Soundbars are gradually becoming a very popular accessory for televisions. We also use a soundbar for the Xiaomi TV, as the sound from the TV is of very poor quality. In this review, we take a look at the current best soundbar from the Chinese giant, Xiaomi Soundbar 3.1 ch.
Where to buy Xiaomi Soundbar 3.1 ch?
We bought Xiaomi Soundbar 3.1 ch from German warehouse on the DHgate shopping portal page. The seller offers free shipping and delivery takes place within 7 days.
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In our case delivery took only 2 dayswhich is an excellent result. Some Slovak e-shops do not deliver this fast either. You will find our experience with ordering from DHgate in an article on XiaomiPlanet.sk.
Technical specifications
Model designation S26 Number of channels 3.1 Maximum performance 430 W [180 W soundbar and 250 W subwoofer] Supported technologies Dolby Audio / DTS Digital Surround / DTS Virtual: X dimensions soundbar: 860 x 115 x 60 mm / subwoofer: 297 x 210 x 371 mm Weight 7.85 kg. Wireless connectivity NFC / Bluetooth 5.0 Cable connectivity HDMI in / HDMI out / optical input / coaxial / USB Sound modes 5 - standard / cinema / music / game / news Speakers 3 broadband; 3 high; bass in subwoofer
Contents of the package
The novelty was brought to us by the SPS courier in a traditional box, which is typical for L-shaped soundbars with a subwoofer. It is a standard, hard, cardboard box with a picture of the product and basic specifications.
Inside, everything is wrapped in foil and polystyrenes, for example. In addition, the subwoofer is covered with plastic tape, so in terms of packaging quality, it is excellent and perfectly prevents damage during transport.
In addition to the sound bar and subwoofer itself, the package also includes a remote control [finally!], HDMI cable, metal wall brackets, screws, dowels, cables for connection to the mains and instructions for use. Too bad the manufacturer didn't pack the optical cable either.
Design and quality of workmanship
The Xiaomi Soundbar 3.1 ch is sold in an elegant black color. Although it is made of plastic, the overall quality of workmanship is at a very good level. The top of the soundbar is slightly glossy, while the subwoofer has a matte and rough surface.
The soundbar has dimensions of 860 x 115 x 60 mm, and its front side is covered by a metal grid, in the middle of which stands out the shiny Xiaomi logo. We appreciate that Xiaomi went for a metal grill namiesto textile surface, mainly thanks to a longer service life. There is an OLED display under the grille, but due to its covering by the grille, it is sometimes difficult to read.
At the top is the NFC chip at the very edge and the four control buttons in the middle. Specifically, these are the on / off buttons, volume control, and switching between inputs. The back is home to the individual ports and the power cable connection.
The subwoofer measures 297 x 210 x 371 mm and contains only one pairing button, a signaling LED, a speaker at the bottom and a vent [tube] at the back. Since it's a wireless subwoofer, we don't need an extra cable to connect to the soundbar.
Total power and speakers
Xiaomi presents its best soundbar with a power output of up to 430 W. However, it is divided between a sound bar that has 180 W and a subwoofer with its 250 W.
There are 3 wideband speakers behind the front grille of the soundbar, and each has a separate tweeter. The three-channel system complements the subwoofer, which has a 6.5 ″ subwoofer [woofer].
The bass speaker is located in the lower part of the subwoofer and is complemented by a "hole", the so-called air tube. This is one of the most popular systems, which bears the name bassreflex. The tube simply creates a kind of atmospheric pressure that accentuates the waves emanating from the woofer, making the bass more pronounced.
The tube with the hole is in this case directed backwards, which also has its disadvantage. You can't place the subwoofer completely against the wall. It is more practical to place the hole in the front, as you can place such a subwoofer more or less anywhere and the basses go directly to you.
Remote control
The remote control is subtly similar to the standard control that comes with TVs. At the top is an on / off button and an input toggle button. Below them is a circular control with four directional buttons and a confirmation button in the middle.
Even below you will find a quick switch to Bluetooth, a sound mode switch and a mute button, the so-called mute. The directional buttons are used to switch between the next and previous song, or to rewind or switch in the advanced settings menu, which we will talk about later.
Below is a button labeled AI Sound, Night Mode, Bass and Volume Control. Two AAA batteries are required for power supply, which are not included in the package.
Sound modes and their quality
What's the sound from the soundbar? Different in each mode. Xiaomi Soundbar 3.1 ch has five preset sound modes, from which you have to find yours or several that suit you. Overall, the sound output is decent, but the bass, which can be really strong, predominates.
It is excellent for watching regular television broadcasts, or series or movies. If you want to use it for listening to music, we prefer modern pop and electronic music. Harder rock or metal doesn't sound so good on it.
The standard regime is rather disappointing for us. The sound is kind of too indistinct, unnatural with muted treble and stronger bass. On the contrary, the second mode called Cinema is a pleasant surprise. There are more pronounced highs and mids and the sound is, so to speak, spatial.
Music is again a minor disappointment and was not very useful for listening to music. It offers rather a midrange sound with bass and low treble. Listening close to the sound bar, we noticed that the middle of the three speakers seemed to be completely inactive in this mode.
The game is very similar to Cinema mode and is characterized by significant heights and mids. The last of the regimes, News, again has weak heights and more pronounced middles. The sound is strangely muffled and didn't sit well with us.
In this way, we used the Cinema and Game modes the most, which suited us the most, whether we were watching movies, regular TV broadcasting or listening to music.
Bass and other customizations
As we mentioned before, the sound bar from Xiaomi has quite strong bass. There is an adjustment of their strength on a scale from -6 to +6 and you always move one degree, whether up or down. However, even at settings -6, the bass is definitely not weak. We just liked the negative values. In the plus, the bass was too strong for us to overcharge the other sound.
The Xiaomi Soundbar 3.1 ch also offers intelligent sound customization with AI Sound, which is simply turned on at the touch of a button. However, its effect is relatively weak and we did not notice a big difference in sound when the function was on.
Another regime is the so-called Night Mode, which instantly reduces the volume. You will be pleased to be able to adjust certain sound settings, but it's a pity that we only learn in the manual that we can get to the advanced settings by holding down the up arrow. The manual no longer describes what the individual settings mean.
The following options are available: FW [DSP 20, BT 12, HD 142, TX 11, RX 11, WE 05], UPG [YES, NO], BYPASS [ON, OFF], VIRT [ON, OFF] and RESET [ YES, NO]. We happened to find that the equalizer can be at least partially adjusted by holding down the sound mode change button. The instructions do not mention this possibility at all, and we only discovered it by chance. There is a change in treble [-6 to +6], system bass [-6 to +6] and audio sync [OMS / 10-200].
Connectivity and connectivity options
The sound bar from Xiaomi provides relatively rich connectivity. Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC are not missing from wireless technologies. As for cable connection, we have a choice of several ports. Specifically, it is HDMI IN, HDMI OUT, optical port, USB and coaxial.
Most of the time we used a soundbar connected via the HDMI port, which we plugged into the HDMI ARC port of the TV. However, the automatic switching on and off of the sound bar together with the TV did not work very reliably for us. However, the volume control went smoothly with the TV remote control.
Xiaomi Soundbar 3.1 ch: Final evaluation
The best soundbar from the Chinese giant Xiaomi Soundbar 3.1 ch offers a total output of 430 W, rich cable connection options - HDMI, USB, coaxial and optical port, and there is also Bluetooth and NFC. The sound quality is quite good and at a price of around 200 euros it definitely shuffles the cards.
The sound bar from Xiaomi is characterized by clear sound with significant treble and bass. You will enjoy 5 sound modes, from which we have always been able to choose the one that suits us. However, treble, bass and other more advanced settings are also available. The wireless subwoofer has excellent performance, thanks to which it will benefit its and the younger generations who love electronic music.