If you add the $180 wireless subwoofer into the package, that's $560. Wireless surround-sound systems can cost up to $1,000, so $380 is not unreasonable, but it's still an awful lot of money for a relatively subtle audio boost. The soundbar costs $180 the speakers cost $200. It's not an absolute necessity - even for hard-core videophiles - but if you've always wanted a surround-sound setup and already own some Roku kit, it's not a bad way to go, either. I was impressed with the Roku wireless surround-sound's ease of setup, and I was pleased with its performance. I especially liked listening to Baroque compositions in this mode, as it felt like being in a concert hall. By pressing the options button on the remote, you can set the surround-sound options to "Movies & TV," "Music" or "Off." On the Music setting, the testing lab filled up with rich vocals and subtle instrumentals, regardless of genre. My experience listening to music was much different, however. The speakers gave a bit of dimension and directionality to the soundscape, but didn't really enhance the overall quality of the experience.
However, once I turned the surround sound off and rewatched the same scenes, I found that the bulk of the sound was still coming from the Roku Smart Soundbar. Likewise, every comic book sound effect in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse crackled and reverberated, to say nothing of the catchy music and spirited dialogue. Watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, I was impressed by how immersive the background noises were, whether they were gunshots from a tense firefight or simply the night wind during an outdoor dialogue scene.
#Roku smart soundbar tv
Most recent TV shows and movies have 5.1 surround sound available, and you don't need to take any extra steps to activate it. With that configuration in mind, I can say that the sound for movies and TV was decent, and the sound for music was quite good - better than expected, in fact. I also had a stool instead of a couch, and a single, large table for both speakers, rather than two end tables.
#Roku smart soundbar full
I did my testing in a video lab in the Tom's Guide office, which meant that the room was windowless, thinly carpeted and somewhat full of furniture. Everyone's living space is different, which also means that everyone's acoustics are different. (Image credit: Roku) Roku wireless surround sound qualityĪs far as the surround sound itself, that's always a little harder to gauge. Once this process is done, your living room has wireless surround sound. It will also transmit any necessary firmware updates. The Roku Smart Soundbar will search for the speakers by proximity (you don't need to connect them to Wi-Fi, in other words), then pair them automatically. (Adding the subwoofer is a separate process, but you go through the same set of steps.)
Then, you hold down the Home button on the remote for 5 seconds and select the option for adding speakers.
#Roku smart soundbar update
The Roku Smart Soundbar automatically searches for updates when it's connected to the internet, or you can do a manual update from the settings menu. The soundbar is also a full Roku player and speaker, which means you won't have to waste valuable entertainment center space on a single-purpose wireless receiver.įrom there, you need to update firmware - but the Roku OS takes care of most of this for you. The speakers and subwoofer connect to the soundbar wirelessly, so cable management is blessedly minimal. If you're using a subwoofer, you also plug that in and position it. You then position the two speakers somewhere behind your couch, and plug each one into a power source. You start by hooking the soundbar up to your TV, which requires an HDMI cord and a power cable.
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