Philips B8905 Soundbar 3.1.2 with Wireless Subwoofer, Dolby Atmos, Compatible with DTS Play-Fi, Connects with Amazon Echo Devices and Voice Assistants, AirPlay 2 and BT Support, TAB8905

interesting sound profile, actually fairly neutral and gives great atmos effects
What an interesting set of soundbars and definitely worth the price if your goal is like mine, to expand into a surround system with wireless play-fi speakers that you can add onI’m pretty used to using soundbars from samsung with overly pronounced treble and bass but not much in between (very V shaped sound profile) but these are quite neutral in the way they soundwhich actually is pretty amazing when playing music on spotifyI tested it on my LG OLED in the livingroom but ended up moving to my bedroom underneath an old panasonic plasma and found that the sound is huge, a lot louder than the panasonic tv, and fills my 300 sq ft master bedroom very wellwill be adding the play-fi surrounds soon and will come back to update this reviewin the meanwhile, here are some pluses and minuses:Pluses:1. Sound profile is excellent, great for music, dialogue is sharp from the movies. Bass isnt too overpowering but there when neededDefinitely no shortage of power here. I had to keep it mostly on volume 1 and up to 5, but no more than that! (out of 30)2. Atmos height effects is pronounced and easily detectable when playing the right movies3. HDMI CEC and eARC works well, using just one remote with the LG OLED, simplifying connections too4. design fits well with decor, and the silver design isnt too drab, i think it fits well with most decor, not just mine5. setting up the sub (connecting it to the soundbar wirelessly) and the soundbar is pretty straightforwardthere are actually tons of diagrams on the box, in the box, on the soundbar… to guide you through initial setup6. the app offers quite a bit of control and it offered firmware update immediately7. there is quite a bit of tuning available but through another app (the Philips Sound app will guide you to download the 2nd app called PS Fine Tune)8. app is very usable, lots of adjustments and syncing with music streaming apps through google chromecast connectivityMinuses:1. subwoofer is shaped a bit bulky but im sure they have their reason for that in order to produce that level of bass2. while the remote control is nicely designed, it uses IR instead of RF or Bluetooth… oh well but it does allow to be used more universally with other remote controls such as chromecast’s remote controlnot a big issue i suppose, especially with HDMI CEC, you’d be more likely to be using the TV’s remote to control its volume anyways3. cant wait to test the play-fi surrounds but still have to wait for it to go on sale (i wonder if it works well with Klipsch play-fi speakers?)

careful of return policy
the speaker system sounds GREAT!the subwoofer is rather large so make sure you have space.if shipped from a 3rd party seller – it costs YOU $150 for to ship for return. so you keep it.

Don’t waste your $$$
Poor sound quality, software is lacking in every category and rarely works when needed. Casting function is virtually non-existent. Very disappointed.

Impressive sound..,terrible Bluetooth
Setting this up took a little bit of time to figure out it has a HDMI arc setting that for some reason didn’t work at first and now just decided to connect and works very well I have it hooked to the TV with that and the optic cable both sound impressive I also have it hooked to the Alexa with Bluetooth (which is literally sitting right against it) I have connected my phone to the Bluetooth and can’t get more than 6 to 8 feet away before it starts to cut out, which I didn’t necessarily buy it to be a Bluetooth speaker but just a word to the wise for anybody who may be trying to link their phone and carry it throughout the house while listening to music. Doesn’t seem to be any delay using the arc setting with HDMI cable to the TV or the optic cable the subwoofer has a adjustable volume control aside from the sound bar itself. so when it gets later at night not to disturb the people on either side of our townhouse, I can adjust the subwoofer separately without compromising the volume. There was an option for a third surround sound speaker to add input next to the couch I haven’t bought yet but plan to in the future. This is my first sound bar or sound system of any kind since years ago having a receiver in very large floorstanding speakers. I can’t believe how much I’ve been missing relying solely on the built-in speakers to numerous TVs over the past several years. I have been using a harman kardon onyx studio 3 speaker in my bedroom tv, but even plugged in with a USB cable it still seems to have to connect to the Bluetooth and I have a neighbor that likes to connect and play random music whenever my TV isn’t connected to it. So over all i’ve been super impressed with the sound and TV immersion experience I’m now receiving watching movies and television shows