Alongside toothbrushes, canine known as “canine”, and ex-pro hurdler Marina Stepanova, Sky’s Soundbox seems to have graduated from the varsity of literal naming. It delivers sound. From a field.

Yes, a field. Based on its dimensions alone, then, it is a bit of an odd-one-out within the dwelling cinema world: not bar-shaped like a soundbar, but additionally not sufficiently big to assist a TV and qualify as a soundbase both.

But don’t be concerned an excessive amount of about that, as a result of the Soundbox guarantees to provide your telly the kind of sound it is lengthy deserved. And that is received to be extra necessary than what form it’s.

DESIGN AND BUILD: YES, IT’S A BOX

Think of the Soundbox as a large lunchbox, however one and not using a carton of apple juice and a Penguin inside. Or, if we’re conserving comparisons on-tech, a Sonos Play:5 on its again.

Its quite compact 37.5 x 21cm proportions imply it isn’t a lot greater than a Sky Q field itself, however it’s nonetheless too deep to take a seat in entrance of a TV. Instead, it’s designed to perch on a rack simply in entrance of your telly. Still, it is pretty quick at round 9.5cm, so that you should not must peer excessive of it throughout subtitled movies or when the Sky Sports soccer scores are available.

The Soundbox’s form and measurement aren’t the most important curveballs Sky is throwing, nevertheless. That’d be the worth. 

The Soundbox is £250 for present and new Sky Q Multiscreen clients and £300 for present Sky TV clients. For everybody else? £800. (No, that’s not a typo, and sure, that’s virtually the worth of a complete 12 months’s subscription to Sky‘s Q Silver Bundle.) 

The discounted fee definitely units a brand new bar for loyalty rewards packages. However, the costly base worth is less complicated to swallow upon studying that it is truly made by – soft-spoken inflection and French accent on the prepared? – Devialet. If you’re cluelessly nodding away such as you used to do in French class, allow us to provoke you. 

The French model (pronounced “duh-vē-a-lay”) is just like the cool, wealthy child of the hi-fi world; a magnet for superlatives because of its futuristic, omnipotent £1500+ Phantom wi-fi audio system and multi-thousand-pound amplifiers. But realising its buyer base is proscribed to house owners of financial institution accounts with a number of zeros (or these keen to promote physique organs), Devialet is on a mission to make “smaller, lighter and extra reasonably priced” merchandise – and the Soundbox is its first modesty costume. 

It’s a win-win for each collaborators. Devialet will get the eye of over 20 million Sky subscribers, whereas Sky can go away the Soundbox in protected palms and sleep simple. Whether they’ll problem Kim and Kanye as the last word energy couple remains to be to be seen (or certainly heard)… 

Devialet hasn’t fairly began afresh, both. Like the Phantoms, the Soundbox has a sealed enclosure and makes use of the model’s push-push woofer know-how to ship deep bass response from a closed cupboard. Class D amplifiers drive six 7.5cm woofers (two front-firing, 4 side-firing firing) and three 5cm full-range drivers. 

Inside there’s additionally processing that works like a street junction to separate audio frequencies to particular audio system – ambient sounds, for instance, are pointed to the rear-side ones to allow them to replicate them off the wall round you for a extra immersive soundfield.

Sound: A small field with a giant presence

So, the make-or-break query: does it sound immersive? To discover out, we join our telly by way of the Soundbox’s 4K-supporting HDMI enter and output (there’s additionally an optical socket, and a USB enter and Bluetooth for music playback), and put our toes as much as The Grand Tour. 

Like most Michelin-starred meals, the compact Soundbox calls for to not be underestimated for its measurement, throwing out a sound that’s as wide-open because the Californian desert the trio drive by means of.

It’s a small field with a giant presence – simply don’t count on correct “encompass sound”; it’s no miracle-worker. And whereas it hardly makes you are feeling such as you’re within the automotive with Clarkson and co, engine noise feels guttural sufficient to be known as “expertise altering” – at the least when in comparison with listening by means of bog-standard TV audio system. 

SPECIAL FEATURES: IT’S BETTER WITH SKY Q

The jewel in its sonic crown, thoughts you, is its penchant for vocal supply. And, to attract direct inspiration from Amazon’s present Clarkson-starring Fire TV Stick advert, it’s excellent news if you happen to just like the sound of Clarkson’s voice much more than he does, as a result of it actually captures his gusto and anchors it with spectacular weight.

In reality, Sky claims buyer suggestions included folks’s want for clearer dialogue whereas watching TV. To that finish, it has not solely breathed readability and richness into the Soundbox’s midrange but additionally created Soundbox-specific audio settings for Sky Q customers.

Press the ‘?’ key on the Sky distant and three consumer sound modes pop up. ‘Speech’ enhances voices; ‘Kids’ units a restricted quantity to guard your kiddiwinks’ lugs; and ‘Late Night’ reduces bass ranges to maintain the moaning neighbours at bay.

More spectacular nonetheless is the ‘Q Sound’ mode, whose objective is to create a extra involving audio expertise: it identifies the metadata of the content material you’re watching and matches it to 3 sound profiles throughout the Soundbox – sport, music or cinema.

We give it a attempt with the Rugby Union and instantly discover that stadium noise is atmospherically amplified. For the sake of a button press, we’d definitely hold it on. Our solely peeve is its lack of absolute bass and dynamic punch – one thing that involves the fore when swinging cranes creak throughout Death Note’s motion climax, and as buoyant basslines come into play once we stream Kendrick Lamar’s HUMBLE. over Bluetooth. Ultimately, although, the Soundbox is a born entertainer.

Sky Soundbox verdict

As with birthdays, there are two methods to take a look at Sky’s Soundbox.

Full-priced, it isn’t fairly particular sufficient that we might advocate it over the almighty (in sound and measurement) class-leading Dali Kubik One. It might do with a better punch and bass enhance to the sound, for starters, and in the end that box-like kind is not fairly as user-friendly as a soundbar or -base. Dolby Atmos could be good too, particularly contemplating Sky Q is broadcasting 124 matches of the Premier League 2017/18 season within the encompass sound format.

Not in Sky’s camp and don’t plan to be? Then maybe swipe left on the Soundbox.

But in case you are a Sky buyer…? Well then it is a completely different story. And one with a a lot happier ending.

That £250/£300 price ticket is low sufficient that any minor quibbles about its kind fade away, whereas the audio high quality you are getting right here is method above the rest at that worth. Throw within the undeniable fact that it sounds higher nonetheless when teamed with Sky Q and it appears to be like like a no brainer. 

Is it the very best sound… thingy on the earth? Obviously not. But is it one of the best ways for a Sky buyer to improve their telly-watching expertise? You betcha.