The simplest HDMI audio upgrade for your flatscreen is just $85 at Amazon right now. A limited-time deal is knocking 29% off the price of the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar, a 2.0 soundbar that doesn’t require a dedicated subwoofer. At this price it’s a genuine step up from the hollow, dialogue-flattening audio that comes out of most thin-panel televisions, and a setup process measured in seconds rather than minutes.
The stars of the spec sheet here are DTS Virtual:X and Dolby Audio running through dual speakers in a 24-inch chassis that stands 2.5 inches tall. DTS Virtual:X is a virtualization technology, meaning it creates the impression of surround sound from two forward-facing drivers rather than from actual speakers placed around the room. The results are more convincing than most buyers expect at this price, particularly on movie audio where the spatial cues are baked into the mix. Dolby Audio handles the decoding side, and the combination of the two standards covers the vast majority of what streaming services and Blu-ray are actually sending your TV.
One-and-Done Setup
Setup runs through a single HDMI cable to the HDMI eARC or ARC port on your television. The eARC connection handles both audio sync and volume control through your existing TV remote, which removes the usual complaint about soundbars requiring a second remote or a complicated input-switching routine. If your TV has an ARC or eARC port, which most televisions sold in the last eight years do, the soundbar is functional within a minute of unboxing.
The Fire TV Ready designation means the soundbar has been tested to work with Amazon’s Fire TV streaming sticks and built-in Fire TV software. That translates to controlling volume and power through the Fire TV remote rather than needing a separate input. That integration scores bigger in households already running Fire TV hardware than it will for someone running a Roku or Apple TV, but the soundbar still works fine with any smart TV through its standard HDMI connection.
Handles Your Tunes, Too
Bluetooth connectivity adds a second use case beyond television audio. Pairing a phone or tablet routes music directly through the soundbar without touching the TV, which is useful when the television is off and you want background audio in the room.
With Amazon dropping the price of its house-favorite audio device to $85, the Fire TV Soundbar sits in a range where the competition is mostly no-name hardware with no meaningful format support. Getting DTS Virtual:X and Dolby Audio at this price point, in a unit that sets up through a single cable and plays nicely with Fire TV hardware, is a combination that most buyers at this price tier will not find elsewhere. If your current TV audio makes dialogue hard to follow or action scenes feel flat, this is the most direct fix available for the least amount of effort and money.
