While I’ve always had my eye on great gaming audio in headsets, I always seem to overlook the audio that I hear when I don’t feel like being isolated. TV audio really doesn’t cut it for me so there seemed only one other place to look; soundbars.

Monoprice’s SB-300 Virtual Dolby Atmos Soundbar offers a vibrant and powerful range of sound that’s easy to set up, gorgeous to listen to, and allows users to tailor its sound to their specific needs. This is definitely one to have on your list.

What’s In The Box

Besides the sleek and honestly petite SB-300 Soundbar, you’ll also find its feature-filled remote, power cable, HDMI cable, 3.5mm audio cable, and mounting brackets and screws. Though I would’ve appreciated seeing an optical cable included, it’s something that I can personally live without.

Besides that, everything that you’d need to get this thing up and running is right at your fingertips. Luckily, it’s also extremely easy to set up so it takes mere minutes to start enjoying Dolby Atmos.

Aesthetics and Build Quality

As I said before, the SB-300 is actually pretty slim and not too long either. It’s very aesthetically pleasing because it blends in very well and doesn’t try to be anything more than what it needs to be. It doesn’t get in the way of the screen either and sat just at the bezzle of my TV.

Build quality-wise, it’s a structurally sound and durable device as well. The front metal “grill” and its plastic housing feel as if they could take a bit of a beating, though I would assume that devices like this really don’t make too much contact with hazards aside from maybe a child walking up to it and hitting it with a toy. The buttons on both it and the remote are also very responsive and feel good too.

Specs and Audio Quality

The real meat of the SB-300 is what it’s packing under the hood. There are a bunch of very efficient and easy-to-use features that help users to customize their experience without having to worry about doing too much.

Virtual Dolby Atmos
Two HDMI inputs and an HDMI eARC output
Bluetooth and USB streaming
Coaxial and optical digital inputs
3.5mm analog audio input
4 DSP sound modes

My most recent experience with soundbars before this one was that I really didn’t think that they were all that important. Most for me at least didn’t seem that easy to use and made changing my audio more complex than anything. Luckily, the SB-300 is the exact opposite.

When it came to hooking it up, my TV immediately accepted it as its sole audio source (while in the preferred ARC port), giving me the chance to control it via the TV remote. It’s the ease of access like that which makes for a user-friendly experience from start to finish.

When it comes to audio; Monoprice really blew my socks off with this one. I was instantly tickled pink when I heard just how vibrant and clear it really is. Whether it’s watching a movie, playing a game, or listening to music, you will get the best audio you can through this. Bass and treble sound very well balanced right out of the box with bass giving a nice lower rumble contrasting perfectly with the voices and sounds happening in the foreground.

It’s also worth noting that you can toggle the virtual surround, bass/treble, voice/sport/movie/music sound modes, play/pause/skip/back buttons, all inputs (including Bluetooth), and even the LED light brightness on the SB-300. It’s so cool to see so many of the device’s features laid out right on the remote without it having to be a convoluted maze.

Going along with that, the LED indicator on the front of the SB-300 really does a great job at letting you know what settings you have running at all times. It’s especially important that the range for the IR sensor is fantastic and even does a good job if there’s something in its way.

What It Could Have Done Better

My single real complaint about the SB-300 is that it isn’t as “gamer-friendly” as it could be. By this, I mean that there isn’t any kind of input-lag compensation built right into its virtual surround feature. I’m unsure if it’s the fault of my TV or this device but there was a noticeable amount of lag between what was going on on-screen and what was being heard. Though when I turned off this feature, the audio fell in sync.

Whether it’s the fault of my TV or this device, having some kind of gaming feature would help in mitigating something like that from happening at all. That being said, the audio even out of the virtual surround feature sounds leagues better than anything my TV has to offer from its cheap internal speakers.

Verdict

At $179 the SB-300 Virtual Dolby Atmos Soundbar is giving some killer audio and features that make it an excellent all-around way to breath new life into your livingroom or bedroom. Though there was lag (at least for me) while gaming with the virtual surround on, its audio is still fantastic even when that setting is turned off.

Additionally, watching TV or listening to music was an exciting experience, especially when it came to experimenting with the remote and DSP modes that this thing has to offer. If you’re in the market for a soundbar that hits a multitude of checks and offers versatility throughout all aspects of your entertainment, then look no further.