Xiaomi has launched a new audio accessory for Televisions, a Bluetooth enabled Soundbar called Mi Soundbar that replaces your built-in TV speakers. The Xiaomi Mi Soundbar is a type of portable audio that acts as an external speaker for your TV. We reviewed the speakers and here’s our review of the Xiaomi Mi Soundbar below.
Design & Build
The Mi Soundbar has a clean and minimalist design as you can see. The front has a fabric material, the sides are curved, and the overall design looks very neat. You need to take care of the fabric, it may get smudges from your hands and create a mess.
Speaking of the size and weight of the Mi Soundbar, the size of the bar is close to a 40-inch TV and weighs about 2kg means it’s easy to carry around.
The bottom holds rubber pads to keep a hold on to the surface. Either you can place it on a desk/table or mount it on a wall using the provided screws in the box.
The top has Volume keys on the sides, and Bluetooth, AUX In, Line In, S/PDIF, Optical buttons with LED indicators. There are two separate volumes, the volume also needs to be controlled from the bar aside from the TV or Bluetooth device. There’s no remote provided for the bar to control the volumes.
The back has S/PDIF and Optical ports, AUX input, and power input along with a power switch. No, it doesn’t run on batteries, you need to plug in an adapter and provide a constant power source. You get a 2-pin 16V and 2.5A AC/DC adapter in the box.
Connectivity
The Mi Soundbar plays music from TV as well as through smartphones or any other Bluetooth enabled devices. The Mi Soundbar uses Bluetooth 4.2 to connect to your phone or Bluetooth devices and play sound through it.
Other connectivity options include an S/PDIF port to connect with a TV. It also has an AUX input if you want to play it via a 3.5 mm cable. According to Xiaomi, it takes less than 30 seconds to set up the Mi Soundbar.
We didn’t have any issues with the connectivity, all you need is connect the cables and you are done, the Mi Speaker is ready to play.
Audio Performance
With Televisions going thinner, the built-in speakers end up delivering an unfavorable audio experience. Using external speakers can offer much more audio clarity compared to the built-in TV speakers, hence your overall multimedia experience will be great no wonder. The Mi Soundbar holds 8-channel speakers to give mesmerizing audio experience.
Digging more into the audio channels, there are a total of eight drivers that cover frequencies from 50 Hz to 25,000 Hz. Two of them are bass units sized at 2.5 inches, two are dome treble units sized at 0.75 inches, and the rest four are passive radiators for bass amplification.
The Mi Soundbar transforms the stock TV speaker audio into theatre-like audio while watching videos or movies, better gaming experience if you are gaming on TV, and offers decent music playback via Bluetooth if not using the TV. We tested the speakers in a standard size bedroom and it turns out to be exceptionally great, the sound is loud and the bass is punchy.
On the other hand, the audio range is limited and the bass feels average on full volumes if you are using it in larger rooms. A 5.1/7.1 channel speaker setup with a dedicated subwoofer is recommended for larger rooms.
While the Mi Soundbar is not a replacement for the 5.1/7.1 channel external speakers, it’s simply an accessory that opts out your TV speakers to offer better audio clarity.
Verdict
The Mi Soundbar is an affordable Bluetooth speaker for your TV to enhance your TV audio experience. It is currently priced at Rs 4,999 available on Amazon.in, Mi.com and Mi Home, and at this price, it is certainly recommended. For those who are looking for an external speaker with decent audio clarity for TV, the Mi Speaker shouldn’t be overlooked.
