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EnVivo Bluetooth Soundstage 

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One problem with a sound bar is that to get a good improvement on the ‘naff’ sound coming from your TV is that you really need both the soundbar and a sub-woofer, probably expensive and for a lot of people it needs more space, here a different solution a Soundstage.

EnVivo Bluetooth Soundstage
click image to enlarge

So there are a few around and they are not cheap but this offering that goes on sale TOMORROW Thursday 26th November 2015 - as with all ALDI specials - when they are gone they are gone and at the price they are selling it at they will not be available for long.

In essence it’s a black box measuring 54x31x8cm and it will fit under your TV providing the TV stands legs are not wider than 54cm. It is stated to stand up to 30KG placed on it, few recent TVs weigh anywhere near that.

Unlike a lot of soundbars that require you to have Optical Out this uses the 3.5mm socket that most TVs – even older ones – have. A lead is provided to run between the RCA sockets on the soundbar to 3.5mm socket on your TV.

Before I talk about the improvement in sound quality you can also use a 3.5mm to 3.5mm lead to output from any device with a 3.5mm socket to get better sound this could be your SmartPhone an MP3 Player or any other audio source.

The third choice is Bluetooth and full instructions on linking are given in the 12 Page A5 User Manual which has an easy to read font and enough illustrations.

The front has an LED that will dim to nothing after a few seconds so no distraction there; it shows as Red, Green, Yellow or Blue dependant on mode.

The rear has just on/off rocker button beside the 3.5mm power input who’s lead goes to a small 13AMP power brick. Beside this is the 3.5 Auxiliary input and towards the other end of the back the two RCA sockets.

There is a 14 button remote powered by two ‘AAA’ batteries (provided) and what the buttons do is well marked and also explained in the manual.

I tested it with several items using the Auxiliary input (3.5mm). I also paired two different Bluetooth devices but the majority of my very short test period of a few days was spent using it in TV mode via the supplied lead.

So how much does the sound quality improve? A lot, there is plenty of bass as well as treble so the problem associated with small TV speakers is overcome.

My tests were conducted at 30% of the TV volume level which gave a better range of sound and the Soundstage at maximum volume, but should you want to annoy the neighbours increase the Soundstage to 50% and you will become deaf very quickly. Normally if watching a US movie with just TV as the output the volume level is set higher and higher as you go on till there is no improvement in speech but you then get deafened by music or sound effects.

For normal viewing such as speaking to camera – news etc. – I found 20% of the TV’s volume level to be a perfectly acceptable level.

I have a quite modern TV but certainly I noticed a big difference. As an older person my hearing range is somewhat reduced, this normally means that movies are a problem plenty of noise for the effects but normal spoken conversation especially those in the higher range is a problem. So for the tests I forced myself to watch several US movies that are normally the worst sound quality wise than their UK counterparts.

Apart from you having separate Volume, Bass and Treble controls on the remote there are also three buttons with settings for Music, Movie or Normal which may satisfy.

This is a 2.1 sound system with 10watt left and right speakers and 30watt sub-woofer. It comes with a three year warranty.

As stated this will be available from ALDI stores TOMORROW 26th November 2015 most stores open at 8AM. It is available for the very keen price of £39.99. I have no hesitation in giving it highly commended status.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/thur-26-nov/product-detail/ps/p/bluetooth-soundstage/

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What our readers said!

Rating:

Comment by Ivor, 15 Mar 2016 19:48

Sorry, that should ave been a :) on the rating!
Rating:

Comment by Ivor, 15 Mar 2016 19:47

I am really pleased with the Soundstage I have just bought. I am a bit hard of hearing and wanted something better than standard computer speakers for desktop computer. I was contemplating getting a mini-system with bluetooth but went for this instead and I am so pleased I did.

I have a Logitech active speaker & sub-woofer computer speakers for an old laptop we use in the kitchen to listen to the radio and the sound from this is superior.

The sound is fantastic. The trebles are sharp; I can hear the S and T sounds in speech and music, something I cannot usually hear from speakers. The bass is clear too and even with the volume up full, which louder than I ever need, there is no distortion.

The unit is about the same width as my 23" monitor and there is space to move the monitor backwards and forwards, which is useful for those who use glasses.

The Soundstage looks and feels neat and well made, as does the remote.

It was dead easy to set up. I didn't read the instructions and had it up and running in under 5 minutes.

Some people may find the cables a little bit short. They were just the right length for my computer, but would not have been if I had been connecting it to my wall mounted TV. The 3.5mm to phono cable that is supplied is easily replaced with a longer (and better quality) lead, but the low-voltage cable from the transformer to the unit is quite short.

Bluetooth connected first time.

This really is great value for money.

9.5/10

Thanks for the review that persuaded me to buy this.

Rating:

Comment by Terence O'Reilly, 26 Jan 2016 15:51

Hello Paul, Great report on Envivo Soundstage and I have now purchased one. I have not installed yet as I wish to establish the exact weight of the Envivo Soundstage to ensure my table is not overloaded with tv and Soundstage.
My existing tv is a 32"Sharp Aquos which sits on a Glass table 71cmL X 36cmW x 46cmH and I intend to purchase a Techwood 40"4K LED tv to sit with the Soundstage on a Glass table 80cmL x 45mmW x 48cmH. Please advise weight of Soundstage and any advice on suitability of my existing and proposed tables would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you and Best Regards
T. O'Reilly   
Rating:

Comment by peter clarke, 4 Jan 2016 11:06

bought the sound stage so that i could bluetooth my head phone to it but no joy tried various headsets still no joy so its going back.
Rating:

Comment by paul_smart, 4 Dec 2015 18:43

I know someone who a similar problem - don't know what TV he has - and he solved it by connecting RCA to RCA leads rather than the RCA to 3.5mm lead supplied.
Hope this helps as the SoundStage must be OK as you say it works with another TV.
Rating:

Comment by Gary, 4 Dec 2015 16:58

Help Please?

Soundstage works great with Samsung Tv and Bluetooth Items but not with Blaupunkt TV - tried all leads suggested and nothing works except 3.5mm cable which just gives a substandard sound which is non adjustable

Any ideas?
Rating:

Comment by paul_smart, 28 Nov 2015 7:23

In my test sample - same stock - the TV sound is cutout when you plug in the lead to the 3.5mm socket. Are you positive that you have the 3.5mm plug fully inserted.

Paul

Rating:

Comment by steve nicholl, 27 Nov 2015 20:23

sound is great BUT I cannot get sound to sync with the tv Everything you watch is out by 1-2 seconds ANYONE HELP   or its going back.

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Smiley Rating

Features2
Performance2
Value2
Ease of use2
Design2
OverallEnVivo Bluetooth Soundstage rated 92 out of 100
Highly commended product

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