It doesn’t matter how large your TV screen is or its pricing, the speakers on it are probably making you question the choice of brand. You’re not alone because as televisions get slimmer, sound quality keeps getting worse. And that’s where a soundbar can help, even a halfway decent one. There’s no limit to how much you can spend on a soundbar. Recently, we had a chance to review the modestly priced Mivi Fort S300. It’s a brand that continues to pick up steam and so far, the experience hasn’t been bad at all.
Since good-sounding speakers can be bulky, TV brands are making compromises to keep bezels narrow. Plus, it helps TV manufacturers come up with a range of accessories to bring in moolah.
If you are not looking for a soundbar to match the brand of TV you are using, the options from Mivi will pleasantly surprise you.
The S300 looks sleek and it’s slim enough to nestle in the space below your TV. There is also a biggish subwoofer which needs to be connected to the soundbar. There is nothing much you need to do for setup. Connectivity options include Bluetooth, HDMI, USB (to playback from a flash drive), AUX and ARC. It’s a standard setup and there is the option to wall mount the soundbar. What is not cool is the packaging because it takes quite some effort to push the devices out of the box. Second quibble: The sides have a glossy finish and so do the top and back, making it a fingerprint magnet. But the front metal mesh speaker grill looks good and overall, the soundbar has a sturdy feel, so does the subwoofer.
Balanced sound
What matters is the sound. There are four drivers with driver size being 2.25 inches while driver frequency response is 35Hz to 20kHz. As the name suggests, you will be delivered a 300W sound experience but how does it sound?
Having used Fort S200, the sound is definitely fuller and there is far more depth. There is enough bounce when you are watching a music video and, at the same time, movie dialogues have a good degree of clarity. Usually, I kept the volume to 60-70 per cent, which is ideal on this system because the higher you go, the soundstage begins to deliver overlapping sounds. Does it deliver couch-shaking bass? No, thankfully it doesn’t because that wouldn’t be great for someone who uses the television to watch movies and I want to hear what the cowboys are saying. But there is an EQ mode that allows users to choose the sound profile, moving between movie, music, news and 3D. I restricted myself to ‘movie’. Overall, there is a good balance between performance and convenience. If there is one change I would like to see in the sound department, it would be driver frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz.
Should you buy it?
There is no limit to options. You can always look at a 3.1 system, which adds a centre-channel speaker for better voice clarity or 5.1/7.1 for surround sound. The S300 is a simple but effective solution. It offers a sound boost to modestly-priced televisions, which is all that most people are looking for. The remote too is well-designed and appears sturdy, having all the buttons you will ever need. Alexa or Google assistants? No but do you really need them? What Mivi Fort S300 (Rs 11,999) delivers are layers of sound and enough sound effects. I enjoyed its delivery in the whistling scene from The Bridge on the River Kwai. And the subwoofer is just the right size. Affordable, the soundbar offers exciting, enveloping sounds.
You can easily control all the EQ modes from the remote control