Simon Barbier

Mar 25, 2024 | rtings.com | Simon Barbier |Christopher Steward |John Peroramas

The control scheme is good. The rubberized buttons are raised from the surface of the speaker, and they're clicky and responsive. There's also a decent amount of audiovisual feedback with these controls. The speaker beeps when you hit max volume and chimes when you enter Bluetooth pairing mode. A small light under the power button flashes red when the battery is low and blue when entering Bluetooth pairing mode. That said, there's no other feedback given for volume changes or minimum volume.

Feb 19, 2024 | rtings.com | Simon Barbier |Becca Fischer |John Peroramas

The Hisense HS214 has a middling stereo frequency response. Like most standalone bars, it really struggles to bring the deep thump and rumble in the low bass. The mid-to-high bass range is also underemphasized, resulting in a lack of warmth in the mix. Still, thanks to its balanced mids, voices and other instruments are reproduced with clarity and accuracy. Subjectively, the Music and Movie EQ presets perform about the same.

Feb 14, 2024 | rtings.com | Simon Barbier |Theresa Ketterling |Yannick Khong

There are six buttons for 12 speed settings. You press the hi/lo button on the right to use speeds 1-6. When the hi/lo button isn't pushed in, the same buttons correspond with speeds 6-12. The off/pulse button on the left switches off the blender. This also resets the hi/lo button, allowing you to switch from the low speeds back to the high speeds. When the blender isn't running, the same button is for pulse mode and will run the blender for as long as you hold the button down.

Sep 1, 2023 | rtings.com | Simon Barbier |Becca Fischer |Yannick Khong

The Polk Audio Magnifi Max AX SR uses two up-firing drivers built into the bar to ricochet sound off the ceiling, creating the illusion of height. The frequency response on these channels is rather boomy, as there's a peak in the bass and a lack of emphasis in the mids and treble. Certain sound effects, like voices, are less clear, while bass-centric sounds like explosions tend to overpower the mix. Subjectively, the bar's soundstage with height content is just okay.

Sep 1, 2023 | rtings.com | Simon Barbier |Becca Fischer |Yannick Khong

The ION Pathfinder Go's frequency response is scattered and uneven across the range. However, it's important to note that the results in the graph are a bit exaggerated based on how frequency response is calculated by our software, particularly in the bass, the high-mid, and the treble. There's a large peak in the high-bass that adds a muddy quality to the mix, as well as a peak in the high-mid that makes instruments honky and harsh.