Groov-e's new soundbars are great for audiophiles on a budget
Groov-e is a UK tech company, who have been going strong since 2009, in this relatively short timescale, they have grown to become a major household name.
Groov-e has a huge list of products ranging from audio tech to mobile phone cases. They are now looking to enter the soundbar market with a new range of affordable models that really undercut the competition.
Groov-e has released five different soundbars, catering to different consumer needs. In this review, we will be looking at the two more premium soundbars within their range.
The first is the Soundbar 160, which is their most powerful speaker, priced at £79.99. The Soundbar 160 is huge, measuring 11 x 78.2 x 7.5 cm, and only weighing 3kg.
The soundbar’s fine craftsmanship is designed with a sturdy metal grill at the front, accompanied by smaller grills at the bottom and sides, which protect the subwoofers.
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Groov-e has launched a new range of sounbars (Groov-e)Its robust build also includes an LED display which is situated at the front of the speaker, rather than at the top like on some household name soundbars. Instead, Groov-e has situated the soundbar’s physical control buttons at the top, which is fully welcomed over touch-sensitive buttons.
My only issue was that the volume buttons doubled up as the next and previous buttons which allow you to change tracks.
The confusion comes as the buttons are labelled with a plus and minus which is normally associated with volume control, but in this instance, consumers will have to press to skip a track and hold to control the volume.
I would’ve preferred if every function had its own dedicated button as there is ample space on the soundbar to accommodate everything.
The Soundbar 160 is the biggest speaker in their new range (Groov-e)Another feature I really liked was the voice that lets you know what mode the soundbar is in. Its small features like these, elevate the soundbar’s overall quality.
For the relatively lower price point, I was very impressed with the overall quality of the 160 which has all the makings of a premium product.
Also having the built-in subwoofers, was also a bonus as it granted the soundbar much more versatility compared to its competitors which come with an external sub.
Groov-e’s Soundbar 160 is a 2.1 system which means it is composed of two speakers and a subwoofer.
It consists of two drives that can output 90W, with a peak power of 160W. Its peak of 160W is great, which trumps a lot of its competitors at this price point, which usually comes with an output of 80W.
The Soundbar 160 comes with a few methods of connectivity that includes Bluetooth 5.0, an 3.5mm audio input, optical input and USB A input.
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The Soundbar 160 has a good selection of input connections (Groov-e)The selection of inputs available is the minimum you would expect from a soundbar, however, more and more companies are including HDMI ARC at this price point, which would’ve been a fantastic addition.
The Bluetooth has a range of 10M and I was impressed with the audio quality which was able to rival that of the optical cable meaning you won’t be losing out on a wireless connection choice.
The audio quality was superb and its capacity to reach 160W really shined when I used Movie mode while watching films.
The built-in subwoofer really elevated the experience giving adequate bass that didn’t overpower the clean high and mids.
Alongside the Movie mode, Groov-e has also included an extra two modes which include Music and Voice. Music is for playing tunes and I found it had a more balanced sound stage.
The Voice mode was great when listening to podcasts as it elevated all conversations making them much clearer from the background sound.
I was most impressed by the Movie mode, which may not be Dolby Atmos but it did well to create an immersive experience compared to being on the other modes.
Groov-e Soundbar 160 Verdict 4/5
Groov-e’s Soundbar 160 is a great speaker for someone looking to elevate their audio set-up without breaking the bank. There are a few omissions that would’ve made this the complete package like including an HDMI ARC input. That being said, I was fairly impressed with Groov-e’s first foray into the world of soundbars.
Groov-e's Soundbar 160 can be purchased now from their webpage for £79.99
The second is the Soundbar 110 which is just below the 160 in terms of power and price. It sports an identical design to the 160 but is much smaller measuring 11 x 58.5 x 6.5 cm and weighing a mere 2.55 kg.
The Soundbar 110 is miniature version of the 160 (Groov-e)This smaller and lighter soundbar just means it can be used in a magnitude of scenarios as it's easy to transport. I found that its smaller size made it an excellent choice for my computer setup.
The 110 is basically a miniature version of the 160 and Groov-e has incorporated all of its design traits including the LED screen, button placement and location of the input connection.
The only missing feature is the subwoofer which is included in the 160. I was happy to see that even though the 110 is a cheaper soundbar, Groov-e hasn’t sacrificed the build quality, meaning you are still getting a robust product for much cheaper.
The 110 is a 2.2-channel sound system that is built with two full-range speakers and two tweeters that can output 60W, with a peak of 110W. This is a pretty good range given the price point as normally you would be looking at around 50W output.
The Soundbar 110 is an all in one speaker that can be used in various set ups (Groov-e)The 110 also comes with the same amount of connection inputs as the 160, which is a lot more understandable given the price point as you rarely see HDMI ACR included at this level.
I was once again impressed by the radius of the Bluetooth, which was 10m and worked flawlessly out of the box. The audio quality was admirable and its capacity to reach 110W was fully welcome when watching films or playing games.
The bass levels were nice but not as impactful as I was hoping, however, it balanced nicely with the highs and mids.
The 110 comes with the same different modes as the 160 and like before they fulfilled their purpose adequately, with the movie mode helping to improve my home cinema experience.
Groov-e Soundbar 110 Verdict 3/5
Groov-e 110 is a nice soundbar that may not reach the highs of its 160 counterparts but it will serve well if you are looking for a minimalist addition to your audio setup. It will work really well within a PC set-up as it far surpasses the ones that are solely aimed at the market.
Groov-e's Soundbar 110 can be purchased now from their webpage for £59.99
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