In this review we look at the Teufel Cinebar Duett. This is a relatively broad soundbar for under the television, with a powerful and reasonably large subwoofer. The Teufel Cinebar Duett can be purchased for 599 euros via the Teufel website.
Teufel Cinebar Duett – design
The Teufel Cinebar Duett has a remarkable shape for a soundbar. The two ends are wider than the piece in the middle. In addition, the exterior is made of (admittedly high quality) plastic, which gives the package as a whole a bit of a cheap appearance. And since you constantly have to look at that thing when you watch TV, it’s a shame that Teufel did not opt for a different design. The soundbar looks premium and feels nice and heavy, which fortunately leaves a good impression.
There are four buttons on top of the soundbar. The power button, two volume buttons and one for the source. So in principle you can control the most basic functions when you are right in front of them, which is great if you want to quickly adjust the sound, for example. The included remote control is compact, but fortunately big enough for a number of buttons. With the remote you can change sound modes and source and also switch the dynamic mode on and off. You also speak the menu with it and you can change the level of the bass.
At the front there is also a small screen where you can read information. This way you can see which source is activated and show the soundbar which option you have just activated. Furthermore, it is nice that you can see at what level the volume is, so you do not have to constantly guess how hard it should be for listening to music or something like that. On the back are two HDMI connections (one for the TV and one for another device), as well as an optical connection and an audio cable input.
Teufel Cinebar Duett – specifications
The sleek housing of the Teufel Cinebar Duett accommodates eight midrange speakers and two tweeters. The woofer aspect is perceived by the wirelessly connected Duett partner, who offers a bass response of up to 33 Hz with a 165 mm downfire subwoofer. The two drivers on the side of the soundbar, together with Dynamore Ultra technology, create a spatial sound. When you connect the soundbar to the hdmi cec connection, you can also operate the loudspeaker with the remote control of your TV.
The soundbar does not offer a lot of space for external devices that you can connect via a cable. So you will leave little HDMI devices through the soundbar, but instead stay dependent on your TV (which picks up the sound and sends it to the loudspeaker and bass). Fortunately, there is also support for 4k and bluetooth 4.0 with aptX, so you can play music wirelessly. We miss a little bit of Google Cast: this is a loudspeaker that stays there, so that such an option can provide more convenience.
Teufel Cinebar Duett – installation and use
Teufel promised in advance that the soundbar is ready for use within a few minutes and that is also the case (just as it is the case with the majority of the soundbars). You put the device down, connect an hdmi cable between the speaker and the TV, place the subwoofer, plug the plugs into an outlet and all you have to do is tell on your TV that you’re using external speakers . This differs per television; With modern Android TV devices, you can have this done automatically via EasyLink.
Putting the device into operation is just as easy. The included remote control makes all options clear enough to try them out at least once, after which you can then determine whether you think something sounds nice or not. You can quickly switch between sound mode with the bottom buttons while using the top buttons for media navigation. You can also switch sources at lightning speed. In short: the remote control does nothing revolutionary, but keeps everything clear and accessible.
Teufel Cinebar Duett – audio quality
The Teufel Cinebar Duett can be used in several positions. You will not find as many positions here as on a Sony sound bar, but there are plenty of options to try out that might be appreciated. In addition to options such as music, film and speech, you also have the choice of the type of dynamic sound. You can disable that mode and use only the middle speakers, for example. This brings a pleasant, powerful and above all clear stereo sound, which is especially nice for news broadcasts on YouTube videos.
You can also use this stand very well during gaming. Your soundbar is set to 2.1, and does not have access to all kinds of surround options at that time. Watching movies and series is also very good, since there is a lot of distinction in the different layers made by the hardware. However, when the music gets a bit too busy, it can come across as a cacophony in this mode. But that is by no means the case with the majority of music, only in music where many instruments are audible.
The dynamic stand consists of two parts: wide and ultra. These stands also throw open the other speakers, which has two advantages: the sound is much better spread over the speakers and through the room. Especially watching films in this mode ensures that the viewing experience is raised to a high level. Thumps really come in and the bullets seem to fly you by the ears (for reference: we watch the films John Wick and Looper while testing the soundbar and we were seriously impressed).
Wide makes it happen while listening to music that it sometimes looks as if you are present at the recordings of a CD. Of course that is also just the artist or the producer. The drum kit that Lenny Kravitz uses on American Woman seems to be in your living room, and that has everything to do with the excellent subwoofer that Teufel delivers to the soundbar. We are less enthusiastic about the ultrastand: it spreads the music and other sounds too far, making it sound hollow and especially shrill.
Teufel Cinebar Duett – conclusion
The Teufel Cinebar Duett is anything but a bad soundbar. But it is not suitable for every setup or user. This is a perfect soundbar for an apartment of 25 to 30 square meters for example, and can fill the room with clear, powerful and warm sound (although the ultrastand is not that bad, but you do not have to use it). If you do not plan to use a set-up with multiple speakers in the house, you can consider a soundbar like the Cinebar Duett.
However, the soundbar has few connection options. There are not so many hdmi ports present and you probably have to connect the majority of your devices to your TV (not a big disadvantage, but the fewer devices between the source and the sound, the better). In addition, there are no Wi-Fi options and for a speaker who never needs to be removed and of this price (599.99 euros), you can expect something of network possibilities. There are cheaper soundbars with Google Cast.
The Teufel Cinebar Duett, however, we know to convince in the field of sound and that is the most important thing for a soundbar. Watching movies is a joy, music sounds incredibly tasty and games benefit nicely. In addition, the soundbar can transmit a 4k signal, so you can connect a source that transmits 4k signals. It is not an investment in a connected future of music, but it is a nice and accessible device that you can do a lot with, provided you are not too demanding.
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