The PRISM+ Symphony is one of two soundbars introduced by the company a couple of months ago. As the more premium offering, the Symphony offers a number of intriguing features, including HDMI eARC support, a larger 8-inch wireless subwoofer, and even Dolby Atmos.
I’ve been using the Symphony for quite a bit over the past couple of weeks, and it’s…well, an interesting RM1,999 soundbar with decent value proposition. Its audio quality is not the best at this price point – though it does have very rumbly bass – but it’s still worth considering, especially if you’re a basshead.
What It Is
Priced at RM1,999, the PRISM+ Symphony is a 5.1.2 soundbar with four upward-firing speakers, four front drivers, two surround speakers, and an 8-inch wireless subwoofer. It also has HDMI eARC for higher quality audio, along with support for Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Bluetooth 5.1.
There’s no doubt the Symphony is a feature-packed soundbar, and the fact that it supports a wide range of audio format is appealing. However, the audio quality of the Symphony is a different matter altogether – I’ll elaborate more further down the review.
The Good Stuff
When I first fired up the PRISM+ Symphony, one thing immediately stood out: the bass. The 8-inch wireless subwoofer can output a ton of bass. It even feels a tad too much at times, so thankfully, I can easily lower the bass output with the provided remote control.
Thanks to the boomy bass, action movies sound especially great with the Symphony. Gunshots and explosions, for example, sound lifelike, and it almost feels like I’m watching the movie in cinema with a more elaborate sound system – almost.
Aside from that, the Symphony can also get loud; like really loud. With a peak power output of 760W, it can definitely fill up a typical apartment living room with ease. If you’re concerned the Symphony won’t be loud enough, don’t be. Even with the volume set at 20, it’s more than loud enough already for my use.
All in all, the Symphony does make my content consumption much more enjoyable. Whether I’m watching a movie or playing my favourite game on the PS5, the soundbar’s powerful, rumbly bass and high volume are much appreciated.
Connectivity options of the Symphony are also quite complete. These include HDMI eARC, two HDMI video in, optical input, coaxial connectivity, AUX in, and even a USB port for USB playback. The Symphony has the aforementioned Bluetooth 5.1 as well, so you can just stream your favourite music to the soundbar effortlessly.
I also love how easy it is to set up the Symphony. I connected it to the PRISM+ Q65-QE, and all I had to do was connect the HDMI cable from the soundbar to the TV, plug in the wireless subwoofer to a power output, and I’m done. I can even control the soundbar’s volume with the TV remote itself; very convenient.
The Bad Stuff
While I love the PRISM+ Symphony’s bass output and loud nature, I’m not a fan of its general audio quality. Instrument separation, for one, isn’t great on the soundbar. In busier tracks, the different instruments sound muddled and not detailed, unfortunately enough.
Soundstage wise, the Symphony isn’t the best either. Vertical soundstage isn’t very noticeable, and horizontal soundstage is only…decent. While there’s only so much a soundbar can achieve, I’ve heard better soundstage from other soundbars at this price point.
To the Symphony’s credit, its Dolby Atmos support is not something similarly priced soundbars offer, so there’s that.
Is It Worth It?
If you love your bass, then you’ll definitely appreciate the PRISM+ Symphony’s strong bass output. It’s my favourite feature of the soundbar, which really does elevate my content consumption. I now look forward to streaming movies at home – not to mention adding more gaming time to my schedule – with the added immersion.
Yes, the audio quality of the Symphony has room for improvement, but given that this is one of PRISM+’s first soundbars, it’s a commendable effort. Hopefully, the company’s upcoming soundbars will improve upon the current offerings while still offering good value proposition.
After all, that’s the main draw of PRISM+’s range of products. If you’re interested to pick up the Symphony, you can do so through PRISM+’s official online store.