Amazon’s Fire TV Soundbar Plus is an intriguing addition to the budget soundbar market – though that “Fire TV” name might confuse you at first.
This £249.99 soundbar features a 3.1-channel setup with a built-in subwoofer, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support, and surprisingly impressive bass levels for its size.
Four sound modes are included (Film, Music, Sport and Night), along with customisable dialogue enhancement and direct integration with Fire TV devices.
After spending some time with it, I can say it genuinely surprised me – which doesn’t happen often with soundbars in this price range. The audio quality exceeds what you’d expect at this price point, though a few odd limitations and that confusing branding do hold it back somewhat.
Let’s dig deeper to find out whether this soundbar is worth your money – and why that “Fire TV” name doesn’t mean what you might think it does.
Quick Look – Fire TV Soundbar Plus
What is it: A large mid-range soundbar with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support. Price when reviewed: £249.99.
Features
Audio Quality
Value for Money
Overall
Pros
- Surprisingly good sound
- Excellent bass levels
- Impressive design
- Affordable (ish) price
Cons
- Fire TV by name only – no streaming or Alexa features
- On-screen menu requires a Fire TV device
- Confusing LED lights
Features and Specs
- Size: 6.4 cm x 94.0 cm x 13.2 cm
- Weight: 4kg
- Drivers: Three full-range speakers, three tweeters, and two woofers (Amazon did not specify their exact specs)
- Audio Formats: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X (only via eARC) and Dolby 5.1
- Ports: HDMI (eARC), Optical-in
- Wireless: Bluetooth 5
- Extra Features: LED Status lights / Dedicated centre dialogue channel / Automatic synching with Fire TV devices
Summary
I’ve tested a lot of budget and mid-range soundbars over the years, and their sound is usually just… “OK” – but this one actually surprised me, especially at this price level, with clear, impressive sound, dialogue enhancer that works but doesn’t distort the rest of the audio too much, and particularly strong bass levels. The “Fire TV” name is just plain confusing – but if you ignore that and don’t expect any streaming or Alexa connections – you get a soundbar that punches way above its price class.
Who Is The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus For?
When Amazon launched their first Fire TV Soundbar at £120, many were left wondering what the “Fire TV” part actually meant – and were then left disappointed by both the confusing branding and the mediocre sound quality.
Even at that budget price point, the original model struggled to justify itself, with underwhelming audio performance and limited Fire TV integration.
The new Fire TV Soundbar Plus, however, is an entirely different beast. Yes, it’s considerably more expensive at £249.99, and yes, the name is still misleading – unlike the Roku Streambar, you won’t find any streaming capabilities built into this device.
But once you look past the marketing, what you actually get is a surprisingly capable soundbar that punches well above its weight class.
This Plus model represents a major upgrade over its predecessor, moving from a basic 2.0-channel setup to a more robust 3.1-channel configuration with a built-in subwoofer (in the US, you can purchase compatible surround speakers and an external subwoofer that go along with the soundbar – but they’re not available in the UK).
The results speak for themselves – quite literally. The sound quality managed to catch me off guard with its clarity and particularly impressive bass performance, offering the kind of audio experience you’d typically expect from pricier models.
While it’s marketed heavily towards Fire TV users (and does offer some neat integration features if you own Fire TV devices), this soundbar is really for anyone looking to dramatically improve their TV’s audio without breaking the bank.
If you’re tired of straining to hear what those mumbling detectives are saying in British crime dramas, or you want to add some proper punch to your movie nights without spending a fortune, the Fire TV Soundbar Plus delivers where it counts – in audio quality.
Just remember – this is purely an audio device. There’s no Alexa built-in, no streaming capabilities, and no smart features beyond some basic Fire TV integration.
But when it comes to its primary job – making your TV sound better – it excels in ways that genuinely surprised me during testing.
Setting Up The Fire TV Soundbar Plus
At 94cm wide and weighing in at 4kg, this isn’t a particularly compact soundbar – you’ll want to measure your TV stand carefully before bringing one home.
The size does contribute to its impressive sound quality, but it means you’ll need a decent amount of space either below your TV or on your wall.
Amazon has been quite generous with what’s included in the box: you get both UK and EU power cables, an HDMI cable (which isn’t always a given), wall mounting hardware, and even batteries for the remote. It’s nice not having to scramble around for batteries on setup day.
Speaking of setup, you have two main connection options: HDMI eARC or optical. While both will work, you’ll want to use the HDMI eARC connection if you’re hoping to take advantage of the more advanced audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X – these won’t work over the optical connection.
The actual setup process is straightforward enough – in my case, once I plugged everything in via HDMI eARC, my TV automatically detected and switched to the soundbar. What was particularly impressive was that my Fire TV Cube, despite being connected to a different HDMI port on the TV, automatically recognised the soundbar as well.
This is where having a Fire TV device really comes in handy – you get access to on-screen menus for adjusting the soundbar’s settings through your Fire TV interface.
Without a Fire TV device, you’re limited to using the buttons on the remote or the soundbar itself, which isn’t quite as intuitive when you’re trying to fine-tune your audio settings.
One slight disappointment is the lack of an HDMI output port, which means you’re effectively “losing” an HDMI port on your TV once you connect the soundbar. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s worth keeping in mind if you’re already running low on HDMI ports.
Using The Fire TV Soundbar Plus
After spending a couple of weeks with Amazon’s new soundbar, I can say it’s genuinely transformed my viewing experience – and that’s not something I often say about soundbars in this price range.
The audio improvement is so significant (depending on what you were using before, of course) that it almost feels like it enhances the picture quality too, simply because everything becomes more immersive.
The soundbar comes with four preset modes – Film, Music, Sport and Night. I found myself sticking with Film mode most of the time, as it provided the best overall experience.
The Music mode didn’t make a dramatic difference even when streaming via Spotify or Bluetooth, while Sport mode felt a bit gimmicky.
Night mode, however, proves useful – it quickly tames both the bass and sound stage, which is important given how powerful this soundbar can get, and my partner’s reasonable preference for not being woken up by explosions in the early morning hours.
Speaking of power – the bass performance is particularly impressive. Even at level 5 or 6 (out of 9), it was powerful enough to send vibrations through my house. It’s the kind of bass you’d expect from a much pricier system with a separate subwoofer.
The dialogue enhancement feature is another standout. Unlike some soundbars that mess up the overall audio quality when trying to boost speech, this one handles it well – especially at lower settings. Levels 1 or 2 noticeably improve dialogue clarity without distorting the background music or effects, though higher levels did start to impact the overall sound balance negatively.
The surround sound capabilities are decent for the price point. While the sound stage opens up nicely with surround mode enabled, don’t expect true surround sound – that’s simply asking too much from a single unit at this price point.
The remote control situation is a bit mixed. The included remote is compact and functional, with useful controls for bass, treble and dialogue enhancement levels.
It even includes playback controls for music. However, if you’re using a Fire TV device, you can control basic volume using your Fire TV remote instead. That said, you’ll still need the soundbar’s remote for accessing more advanced settings.
After testing this alongside my Sky Glass TV (which has its own built-in soundbar), the difference was night and day – the Fire TV Soundbar Plus consistently delivered clearer, more powerful and more engaging audio.
My biggest gripe with the Fire TV Soundbar Plus is actually related to its name – the only real “Fire TV” connection here is the on-screen settings menu, which only works if you have a Fire TV device.
Without one, you’re left fumbling with remote buttons to change settings, with only some confusing LED lights on the soundbar showing limited information.
Some soundbars offer on-screen menus via HDMI regardless of what you’re connected to – it would have been simple enough to include that here as well (or at least include a digital status screen on the soundbar itself).
Instead, Amazon chose to artificially limit this feature to Fire TV users, which feels like an unnecessary restriction that doesn’t add any real value to the ecosystem.
Bottom Line: Is The Fire TV Soundbar Plus For Me?
First, as mentioned, don’t let the name mislead you – this is purely a soundbar that happens to play nicely with Fire TV devices, nothing more.
But once you look past that marketing oddity, what you get is genuinely impressive. At its launch price of £199, it was an absolute steal.
Even at the current £249, while stretching the definition of “budget”, it delivers audio quality that you’d typically expect from more expensive units.
The standout features are the surprisingly powerful bass, clear dialogue enhancement that actually works, and an overall sound profile that will dramatically improve your TV viewing experience.
The inclusion of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support at this price point is another significant plus.
Where it falls short? The lack of an HDMI pass-through port might be annoying if you’re short on TV ports, and the on-screen settings menu being restricted to Fire TV devices feels unnecessarily limiting.
Also, don’t expect it to replace high-end soundbars – in terms of the overall sound quality, and particularly when it comes to virtual surround sound (which rarely impresses me but does tend to work better on premium models).
But these are relatively minor gripes when weighed against what you’re getting – a soundbar that punches well above its weight class in terms of audio performance.
If you’re looking to significantly upgrade your TV’s sound without breaking the bank, and don’t mind the absence of smart features, this soundbar delivers where it counts – making everything you watch sound better.
Note: The Fire TV Soundbar Plus was supplied by the manufacturer for this review. As always, this did not influence my unbiased opinion of the product.