Review- Like many of you, I have been enduring the scourge of using built-in speakers on the TV at home. Almost all TVs have junk speakers, either too small, too quiet, or both. Many built-in TV speakers also emit downwards or backwards, so the sound that reaches you will bounce off things in your room and become messy before it even reaches your ears. A high-quality soundbar can be a great addition to any TV setup, but in the past, I have used cheaper soundbars. These soundbars require an additional remote control to control the volume, and they sound a little not good. Will the Tribit Soundbar upgrade the viewing/listening experience? Let’s find out!
What is it?
Tribit Soundbar is a soundbar speaker system with built-in virtual surround sound. It has a total of 6 physical speakers, including 2 active subwoofers, which provide better bass. It has an LCD display on the front to indicate volume levels and input options, an IR remote control, and connection options, including Bluetooth, optical audio, HDMI ARC, and 3.5 mm/coaxial audio jacks.
What’s in the box?
- Remote control (IR)
- User manual
- 2 x mounting bracket with screws for wood/drywall
- 1 x optical cable
- 1 x HDMI cable
- 1 x 120V power cord
Hardware specifications
- Drive unit: 2 x 3″ subwoofer + 4 x 2.25″ mid-tweeter
- Connection: Bluetooth 5.0, HDMI (ARC), digital input, 3.5 mm audio, coaxial cable
- Output power: 2 x 25W + 50W
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 37.2 inches x 4.9 inches x 2.9 inches, 946 mm x 125 mm x 74.5 mm
- Weight: 8.5 pounds, 3875 grams
- Frequency response: 50Hz – 20KHz
- EQ mode: music, movies, news, games
Design and features
The Tribit sound bar is a fairly wide (over 3 feet) sound bar, but it is fairly short and not too deep, so it can be installed in most entertainment centers or below or above the TV screen.
The remote control works as expected, but fortunately I don’t need HDMI ARC control because my TV controller also controls the volume of the Tribit Soundbar. If you use a different audio input method or frequently change the equalizer, even though you want to keep it at hand. It requires 2 AAA batteries (not included in my evaluation unit).
The mounting brackets are included in the box, and although I don’t need or use them, they seem to work well. You just need to install it according to the instructions in the manual, with screws (including plasterboard anchors) included, and once the bracket is installed on the wall, the soundbar will slide immediately. There are also rubber feet at the bottom to prevent it from sliding.
On the right side (if you face the front of the soundbar) there are physical buttons that can turn the soundbar on and off, control the volume, change the equalizer presets, and select the input source. I like that they contain these in case you lose the remote control. Or, if you use the HDMI ARC connection to let the TV control the soundbar like me, you will not need to use the remote control often, but you may occasionally want to use the Bluetooth input to play some content from your phone/tablet/computer.
On the back, we have various physical input connections, power switches, and AC power cord connections. Ports include HDMI with ARC, optical, USB, auxiliary input (3.5 mm) and coaxial input.
Installation and setup
Installation is as simple as setting up a Tribit Soundbar in your entertainment center or other surface. Or, you can use the included bracket to install it on the wall above or below the TV. You will connect the required cables (for most people, I think HDMI ARC will be the best choice-even the cheapest LCD TV in our room has an HDMI ARC port, which allows the TV itself to control the volume of the soundbar In addition to carrying the audio data itself to play on the soundbar). I like that they include HDMI cables and optical audio cables in the box. It is always annoying to have to order additional cables after purchasing such products.
After setting up the Tribit Soundbar, I had to try various options for connecting movies, games, and music. It is much better than the previous built-in speakers. Bass is more impactful, dialogue is easier to hear, and music sounds better. The device does not support any existing surround sound formats (such as Dolby Atmos), but sound bars that support this format are much more expensive. The virtual surround sound they advertised doesn’t sound much different from the default stereo audio, but it doesn’t seem to make it worse. This may be a problem with some virtual surround sound implementations.
The various EQ modes are interesting, and I find that the music and movie modes sound best for most content. However, they all seem to emphasize and reduce certain parts of the sound range. In some music, when the bass line moves up and down on the scale, some notes are much louder than others (on good headphones, the same bass line always sounds louder on the entire scale). This is common for speakers and sound bars that are not designed for studio and/or audiophile use. A dedicated standalone subwoofer like many 2.1 systems may handle the bass range better, but will add wires and another speaker. I am satisfied with what they can do in this price range, but I prefer an EQ mode that can better balance the sound. In other words, watching movies in movie mode sounds great, and I hardly noticed the inconsistency of bass, because most movie bass audio is in the best position of the Tribit soundbar (explosion, etc.).
what do I like
- Decent bass, no need for a large independent subwoofer
- For small and medium-sized rooms, the capacity is more than enough
What will i change
- More equalizer modes (especially those with more balanced sound)
- Splitting the speakers into 2 subwoofers, 2 midrange speakers and 2 tweeters may improve sound quality instead of 2 subwoofers and 4 midrange settings
- The bass emphasis range of some EQ modes is very narrow
Final thoughts
Tribit Soundbar impressed me with better sound quality and reasonable price than expected. The design looks great and feels solid. It significantly improved the sound on our TV without breaking the bank, which is exactly what I needed.
price: $119.99 (sold on Amazon for $91.99 with a coupon at the time of writing this review)
Where to buy: Three bits and Amazon
source: The sample for this review is made by Three bits.
