VERDICT
The Philips Fidelio B5 could be one of the most innovative products in home audio we've seen in the past few years. But that's all dependent on how it sounds in our own home.
PROS:
- Impressive surround sound
- Becomes two portable speakers
- Long battery life
CONS:
- It's expensive
- Weak stereo sound
OK, OK, so the Philips Fidelio B5 Soundbar isn't exactly a new product for CES 2015 . It was announced to the public for the first time back in September at IFA 2014 .
That said, it wasn't until now that we could see the soundbar-to-surround sound transformation for our own eyes and hear the resulting audio quality with our own ears.
For those who missed it the first time around, the B5 is a successor to the Philips Fidelio E5 , a 4.1 channel speaker system that lets you detach the two front speakers and place them wherever you'd like in your room for a surround sound experience. After about 10 hours of use, just return them to the base to charge and start the whole process over again a few hours later.
Unlike the four Lego-like speakers that Philips released last year, the B5 is a 4.1 soundbar that splits apart on command and uses new Arc Spatial calibration software to determine the exact position of the satellite speakers in relation to the main bar.
Philips Fidelio B5 review
If your back left unit is a bit further from your back right unit, for example, the B5 will know to turn up the volume on the left speaker to compensate for the extra distance.
Oh, one more thing: Once you're ready to move the party into another room, both detachable units become portable Bluetooth speakers that will last about five hours without needing to pull an E.T. and return home to charge.
Design
Fully assembled, the B5 is almost identical to the Fidelio HTL7180/F7, released in 2013. With Bluetooth speakers docked it's around a meter in length and four or five inches thick. It's more imposing than some of the slimmer soundbar options out there, but as a trade-off the B5 can really kick.
The main bar houses a 3-inch woofer that's responsible for the center channel and a "audiophile quality 'Ferro-Fluid' cooled soft dome tweeter" that takes care of the highs. A wireless subwoofer has the freedom to go anywhere you'd like within the room and rounds out the audio spectrum with overbearing, rumbly lows.
Philips Fidelio B5 review
Around the back you'll find two HDMI-in, one HDMI-out, an optical audio, USB and 3.5mm ports but, if you're more of a wire-free person, the B5 also comes equipped with Bluetooth aptX, AAC and NFC.
Decoupling the satellite speaker reveals two small switches, one on each speaker. These allow you to toggle between Bluetooth and surround sound modes. Once you've got them setup, all that's left to do is run the Arc Spatial Calibration tool to balance the channels.
Sound quality
For a 4.1 channel system, the surround sound was much, much more pronounced than I had imagined. It was enough to give Michael Jackson's "Bad" a concert-like quality, and did a fairly good job with film audio as well.
But that was with the detachable speakers two feet behind me. Just how they'll do in a less open room full of awkward-shaped furniture and unsymmetrical walls remains to be seen.
Philips Fidelio B5 review
Overall, the sound quality was good, but not great. I liked what I heard though, and considering that the satellite speakers were running off a lithium ion battery that's impressive.
We liked
The ability to detach speakers and use them as satellites is wonderfully cool, only second on the coolness scale to the B5's capability to work as two Bluetooth speakers that you can take with you from room to room.
The automatic Arc Spatial calibration tool will eliminate some major headaches that came with purchasing the E5, plus the extended 5-10 hours of battery life sound like more than enough time to rock out before putting the satellites back in their dock.
We disliked
For a $900 (£800) soundbar, the B5's sound quality didn't leave me with my jaw on the floor. It was able to get much louder than I would've thought possible and the surround sound pleasantly surprised me, but when combined as a single unit the results aren't phenomenal.
Whether that was the space or the soundbar is tough to tell, and we'll need further testing to distinguish if the B5 is the best 'bar in town, or just another cool concept waiting to be scooped up by another company.
Early verdict
The Philips Fidelio B5 is a multi-solution system that is as innovative as it is practical. Its sound quality might just be a little too low for its $900 price point, but the fact that you're getting two portable Bluetooth speakers out of it could make up for any shortcomings.
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