much a marked improvement over the TV’s built in speakers.
Both soundbars also come with five preset modes for news, music, sport, gaming, and movie, though I didn’t really see a need to move away from the movie setting.
I have a Hisense 55-inch 4K TV (sorry, the exact model number has been lost to history), that I watch various media – shows, movies, YouTube videos, Twitch streams – via an Apple TV 4K streaming box.
I’ve never had any problems with the TV’s audio output, but by connecting it to a soundbar it’s quickly apparent what’s been missing when the bass kicks in. There really isn’t any replacement for what a subwoofer can do for a home audio setup. It just adds so much weight and volume to the sound. With the soundbar, you get what the ‘surround’ in surround sound means.
In that regard, this is probably not a setup you want to run if you live in a building with thin walls and floors – you will definitely be making your neighbours mad.
For testing purposes I watched movies like Avatar, Star Wars, Mad Max: Fury Road, Dune, Pacific Rim, and Heat (specifically the bank robbery shootout).
The background music (or score) of most scenes were punchier, but action scenes, especially gunfights saw the biggest improvements, with each shot rattling in my ear drums (that’s a good thing).
The directional audio from the surround sound also added an element of dimensionality (spatial audio) – like an audio version of 3D. If a helicopter starts out on the left of the screen and moves right, you can track that through the audio. Car chases sound great in this regard.
The PRISM+ Symphony has an added benefit of Dolby Atmos, an audio format featured in the most premium of movie cinemas. To benefit from this you need to use an HDMI ARC connection, and the movie you’re playing has to have been mixed in Atmos. It’s like having a cinema in your home.
Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby TrueHD are also supported by the Symphony.
If I have an issue, and I am no audiophile, it’s that there’s no subtlety to the bass – it’s very much an overpowering experience. If you’re not into watching spectacle like action movies, I don’t really think this is a device you’d be interested in.
Out of curiosity, I hooked up the PRISM+ Flow to my gaming PC. Because HDMI ARC isn’t really an output available on the vast majority of computers, you’re gonna need to use the auxiliary audio cable.
While I think I ultimately prefer the subtlety and precision of a pair of headphones when it comes to gaming (directional audio is very important in shooters), it works very well with racing games and is definitely something worth at least experimenting with.
Especially as you’d be sitting directly in front of the Flow and can get the full force of it, even though it’s only a 2.1 audio setup.
Final verdict
For those interested in upgrading their home audio experience by getting into soundbars, PRISM+’s two new devices are a good option, given their appealing price point in comparison to their competition – you’re also not just getting the soundbar but the subwoofer as well.
The Flow, while not as fully featured as the Symphony, is still a good deal, especially if you plan to use it for a smaller room. It’s relatively compact, all things considered. At a substantially higher price, the Symphony is also a good deal for an instant improvement with the spatial audio being a major selling point.
Ultimately, there’s never been a better time to build one’s own home theatre with plenty of long established brands flooding the marketplace with quality products. PRISM+’s new soundbars offer a good value proposition in their favour. – The Vibes, December 22, 2022
