Almost sure to be an upgrade on basic TV sound: this super-cheap Dolby Atmos soundbar system impressed me with its impactful bass I just wish it sounded more expansive

Date:
Tue, 09 Jun 2026 01:00:00 +0000

Description:
I couldnt believe how bass-heavy this tiny soundbar system was its just a shame its Dolby Atmos performance fell short.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Majority
Bowfell Halo Atmos review At a glance, the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos
almost seems too good to be true. Its a 5.1 channel system with a dedicated sub, rear speakers, and even Dolby Atmos support. And at just 169 (about $230 / AU$320), this system seems like an incredible value-for-money pick. But is it just a high-potential value proposition on paper? Or can it realize that potential in reality?

Well, in a number of ways, Id argue the Bowfell Halo Atmos punches well above its weight. For instance, the included sub supplies genuinely hard-hitting, impactful bass that can really take movies to the next level. When watching Top Gun: Maverick , the roar of the jet engine was so much more full-sounding using the Halo Atmos rather than basic TV audio, and it didnt sound boomy or muddy, but instead genuinely clean and sophisticated. I was generally impressed with the might of the Halo Atmos subwoofer, especially considering its limited confines something that helps this model to compete with some of the best cheap soundbars . Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

So, if you want deeper audio to make ambient movie scores and action
sequences feel that bit more involving, then this sub should serve you well.

Thats not to say youre getting perfect audio from this mini surround system, though. For instance, music playback isnt amazing. Despite having its own EQ mode, music often sounded a little thin, and lacked the detail Ive
experienced from other cheap soundbars. Having said that, some stereo mixes could sound pretty punchy in the low end, which made some deeper tracks sound solid just dont expect an expansive soundstage or impeccable balance across the frequency range.

Perhaps more importantly, the Dolby Atmos effects on this soundbar are pretty underwhelming. A lot of this comes down to the main bar it has no upfiring drivers, meaning you only get virtualized height elements, and with its
narrow form and limited power, youre hardly getting wonderful width or expansiveness.

Going back to Maverick , a movie with a lot of sudden upward movement, the Halo Atmos struggled to conjure up much of a sense of verticality, even when Tom Cruise flies a jet up and straight over the viewer. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Moving over to The Mask , in the scenes where Jim Carreys character spins around the screen in a cartoonish manner, the width and depth of his movement wasnt exactly tracked with pin-point precision. This is understandable given the Halo Atmos physical and technical limitations, but its worth noting for those hoping for an immersive Atmos experience.

But thats not to say this soundbar is poor-sounding. For example, dialogue is pretty clear overall, and will be a step-up over the obscured, unclear tinniness produced by some smaller TVs. When Stanley and Tina had a conversation at the bank in The Mask , I never felt the need to flick subtitles on or crank the volume up their speech was clear and concise.

In larger, echoey spaces, dialogue can sometimes sound a little artificial, and I found that speech could get a little harsh at high volumes. But
overall, voices are fairly well handled on the Bowfell Halo Atmos.

And all in all, you get pretty cinematic sound from this system. The sub offers impressive depth, and the small rear speakers give some multi-dimensionality to action sequences and busier scenes.

At times, it did feel like the cohesion between the main bar and rears
couldve been better, with some high-octane segments sounding a tad disjointed as audio moved from the front to the back but I was still happy with the surround speakers overall, and you can adjust their volume if needed, depending on how far away they are from you. (Image credit: Future) Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos (Black) at Amazon for 168.95 Beyond sound, this system is packed with just about all the features youd want at this price. You can
alter channel level, EQ modes, and adjust playback with the included remote, and also cycle through various connectivity modes. Theres the obvious HDMI eARC, but youre also getting digital optical, 3.5mm, Bluetooth 5.3m, and USB the latter of which only works if you have a compatible flash drive.

Theres no Wi-Fi streaming, which provides the most seamless and highest-quality way to consume wireless audio, but thats certainly to be expected from a system under 169 (about $230 / AU$320).

One omission worth flagging is DTS. So, if youre watching a 4K Blu-ray with only this format, your player or TV will need to do the decoding. Having said that, the Dolby Atmos onboard hardly impressed me, so its not as if adding DTS:X spatial sound seems like it would be a game changer.

Before I wrap this up, lets talk a little about design. Its really impressive how Majority crammed a competent surround sound system into such a small package, and that small footprint makes it ideal for limited spaces, or small TVs. It feels as if it was made with people who live in small apartments, or want to enhance audio for a spare room TV, say.

However, the build quality of the Bowfell Halo Atmos is not very good. It feels really plasticky, giving it an almost toy-like appearance. Similarly, the remote feels low-quality, and I preferred to use the main TV remote wherever possible. The LED display, though functional, should communicate things more clearly; Im not sure why Majority decided to call the movie EQ
EQ2 rather than, you know, movie or something. (Image credit: Future) At
least setup was easy. The rears need to be connected together with a cable, and the master unit is then plugged into the power. Some may not like the amount of cable involved here, but for the price, its a solid solution.

You dont have to plug the rears into the main soundbar or anything too, so technically theyre semi-wireless. The sub and main bar can go right into the power, and then you can use an HDMI cord to get started right away theres no awkward pairing or anything required.

And from there, the soundbar was very easy to use. I did experience an occasional issue where dialogue cut out when watching movies, but this always resolved with a simple restart, and I was unable to confirm if it was the fault of the soundbar, the TV or the cable.

So, here we are at the end of it all. Is the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos
worth its asking price? I think it is, all things considered. You get solid surround sound with impressive bass and clear albeit imperfect dialogue, a neat lineup of connectivity options, and a simple setup process.

There are some glaring issues such as the underwhelming Dolby Atmos, limited musicality, and no DTS support but all in all, youre getting a mini soundbar system that feels worth the investment, and one thats almost sure to be an upgrade on basic TV sound. (Image credit: Future) Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos review: price & release date 169 (about $230 / AU$320) Released February 2026 The Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos is part of the wider Bowfell range, and released in February 2026. It comes in at 169 (about $230 /AU$320), and is
yet to launch in US and Australian markets as of June 2026. Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos review: specs Swipe to scroll horizontally

Dimensions

Soundbar: 15.9 x 3.5 x 2.4 inches / 405 x 90 x 62mm; subwoofer: 7.2 x 5.9 x 12.6 inches / 185 x 150 x 320mm; rear speakers: 3.5 x 2.4 inches / 90 x 62mm

Speaker channels

5.1

Connections

HDMI eARC, digital optical, AUX, USB, Bluetooth 5.3

Dolby Atmos / DTS:X

Yes / No

Sub included

Yes

Rear speakers included

Yes (Image credit: Future) Should I buy the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos?
Swipe to scroll horizontally

Attribute

Notes

Score

Features

Decent connectivity options, channel and EQ options, no DTS or Wi-Fi streaming.

4/5

Performance

Very limited Dolby Atmos, and music playback isnt great, but impactful bass and decent dialogue.

3.5/5

Design

Highly compact, practical form, but low build quality, and unclear LED display.

3/5

Setup & usability

Seamless pairing, simple setup, but still a few wires and occasional audio cut-outs.

3.5/5

Value

Dolby Atmos is underwhelming, but you still get fairly cinematic sound at a low price.

4/5 Buy it if You want an upgrade on basic TV audio Although its Dolby Atmos is pretty lacking, the Halo Atmos still serves up decent bass performance and fairly clear dialogue. That in itself is an improvement over a lot of TVs basic audio output especially if were talking about smaller sets. Youve got limited space to work with Perhaps the biggest benefit of this model is its compact size. If you live in a small apartment, for instance, then the Halo Atmos should easily slot into your living space. Dont buy it if You want premium sound quality Although the Halo Atmos provides solid cinematic audio for its size, youre not getting the most nuanced spatial sound or perfect dialogue ever. The options in the Also consider section will provide more in terms of clarity, if you want great audio at a low price. You're looking for
a real statement piece Unfortunately, Majoritys compact soundbar system
doesnt look the most attractive. It has a very plasticky finish, and so if
you want something thats stylish, it may not be a great fit. Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos review: also consider Swipe to scroll horizontally Header Cell - Column 0

Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos

Sony HT-SF150

Hisense AX5125H

Price

169 (about $230 / AU$320)

$129 / 99 / AU$194

$299 / 349 (roughly AU$449)

Dimensions

Soundbar: 15.9 x 3.5 x 2.4 inches / 405 x 90 x 62mm; subwoofer: 7.2 x 5.9 x 12.6 inches / 185 x 150 x 320mm; rear speakers: 3.5 x 2.4 inches / 90 x 62mm

35.4 x 2.5 x 3.5 inches / 900 x 64 x 88mm

Soundbar: 36.2 x 18.8 x 3.5 inches / 920 x 478 x 90mm; subwoofer: 8.5 x 12.3
x 11.9 inches / 210.5 x 310 x 300mm; rear speakers: 3.6 x 5.7 x 4.3 inches / 90.1 x 140.5 x 110mm

Speaker channels

5.1

2.0

5.1.2

Connections

HDMI eARC, digital optical, AUX, USB, Bluetooth 5.3

HDMI, digital optical, USB, Bluetooth 4.2

HDMI eARC, 1x HDMI in, digital optical, AUX, USB, Bluetooth 5.3

Dolby Atmos / DTS:X

Yes / No

No / No

Yes / Yes

Sub included

Yes

No

Yes

Rear speakers included

Yes

No

Yes Sony HT-SF150 Clear dialogue, impressive width, and clean bass. Thats
what you get with the Sony HT-SF150, which is a cheap but quality standalone soundbar ideal for anyone on a budget. It doesnt have Dolby Atmos, but it
does use Sonys S-Force Front Surround virtual processing, which aims to produce cinema-style surround sound and does so with commendable accuracy. Read my full Sony HT-SF150 review . Hisense AX5125H Were massive fans of this budget-friendly soundbar system from Hisense, which is often available for less than 250 in the UK. With genuinely decent Dolby Atmos, pleasantly clear dialogue, and punchy bass, theres just so much to love about this cheap system. Read our full Hisense AX5125H review . How I tested the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos (Image credit: Future) Tested for a week period Connected to an LG B6 TV Mainly used HDMI eARC connectivity I tested the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos within a one week period, and used it while watching movies, streaming video, and listening to music. For the vast majority of my time with the soundbar system, I had it connected to the LG B6 OLED TV via HDMI eARC.

During critical listening sessions, I made sure to use a range of 4K
Blu-rays, which I played using the Panasonic DP-UB820 . When listening to music, I connected over Bluetooth and steamed tunes via Tidal ensuring to
try out a range of Dolby Atmos and stereo format tracks.

More generally, Ive spent years testing audio-visual gear here at TechRadar, and have reviewed everything from budget-friendly models like the Hisense HS214 to premium Dolby Atmos systems like the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite
7 Pro . Read TechRadars reviews guarantee First reviewed: June 2026 Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos: Price Comparison 168.95 View We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices powered by



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