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The main reason many people like to watch movies in theaters is the bigger screen, comfortable seats and solid audio system. But now what is happening is that many consumers are starting to buy bigger TVs, better audio systems and have living rooms with comfortable chairs because they are stuck during the pandemic.
This is evidenced by the sales of 4K TVs 65″ and above increasing in 2022. Purchases of home theater systems are also helped by movie ticket prices becoming more expensive and movies coming to streaming platforms after two months. Why waste it if you can wait?
Prism+ Symphony is a new product from an AV company from Singapore with Dolby Atmos support. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this giant soundbar? Continue reading.
Specifications
Prism+ Symphony
Soundbar type
Driver 11 speakers (5.1.2)
I/O port 1x HMDI eARC
2x HDMI
1x Optical
1x Coax
1x Aux
1x USB-A
Dolby Digital Codec
Dolby Digital Plus
Dolby TrueHD
Dolby Atmos
All operating systems are supported
Virtual assistant support None
Touchpad None
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.1
AUX Audio Jack Yes
NFC None
Sale Price RM 1999
Prism+ Symphony is the most popular soundbar offered by Prism+ in Malaysia with another model, the Flow, having a smaller size and only 2.1 audio support. On Symphony 10 speakers and an 8″ subwoofer combine to support audio with 5.1.2 channels complete with Dolby Atmos support. It's also much larger than other soundbars we've reviewed.
As big as it is, it can easily fit under the Prism+ Q65 TV we reviewed earlier. Due to its large size (1200 x 108 x 70 mm), we cannot recommend the Symphony to be matched with a TB under 65″ as it will look unbalanced and may not have space on the home audio system table.
The soundbar has a metal grille on the front with rounded sides. Four forward-firing speakers, two upwards, two tweeters and two side-firing series shooters for all-round audio. This is why the size of Symphony is so large. Longer if we compare with the Samsung HW-Q930B used at home now.
The design feels premium due to the use of metal materials on the body and only the sides made of plastic materials. At the top are some soft rubber physical buttons for power, switching inputs, and changing audio volume. Each button is well labeled making it easy to use without having to read the manual.
There is an LCD screen that shows the audio status up front with it placed behind the large audio grille. It is bright and easy to see even in daylight.
At the back of this soundbar are inputs for 1x HMDI eARc, 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x audio jack, 1x optical, 1x coax and 1x USB. The I/O options provided are quite luxurious. The port for the power plug is also placed on the back so it is easily accessible. All HDMI ports also support HDCP 2.3 DRM which allows content from BluRay players (if you still have a physical disc player), PlayStation 5, Chromecast, and Apple TV to be connected without any issues.
Completing this system is a wireless subwoofer measuring 420x240x240 mm equipped with an 8″ speaker that shoots down. The body is made of plastic but still feels sturdy and heavy.
The weight of the whole system is 9.7 kilograms so be careful when placed on the table in the living room. If it falls it can cause serious injury to small children. But this weight also has its advantages because the cat in the house is not strong enough to push it down. We have an issue with a cat that likes to rummage and some small speakers and light soundbars will be seen falling on the floor when we get home. Symphony has a brilliant anti ferocious cat design!
Usage
The connection process to the TV is as simple as plugging in the power cable and connecting the HDMI cable to the eARC's HDMI port on the TV. Unit reviewed using Prism+ Q65, Prism+ Q86 Pro and Samsung QN900B smart televisions. Symphony was detected easily without any issues and with Dolby Atmos output capabilities without the need for additional settings.
Because of ARC support, Symphony can be controlled using a TV remote. But don't throw away the remote control provided because it is still useful to change the Bass and Treble volume. This is necessary as we will explain why in the audio quality segment below.
Talking about the remote control it is made of a plastic material that is nice to hold with buttons made of a soft rubber material. Other settings that can be changed using this remote control are audio mode (Music, Movie, etc) and input options. It is also useful for controlling the music being streamed as it has basic control buttons. A pair of AAA batteries are required to supply power.
Audio Quality
You like watching Michael Bay action movies with bombs exploding and gunshots every few minutes? If you belong to the in group, Symphony is made especially for you because its strength lies in the loud enough bass. It felt like the chest was being punched and the TV table at home was shaking. This goes even though the audio is only set to the 15% setting.
At this still relatively low setting, it's comparable to the 80% setting on the Prism+ Q65 we use at home. It's loud enough that the cats run around the house and the wife starts complaining like the house is haunted by a dragon in Transformers The Last Knight. The opening scene of Normandy Beach in the movie Saving Private Ryan for example is very exciting. The screams of soldiers being shot, the vibration of mortar explosions and the roar of MG-42s filled the living room well.
The dialog audio is also bright because of the two central speakers used. The audio setting on Symphony is to reduce the Bass and raise the Treble because in certain situations a bass that is too loud makes the audio quality too noisy so that it is difficult to hear other sounds. Because of this strong bass as well, we feel Symphony is suitable for FPS gamers. Playing Call of Duty Warzone feels as realistic as if we were actually at war.
The experience for other genres and enjoying music is completely different. The separation between instruments in Jazz music for example is not very good with it being quite noisy even with Music mode activated. One more thing, even though it's a Dolby Atmos speaker, we can't feel as if we're in a real 3D space. Throwing audio from the top and sides for surround mode isn't very effective on the Symphony. Perhaps a kit of two additional wireless rear speakers could be offered in the future to provide a true surround audio experience in the future.
For 5.1.2 audio soundbars, we feel the Samsung Q800B is the gold standard at the moment due to more balanced audio for various movie genres, more pronounced audio isolation, clearer dialogue and a more comprehensive Dolby Atmos effect without the need for additional satellite speakers on the back like Samsung Q990B. But it should be mentioned that the selling price of the Q800B is more expensive.
In the box?
In every purchase, you will receive the following;
1x Soundbar Prism+ Symphony.
1x Prism+ Symphony Subwoofer.
2x 3 pin power cable.
1x HDMI Cable 1.5m.
1x 1m aux cable.
1x Wall mount kit set.
1x Manual.
Conclusion
An audio system with Dolby Atmos is now a necessity and no longer an option at home because of its support through Apple Music, Netflix, and Disney+ Hotstar. The Prism+ Symphony is one of the most affordable 5.1.2 soundbars with Dolby Atmos on the market today. For this price we feel the performance is satisfactory especially for those looking for a system capable of rocking the house while watching action movies and FPS video game sessions.
The advantage lies also in the good amount of I/O and its robust construction. It looks stylish in the living room and as we said it is anti-cat that likes to rummage around the house. The bass on the Symphony is quite strong so that it can drown out other audio elements that you want to hear. Personally we need to reduce the bass setting by a few stops and raise the treble to get a more balanced audio.
In terms of audio scale, the Prism+ Symphony is like a pair of Sony WH1000XM4 headphones with strong bass and an uneven audio profile. If you love Bayhem's exploding content, this is the soundbar for you and it can be purchased through Prism+ Malaysia's online store. A better but slightly more expensive alternative is the Samsung Q800B which is sold for around RM2400.
Pro
Neat design, beautiful and robust.
Dolby Atmos support.
Optical, bluetooth, coax and aux support.
Satisfactory audio quality for action content.
The most competitively priced 5.1.2 speaker on the market.
Cons
Quite large, not suitable for matching with TVs under 65″.
The audio is unbalanced with a tendency towards bass.
A surround effect that is not so comprehensive.