Hisense 2021 Soundbars Overview
In the world of home theater enthusiasts, soundbars are often shunned. But for most people, a soundbar is a really good and inexpensive way to upgrade the sound in your room. Sure, it isn’t as good as a full surround sound setup, but it is way better than the speakers built into your display. One of the things that soundbars often lack is bass. Hisense has addressed this with their 2021 soundbar offerings. All three come with included wireless subwoofers. While these won’t take the place of a dedicated subwoofer, they certainly will offer more low-end extension than standalone soundbars. So, let’s take a look at Hisense’s 2021 soundbar offerings.
Three Models with Many Shared Features
Hisense has three new soundbar models for 2021. Before we get into the differences, there are a lot of things these have in common. All have an included wireless subwoofer. They can be connected to your display via HDMI with either ARC or eARC connection. Roku-ready is built into all three soundbars. This allows you to connect your Roku device and use your Roku remote. The remote will control both the Roku device and the soundbar without the need to enable HDMI CEC. Lastly, all three soundbars have Bluetooth connectivity allowing you to stream your favorite music directly to the soundbar.
One of the limitations of the Hisense 2021 soundbars is the omission of DTS compatibility. None of these soundbars can decode DTS natively. If your display can decode DTS, the soundbars can all accept PCM. If not, you’ll be limited to only Dolby codecs.
Hisense HS212F Soundbar
The HS212F is the entry-level soundbar from Hisense. At $199 MSRP and immediately being sold for less, the HS212F sports two 60 watt speakers and a 120 watt wireless subwoofer. The sub has a 6.5″ driver. There is a front readout that shines through the grill and top touch-capacitance controls. The HS212F measures in at 37.8 x 2.2 x 3.3 inches. It has a single HDMI ARC port, a USB port for audio and updates, and optical and 3.5mm audio inputs.
Hisense HS219 Soundbar
For 2021, the HS219 soundbar raises the bar over the HS212F. This soundbar has four 30 watt speakers and a 360 watt subwoofer. There is a dedicated tweeter as well as a full-range driver on each side. The HS219 measures in at 39.3 x 2.4 x 3.7 inches. It retails for $279 but is already on sale at Best Buy for $199. It has the same complement of ports as the HS212F soundbar. The frequency response of the HS219 and the HS212F are similar but expect the HS219 to perform better in larger rooms.
Hisense HS312 Soundbar
The Hisense HS312 soundbar ups the ante and adds Dolby Atmos. This not only requires a more powerful HDMI connection (eARC rather than the ARC of the other two soundbars) but also more speakers. The HS312 has six 30 watt speakers and a 240 watt rear-ported wireless subwoofer. The six speakers are split into three channels making this the only Hisense 2021 soundbar with a dedicated center channel. With Dolby Atmos enabled, expect the HS312 to try to surround you with sound.
Like the HS219, the HS312 has a tweeter and full-range driver for each of the three channels. The HS312 adds two additional HDMI inputs making it the only soundbar from Hisense this year that can accept additional HDMI sources. It measures in at 38.6 x 2.4 x 3.5 inches. The HS312 retails for $399.
Conclusion
All the Hisense 2021 soundbars are relatively small, compact, and come with a subwoofer for extra bass. While they all have the same rated frequency response (40Hz to 20kHz), you can assume that the more expensive ones will fill larger rooms. While these won’t outperform dedicated surround sound systems, they will be a significant upgrade to your TV’s speakers. The wireless subwoofers make for easy placement and the Roku integration will surely be enticing for some.
For more information, visit Hisense.com.
