Product Review: Orbitsound SB60LX

Orbitsound came seemingly out of nowhere a few years back, creating dinky TV soundbars for those with space issues, whilst maintaining a level of quality normally reserved for bigger boxes. We take a look at one of their latest stablemates, the SB60LX…

Designed to sit under a television rather than on a separate shelf, sound bases bring the same benefits as with soundbars, with extra space for improved amplification and subwoofer drive units.

It’s fair to say that these types of speaker generally offer pretty plain aesthetics, designed to engage our ears and not the eyes. Small design cues pop up from brand to brand, but on the whole the boxes themselves are fairly ho hum and Orbitsound haven’t exactly changed these preconceptions with their first ever sound base.

This isn’t a terrible thing, its sleek and clinical design allows it to blend easily into any set-up and minimalism is certainly welcome in most living rooms right now. The supplied remote on the other hand, is tactile, chunky and simple to use, this is a far cry from the cheap and nasty ‘credit card’ style numbers that come with some products these days.

Sleek and modest in design, the SB60LX.

Connectivity wise, the SB60LX is par for the course. No boats have been rocked in the selection of an optical input, 3.5mm jack, and a set of RCAs. Again, no problems here at all, these are all the plugs you’ll ever need and there’s nothing missing to lose any marks.

Orbitsound have fitted the SB60LX with two front firing drive units and two ‘spatial’ drive units. These are placed one each on the left and right side, designed to give an all encompassing sound, even from a single cabinet. Lastly, a downward firing sub driver is built into the underside, giving that bottom end you need for a bold performance with both movies and music.

Hooked up to our demo room TV via the optical connection, we went straight in at the deep end with the 2014 smash hit ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. Giving us the added benefit of a great soundtrack alongside fantastic action sequences, this was the ideal film to test the SB60LX’s mettle and the results were impressive! ‘Come and Get Your Love’, the Redbone track that our protagonist grooves along to during the intro, sounded full, deep and clear, as did almost every other song played throughout.

Dialogue was expressive, with the two forward firing speakers doing a great job of digging through some of the chattier scenes, and the handy option of changing bass and treble directly from the remote meant that it was easy to tailor the sound to our liking quickly.

Scale and size wasn’t extraordinary, but most one-box sound systems will struggle here (with the exception of some of the higher-end units from the likes of Yamaha). Still, in comparison to models of a similar price, the Orbitsound had enough authority for it to be worthwhile for anybody looking to boost their TV sound. If you’re looking for a seriously immersive experience however, then the truism that you can’t replace a 5.1 system with a single box remains here, you just can’t unfortunately.

Overall then, the SB60LX is a great performer with plenty to recommend about it. Its minimalist stylings mean that it’ll fit in well to almost any living room, connectivity is plentiful, and most importantly, it’s one of the best options at an affordable price level. Well worth a listen!

If you’re interested in boosting the sound for your TV pay us a visit in-store or call our Telesales team on 0333 900 0093, we’ll happily help you pick the perfect product for your home.

Author: Chris, Liverpool store