[ianchee]

A barful of Atmos
Philips Fidelio B8 - a HWM review



Every movie buff wants to bring the cinema into his or her home, but let's face it, that's a very costly thing to do, especially if we're talking about projectors and surround sound systems. Thankfully, with the Philips Fidelio B8, you're one step closer to creating a great home theater system.

The Fidelio B8 is a powerful soundbar that offers a total output of 400W, and this means enough power to fill an entire living room easily. More importantly, the Fidelio B8 comes with Dolby Atmos, an audio technology that should be familiar to many by now. For those who aren't sure of what Dolby Atmos is, it's where up-firing speakers are used to create the illusion of sound coming from above.

While there are several products from other manufacturers that offer Dolby Atmos, we've never seen one that's as easy to set up as the Fidelio B8. All you need to do is plug in the soundbar itself, as well as the wireless subwoofer, connect the soundbar to your TV and/or Blu-ray Disc player, and you're all set to experience 5.1.2 surround sound that is Dolby Atmos.

Of course, you'll need Blu-ray content that actually supports Dolby Atmos though, but fret not, as the number of Blu-ray movies encoded with this audio format is increasing by the day. We had the opportunity to test the Fidelio B8 using a Dolby Atmos test CD, which comes with a number of compatible videos and movie snippets.

The first demo was a scene featuring a rainforest, complete with falling rain. Thanks to the up-firing speakers, the raindrops could clearly be heard overhead, which is very impressive, considering this is a soundbar setup. We then loaded a clip from 'Unbroken', which was the bombing mission. This particular clip features plenty of positional audio, from the engine of the planes to that of the flak cannons, and all of them could be heard clearly, with a good amount of overhead audio.

Even in music, the Fidelio B8 performs admirably, with a good amount of soundstaging. In Johnny Cash's 'Hurt', Cash's voice takes center stage, while the acoustic is clearly audible; it's as if he was singing in the room, live. Both bass and treble can be tuned, which is always a great thing, as by default, things sound a little flat.

To sum things up, the Fidelio B8 is an excellent choice if you're looking for an Atmos-ready home theater system. It sounds great, and is incredibly easy to set up.

Conclusion: Those with limited space at home will love the Philips Fidelio B8.

Tested & Rated: 9.0 / 10

Type: Soundbar with Dolby Atmos
Drivers: 1x 8-inch subwoofer, 8x speakers, 4x up-firing speakers, 6x up-firing tweeters
Connectivity: 2x HDMI in, 1x Optical in, 1x Coaxial in, 1x 3.5mm jack, 1x USB port, Bluetooth
4K Passthrough: Yes
Frequency Range: 190-20kHz (soundbar), 40-190Hz (subwoofer)
Features: Dolby Atmos, Dolby True HD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround, DTS Digital Surround, 8x audio profiles, Bluetooth aptX, AAC
Total RMS: 400W
Dimensions: 1,058 x 52 x 120 mm (soundbar), 240 x 510 x 302 mm (subwoofer)
Weight: 12.08kg

Philips Fidelio B8 Giveaway!

We have ONE (1) Philips Fidelio B8 Soundbar, worth RM4,999, to give away.

Simply answer the following questions to stand a chance at winning.

1) What technology does the Philips Fidelio B8 feature?

2) What were the ratings of the Philips BT5580 and Philips Fidelio F1, as reviewed by HardwareZone Malaysia? You can find the answer on our site.

Submit your answers, along with your particulars (Full Name, IC No., Email, Contact No.) via Google Forms here. Answers that are sent in as replies to this thread will not be entertained.

Terms and Conditions
1. This contest is valid only in Malaysia.
2. Contest period is from March 20 to April 5, 2017
3. Prizes are not exchangeable for cash.
4. Costs incurred for the collection of prizes will be borne by the individual winners.
5. HardwareZone Malaysia reserves the right to end the contest at any time.
6. HardwareZone Malaysia reserves the right to substitute a prize claimed with another prize of the same value without giving prior notice.
7. By participating in this contest, participants agree to adhere strictly to the terms and conditions of this contest.
8. All decisions made by HardwareZone Malaysia are final and binding. No correspondence will be entertained.

[MoniqueTan]

Congratulation to our Philips Fidelio B8 Soundbar Contest winners!

Thniah Hean Gim – 5559


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