Groov-e is a UK tech company that is known for a range of budget-friendly accessories such as headphones, DAB clocks, wireless charging devices and phone cases. However, they are also known for their range of soundbars such as:
Soundbar 20 – £29.99
Soundbar 50 – £39.99
Soundbar 75- £49.99
Soundbar 110- £59.99
Soundbar 160 – £160
Now after our review of the Soundbar 20 Groov-e wanted us to hear what the top-of-the-range premium Soundbar 160 sounds like and to experience the difference in audio quality and build.
First Impressions
The first thing you will notice when you open the packaging of the size of the soundbar 160 which measures 7.5 x 78.2 x11 cm compared to the Soundbar 20 which measures 6 x 44.8 x 5.7 cm. The key thing to consider the Soundbar 20 is a portable soundbar compared to the Soundbar 160 once in position you won’t want to move it around.
You can see the Soundbar 160 is a lot bigger than the Soundbar 20
The Soundbar 160 costs £79.99 if you had to compare it to another brand on the Market it’s close to the Majority Snowdon II which is £54.99 and is a soundbar I use on a regular let’s see if it’s time to switch to Groov-e instead.
Design
We have already discussed the size of this soundbar you no your getting a big soundbar that is also fairly heavy weighing 3kg compared to the Snowdon at 1.5 kg.
I was very pleased with the build of the soundbar it comes with a sturdy metal grill at the front as well as smaller grills at the bottom and sides which are used to protect the 40 Watt subwoofer and the two high-end drivers putting out 25 watts.
This soundbar also comes with a LED display at the centre of the speaker which is a nice touch. You will also notice the physical controls are located at the top of the soundbar are you are given the following:
- Power
- BT/AUX/USB Mode
- Music/Voice/Movie Mode
- Volume Controls
- Track Control
Now you will notice if you want to skip a track or come back to a previous track you simply need to do a short press on the corresponding button. If you want to control the volume you need to make a longer press. I do not have an issue with this set up but some users might prefer to have separate controls. If you are that person you will be pleased to know the provided remote control does just that.
If you move to the rear of the soundbar there is a panel in the middle that is where your power input, Optical input, USB port and AUX input. This keeps the control panel nice and compact without taking up to much space.
Finally, we briefly mentioned the provided remote control which Groov-e provide you with batteries. The controller is not too big and has all the controls you come to expect:
- Power button
- Volume controls
- Mute
- Track controls
- Input source selector
- Sound Mode – Music, voice & Movie
- Dimmer for the LED Screen.
Features
The Soundbar 160 offers 90 watts of power and a peak output of 160 watts (Now you know why they call it the Soundbar 160). This soundbar comes with 2x medium high-frequency drivers and a single bass driver that results in a balanced sound as well as offering a nice deep bass.
Now as mentioned earlier you can connect this in a few different ways such as using the optical input, AUX input, via Bluetooth 5.0 which comes with a range of 10 meters or you can use the USB port if you wish. This is really useful as it gives you a number of ways to connect to your home TV or cinema projector if you are lucky to own one.
You will also find the inclusion of that LED display really helpful as you will be able to see which source you’re using as well as the sound mode and volume. Now in addition to the LED display, there was also a voice to let you know which mode you are in and its small touches like this just give this speaker a little extra compared to its rivals.
Set-Up
The Soundbar 160 is very easy to set up In the box you are provided with the power cable and a 1.5-meter optical cable.
Now to set up the soundbar plug in the power cable and connect the optical cable to your TV. If you want to use the AUX input instead you will need to provide your own 3.5mm cable or if you want to connect using the USB port you need to provide that memory stick with pre-loaded audio files.
You also have the option of going cable-free and connecting to your TV via Bluetooth which is a very easy process to do with full instructions on how if the user guide is provided.
Audio Quality/Performance
We have been testing the Soundbar 150 for a few weeks now playing music and also playing films through the soundbar and it was that movie mode that really did stand out. The subwoofer elevated the experience giving us just enough bass without impacting the mids and highs. The bass driver points down allowing the low end to hit the floor which produces a wonderful rich sound. We found it really did create an immersive experience.
When you switch to the music mode Groov-e provided us with a balanced sound stage. If you want to listen to a podcast switch to voice mode and it elevated all conversations at the same time removing any background noise.
Verdict
The Groov-e Soundbar 160 is a budget-friendly soundbar but offers a premium design and offers an impressive list of features that gives you multiple ways to connect the soundbar. I was also impressed with the 3 audio modes that give you options depending on what you are listening to. The only negative I have is the lack of HDMI ARC, However, I don’t think it created too much of an impact.
Overall, the Groov-e Soundbar 160 is a quality soundbar with a decent soundstage and a nice strong bass its ideal for someone looking to improve the audio quality on their TV or projector but is trying to stay on a budget.
Product Rating
Design: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Features: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Set-up: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Audio Quality: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Value for Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Overall ranking: 4.8 out of 5.0 stars – 4.8 stars out of 5
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