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TV sounding a little dull? If you don’t want to buy a new TV, try using a soundbar to give the one you’ve got a major boost — namely, the Roku Smart Soundbar. This is a clever two-in-one that also works as a video streaming device. This smart hybrid is on sale for $150, or $30 off at Amazon. That’s nearly 20 percent off.
And if you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)
What is it?
If you have a bare-bones 4K TV (no smart home or video streaming features), then upgrading its audio and adding video streaming to it is super convenient — especially since it plugs into your TV with just one high-speed HDMI cable (which is included) for a quick and easy setup.
The Roku Smart Soundbar is also Bluetooth-enabled for syncing to smartphones, tablets and laptops, so you can stream from your device straight to the soundbar, plus you can pair it with other Bluetooth speakers for a more immersive viewing experience. It even features a ‘quiet mode’ too. This is for those occasions when watching live TV and the commercials come in much louder than the programming. With this feature, everything stays at the same volume level. A godsend!
“…Two of my favorite features are the speech clarity and volume leveling, they make the viewing experience much better,” shared a delighted five-star reviewer. “Being able to understand speech more clearly and not having the commercials come on louder is amazing. If you are looking for a great sounding soundbar look no further. Amazing sound quality…”
It’s also a video streaming device
The Roku Smart Soundbar is also a streaming device with the Roku platform built-in. This means you’ll have instant access to more than 500,000 video and music channels—including Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video, Peacock, Spotify, Amazon Music Unlimited, Pandora and so much more—out-of-the-box.
Just sync this soundbar/video streamer to your home’s Wi-Fi network for instant access to your favorite movies and TV shows. In fact, it’s also compatible with Alexa and Google Home virtual assistants, so if you have an Echo Dot or Google Home Mini, you can control this soundbar hybrid with just the sound of your voice.
Meanwhile, it comes with a remote that can control your TV too, so you only need one clicker for your TV, streaming device and soundbar. The Roku Remote even has voice search built-in, so you don’t have to ‘hunt and peck’ on a virtual keyboard to look for new movies and TV shows. Just hold down the microphone icon on the remote and just say what you’d like to watch. So handy.
“…Streaming on it is really fast and easy,” raved a satisfied Amazon shopper. “I often find myself grabbing the remote and using the voice button to launch my favorite channels. I’ll definitely be looking at getting one for my parents. Great buy, I would definitely recommend it to a friend.”
The competition
One of the best features of this soundbar is its video streaming versatility. While other soundbars like the Sony 2.1-Channel Soundbar (priced at $148) or the JBL Bar 2.1 (priced at $200) might deliver comparable audio, sleek design and rival price points, the Roku Smart Soundbar is one of the few that comes with video streaming built-in and is super easy to install and use.
“…I had a Sony sound bar a few years ago and Roku is lightyears ahead,” wrote a savvy shopper.
Bottom line
At $150 (was $180), the Roku Smart Soundbar is one of the best ‘more bang for your buck’ TV soundbars for just about any entertainment center. And be prepared for wall-to-wall movies, TV shows, music and podcasts with Roku streaming.
“This Roku Smart Sound bar is fantastic, just what I needed. It is very simple to set up, love the remote and streaming was fine,” added another five-star reviewer. “…I would recommend it to anyone looking to improve their TV audio, stream shows and simplify your television set-up.”
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
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