Reviews

Review: Teufel Cinebar Lux – premium sound without subwoofer

Review; The Teufel Cinebar Lux is a wide soundbar without a subwoofer. In many cases, sound bars without a subwoofer deliver a less optimal sound.
4.5/5 - (288 votes)

The Teufel Cinebar Lux is a wide soundbar without a subwoofer. In many cases, sound bars without a subwoofer deliver a less optimal sound. How do you like the Cinebar Lux, with its suggested retail price of 799 euros? And what additional functions can you count on? You can read it in our extensive review.

Teufel Cinebar Lux – specs and design

The Teufel Cinebar Lux is a wide soundbar of 105 centimeters wide. Depending on your television, the soundbar may not fit your TV perfectly. We tested it on a Philips 55-inch TV set on legs. And due to the width of the soundbar, it does not fit exactly in between. This creates an opening between the soundbar and the TV, through which wires are visible. It is not the biggest problem in the world and it really depends on the TV – but we prefer not to see the string behind it.

Apart from that, it really is a striking appearance under your television. It is a large and wide device that immediately attracts attention, especially if you buy the white version. On top of that we find a few buttons for switching on and off, volume management and source change, but for the rest you will find a sleek design that fits in many households. White may not be a good option for everyone: for example, it quickly gets dirty, but we find that the only downside to the design, which is pretty good.

The 3-way loudspeaker has a power of 150 watts and can distinguish between low, medium and high tones. We find a large number of connections on the back. For example, there are two HDMI ports: one for connecting to the TV ( HDMI-Arc ) and one for connecting another device. There is also an optical connection and an opening to which you can possibly connect an external subwoofer. In addition, you can count on a USB port, with which you can play music from a hard disk.

To be sure, there is also an Ethernet port on the Teufel Cinebar Lux. We can imagine that some people would still like to use an ethernet cable to connect to the internet, because the connection is probably more reliable. There may of course also be interference on the Wi-Fi network, which may interrupt music playback depending on the placement of the soundbar (no problem: we didn’t find this in practice, but we love the amount of options).

Teufel Cinebar Lux

Teufel Cinebar Lux – installation

Installing the Teufel Cinebar Lux is done in no time. This time you do not have to put two speakers, but one speaker and you do not have to think about the connection with a subwoofer – should that go wrong in a rare case. You put it down, put the plug in the wall socket and connect the soundbar to the television via HDMI or optical cable. Then the bar works immediately. If you use the optical cable, do not forget to switch off the speakers of your television in their entirety.

If, for example, you want to install a rear speaker or an external subwoofer, then in principle you have done so. There is no hassle with wires, except when you don’t have a power outlet at the place where you place the speaker or sub. You can also use the internet by connecting an ethernet cable or searching for the connection to Wi-Fi via the Raumfield app. This gives you access to Spotify Connect, which means that you can play music wirelessly at home through this music streaming service.

Remote of Teufel Cinebar Lux

Teufel Cinebar Lux – ease of use

You can operate the Teufel Cinebar Pro in a number of ways. This is possible with your own remote control for volume management, for example. In addition, you can control your (offline) music via the Spotify and Raumfield app and you can of course use the supplied remote control. This gives you access to the majority of functions and you can, for example, set the equalizer. You have a choice of three modes, namely Pure (as it is intended), Voice (with the emphasis on voices) and Night (for the evening).

In addition, you can access the menu, which you can see via the LED screen on the front of the soundbar, find different settings that can improve the sound for you. You can, for example, adjust the reproduction of low, medium and high tones and personalize the settings of the wireless rear speakers. In addition to pairing, it is also possible to adjust the volume so that the sound does not immediately come out louder from behind than from the front (or vice versa). There are also a number of settings related to a separate sub.

Teufel Cinebar Lux

Anyway, you have more than enough options at your disposal when you decide to invest extra in the soundbar. Admittedly, it is of course not as extensive as a combination of many different speakers, a subwoofer and a receiver, but you don’t need that from a soundbar either. There are many options with the Teufel Cinebar Lux and almost all of those options are presented in an accessible manner. If you can’t figure it out, you can always fall back on the included manual.

In use, we have noticed that the remote control sometimes takes a few extra seconds to connect to the soundbar. If you press the buttons when the soundbar is just on and already working, there is a delay in processing. That problem solves itself, so make sure you don’t press all kinds of buttons when it takes a while. All these commands are remembered and arrive later, so that the Teufel Cinebar Lux can apparently start doing strange things from nowhere.

Teufel Cinebar Lux

In addition, we find it a shame that this premium soundbar, with its high price of 799 euros, does not offer transit of 4k and hdr signals. That means that you can connect other HDMI devices, but you may not get everything out of it. So if you want to connect a media player, blu-ray player or game console to it, you have to take into account that the image quality is less than if you connect it directly to a TV with support for 4k and hdr. You can expect more for that 800 euros.

We add that only support for Spotify Connect feels a bit meager. We understand that with Raumfield, Teufel wants to focus on its own technology for multiroom audio, but it would be better if you as a consumer have more options. In this specific case, we have Google Cast speakers at home that are idle when music is on. Furthermore, it is annoying that the soundbar loses its connection to the Wi-Fi network for so many days, so you have to keep connecting the device.

Teufel Cinebar Lux

Teufel Cinebar Lux – sound

Although you may have to do something handing in for ease of use (especially when you don’t have any other Raumfield speakers in the house), Teufel rarely disappoints in terms of sound. And that also applies to the Teufel Cinebar Lux. This is still the most important thing for a soundbar of course, regardless of how easy it is for you. A bombastic sound comes out that does not dominate, but can fill the room perfectly with a warm and clear sound. The difference between the different pitches can be perfectly heard in all cases.

Initially, the undersigned was a bit skeptical about the lack of a subwoofer, but the Teufel Cinebar Lux convinces almost immediately with its deep bass tones. The bass response is similar to other sound bars from the same price category (and slightly lower, such as the LG SL8Y ): present, but not superlative; soft and always audible, deep and never too much – actually what you would want when you choose a soundbar. For the sake of clarity: you can choose to add a Teufel subwoofer, but it is certainly not necessary.

Teufel Cinebar Lux

Almost all the different positions can be called fine: Pure sounds full and powerful, while Pure Voice moves the bombastic elements to the background and Night puts everything one step lower. The only mode that is not always convincing is the virtual surround sound. For supported content it sounds good and the bar can move the sound, but in all other cases the background noise comes to the fore, while spoken texts become almost unintelligible. There must be a better balance in that.

Teufel Cinebar Lux – conclusion

People often opt for a soundbar because of the convenience. And that’s great, because not everyone has room for nine speakers on the floor and in the ceiling and two subwoofers – and not everyone needs that for a great sound experience. With the Teufel Cinebar Lux, Teufel shows that you don’t necessarily have to place a separate subwoofer for a pleasant, deep and clear sound (even though you still have the option to do so afterwards – you can also do it yourself) choose to place rear speakers in the house).

Not everything convinces, however. For example, we think it’s a shame that you as a consumer are stuck with the Raumfield app, although the integration with Spotify Connect may already remove a lot of concerns. It is also unfortunate that there is no 4k and hdr transit and that the connection to the Wi-Fi network occasionally pops out. In terms of sound and design, and for the greater part also convenience, Teufel is convincing and that is just a little more important for us. Nevertheless, 799 euros is a lot of money and you can expect that little bit more convenience.

The Teufel Cinebar Lux can be purchased via the website of Teufel .

Cons

  • None 4k- and hdr transit
  • No Google Cast
  • Spatial sound not always nice
  • Connection to wifi network sometimes erupts

Advantages

  • Wide and warm sound with a pit
  • Spotify Connect
  • No external subwoofer required
  • Solid appearance under your television