29-Apr-2018, 16:13
I've just installed my Sky Soundbox which does not replace another one but can substitute for the speakers built in to my TV unit.
For me, a limitation of these soundboxes is that they generally sit centrally underneath the TV, so the centre of their sound source might be 20 inches below the centre of the TV screen. This is ok for things like sports commentary but is not too good for sitcoms or news where the speaking person is also on the screen. As well as synch issues, the voice just does not appear to come from its visual source.
With that limitation, the sound quality of the Sky Soundbox is ok and a bit more full range than one might get from the TV. Installation is easy; one can still switch between TV speakers and Soundbox speakers; the Soundbox unit is very neat and at a price of £250 or £300 it is defensible. At a "normal" price of £700 is does not stack up.
In their survey of soundboxes in Which? magazine online, the Sky Devialet unit scores a miserable 48% (top is 87% and available at £249) and comes 89th of a sample of 112. So its not up with the quality of the opposition and, in my view, not up with the Expert or the Phantom - but maybe it gets Devialet some brand exposure which it would not otherwise have. Though its exposure through Sky advertising so far seems almost non-existent.
For me, a limitation of these soundboxes is that they generally sit centrally underneath the TV, so the centre of their sound source might be 20 inches below the centre of the TV screen. This is ok for things like sports commentary but is not too good for sitcoms or news where the speaking person is also on the screen. As well as synch issues, the voice just does not appear to come from its visual source.
With that limitation, the sound quality of the Sky Soundbox is ok and a bit more full range than one might get from the TV. Installation is easy; one can still switch between TV speakers and Soundbox speakers; the Soundbox unit is very neat and at a price of £250 or £300 it is defensible. At a "normal" price of £700 is does not stack up.
In their survey of soundboxes in Which? magazine online, the Sky Devialet unit scores a miserable 48% (top is 87% and available at £249) and comes 89th of a sample of 112. So its not up with the quality of the opposition and, in my view, not up with the Expert or the Phantom - but maybe it gets Devialet some brand exposure which it would not otherwise have. Though its exposure through Sky advertising so far seems almost non-existent.
Innuos Statement 2TB SSD with Next-Gen PSU (with Roon lifetime)
MacBook Pro (with Air)
Draytek Vigor 2860v-Plus/Devialet Original d'Atelier CI Nos. 54A&B/Magico M3 pair
Shunyata cables (digital/interconnect/loudspeaker/power)/Shunyata power units (Triton/Typhon)
Dialog/Phantom Gold/Tree pair
Missing Link cables (power)
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