What could make a streaming stick better? We’ve seen them get smaller, and faster. What if your streaming stick was also a sound bar? That’s the premise behind the all new 4K Roku Streambar.
What is Roku Streambar?
The first hybrid device of its kind, Roku Streambar combines the 4K streaming capabilities of a streaming stick, box or smart TV, all wrapped up in a sound bar package. That makes the Streambar a great option for older TVs without streaming smarts, but the ultra compact size of the Streambar also means it’s a great solution for smaller spaces.
This two-in-one unit is meant to be an affordable way to add better sound to a TV without taking up a lot of space. It’s actually quite surprising how small and light it is, (measuring just 14 x4 x2) so it’ll be interesting to see how it sounds. You can use either the included Roku remote control or your smartphone as a remote, or both.
Roku Streambar connects to your TV, and using one of the HDMI inputs, will create a streaming entertainment portal where you can navigate to channels like Roku Channel, Netflix, YouTube, Apple TV and lots more. That same connection also links up with your TV and amplifies sound for better audio quality.
Some of you will have hear my schpiel on sound bars already, but for the new folks (hello and welcome!) here goes: Over the years TVs have gotten thinner, meaning there’s physically no space for a quality speaker that can deliver all the audio characteristics we expect like clear dialogue and bass, particularly if you’ve upgraded to a 4K TV. This means the sound off the TV’s internal speakers is sub par. That’s made sound bars more important now than ever.
Setting up Roku Streambar
Getting this stream bar set up was really easy. Connect it to your TV using either the HDMI cable or optical audio cable. I hooked it up to my new Hisense Roku TV. If you’re using it on a Roku TV the set up is easy, but this sound bar is smart enough to work with almost any brand of TV. Once you get it connected, navigate to the HDMI input you’ve connected it to and follow the on-TV prompts. The Streambar will walk you through everything you need to do. Mine was ready to go in seconds.
One note here: since I was connecting it to a smart Roku TV already, in this case, the streaming capabilities would be redundant, but I do need a sound bar on my TV so that’s what I’ll focus the bulk of this review on. If you own an Android TV or another smart TV but you dislike the interface or your channel options, you could easily use your Streambar’s Roku TV capabilities to take over the smarts of your TV.
In the box you get:
- Roku Streambar
- Voice remote with TV controls
- Premium High Speed HDMI® Cable
- Optical digital audio cable
- Two AAA batteries
- Power cable and adapter
Audio quality of Roku Streambar
You might be wondering how a sound bar this size sounds. I was too, so let’s get to it. From the moment I turned this on, I was surprised at how big it sounds. It fills my living room space surprisingly well. For me it gets plenty loud enough. Four 1.9” full range speakers fill the room with Dolby Audio compatible sound. The centre channel is designed to kick out crisp, clean audio that makes dialogue easier to hear while its angled side speakers are designed to spread sound out across the room. The dialogue sounds great, there’s plenty of detail and it sounds super overall.
I need to talk about the bass. I was all set to say this sound bar was lacking bass. But I put on a couple of bass tests and some bass heavy content and I was absolutely blown away by the depth, resonance and the overall kaboom in this box.
The Roku Streambar sounds amazing for its size and it does exactly what it says it will; it amplifies the sound and improved the audio from my TV, while also providing a bunch of different additional features, which I’ll get to. I also really liked its small size.
How to get smart TV streaming using your sound bar
Roku Streambar’s built in streaming system gives you access to hundreds if not thousands of channels and programs. I really like the Roku system and user interface; it’s easy to understand and navigate and it’s well organized and simple. With Roku streaming power you can also Search using your Roku remote, your Roku smartphone app or you can also ask Alexa or Google to search using your voice.
Roku’s smart streaming inside the Streambar lets you cast, share or send video, music, photos, and more to your TV. Later this year, Roku is also adding Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit capabilities on select 4K Roku devices. With AirPlay 2, Roku customers can stream, control, and share their favourite content directly from their iPhone, iPad, or Mac to their supported Roku device and bring the experience to the big screen. HomeKit allows customers to easily and securely control their Roku device using the Home app and Siri on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or HomePod.
Other features of Roku Streambar
Night listening
This setting lets you quiet ultra loud scenes if you’re watching TV while other are sleeping. It just brings the audio or those crashes or explosions down to a less disruptive level.
Quiet loud commercials
The Roku Streambar can also quiet loud commercials automatically using the Automatic Volume Leveling setting.
Voice control with Google & Alexa
You can control the Roku Streambar by speaking to Amazon Alexa and/or Google Assistant devices.
To get this set up you just need to link your preferred digital assistant in the Google Home or Amazon Alexa app to the Roku Streambar. Then you can control your TV power, sound, and streaming.
Remote control options
As I noted you can use the included Roku remote or your smartphone as a remote. The physical remote is super handy for fast adjustments, and the built in voice search button is convenient. Using the Roku Remote app gives you a few additional features: one of the best is Private Listening.
Private listening on the Roku mobile app
Only on compatible Apple and Android devices, the Roku mobile app lets you use headphones connected to your phone or tablet, to listen to streaming TV programs. This feature means you can listen to the TV without disturbing others in the room, or avoid waking the kids if you’re watching late night movies. Or the kids can not bother YOU.
I have a full video on how to do this here and I’ll make sure it’s linled up. This feature works really well and provides a reliable way to listen to the TV with headphones, which also makes it good for seniors or those with hearing troubles.
Overall review of Roku Streambar
Overall the new Roku Streambar is a pretty versatile device.It’s got a lot of power and great sound quality for such a small sound bar, and that bass was shockingly great. This Streambar is a great addition to my living room TV set up. The fact that it’s a two in one device makes it very versatile.
Downsides? It doesn’t have a convenient wall mount: the Roku Streambar uses M6 mounting sockets so you need to go buy a separate mounting kit if you do want to put it up on the wall.
lots of power and great sound quality for such a small sound bar
Love the size of the Streambar + the option of using earphones!
I’d love to hook this up to my TV so I can watch amazon prime movies on my TV. I just signed up but it’s not compatible so I’m arching on my phone. Haha. This would be a great upgrade 🙂
I would appreciate the premium audio experience.
Fav feature is easily accessible features and being free channels.
Streaming the audio.
The quiet loud commercials feature is so amazing!!! And not to mention, very practical!
I like the Automatic Volume Leveling feature that makes loud commercials quieter.
i really like that it works with Alexa and Smart phone
I like Roku’s smart streaming inside the Streambar.
Sure would be nice to have this as I don’t have a smart TV. Maybe I wouldn’t have to turn the TV sound so loud
The ability to stream audio is definitely different. On days when I just need to get things done… I can just play something conveniently in the background while I am working and control it with voice control is just great!
I watch a lot of you tube videos which have lot of commercials. So the Quiet loud commercials feature is the most useful for me.
My favourite feature of the Roku Streambar is that it can automatically lower the volume of those tv commercials that are crazy loud!
I like how it can be versatile for streaming music or video
Night listening
voice control with google and alexa and the audio quality is what I like
I love that the Roku Streambar can also quiet loud commercials automatically using the Automatic Volume Leveling setting.
I’m always turning the volume up and down all the time, it drives me crazy!
I love the voice control and the fact there is a remote control! 🙂
Thank you for the review it helps to decide on a product when a review is this detailed.
Hmm… So I could turn a spare monitor into a TV with this. Would really like the Auto Volume Leveling if it really works.
The automatic volume leveling setting would be so cool and handy for those loud scenes and those super quiet ones to even out!
I would like that it doesn’t take up much space and the bass is great!!!Would be great for movies and music
I really love that you can stream music via Spotify with the Roku! 🙂
the Automatic Volume Leveling setting to lower loud commercials
Neat! Would love to make my dumb TVs turn Smart 🙂
Night listening is such a cool feature. I am constantly increasing and decreasing the volume of the loud scenes.
Love the small size of this – perfect for fixing the sound issues on our tv without introducing something big and bulky to the mix.
I like the private listening the commercial volume lowering.
I like that the Roku Streambar sounds amazing for its size and it amplifies the sound and improves the audio from the TV,
What I like most is the versatile device and the sound quality on such a small device compared to the competition.
Given how fast streaming tech changes. I’d much rather replace an external box over never getting an update to my so-called “smart tv”.
The private listening feature is my favorite
My favourite feature of the Roku Streambar is that it has a powerful audio sound that would make a really big improvement over my TV’s built-in speakers.
This has some great features. I like that it is easy to set up and use. Also that it can quiet loud commercials automatically using the automatic volume leveling setting.
The compact size is my fav feature
Audio Streaming
Great review I love the ability to cast and stream to your tv. A great way to extend the life of a TV!
I like that it’s a two in one unit – streaming and adding better sound at the same time!
My favourite feature of the Roku Streambar and Roku in general, is the easy setup and use. The kids love it and my parents have a easy time with it.
Just got my dad the Roku ultra for Xmas, this seems like an epic add on to the gift or for his bday. Seems legit, can’t wait to hear what it sounds like. #rokurocks
Integration with AirPlay 2 is neat!
One stop shop. All in one streamer / audio bar. Great for that minimalist look.
that you can stream audio
Crazy how you can stack so much power and sound reliability in such a small box!
Great Review
This would be great to use on my TV. And can boost the sound. Would love to use with ear phones as there is 4 people in my household working. Thanks for this chance. My husband would love this for Christmas.
This would be great to use on my older TV. And can boost the sound. Would love to use with ear phones as there is 4 people in my household working. Thanks for this chance. My husband would love this for Christmas.
Thanks for the review Erin. Hubby has hinted that he might like this for Christmas, so this was helpful. Not particularly tech savvy here, but I think I could manage this.
Thanks for the review! Definitely on the Christmas list to amp up my older TV!
Hi Erin
I agree with the points you brought up. My favourite feature has to be the sound quality: we started the final season of Schitt’s Creek on Netflix using this and my wife commented that they really improved the audio quality of the show for this season, Then I turned off the Roku and she realized it wasn’t the show, it was the streambar! Another favourite, private listening using headphones: my wife was in an online meeting the other day and I watched an action movie on Prime with very loud sound using my ear buds. very convenient.
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