The Ultimea Poseidon D60 is affordable for a 5.1 channel soundbar system, and impresses with solid surround speakers, generally clear dialogue, and broad connectivity options. However, you\u2019ll have to make some sacrifices in terms of quality, with limited height effects, underpowered bass, and a wired setup that can get a bit messy.<\/p>\n
Solid surround speakers create decent immersion<\/p>\n
No upfiring speakers for Atmos height effects<\/p>\n
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Looking to unleash the power of surround sound on your living room without breaking the bank? Then the Ultimea Poseidon D60 surely seems like a tempting proposition. This 5.1 channel system comes with a compact main bar, a small subwoofer, and a couple of surround speakers, enabling you to experience more expansive audio than your TV can provide alone.<\/p>\n
Not only that, but the D60 supports Dolby Atmos, has a wide array of connectivity options, and customizable sound. All of that for less than $200 \/ \u00a3200? Seems like a sweet deal.<\/p>\n
But is the Ultimea Poseidon D60 actually worth considering? Can it compete with some of the best cheap soundbars around? I spent a few days testing it, and this is my verdict.<\/p>\n
First things first, let\u2019s talk setting up. The D60 isn\u2019t especially hard to get up and running. The sub is wireless, and pre-paired to the main soundbar, and both of those units just need to be hooked up with a power cable, as well as an HDMI or digital optical cord for the bar itself. However, the rear speakers are not wireless \u2014 you have to connect them up to the subwoofer with RCA cables. Depending on your placement of the sub, this can look pretty messy, and I prefer the solution offered by models like the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos, where you wire the two surround speakers together with just one linked to a power output.<\/p>\n
Otherwise, setup is simple. You can use either the included remote, or Ultimea\u2019s companion app to adjust aspects such as channel levels, EQ settings, source controls and more. The included remote looks and feels a bit cheap and I found that it wasn\u2019t always perfectly responsive, but the D60 does have HDMI CEC support, meaning you can simply use your main TV remote to alter the soundbar\u2019s volume.<\/p>\n
More generally, I have to say that the Poseidon D60 does look as cheap as its price suggests. It\u2019s not an eye sore or anything, but each constituent part of the system is very plasticky and does little to stand out in a fairly convoluted market of plain black boxes. The LED display on the bar is also pretty small, and not the clearest.<\/p>\n
Something I will applaud about the D60\u2019s design, though, is how diminutive it is. The main bar, sub, and rears are all very small, and can easily fit into a smaller living space. Even in my relatively cramped apartment, the full system seamlessly slotted into my setup and, even if you\u2019re limited on space behind you, the rear speakers can be placed beside the main bar for front surround effects.<\/p>\n
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But anyway, you must be wondering how the Ultimea Poseidon D60 performs by now, right? Well, in all honesty, it exceeded my expectations.<\/p>\n
I started by throwing on my 4K UHD Blu-ray copy of The Boy and the Heron, and there were some positives right out of the gate. In a scene where the protagonist, Mahito, exits his house, the surround speakers did a great job of conjuring up immersion, with the sounds of birds and crickets chirping coming through with impressive clarity. Shortly after, the heron flew towards me on-screen, and the directionality was captured well \u2014 I almost jumped back in my seat.<\/p>\n
As the heron swooped to the side, the D60 mapped his movement with precision, and it sounded as if he extended past the confines of my screen. As Mahito and the heron conversed, I found that the dialogue was pretty clean too. It wasn\u2019t the most forward or expertly separated, but I had no issue following along \u2014 it didn\u2019t sound muffled or tinny as I\u2019ve experienced on other soundbars.<\/p>\n