When you watched the England v Mexico game (whether live or on catch-up), could you truly feel the stadium atmosphere of the mighty Azteca? Could you clearly hear every boo from the crowd, every goal hit the net, and the sweet celebratory sound of Wonderwall being played?
If you couldn’t, you might want to consider upgrading your sound system. And I have been eyeing up the Hisense HS214, which can now be yours for £60 at Amazon, as the ideal affordable replacement for my muffled TV speakers.
The HS214 is currently one of Amazon’s best-selling soundbars, and it’s not hard to see why. While soundbars this cheap usually set off alarm bells, our expert testers found the HS214 to be a straightforward and highly effective way of boosting your TV’s sound.
My living room set-up has been getting quite the workout recently from the World Cup – and it has exposed the sonic shortfalls of my TV’s built-in audio.
And that’s where the Hisense HS214 comes in. It doesn’t have the dynamic performance and features of more premium models, but it offers great value for money and a straightforward solution to muffled sound.
You can get a lot less for the money at this price – we were pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of a three-inch woofer, which adds a welcome touch of bass, improved dialogue clarity, and a broader soundstage.
“The enhanced depth that the bass unit brings to the table isn’t superfluous either; there’s a solid sound to the lows and kick that gives the sound a touch more musicality than you would otherwise experience,” our Hisense HS214 review reads. “Watching Leonardo DiCaprio grapple with a bear in The Revenant on Blu-ray, that extra bit of heft means each blow and snarl has more impact and danger attached.”
The HS214 is also excellent at anchoring vocals, so you can be sure the commentary isn’t getting jumbled up amongst all the other stadium sounds. It excels at music too – an area where even expensive soundbars struggle. Despite its size, the soundbar produces a pleasant, uncluttered midrange and a decent stereo image.
It’s simple to set up, too: an HDMI ARC port means you can just plug your TV in via HDMI and be done with it; but there are also optical and coaxial sockets, a 3.5mm mini-jack auxiliary input, Bluetooth 4.2 and a USB port.
With a quality build, the HS214 would fit aesthetically with both a new high-spec TV or an older model, though its compact 9.5 x 65 x 5.8cm (hwd) size might make it a better fit for smaller rooms and screens. There are also rigging points at the rear, with fixings included in the box should you wish to wall mount.
The Hisense HS214 is our super-cheap soundbar of choice, then. If you have a bit more of a budget, though, you might want to consider these alternatives:
This is one of the closest matches to the Hisense that we have reviewed price-wise. The slightly higher outlay nets you a slightly more spacious and dynamic sound. It won’t blow your socks off entirely, but the Sony HT-SF150 is a solid alternative if your budget can stretch.
The Creative Stage Pro also has a 2.1 configuration, but this time with a separate subwoofer that offers surprisingly powerful, well-integrated bass. If you’re really short on space or looking for a desktop setup, then this is the soundbar package for you.
The Sonos Ray is the brand’s smallest, cheapest, and most basic soundbar – and it is considerably more expensive than the Hisense. That being said, it also has a lot more features built-in, such as Sonos’s wireless streaming platform, and it sports a more premium build.
MORE:
Read our Hisense HS214 2.1 review
Check out the best budget soundbars: cheap ’bars, tested by our experts
And the best TVs under £1000: affordable OLED, Mini LED and LCD models hand-picked by our experts
