Hisense HS214

Soundbars / Basic Soundbars

A basic sound bar with 2.0 non-surround channels.

Unlock to see our ratings and compare products side by side

CR Expert Take

How did it perform in our expert lab testing?

Overall Score

The Overall Score for this model is derived from our expert lab test results.

Unlock ratingswith membership.

Current Range of Tested Soundbars

What goes into the Overall Score?

Sound quality

/ 5

Ease of use (TV)

/ 5

Ease of use (Features)

/ 5

Versatility

/ 5

480i DVD picture quality

/ 5

HD picture quality

/ 5

Ease of use

/ 5

Upconverted DVD picture quality

/ 5

Type (bar or base)

/ 5

Surround sound system

/ 5

WIFI audio streaming content

/ 5

Built-in digital assistant / voice control

/ 5

Number of speakers supplied

/ 5

Number of channels

/ 5

Built-in digital assistant

/ 5

Surround sound

/ 5

Internet streaming

/ 5

System type

/ 5

Height channels

/ 5

Detailed Test Results

Sound quality: Hisense's HS214 has Fair overall sound quality. In the Music mode the bass has decent to good impact depending on the program material, but is a touch subdued, somewhat boomy, and doesn't go deep. Midrange is fairly even, but is somewhat grainy and hazy. Treble is extended, but is somewhat subdued and sizzly, and slightly smeared. Does a decent job of recovering room ambience, and sounds somewhat congested. With stereo program material the two channel sound field extends somewhat above and beyond the sides of the speaker array, and lacks depth. The virtual surround mode had a noticeable effect on the sound field and tonal balance. With multi-channel program material the sound field is not noticeably different from what was heard with stereo program material. The virtual surround mode had a noticeable effect on the sound field and tonal balance. There was no significant difference in sound quality between the HDMI, optical, analog, coax, Bluetooth, and USB inputs. The system can provide satisfying volume in a medium sized room.

TV setup and ease of use: Good overall.

Features setup and ease of use: Fair overall.

About

A basic sound bar system with 2.0 non-surround channels that features a 2 channel front speaker array. The HS214 It can also play audio from wirelessly connected Bluetooth devices.

Features & Specs

Features

No. of channels

2.0 non-surround

Number of speakers, as supplied

Active subwoofer

Wireless subwoofer

Wireless surround speakers

WiFi audio streaming platform

WiFi streaming audio services

WiFi video streaming platform

Optional multi-room sharing

Has On Screen Display (OSD) Feature

Audio USB host mode

Dolby Atmos

DTS:X

Simulated surround sound

Virtual surround sound

Yes

Dialog enhancement

Has "Night" Mode and/or Dynamic Range Compression

Tone adjustments

Bass, Tone Presets

Built-in digital assistant mic mute indicator

Works with the following digital assistant(s)

Programmable to respond to TV remote controls

Can respond to remote controls from TVs with HDMI ARC CEC

Yes

Universal remote

Available app remote control(s)

App operating system(s)

Maximum pass-through HDMI video resolution

HDR video HDMI pass-through

Dolby Vision video HDMI pass-through

Auto speaker calibration

Speaker set-up test tone function

Updatable software/firmware

Data not available

Sound bar/base is wall-mountable

Included surround speakers are wall-mountable

Included accessories

HDMI digital video/audio connecting cable, digital audio optical connecting cable, remote control.

Warranty (mos.): parts/labor

12/12

Other features

Reads MP3, WAV, WMA, FLAC files. Mfr states 2.1 channel, but considered 2.0 channel since it does not have a separate subwoofer. Auto power on function works for HDMI, Coaxial, Optical, and Aux input sources. Auto power off works with all sources. States can use a Roku TV remote to control the soundbar, but does not stated that control is for volume and mute, is only via a HDMI-ARC (CEC) connection, and is generally true of any brand TV remote when the TV is connected via a HDMI-ARC (CEC) connection. Has a IR Repeater on the back which is able to transfer the signal received from the remote control to the TV.

No. of speakers supplied

Other DSP modes

Yes

3D video HDMI pass-through

Voice control

Remote control app operating system(s)

Sleep timer function

DTS digital audio decoding

HDMI Output with Audio Return Channel (ARC) capability

Yes

Can stream content from computer or NAS server on home network

Dolby Atmos digital audio decoding

DTS:X digital audio decoding

DTS-HD Master Audio digital audio decoding

Surround speakers are wall-mountable

PCM digital audio decoding

Yes

USB host mode(s)

Audio

Accessible Internet content providers

Wireless surround spkrs/amps

Can respond to remote controls of some same-brand TVs

Network platform/content

Dolby Digital digital audio decoding

Yes

DTS-HD Master Aud Essential digital audio decoding

Dolby Digital Plus digital audio decoding

DTS-HD High Res. audio digital audio decoding

Dolby True HD digital audio decoding

Remote also controls some same-brand TVs

Ultra HD video HDMI pass-through

Can respond to remote controls of some major brand TVs

Specs

Height (in.)

Width (in.)

Depth (in.)

Subwoofer dimensions (HxWxD)

Side surround speaker dimensions (HxWxD)

Rear surround speaker dimensions (HxWxD)

Soundbar/base dimensions (HxWxD)

2.25 x 25.5 x 3.75

Connections

HDMI in (quantity)

Digital audio optical (input)

Stereo Analog Audio In (RCA jack)

Stereo Analog Audio In (3.5mm jack)

Active subwoofer pre-amp out

Bluetooth (input)

Bluetooth (output)

Wireless connection via Bluetooth to many Bluetooth capable TVs

Wireless connection via Bluetooth to some Bluetooth capable TVs of the same brand

USB port

Yes

WiFi connection

LAN connection

Wireless connection via WiFi to some WiFi capable TVs of the same brand

Other connections

IR repeater function.

Coaxial digital audio (in/out)

1/0

Ethernet connection

HDMI (in/out)

0/1

Stereo analog audio (in/out)

1/0

Optical digital audio (in/out)

1/0

Mini-jack input for portable audio player

Yes

Headphone jack

Bluetooth (in/out)

Yes/No

HDMI Out

Price & Shop

Hisense HS214

CR Expert Take

Overall Score

What goes into the Overall Score?

Detailed Test Results

About

Similar Products

Similar Products

Features & Specs

Features & Specs

Features

Specs

Connections

Price & Shop

Price & Shop

More From Consumer Reports