The Teufel Cinebar Ultima is a hefty soundbar that has quite a lot to offer. But it doesn't fit under every television. So if you are planning to purchase this soundbar, make sure your modern TV is hanging on the wall. In this review we take a detailed look at the sound system. The Cinebar Ultima has a suggested retail price of 699.99 euros and can be purchased via the website of Teufel .
Teufel Cinebar Ultima – specs and design
Soundbars come in many different shapes and sizes. Usually they are very wide and low, so that they fit under all kinds of televisions that are on cupboards. That is easiest for most people, because it is less hassle. But Teufel really likes it and brings a high soundbar with the Teufel Cinebar Ultima – no, sounddeck – to the market that covers a large part of the television picture with its huge cupboard. That is inherent to the soundbar: so make sure you have your television hanging on the wall or hung up.
The sound deck is 13.3 centimeters high, 110 centimeters wide and 16.4 centimeters deep. That is quite a collapse, which means that the Teufel CInebar Ultima may not be the best choice for everyone right away. Because of the design, there is more than enough room for the various drivers in the sound system. In total, the deck has six high performance drivers that can send a considerable volume into the room. Two drivers are sidefiring speakers that also send the sound to the sides, for a virtual surround sound.
The other four drivers are two frontfiring speakers and two bass drivers, so you don't have to connect a separate subwoofer. On board is also a class D amplifier with a total power of 380 watts. On top there is a handy control panel for basic functions, while at the front there is another LED screen with bright, red numbers and letters. There is also HDMI-in, HDMI-arc, USB, Bluetooth with aptX, an optical connection and a cinch input for stereo. The soundbar can also transmit signals in 4k and hdr to the TV.
Teufel Cinebar Ultima – installation
The installation of the Teufel Cinebar Ultima is less smooth than we are used to. The connections are in an opening at the rear. They are not directly on the back, but on the side of that opening. This makes it a tedious task to get the cables in the right place. It does not happen automatically: sometimes you have to let one specific cable pass under another, because otherwise there is not enough space, Fortunately you do this – if it is good then – only once, but then it can be easier. [19659007] The cable management can therefore be improved, but with a bit of luck you will have little trouble once everything is parked. Because of the way in which the cables are now processed, you can hang the Teufel Cinebar Ultima tightly against the wall, because otherwise the space on such a soundbar might be more difficult. Furthermore, there is no wifi, so you do not have to perform a connection with the network. Pairing via bluetooth is nice and fast, but we don't expect less from the manufacturer.
Teufel Cinebar Ultima – in use
Once everything is standing or hanging and installed, the Teufel offers. Cinema Ultima no more obstacles. The system changes perfectly from HDMI-in to HDMI-arc (so between a paired device such as the Nvidia Shield and the television), so you don't have to worry about that. If you connect a system that cannot turn on the TV automatically, then the system will also not automatically switch HDMI ports. You do have to manually switch to Bluetooth, aux and optical, but that actually speaks for itself.
The supplied remote control is long but compact and offers enough buttons. You can quickly change source or sound mode (such as Dynamore Ultra or no, type of content or evening mode), control media and adjust both bass and treble. You can also request information that is then presented on the front LED screen. That screen is quite large for a soundbar, so you can read the info perfectly. It can also be done while watching, but after a while it gets used.
What we really miss at the Teufel Cinebar Ultima is support for protocols such as Google Cast, Apple AirPlay or Spotify Connect. That is often a major loss on the products of the German manufacturer. Admittedly, you can of course connect the soundbar or smart display, so that you can not only control the sound with your voice, but can also send it over the soundbar. But unfortunately that is a cumbersome solution for a – in our eyes – simple problem.
Teufel Cinebar Ultima – audio quality
Because, as is often the case with Teufel speakers, the sound quality of these convinced is good. sound deck. And that's why it's so unfortunate that you can't include it in an existing home network. As a result, the system feels closed off and Teufel also inhibits our enthusiasm. We want to use the sound deck alongside the other, in this case, Google Cast speakers, so that we can play and operate music effortlessly. Now the TV must first be switched on for a music streaming service or must we first switch on Bluetooth.
The most important part of course remains the sound reproduction. And we can say that the Teufel Cinebar Ultima has a lot to offer. The soundstage is really quite wide and can easily fill a large room with crystal clear sound. Moreover, you can also set the sound deck nice and hard, without having to suffer from a distorted sound. Whether your neighbors find that such a success is of course a different story, but we can already recommend that they get used to your tunes. Because those are simply the best.
From the first moment you immediately hear that the Teufel Cinebar Ultima needs no subwoofer at all. The two bass drivers pop nice and loud and give the sound deck a bass line that you say against. If you still find it too little or just too much, you have the option to adjust that bass layer to your own hearing. The same applies to the higher tones. It is nice to see that Teufel offers that possibility, since everyone's hearing is different and everyone therefore listens to music differently.
Whether it is necessary is a second. The default settings of the soundbar immediately convince. You hear the finer details in the higher regions, while you do not sacrifice anything at the bottom or in the middle segment. Is the sound perfect? Certainly not. The system is not suitable for all music genres. You don't have to listen to classical music, for example, because those tones don't go high enough. However, lovers of loud music can do more than fine in the sound reproduction of the Teufel Cinebar Ultima.
Then we have the Dynamore Ultra mode. This is basically a virtual surround sound display. Such a solution always leaves something to be desired. A soundbar or sound deck (or whatever you want to call such a wide television speaker) can never replace a complete set-up. That is not the goal here either, but the effects can lift the experiences of films and games to a slightly higher level. The wide view moves the sound enough through the room, so you can hear it from a different position.
Teufel Cinebar Ultima – conclusion
Despite the fact that we are satisfied with the Teufel Cinebar Ultima, there are some things that are disappointing. For example, we miss the networking possibilities, which means that the sound deck cannot be integrated into an existing audio network. We also find that the connections are in a difficult place and therefore the installation can be annoying (but if it is good you only have one problem). In addition, the Ultima is not meant for every music genre and it is best that you play loud music with it.
On the other hand there are happy beautiful things. Like the device itself. Teufel is a tough brand and the sound deck exudes that on all fronts. We thought it was a shame to cover the front with the included grid, so we did it without it. In addition, there is more than enough power available, Dynamore Ultra adds something during films, series and games and we are happy that there is an HDMI in which we can connect another device. If you can live without the networking possibilities, this is your new soundbar.
The Teufel Cinebar Ultima is for sale on the website of Teufel .
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