Not content with recently unveiling one of its biggest and most promising TV ranges for years, Philips in Europe has also taken the wraps off a new range of surprisingly affordable soundbars. One of which will include an HDMI loop system capable of passing through the 4K/120Hz gaming feeds supported by the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles.
This gaming-friendly model is the B8500. Set to launch in September for an already mooted price of €349, the B8500 promises 300W of power and 5.1 channels of sound from its 900(w) x 65(h) x 105(d)mm main bar and wireless subwoofer components.
Philips describes the B8500 as being designed to “fit with the flat plate, central stands of TVs including the Philips OLED810 and MLED950s” — though in truth there’s no reason why it couldn’t find a home under pretty much any TV with sufficient clearance between the screen and the furniture it’s placed on.
An elliptical profile and rounded front edge give the main bar a striking, living room-friendly look, while the 150W subwoofer is designed to support vertical or horizontal placement, and looks strikingly compact for a unit that still manages to accommodate a healthy 8-inch driver. Both the main B8500 bar and subwoofer wear appealing Satin Chrome Sheen finishes.
The main bar carries three 2.25-inch drivers to deliver left, right and centre channel sounds, as well as two 2-inch side-firing channels. The system does not ship with any rear channel speakers, though, and it doesn’t seem that any can be added as options.
4K/120Hz passthrough
The B8500’s HDMI 2.1 pass-through that enables the 4K/120Hz support can also take in Dolby Atmos or DTS:X sound passed through to it from a TV via HDMI’s eARC feature, plus there’s support for wireless streaming from your smart devices via BlueTooth 5.4.
The B8500 doesn’t carry a full LED display, but a series of integrated LED lights are provided to help you track information such as selected input and volume, and you can also track what’s going on more accurately via the latest Philips Entertainment App.
Philips’ new B8200 soundbar, meanwhile, maintains the soundbar plus subwoofer two-piece configuration of the B8500, but drastically reduces the dimensions of both components.
The main soundbar, for instance, has a height of just 37mm and a depth of just 42mm to go with its 811mm width. This means it can fit beneath TVs that sit low on their stands – sets like Philips’ own new OLED760 TV, funnily enough. Its most perfect Philips TV match, though, is the upcoming OLED850 model, as its length and depth are a perfect match for the front of this TV’s T-bar stand. It can even attach to the stand using magnets in its bottom edge. Note, though, that the OLED850 is not currently expected to be sold in the UK.
Despite their much smaller dimensions, Philips has managed to equip the main bar with 60W of total power and separate tweeter and full-range, race-track shaped (for reduced distortions) drivers for its two channels, while the subwoofer still gets 100W to rumble with.
EARC and Bluetooth
The B8200 supports playback of Dolby Atmos and DTS:Virtual X mixes, and can again take these audio formats in using HDMI’s eARC system. There’s no game-friendly 4K/120Hz loop-through this time, but the provided Bluetooth 5.3 wireless connectivity includes the ability to stream LE Audio (features of which include higher quality audio over long transmission distances and reduced power consumption).
The dual driver-design subwoofer can again be used horizontally or vertically, and a series of LED lights again take the place of a true LED display on the main bar. Which makes installing the Philips Entertainment App on your phone or tablet well worth while if you want to make using the B8200 as straightforward as possible. The B8200 is scheduled to launch in August for €299.
Rounding out Philips’ new soundbar trio is the B6100. Slated to launch first, in May, the B6100 is also the cheapest of the three models at €249. It returns to a chunkier design than the B8200 (65mm height and 105mm depth), with a similar elliptical profile and rounded front edge to that of the B8500. The soundbar and subwoofer are both finished in gun metal grey rather than Satin Chrome Sheen, though, making them a better match for Philips’ mid-range TVs. At 600mm wide, though, it’s narrower than the B8500, making it a good fit for smaller 48-55-inch screen sizes.
The B6100 is another 2.1-channel soundbar, this time fed by 200W RMS of total power. That breaks down to 40W to each of the two 2.25-inch drivers found in the main soundbar, and 120W to the wireless subwoofer. The subwoofer features a 6.5-inch driver in a bass reflex acoustic design, and the bar supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and DTS:Virtual X decoding.
There’s eARC support over HDMI too, as well as BT5.4 wireless connectivity with LE Audio compatibility. There’s no HDMI loop through, though, and again there’s no full LED display; just the same LED lights to indicate the product status. But again you can keep track of the B6100 more effectively via the Philips Entertainment App.
Philips hasn’t announced any new premium ‘Fidelio’ soundbars or new versions of its innovative models with battery powered rear speakers that can attach to each end of the main bar for recharging. The £799 Fidelio FB1 is still widely available at the time of writing, though, and this new trio of more affordable options really do seem to represent potentially excellent bang for their buck.
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