Very good sound system, always can’t wait to turn it back on again. Sounds fantastic with movies, i’ve tried it many times with my favourite film ( transformers 2) & sounds great. The subwoofer is quite heavy on the bass too, i’ve left it at +1 & it goes up to +6 for how high you want the bass to go up to. Love playing music from it also using the speakers around the house. Can use one of each speaker with bluetooth or use the whole soundbar & spread the speakers around everywhere. Only downside is how much the price is without a sale.
Superb system,looks really good and provides excellent surround sound when speakers are detached for films. I bought this after lots of research and glad i did, it was easy to set up and use, the bluetooth is a great idea and also works well. If you are looking for a sound bar that also give good surround without the wires get this system.
Three weeks in with this – a few thoughts: as others have said, the inputs are limited (i know some people may need more than 2 hdmi slots, and i would rather have more than one optical slot) there could also have been a little more thought about their accessibility. That said, for us, this was replacing an old bose 3-2-1 speaker which has served us superbly for 12 years. So this had a very high bar to impress us. First effort was an outstanding hit – we had it connected via optical cable to our fire tv box and streamed some movies – brilliant, the full effect, it ‘sounded’ superb with noise seemingly bouncing all around us. I guess if that kind of set-up is what your primary use is going to be, then you’ll be very happy. However, certain other set-ups haven’t worked quite as well. For instance our ‘smart’ tv has limited sound output options, but did have bluetooth, so we connected that way and that was frankly woeful. Plugging in and streaming via my pc and an aux cable was ok, but nowhere near as good as i used to get on my bose. I personally couldn’t get the hdmi arc working and am not sure if that is user error on my part, or flawed kit. So, in summary, if you’ve got a simpleish set-up and your primary connection is going to be optical cable then this does a very good job of home cinema sound. It is still worth messing with the height settings to optimise it for your room (very simple to do), but the effect is pleasing. However, if you’re a gadget freak and may want to use it for many devices i do wonder if the connectivity is too limited in that scenario. I’ll update the review if we discover any further issues down the line.
Key specs for Philips B8/12 Fidelio Nano Soundbar Cinema Speaker 5.1 Channel and Wireless Subwoofer with Dolby Atmos – Black:
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by entering your model number. - 5.1.2 Multi-channel for true immersive 3D cinematic sound
- Dolby Atmos and Ambisound delivers a new sense of overhead dimension for wide surround sound experience
- Designed to enhance your living space; Sleek and premium design blends seamlessly with any TV
- HDMI 4K2K pass-through for ultra HD content enjoyment. Connect to HDMI x2 for best ATMOS experience
- Included: Soundbar, Remote Control and Wireless Subwoofer, 2 x AAA Batteries, AC-DC adapter for soundbar, AC power cord (x2), HDMI cable, USB adapter, Wall mount brackets (x2), Wall mount & user guide, Warranty leaflet
Comments from buyers
” had a lot of vouchers) and I was not disappointed. My son recommended it after hearing the B5
, Looks good, just can’t use it
, 5.1 with no wires at last !
“
100% performance out of the box. Use hdmr port and it will communicate with tv. Bluetooth easy to use and surround sound is easy to arrange.
Hi the remote control is missing, was not part of the packaging. It almost impossible to operate and set the device without one. Will be grateful if l can ve it the rest is fine.
Fast delivery & uk plugs fitted. Lovely sound no matter what i play through it. ) adjustable treble is crisp & clear, bass nice & solid even room shaking if dvd requires i. Although only 4 to1 (no centre speaker) you would be hard pushed to notice. Big plus is the wireless detachable rear speakers. After initial room set up is carried out (main unit sends out test signal & adjusts to room acoustics) its unclip the speakers from main unit & place beside/behind you for great sound effects then reclip to main unit to recharge. Sub unit is slightly taller than other units but also quite slim so has small footprint. My tv sits in a corner & sub hides nicely behind. I have had a few 5 to 1 units over the years but this is the overall best all rounder i’ve had.
Excellent sound whether playing movies or playing music via bluetooth. The side speakers also act as either surround sound or standalone blue tooth speakers.
This soundbar from philips absolutely doesn’t disappoint. I can’t believe that we don’t see this product prominent in our shops today. For anyone wanting the convenience of a fabulous quality sound for both tv,movies and music combining the flexibility of a fixed soundbar or separate the two end speakers and have full surround sound system or. And yes there is more the ability to take your speakers to another room or garden and play your music across bluetooth from your phone or tablet in isolation to that speaker. Its easy to set up and neatly provides a connection hub for all your hdmi connections including hdmi arc direct from your tv. It has addition optical connections if you should want to use them but i haven’t as hdmi is easy and simple to use from sky hd box,blue ray player and tv. Well done philips for a great product and if this was demonstrated in large retail stores it would sell like hot cakes.
Best sound bar out there,have orders and sent back 4 sound bars till i got this one ,no other soundboard has wireless detachable speakers.
The concept is very good indeed, but i have had a lot of problems with mine. The volume does not want to remain stable and jumps all over the place?. The hdmi arc input wont accept a digital signal from my tv(panasonic plasma) via my sky box, so i’am forced to use the optical connection for dolby/dts. When i change tv channels it switches back to arc hdmi so the sound goes back to pcm or goes dead?(only sometimes?) philips have a download firmware fix on their website which did fix the volume for about 2 days but now the problem is back?.The fact that they have a firmware(bug fix) on a new product does not bode well. Also when you fast forword any programme there is a very annoying lag before the sound kicks in again, meaning you miss any dialogue at the start of the programme. The remote control looks nice, but is a little plasticky for a product in this price bracket, plus at times is very slow to respond(but again only at times?)i phoned philips and was told that if the firmware upgrade did not work then i should return it to amazon(thanks). Also be aware that it ships with euro two pin mains plugs(figure 8 ends) x2, really annoying if you don’t have spares to hand and no other leads at all(hdmi,optical etc) the voice button to enhance dialogue works at times, but sometimes requires the volume at max to work. On a positive note when it works its not bad at all, playing a blue ray through hdmi one with the speakers detached and calibrated it did a reasonable job for a product of this type, much better than other soundbars i’ve heard and at least you have actual speakers behind you. I shouldpoint out that i have downsized from £5,000.
Let me start by saying this is my first amazon review. I am blown away by the ingenuity of this product. It’s no surprise that the b5 has won a ces 2015 award for design and innovation. If you want surround sound to watch with your favourite movies without annoying your better half with the millions of cables normally required then this is definitely the way to go. The only thing that surprises me is how rubbish philips are at actually marketing this product. This has been on sale in europe since last september and when i contacted philips regarding uk availibilty they had absolutely no clue when it would be launched. I supect that it is still not officially available as my soundbar was delivered from milan. Bravo amazon for stepping up and selling this to the uk market. 00) was an absolute steal compared the rrp of £800.
So glad i made the purchase.
A fantastic way to add some serious depth to tv sound and some convenient music – all in a very simple and easy to use way. . A great addition to the family room: the kids love the music (either via bluetooth or spotify on the tivo box). And we get to enjoy surround sound in the evenings without the hassle of wires, etc. Sound separation in the ‘simulated’ 5. 1 mode isn’t as good as a kef 5. 1 speakers and receiver setup i have in the lounge, but then this is a fraction of the cost and a lot more family friendly. Installation with my philips f8007 tv, popcornhour, tivo and philips bluray has been seamless and popping the speakers out to setup surround sound each evening couldn’t be easieredit: and i’ve now enabled the hdmi arc and i’m using the correct port on the soundbar, so my tv and soundbar have their volumes in sync (and the sound bar powers on in sync with the tv). The volume can all be controlled from any device that can control the tv sound (soundbar remote, tv remote, tivo remote, logitech one, mobile phone, etc). And it is always kept in sync.
Good looking design and sounds nice so no issue there. Great idea with the detachable speakers. If you do not mind several remote controls then there is no problem and i would recommend this soundbar. We do mind though and hence the rating. Our previous set up: samsung ue55es6800 tv, virgin tivio box and soundbar from a competitor. We control all this with one remote control. The virgin tivio box remote. Set up now: as per above but replaced the soundbar with philips’ b5.
As with all philps products, there is a very high quality feel and look to the system. Normally you sacrifice looks for performance. However, thia is not the case here. It is without question the best and most versatile home cinema that i have ever purchased. Over the years i have purchased a lot of expensive units and this was the first sound bar i bought, and to be honest i wasn’t expecting much. I never expected the clarity of sound. Incrediblely easy set up, amazing rich sound with great amount of scope to tune to your liking. No lip syncing lag, as i thought there would be. I wall mounted unit, which also came with a self adhesive template. So basically, everything couldn’t be easier.
I waited a few months for the fidelio b5 to become available on amazon (i had a lot of vouchers) and i was not disappointed. My son recommended it after hearing the b5 in a friends house. He has a bose system himself so this was some recommendation. I found it very easy to set up and the sound quality is crisp with clear notes across the range: superb even at very high volume. The sound bar is also stylish and the rear speakers easy to disconnect and reconnect. The full range of connection possibilities means i can use my old low tech turntable as well as blue tooth from my smartphone. An excellent all round product although more expensive than some lesser competitors.
Can sound a bit over bright when not detached and in movie mode but once detached its absolutely magical. Not quite as good as a full 5. 1 but it don’t have the time or energy for the wire running any more.
‘tiny but mighty’, the fairly large and heavy box declares. This system offers a very compact soundbar that is paired with a substantial sub-woofer, which is thin enough to be placed fairly unobtrusively. The system is easy to set up and get going, and the sound performance is impressive considering how small the soundbar is. It brings depth to the sound along with clear vocals. As with most surround systems, music playback is not as refined as on a decent hi-fi system, but it offers a good sound and does a perfectly good job for playing ‘background music’. If you’re going to spend this sort of money on a surround system, it’s worth considering and auditioning a few options, and it’s fair to say that a system based on multiple satellite speakers will offer something different. But if you are looking for an extremely compact soundbar and a subwoofer you can tuck away somewhere, this system is well worth a listen.
Great spacial soundstage, looks very pretty hanging from the tv, no wires visible. Works with full surround via arc (not all tvs do, mine is a phillips 8007 with ambilight +hue), and shares volume commands via hdmi-cec (so remote is only required for setup). Bluetooth multi-speaker is cool. Not as loud or precise as a full amp and speakers, but for elegance and efficient use of space this soundbar is easily the best for my room, and more than adequate for normal viewing. If you have acoustically consistent walls check out the atmos digital sound projector bars as an alternative.
Not at all impressed by this fidelio b5 soundbar from phillips. The rear wireless surround speakers don’t last anywhere near the 10 hours i’d read about while i was researching them online. One speaker runs out of battery about an hour before the other. I’d say on average they last around 4/5 hours at best when detached from the main unit, on a low volume setting with the bass taken right down. The subwoofer only seems to work when it wants and doesn’t even show up on the surround demos i tested it out on. The remote control is unresponsive most of the time and has a horrible feel to it. There is also an annoying sound delay of around half a second, which i wasn’t expecting on a sound bar of this price. It’s a shame as i bought this to go with my philips tv and although i tested it so extensively i missed the return window by accident, or else it would have gone back.
A few little annoyances: the charging lights on the remote speakers seem to be a bit random on occasion, it would be nice if they didn’t turn off automatically (or if it were a setting), and very occasionally there’s a distortion glitch that’s fixed by turning them off/on again. That being said, i love these things; replaced all my other speakers, taking up less space, easier to manage, and great quality sound (i’m no audiophile though).
Bought this from richer sounds. Brilliant system and very easy to set up.
Crystal clear sound and a brilliant idea that you can detach the speakers to convert to full surround sound without any messy wires. Ok, the rechargeable batteries in the blue tooth speakers only realistically last for one movie but that’s great for us.
To connect everything was easy just sockets and wireless subwoofer connects automatically, the same with rear speakers. As you may know this film full of talking and some space action too. So dialogue was crispy clear and when rocket engines were powered up all room was shaken. 1 wired systems and i can tell you this one does the same job and what more voice much clearer than on those i had. Price does bites but ease of use and no wires worth it .