Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus vs Sony HT-S2000: which ’bar is better?

We know that higher-end soundbars can cost a lot, but sometimes a mid-range product does the job without breaking the bank. If you’re looking for a step-up soundbar, you may well have come across the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus or the Sony HT-S2000 in your research.

Looking at a product’s specifications on paper is one thing, but hearing it for yourself is a different experience entirely. Luckily for you, we have had both of them in our test rooms to make a direct comparison in design, pricing and (most importantly) sound.

Let’s get into it.

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus vs Sony HT-S2000: price

The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus launched at £250 / $250 in the UK and US, but is not available in Australia.

The Sony HT-S2000 launched at £349 / $500 / AU$595. That pricing would make for a rather unfair comparison, but the HT-S2000 is now available for under £300 / $300, so we think it’s highly likely that someone would consider it alongside the Amazon ’bar.

**Winner: Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus**

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus vs Sony HT-S2000: design

Both of these soundbars offer a 3.1 speaker configuration with a built-in bass driver.

They also both have similar connectivity options in terms of ports, including Bluetooth and optical. The two ’bars each have a single HDMI socket for connection to a TV, but the Amazon’s HDMI is only ARC-compatible, while the Sony’s is eARC.

In truth, though, this difference is pretty unimportant. While eARC offers high bandwidth, streaming services are happy with the more limited bandwidth of ARC. And, at this level, we wouldn’t expect sound quality to be high enough for higher-resolution audio to sound discernibly better.

An LED display is visible on the front of both soundbars. These offer minimal information about volume, sound modes and input.

In terms of size, the Amazon soundbar is larger, measuring in at 6.4 x 94 x 13.2cm (hwd). The plastic body and neat cloth grille give the soundbar a clean overall feel, and all the connections are located in a nook around the back. It weighs a considerable 4kg.

The Sony HT-S2000 is a little smaller (6.4 x 80 x 12cm) and lighter (3.7kg), but it also sports a black plastic body.

Neither soundbar is going to have you swooning, but they are practical and get the job done.

**Winner: Draw**

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus vs Sony HT-S2000: features

There are no upward-firing drive units in either of the soundbars, which means that the height channels for the supported spatial audio formats (Dolby Atmos and DTS:X) are achieved through digital processing.

Both of the soundbars offer different sound modes to choose from, with the two including Night (a setting that compresses louder sound effects while keeping dialogue at an audible level) and bass adjustment.

The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus also has Movie, Music and Sport, and you can separately adjust the dialogue and treble levels.

The Sony HT-S2000 doesn’t have any genre-based presets, but you can turn on or off its Sound Field mode, which adds Atmos-style processing, and Voice mode, which boosts dialogue.

In both cases, these settings can be adjusted using a remote control that also has volume, power and input buttons.

Unlike the Amazon soundbar, though, the Sony HT-S2000 has an app that you can also use to change settings. We did note in our review, however, that “it doesn’t really add much to the experience other than replicating controls you can already find on the remote”.

**Winner: Sony HT-S2000**

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus vs Sony HT-S2000: sound

The sound performance of these two soundbars is where their differences really become clear.

With the Sony HT-S2000, we are treated to crisp and clear dialogue as well as solid dynamics.

In our review, we tested it out with a scene from Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice. "The grizzled tone of Batman, as he strategises with Alfred before launching into the warehouse to lay the smackdown on Lex Luthor’s goons, is crisp and detailed," we wrote.

"The subtle clicks of the thugs’ weapons and tense shuffling movements while they wait for the Dark Knight to burst through the door are all clearly defined, too."

Even without upward-firing speakers, the directionality of sound is also nicely handled, though we do find that the Sound Field setting loses a lot of focus and definition, leaving us with a “mushy and unfocused delivery”. That’s easily solved, of course, by simply leaving Sound Field switched off.

The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus, on the other hand, is a big disappointment on the sound front, regardless of the settings we choose.

The overall sound has a generally unpleasant feel, with a “flappy and thin” bass and shrill treble.

When we turn up the volume in the hopes of getting a more full-bodied sound, this results in a shrill and unpleasant sound from both the lower and higher frequencies.

There is a wide sense of space with the action, at least, and the Atmos-ness of the presentation is relatively impressive considering there are no up-firing speakers, but that isn’t enough to save the Amazon ’bar.

Improving on a TV’s sound is the bare minimum for a soundbar’s performance, and the unpleasant-sounding elements of the Fire TV Soundbar Plus’ delivery make most TV speakers preferable.

**Winner: Sony HT-S2000**

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus vs Sony HT-S2000: verdict

Even though the two soundbars are pretty even in terms of features and build, the Sony HT-S2000’s sound quality massively outweighs that of the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus.

Although it’s slightly pricier than the Amazon soundbar, the Sony HT-S2000 gets you more for your money. In fact, the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is best avoided at any price.

MORE:

Check out the best soundbars right now

And here are the best budget soundbars we have tested

This is our in-depth review of the Sony HT-S2000