I tested Amazon’s Fire TV Soundbar Plus system, and it’s wireless 5.1 surround sound without the expense or fuss
Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus: Two minute review
The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is a solid soundbar at a decent, but not exceptional, price. While that’s a non-controversial and fairly vanilla statement, it’s a strange situation for Amazon since the company typically subsidizes its products, especially ones like Echo speakers and Fire TV branded TVs, to beat the market. It’s hard to ignore that there are plenty of cheaper options, whether you’re considering a basic all-in-one soundbar or a 5.1-channel soundbar system.
While I’m surprised that the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is not as discounted as most Amazon products compared to the competition, it is one of the best soundbars I’ve experienced when it comes to ease of setup – everything is already paired and you just have to plug it all in.
The performance is, as expected at this price point, good but not great. The surround sound is immersive and the audio quality is what you’d expect at this price point. The sound doesn’t have quite the clarity of more premium options, but only fussy listeners will notice.
The only big issue I had with the audio quality is that the stereo image is not as wide as it should be from the soundbar, which I’ll get into below. And while the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is advertised as having Dolby Atmos, it doesn’t actually have the physical speakers for spatial audio, so you won’t find it on any list for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.
That said, you could do a lot worse for a soundbar system at its price point, whether you’re looking at the most basic configuration or the 5.1-channel one, especially if you see it discounted (as Amazon is wont to regularly do with its products).
Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Price & release date
- First available: December 2025
- Price: Starting at $249.99 / £249.99 (about AU$400)
- Available in the US and UK
The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is priced at $249.99 / £249.99 (about AU$400), and is just a standalone soundbar (along with a power cable, HDMI cable, remote, remote batteries, and mounting kit). The next level up comes with a wireless subwoofer and is priced at $374.99 (about £300 / AU$590). The maxed-out configuration (reviewed here) adds surround speakers along with the subwoofer for a 5.1-channel setup and costs $489.99 (about £390 / AU$770).
Surprisingly, this is more mid-range than budget pricing, bucking Amazon’s typical model of subsidizing its hardware for either market share or branding, especially when it comes to either smart home devices or Fire TV ones.
As far as availability goes, those in the US have access to all three configurations while only the most basic configuration is available in the UK. The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is not sold in Australia.
Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Specs
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 37 x 5.2 x 2.5 inches (soundbar), 10.4 x 10.4 x 13.4 inches (subwoofer), 5.1 x 5.1 x 6.0 inches (rear speakers) |
| Speaker channels | 5.1 |
| Connections: | HDMI, optical digital, USB, Bluetooth |
| Dolby Atmos/DTS:X | Yes/Yes |
| Sub included | Yes |
| Rear speakers included | Yes |
| Features | DTS TruVolume |
Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Features
- Surprisingly stripped down feature set
- Some EQ and audio modes available through the remote
- Virtual Dolby Atmos
Considering the branding, I was surprised to see how barebones the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is. It doesn’t have built-in streaming the way Roku soundbars do, and it doesn’t have any Alexa-related functionality. There’s no app either, so you’re not going to be able to do any EQ fine-tuning (with an exception that I’ll mention below).
All EQ settings are available via the remote. There are four audio modes: Movie, Music, Sports, and Night. I preferred the Movie mode most since it seemed the least affected. However, Night mode is a nice addition as it keeps any peaks in the audio from getting too loud while simultaneously making everything easy to hear at low volume.
There are also individual bass and treble controls as well as surround sound volume on the remote. A dialogue function boosts the volume of dialogue to make it easier to hear – a great option for those with hearing loss, even if it’s a somewhat subtle effect.
There’s no physical Dolby Atmos on hand – the advertised Dolby Atmos is virtual, meaning you don’t get a true spatial audio experience. You get a full surround sound experience with the rear speakers at least, so there is a lateral 360-degree soundstage, just not the vertical one that spatial audio provides.
Besides the usual HDMI and optical digital connections, the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus also comes with Bluetooth, so streaming a Spotify playlist from a phone is straightforward.
The one area where the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is unique is that, when paired with certain Amazon Fire TVs, you can fine-tune the audio on a deeper level in the TV’s settings.
- Features score: 3.5 / 5
Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Performance
- Sounds good but not the best resolution
- Stereo image is a bit narrow
- Surround sound is immersive
The sound quality of the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is pretty good. You might not be impressed if you’ve used hi-fi equipment or premium soundbars, but if you’re looking for your first home theater surround sound system, you should be pretty happy.
Specifically, the high-end is just a tiny bit lacking so the audio doesn’t quite have the best clarity and resolution. This was especially apparent when playing music I’m familiar with, which just didn’t quite have the same sparkle it usually does. However, this is a nitpick.
The mids are fairly well balanced so that they sound full without being compressed or distorted. And there’s lots of bass available from the subwoofer so you get that rumble when watching movies.
You can adjust the subwoofer via the bass settings on the remote to be less impactful (or more) if you want. The treble, as mentioned before, is also adjustable via the remote, though I found the various levels to be a little too subtle.
When it comes to the soundstage, the left and right channels are a little closer together than I would like. This is because, even though the soundbar has left, center, and right channel speakers, the drivers and tweeters for the left and right channels (each channel has a mid-bass driver and tweeter) both face straight ahead. Even though the soundbar is 37 inches wide, this is not enough separation when you’re sitting beyond a 1.5-meter distance from the TV.
Yes, everything that’s supposed to be on the left sounds like it’s on the left and everything that’s supposed to be on the right is there as well. But, the stereo image is still a bit too narrow.
The surround sound, on the other hand, is a pleasure to listen to. The surround speakers offer a 360-degree experience, even when it’s just the atmosphere of a video game like It Takes Two or random background characters talking such as I experienced when watching Fool’s Paradise. I also tested the surround speakers with 5.1-channel audio mixes on YouTube, and it was enlightening to experience the spaciousness these speakers deliver while also confirming that you don’t really need to listen to Bob Marley in anything other than stereo.
It’s worth noting again that, though this soundbar supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, this is purely virtual as there are no physical upward-firing speakers. And I didn’t notice anything resembling that vertical sense of space when watching movies and TV with Dolby Atmos soundtracks.
- Performance score: 4 / 5
Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Design
- Basic aesthetics and design
- LED indicator lights instead of alphanumeric display
- Most fine tuning done through the remote
Aesthetically, the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus can best be described as utilitarian. All the units come in a matte black. The units are also all pretty boxy, and you would only know that they were made by Amazon because each piece has the Fire TV logo imprinted in shiny black somewhere on it. The various units don’t call too much attention themselves, other than the fact that the sound bar is 37 inches wide so you’ll need a wide enough surface to install it if you’re not wall-mounting.
The ports on the back are surprisingly limited to HDMI, optical digital, and USB. While the HDMI port is ARC-enabled, I would have appreciated a second HDMI passthrough port. This is an issue I frequently find with cheaper sound bars.
Another limitation is that there’s no alphanumeric display on the front, just five LED indicator lights that shine through the front grill cloth to reflect what the volume or various settings are up to.
The controls on top of the soundbar are a bit more limited than on the remote, but the necessary ones are here, namely: power, source, Bluetooth, volume up, and volume down.
All fine-tuning is done on the remote. Luckily, it’s easy to use and has separate bass and treble buttons to cycle through levels as well as a button to turn on/off surround sound, which has its own volume up and down. There are also EQ preset and dialogue buttons.
- Design score: 4 / 5
Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Setup & usability
- Already paired out of the box
- Easy to use
- No real display for current settings
Setting up the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus couldn’t be easier. Everything comes in one big box – all the packaging seems to be materials that can be recycled – and just needs to be removed and plugged in.
The soundbar, subwoofer, and rear speakers are already paired so that once everything is plugged in and powered on, the soundbar will register the other units. A wall-mounting kit is also included, though it’s just for the soundbar. The hardest part (unless you’re planning on mounting) is putting the batteries in the remote.
As far as using the soundbar, it’s also just as straightforward. The buttons on the sound bar itself are a bit basic so you need to keep track of the remote to get most of the functionality. But switching sources and adjusting the audio to taste within its limitations is fairly foolproof.
I do wish there was a front panel alphanumeric display for feedback when making changes. Instead, you have to rely on the indicator LEDs and listen to a voice prompt to know what setting you’ve changed. And if you’re not paying close attention, you have to adjust again to find out what it was on.
- Setup & usability score: 4.5 / 5
Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Value
- Good, but not great, deal for a surround sound soundbar system
- Can find cheaper, though lesser, 5.1-channel sound bar options
- Same money can get better-sounding options, but with fewer channels
I may sound a little confused when discussing the price of the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus by saying it’s at once affordable and overpriced. At $489.99 (about £390 / AU$770) for the surround sound configuration, it’s a good mid-tier system for the price that comes with a large soundbar, subwoofer, and two rear speakers. Yet, it’s priced higher than one would expect from the likes of Amazon, especially considering how light on features it is.
This is particularly highlighted when considering the Ultimea Poseidon D50, a 5.1-channel sound bar system that goes for a paltry $119.99 / £149.99 (about AU$180). Sure, the Ultimea comes with many more compromises with slightly worse audio and build quality, but it’s also much, much cheaper.
Of course, you can spend the same amount on something that’s not quite considered premium and get a much smaller package. Consider the Sony HT-S2000, a 3.1-channel system that counts virtual Dolby Atmos as a main attraction. It does have generally better audio quality. Still, you have to pay $499 / £449 / AU$695 for it.
- Value score: 4 / 5
Should I buy the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus?
| Section | Notes | Score |
| Features | The feature set is fairly stripped down, especially if you don’t own a Fire TV to pair it with. Dolby Atmos isn’t true spatial audio | 3.5 / 5 |
| Performance | Stereo image is a bit narrow, but the sound quality is pretty good overall. The surround sound, in particular, is a treat | 4 / 5 |
| Design | Utilitarian and straightforward design, though an alphanumeric display would have been nice | 4 / 5 |
| Setup & usability | Already paired out of the box, this soundbar is easy to set up and just as easy to use | 4.5 / 5 |
| Value | Affordable, though a little more than I think it should cost for what’s on offer. A good, but not great, deal | 4 / 5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus review: Also consider
How I tested the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus
- I used the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus for a couple weeks
- Tested with both TV, movies, and music
I used the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus system regularly for a week. I used it with TV shows, movies, and music. I tested the various EQ options and audio modes as well as played around with all the other settings available, such as the dialogue mode.
After testing, the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus seems to be a decently priced 5.1-channel system that leans a bit on the Fire TV brand, offering mostly convenience and the surround sound experience, and not much else.
I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and so have been able to use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.