Our testing procedure has a completely subjective and an objective component. The Soundwertung is purely subjective and flows with you 50 percent in the overall grade: Two editors test the soundbars together in our test room and assess the surround sound effect, channel separation, voice representation, clarity, bass and the soundbars’ music presentation.
30 percent get the soundbars for your equipment. Here we record, for example, the number of interfaces (HDMI, optical, coaxial), whether Bluetooth and a network connection are available, whether there are USB ports and whether the soundbar can be expanded (subwoofer, rear speaker). The basic format support (Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Atmos) is part of the evaluation, as is any media player.
The category handling we evaluate 20 percent. Here we assess the choice of materials and workmanship of the soundbars, check what the remote control is like (if available), whether they have a display and whether voice assistants are available. There are also points for a calibration system.
Based on this overall rating and the current street prices, we also determine a price estimate – so you can see at a glance whether the product is really worth the money. We test fairly and independently.
