Product Listing

Philips Fidelio SoundQuake B8/12 sound bar review: 400W of audio power

By Marcus Wong - 9 Feb 2018
Launch SRP: S$1899

Introduction, Design and Handling

Introduction

Shrinking home spaces have seen more home owners chose a single sound bar over the traditional multi-speaker setup. Manufacturers have adapted to this, and many of today’s sound bars are Dolby Atmos compatible, and rely on angled drivers to bounce sound both sideways and upwards to envelop you in sound. The Philips Fidelio SoundQuake B8/12 (henceforth B8 for simplicity), one of the latest sound bars to be available here, is one such example.

Featuring a slim sound bar and a subwoofer that’s taller than its width, the B8 is a compact offering that offers Dolby Atmos capabilities and matches that with their own Ambisound technology. Like any modern speaker, it also features Bluetooth aptX and AAC support, while also offering easy pairing via NFC.

Despite its slim body, the B8 is a full 5.1.2-channel system. And it manages to pack in a total of 18 drivers (10 racetrack drivers and 8 soft dome tweeters) into its 105.8 x 5.2 x 12cm chassis. The accompanying subwoofer pumps out 220W of power and is a wireless one, so you can place it wherever you wish. This covers the 40Hz - 190Hz range, while the sound bar goes from 190Hz - 20kHz, hence covering most of the crucial audio spectrum. In short, you should (in theory) get everything except for the lowest rumbles.

The bottom HDMI port is the one that allows 4K passthrough.

In terms of ports, the B8 gives you the flexibility to hook up a variety of source devices with these ports:-

  • 1 x HDMI 1.4 port (supports 4K pass-through)
  • 2 x HDMI 2.0 ports
  • 1 x Digital optical input
  • 1 x Digital coaxial input
  • 1 x 3.5mm audio input
  • 1 x USB audio port

Of course, there’s also a remote control included, and this lets you adjust the treble and bass levels as well as the height level, giving you better control over the Dolby Atmos effect.

Overall, setting it up was a simple affair, as the sound bar easily paired with the woofer after it was powered on. Despite not having wires between them, we thought both sub and sound bar were perfectly in sync throughout our testing and worked as one cohesive unit.

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6.5
  • Design 8
  • Performance 6.5
  • Features 8
  • Value 6
The Good
Simple set up
Slim profile makes it easy to fit in any room
Offers Dolby Atmos support
The Bad
Bass is too lean
Highs can be screechy
Doesn't sound spacious
Performance doesn't match price
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