The Ultimea Poseidon D60 is a 5.1 soundbar system with Dolby Atmos* surround sound technology. In this review, we will evaluate the sound quality, functionality, disadvantages and advantages of the Poseidon D60, using the Samsung HW-B650 3.1 system for comparison. Although Samsung is not a 5.1 system, it is in the Poseidon D60 price category and is a fairly popular budget option that you can easily find in Lithuania.

Intro

* Dolby Atmos requires an HDMI-eARC port on your TV. This connection was introduced at the end of 2017 and appeared on TVs much later. It's likely that most of us don't change TVs often and only have an HDMI-ARC port, in which case the output sound (depending on the content format) will be Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, or the like.

With a system that supports Dolby Atmos, you can prepare for the future if your new TV comes with an HDMI-eARC port. Most of the review was done using an HDMI-ARC connection (minus a few entries with HDMI-eARC to another TV) and that's what this review is based on.

Unboxing

After looking at the box, you might think - is that all? Such a small box, maybe you missed something? But inside, you'll find practically everything related to this system. This includes a user manual, 4 speakers, a control panel, all available cables - RCA, optical, HDMI (supporting eARC), as well as wall mounts for all speakers except the subwoofer. The only thing missing from the complete set was batteries for the remote control.

First impressions and quality

The Ultimea speakers are... small. Looking at the photos and seeing "soundbars" from other manufacturers in stores, I expected bigger ones, but as they say - let's not judge a book by its cover. The speakers themselves are solid, nothing rattles in them, the body is high-quality and complete, and the front grille is metal. 

The central column has touch-sensitive buttons, AUX, optical, USB and HDMI-eARC connections, and a screen for information. The woofer is pointed towards the ground and its exhaust port is towards the rear.

According to Ultimea's recommendations for surround sound, I placed the center speaker in front of the TV, and the rear and bass speakers, behind me, at the opposite end of the room. Connecting to the TV is simple and does not require any technical knowledge or even the need to open the user manual.

I connected the central speaker to the TV via HDMI-ARC, connected the rear speakers to the subwoofer with wires. The latter cables are ~3 meters long, so they should be suitable for any room layout. 

After turning on the TV and the speakers, I selected the HDMI-ARC audio port on the TV (Dolby Surround appeared on the screen of the central speaker) and that was all the preparation needed to start using this "soundbar".

The center speaker connects to the subwoofer wirelessly and it's already done at the factory. If trouble does occur, there is a dedicated button on the subwoofer to re-pair the system. 

The first attempt is Justin Jaručis's concert on Telia play. If you've never tried a soundbar and have only used your TV's built-in speakers, you'll no doubt have the same feeling of "wow...that's what I've been missing." Set in the middle of the room, the feeling of surround sound is felt from the first moments of switching on.

Samsung HW-B650

The build quality of the Samsung soundbar is excellent. The center column is made of more eye-catching body wood, and the front grille is also metal. Unlike the Ultimea, the control buttons on the center column are physical.

The woofer is about 2x the size of the Poseidon D60, and has a fabric mesh front, but the back of the cabinet looks unfinished. Like the Ultimea, connecting the Samsung to the TV is simple, the center speaker with the subwoofer also connects wirelessly and there is no need to do anything extra.

When comparing the build quality, the sound systems of both manufacturers are of high quality. When it comes to design, we shared half with our relatives. For some, Samsung is visually more beautiful, others liked Ultimea better because of its size. The first impression between the sound quality of both "soundbars" without changing the settings is that the sound reproduced by the Samsung is cleaner and of higher quality.

Functionality and control

Ultimea Poseidon D60 and Samsung HW-B650 are very similar systems in terms of inputs. Both of them support HDMI-eARC, optical outputs, playback from USB, and Bluetooth. These connections will probably suit everyone, whether they like movies or listen to music wirelessly. 

True, Samsung has an advantage over the Ultimea - it has 2 HDMI connections, and Bluetooth supports multipoint connections (more than one device can be connected at the same time). There is a difference in playback of audio formats between these models. Samsung supports Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Virtual:X, while Ultimea supports Dolby Atmos.

Both "soundbars" have control panels, where you will find similar functions - connection selections, equalizers, volume adjustment, etc. As already mentioned, when using an HDMI-ARC connection, these controls will only be needed to adjust the devices, selecting the bass strength or already installed audio modes ("movie", "music", etc.).

What did we like?

The Poseidon D60's rear speakers really do work as part of a true 5.1 system, reproducing additional sounds, background music or effects almost flawlessly, excluding dialogue if it should only be played at the front. Since the 5.1 system is new to my daughter, she often turned to look back, unable to believe that the sounds were coming from everywhere.

Although the subwoofer is small, it was a pleasant surprise. It's not a window- and kitchen-ware-shaking level speaker, but it delivers a decently rich and quality bass. Looking at the whole system - being in the middle of the room, you feel surrounded by sounds and it's really a small version of what you can feel in a cinema.

Probably, more than one of us had to come across movies or series where the dialogues are quiet and the sound effects are too loud. When using Ultimea, I didn't have to deal with this, the sound is always perfectly balanced. If the dialogue is still poorly heard, you can choose the installed Ultimea equalizer specifically for accentuating the dialogue, and the latter does its job perfectly. Ultimea has three of these equalizers: "movie", "dialogue" and "music". The nice thing is that I didn't have to deal with audio lag, both when watching TV and when connecting my phone via Bluetooth.

As for Samsung, the sound it emits is more natural, of higher quality, and this is most noticeable when listening to music. I expected more bass for the size, but it holds up better at high volumes than the Ultimea does. 

A rather big advantage of Samsung is the already installed equalizer options, of which there are much more, and the ability to adjust treble (Ultimea does not have treble adjustment) and bass over a wider range. Although Samsung supports the 5.1 audio format, if you choose this equalizer, you don't get the feeling of surround sound, rather it's a set of sounds coming from the front.

If we forget that both devices are treated as soundbars and consider them as home theater systems, the clear winner would be the Ultimea. The latter provides real surround sound and this is one of the more important aspects if you are choosing a sound system for watching movies.

However, if the rear speakers of the Poseidon D60 are placed next to the TV, the surround sound practically disappears and Samsung becomes the clear winner in terms of sound quality. So in that case, if the room layout doesn't allow rear speakers on the opposite side, I'd suggest skipping the Ultimea and looking at other sound systems.

What we didn't like?

The Ultimea Poseidon D60 is an extremely low-configuration system. Out of the box you'll only find 3 EQ options and while that should be enough for a lot of people, I'd like a wider choice. Likewise, there are only 3 surround and bass choices (low, medium, and high). The saving grace here is that the manufacturer also offers custom software on its support page that can extend the surround and bass levels from 3 to 5 levels.

However, updating the firmware (in this case via a USB memory stick) is not an easy job for everyone and it would be ideal if all 5 levels were already installed at the factory. In this case, Samsung has a much wider selection (about 12 levels), and there is also an option to change the "treble" level.

It would be great if Ultimea had its own app that we could have on our phone, from which we could turn the system on/off (Samsung has a SmartThings app to control the soundbar) and create our own EQ.

The Dolby Atmos sound reproduction technology logo is emblazoned on the top of the center column, but after listening to a movie (using the HDMI-eARC port) with Dolby Atmos audio format, I didn't feel the difference compared to a movie that has Dolby Digital Plus audio format. Traditionally, Dolby Atmos systems have speakers that are aimed at the ceiling (for example, the Ultimea Nova S80 5.1.2 model that has already appeared) or suspended speakers aimed from top to bottom.

If you have a sound system, you won't always want to listen to it at medium or high volume. Unfortunately, the quietest sound level of the Poseidon D60 is loud enough. Although the "movie" equalizer setting is universal and sounds good enough for all content, I choose "music" for music, but the minimum volume is even louder than when I choose "movie".

In this area, the Samsung HW-B650 strongly outperforms the Poseidon D60, its minimum volume level is extremely quiet, and the volume gain scale is much wider, which makes it much easier to find the right volume level for you.

Bass is another area where Samsung beats the Ultimea. It's not just the strength of the bass, it's the smoothness of the bass, with the Samsung lasting longer at higher volumes. The Ultimea's bass stops and doesn't rise at about half full volume, but we probably rarely watch movies at maximum volume.

Verdict

Ultimea Poseidon D60 - these small speakers surprised. Due to their size, they are easy to find a place in the room and create your own home theater. Although this system lacks additional features (such as more equalizer options), it will help create a wonderful atmosphere for movie lovers.

This system is perfect for those looking for a versatile and budget-friendly sound system for their TV in a small to medium-sized room, and is ideal for apartment dwellers. For those who prioritize music and are looking for equipment to listen to it with fairly neutral sound, and to be able to watch movies with better sound quality than the TV speakers offer, the Samsung HW-B650 would be a more accurate choice. 

It is worth noting that both of these systems cost around 200 euros, and for such an amount it would be more than naive to expect impeccable audio quality. If you choose for yourself - without a doubt, Ultimea Poseidon D60 would look great at home.