It’s only a few days since Amazon launched its super-cheap soundbar, the Fire TV Soundbar, and it’s facing fierce competition already. The new Majority Teton Plus Soundbar is just £99.95, which means it’s likely to be cheaper than Amazon’s offering that’s $119.
While UK prices haven’t been announced, Amazon’s UK prices do tend to be slightly more expensive than a straight dollar conversion would suggest. But those in the US and Australia will unfortunately miss out on this new budget buy for the time being, as Majority doesn’t yet have a release schedule for other markets.
Majority Teton Plus Soundbar: what you get for £99
The Teton Plus Soundbar has 180W of power and a 5.25-inch matching subwoofer (included in the price and power output; the soundbar alone is listed as 120W) to deliver 2.1 sound. There’s Bluetooth and HDMI ARC was well as RCA. 3.5mm, USB and optical connections. There’s an included remote control and a three year warranty.
That’s it in terms of the spec sheet, which perhaps gives you an idea of the intended audience. I suspect that this isn’t aimed at the kind of listener who knows their AAC from their LDAC. And unlike Amazon’s soundbar there’s no support for either DTS Virtual:X or Dolby Atmos. However, Amazon doesn’t promise to plant any trees when you buy a Fire TV Soundbar. Majority adds to its Majority Forest, which to date has planted 435,824 trees.
I suspect the Amazon subwoofer will sound better, if not louder – but right now you can’t get one in the UK, and that means the Majority Teton Plus’s competition is pretty limited. The Sharp HT-SB400 is one of very few that spring to mind, and that really could do with a subwoofer – which you can add, but that would take it beyond the £100 mark.
I do think, though, that if you’re investing in any audio equipment this is not the time to do it unless it comes with an absolutely massive discount. That’s because with October just days away at the time of writing, our old pal Black Friday is looming on the horizon – and while some of our picks for the best soundbar are undoubtedly expensive and likely to stay that way, you can be sure that the manufacturers and retailers’ plans for the annual sales frenzy will include plenty of budget models too.
If you’re looking for a cheap and cheerful way to add some oomph to a budget TV then the Teton definitely has the wattage that your TV doesn’t. But if you’re looking for something a bit more nuanced then it might be wise to wait a few weeks to see what Black Friday soundbar deals are likely to appear.
