Top-quality sound and dynamic lighting that matches every mood - in a nutshell, it truly evokes the soul of a party or disco. The Ultimea Apollo S80 surround sound home cinema system offers all this and more.

More than a year ago, one of my first reviews was about another model from this manufacturer, the Poseidon D60. I gave the latter a favorable review, it is a great value for money product that I still use every day. And what about the Apollo S80? Maybe the additional LED lights will liven up movie nights, and the larger subwoofer will shake the walls? I invite you to open the box together and immerse yourself in a world of sounds and colors!

First impressions

Ultimea packages its products safely and intelligently, taking up as little space as possible. This has not changed from the Poseidon D60 to the Apollo S80. All speakers are surrounded by a thick layer of foam, and in the package you will find practically everything you need to use this sound system. In addition to the speakers and stands themselves, there are HDMI and optical cables, brackets for wall mounting, a remote control (without batteries) and a user manual.

The speakers are very light, so at first glance they don't seem capable of producing good sound. The side speakers have 2 speakers each, and the center one has 1. There is a separate subwoofer, which is almost twice the size of the Poseidon D60. Both the back of the side speakers and the bottom of the subwoofer have white matte plastic, and behind it is a lighting system.

The Apollo S80 main speakers have two positions - they can be connected into one long "soundbar" or separately, placing the side speakers on their dedicated stands. Connecting all positions is simple and solid, just align the grooves with the lugs and turn. Of course, those who want to hang the Apollo S80 on the wall will be able to do so in both the connected and separate positions.

I'm probably not the only one who has a strong hatred for glossy plastic. It attracts fingerprints, dust is clearly visible on it, and cleaning it without scratching it is an impossible challenge. So, the body of this soundbar is made of exactly such plastic (except for the subwoofer). Despite this element, the system itself does not look defiant and should fit into any home.

Connections, basic parameters and control

The Apollo S80 speakers are connected to the center section by cables. For different positions (connected to the soundbar or separately), you will find cables of different lengths, and the subwoofer cable is about 2 meters long. The center section has connections for HDMI (eARC), AUX, USB and optical cable, as well as Bluetooth 5.3. 

The Apollo S80 supports one of the best surround sound formats currently available, Dolby Atmos, which you can read more about in our Ultimea Poseidon D60 review. This home theater system has 5.1 channels, which means it is a 5-speaker and 1-subwoofer unit.

You probably associate 5.1 with surround sound, but I wouldn't call the Apollo S80 a surround sound system. The speakers are too close together to easily distinguish the spectrum of different sounds. Perhaps with a large TV and wider placement of the side speakers, the difference would be more noticeable, but I doubt it.

There are three ways to control this system - the remote control, the touch-sensitive buttons on the top of the center speaker, and using the Ultimea app on your phone. The remote control has almost all the functions of the Apollo S80, including output selection, sound range adjustment (bass, mid, treble), equalizer options, etc. The buttons in the center can be used to turn the system on/off, change the output, and volume levels. 

App

The Ultimea app allows you to easily connect to the Apollo S80 system. Here you can change the volume level, source, equalizer and lighting. The equalizer can be adjusted completely according to your needs, or choose 1 of 6 available. The lighting is adjusted similarly, where you can choose from several options or select a single color. Everything is laid out simply and easily controlled.

Lighting

Personally, LED lighting is completely unnecessary when listening to music or watching movies. However, the Apollo S80's lighting is one of the features why we would choose this particular model. It has a relatively wide selection of colors and effects.

The most convenient way to make changes is in the Ultimea app, because the effects are not changed on the remote, only the color. In addition to sequentially changing colors, selecting a single color, and the "rainbow" effect, perhaps the most interesting effect is the dynamic response to the music or movie being played. Unfortunately, with the latter effect, you cannot select a specific color, and they change sequentially. 

Sound

The maximum total power of the Apollo S80 is 320W. This is enough for a room of about 20 sq.m. The sound of these speakers is really good, but the surround sound effect is not noticeable. If the layout of the room allows you to place the side speakers further apart, the center speaker is still the most noticeable. Overall, these speakers resemble the previously tested Samsung HW-B650 3.1 sound system.

I have no complaints about the subwoofer. These frequencies are rich, not overloaded. BassMX technology allows you to adjust the strength in as many as 6 levels. I liked that even when turned up a lot, the bass is not drowned out by other frequencies.

The remote has 6 equalizer settings, including “movie,” “music,” “voice,” and other options. All of the options work flawlessly, so if a movie soundtrack drowns out voices, choosing the “voice” equalizer makes the voices much clearer. The great thing is that you can create and use your own equalizer in the app.

What we didn't like?

Perhaps the most disliked aspect of the Apollo S80 is the lack of surround sound. It would be ideal if the app could change the balance of the center and other speakers, thus at least improving the surround sound.

As for the lighting feature, I have to admit that it's a bit of a marketing gimmick. I agree, it adds a certain charm to the overall aesthetic of the system. The lighting works well, but I wish the subwoofer lighting could be turned off separately, as it's more distracting when you're away from the TV. The dynamic sound adaptation also lacks a single color option.

Verdict

The Ultimea Apollo S80 is a good choice for those looking for a quality home audio system at an attractive price. While LED lighting isn't for everyone, it can significantly enhance the viewing experience. If you're looking for surround sound at a similar price, I'd suggest the Ultimea Poseidon D60. We've been using this system for a year and a half and have practically no complaints about it.