Soundbar Deals: Atlantic Technology H-PAS PowerBar 235: Half Price ($401.43)
By Chris Boylan
Even the best TVs on the market sound pretty terrible. The thinner a panel gets, the less room it has for speaker drivers and resonant cavities, which are kinda important if you want to get any bass. Fortunately, speaker companies have stepped up with simple, one-piece powered soundbars that can bring the sound quality up to snuff with the picture.
But many soundbars also sound a bit thin and anemic (particularly in the low end), unless you supplement them with a separate subwoofer. And if you do that, you can sometimes get soundbar/subwoofer integration issues where some important frequencies are missing, or the bass gets boomy and unnatural.
American speaker maker Atlantic Technology seems to have solved the whole "needs mo bass" problem with something they call "H-PAS" (Hybrid Pressure Acceleration System). H-PAS allows you to squeeze really deep bass (all the way down to about 47 Hz) out of a fairly compact one-piece speaker cabinet. The only drawback? It's expensive. Atlantic Technology's PowerBar 235 soundbar (with H-PAS) normally sells for about $800.
This bundle includes the PowerBar 235 powered soundbar as well as a wireless Bluetooth adapter so you can stream music from your phone or tablet.
But for a limited time (not sure how long), Amazon has the PowerBar 235 on sale for $401.43, even throwing in a free Bluetooth wireless adapter so you can stream music from your phone or tablet right to the soundbar without any wires. Here's the link (note: price may change but was current as of June 20, 2014):
I've heard this soundbar many times at trade shows, with music and movies and it has never failed to impress me with its rich, balanced sound and deep extended bass. I always check the room for a hidden subwoofer, because it just seems impossible that all that sound could come out of a fairly small box.
The Atlantic Technology PowerBar 235 with H-PAS features a plethora of digital and analog inputs.
In terms of hookup to your TV, it's pretty straightforward. The simplest way to connect it would be one fiberoptic cable from your TV to the bar, and this would work for all connected sources. But if you prefer connecting components directly to the soundbar, it has plenty of inputs for that. The unit features two Toslink optical digital inputs, one coax digital input and two stereo analog connections (rear RCA and front panel mini-jack). It includes on-board decoding for Dolby Digital and DTS surround so it will work with Blu-ray, cable, satellite DVD or any streaming media service. This package also includes the BTAA-50 Bluetooth Audio Adapter with aptX technology for high quality wireless streaming from any Bluetooth-capable phone or tablet.
There are a couple of things to consider, though. As far as soundbars go, this unit is fairly beefy: 43 x 6.5 x 6.5 inches, weighing 18 pounds. It can be hung on a wall, but it will protude a bit more than most flat panel TVs. It's probably better suited to sitting on a stand or entertainment console. Also, as with most soundbars, there are no rear channel speaker options. You can get simulated 3-channel and 5-channel surround but it is only that: simulated. If you want discrete rear speakers, you'll need to look elsewhere.
But if you're looking for clear, powerful and articulate sound from a single, simple powered speaker, the AT PowerBar 235 is an excellent choice (and now, at an excellent price).
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