Best known for its battery chargers, Anker has expanded into audio in a big way in recent years with its Soundcore lineup, including Bluetooth speakers, headphones, and soundbars. The latest example is the Soundcore Infini soundbar. At just $99, it makes for a very affordable add-on to your entertainment setup, but is it worth the cash?<\/b>
\nBest known for its battery chargers and accessories, Anker\u2019s Soundcore audio lineup started small with highly affordable Bluetooth speakers, and has since expanded its audio presence with impressive noise-canceling headphones and a growing collection of soundbars. The new Soundcore Infini soundbar promises no fuss setup, all the features you want from a budget bar, and \u201croom-shaking bass\u201d for just $100. But, as our review points out, a low price doesn\u2019t always equate to a value pick.
There\u2019s nothing much to the Infini\u2019s packaging (and no, the name isn\u2019t \u201cInfinity\u201d like you\u2019d think), but you\u2019ll get all the accessories you need, including a decently sized remote and batteries, digital optical and Aux cables for connection, a small mounting kit, and a packet of instructions in multiple languages.
You aren\u2019t likely to need the latter, as it\u2019s extremely easy to get things going; simply connect the optical cable between the bar and your TV, plug in the power, and make sure the front-facing LED strip turns teal-green for the digital input. For those with TVs tipping toward the antique shop, there\u2019s also a 3.5mm input and a coaxial digital input, but no HDMI connection (not that we expected one from a $100 soundbar).
The Infini is as plain Jane as they come, with no real defining characteristics to break up its matte-black body, save the shiny plastic bass ports at the end caps of its 36-inch frame. That said, the design is intuitive, with thoughtful inclusions like a cable guide at the back and a rubberized button strip for power, volume, and source switching up top.
Angled placement of dual tweeters set beneath the Infini\u2019s mesh metal grill allows the bar to sit on your TV console, or flip forward for wall mounting via screw holes on its bottom. Those are complemented by a pair of up-firing 2 x 3-inch drivers, which account for the Infini\u2019s built in \u201csubwoofers,\u201d with no way to add a separate subwoofer later, unfortunately.
The Infini\u2019s lack of ARC HDMI connection means you won\u2019t be able to use your TV remote for basic functionality, requiring one more remote to add to your arsenal. To make things simpler, though, the Infini goes into standby mode whenever it\u2019s at rest for more than 30 minutes, automatically booting back up when it receives an audio signal.
The remote offers a relatively intuitive collection of buttons, including quick keys for switching between Movie, Dialogue, and Music modes, volume and source control, and a Bluetooth key for audio streaming from your smartphone or other device.
You might think such a tiny collection of drivers would have trouble reproducing convincing cinema sound \u2014 and you\u2019d be right. But it\u2019s not a lack of punch or power that keeps the Infini from outclassing the sound performance of competing bars (or even upper crest TVs). It does a poor job of keeping things balanced, forcing you to choose between muffled or tinny sound.
Unfortunately, scrolling through all three sound modes reveals no real Goldilocks Zone. The Movie mode offers a solid punch of bass, but the midrange struggles, creating throaty, boom-y voices and low-end effects and eschewing dialogue to the point that you have to ramp up the volume for clarity.
Switching to the Dialogue mode offers some relief from the smoosh-y midrange and much more clarity in the treble, but it does so by sacrificing bass. What\u2019s more, higher voices and effects tend to resonate with an aluminum clang, as if bouncing off sheet metal. The Music mode offers a bit more balance between registers, but the problems aren\u2019t eliminated. Frankly, we found ourselves preferring our TV\u2019s built-in speakers in some cases for intelligible dialogue.
We will applaud the Infini for its ability to get plenty loud, and when it comes to bass response, it\u2019s certainly a major step up from your TV speakers. For our money, though, that\u2019s not enough to make it a worthwhile buy.
Our Take
Anker\u2019s Soundcore Infini soundbar will save you a pretty penny, but you\u2019re better off using a piggy bank instead.
You may not want to hear this, but we actually suggest you triple down and move up to Yamaha\u2019s YAS-207, one of the best value propositions on the market, or \u2014 if you want something truly tiny \u2014 Polk\u2019s Magnifi Mini. If you absolutely can\u2019t go above $100, however, we recommend trading your Benjamin for Vizio\u2019s SB3621 instead.
A basic product of this kind, without HDMI connection, isn\u2019t exactly future proof, but the unit appears to be relatively robust for its price point and should last a few years at the least.
No. It\u2019s not the worst you could do for $100, but you can invest that money more wisely elsewhere.<\/p>\n

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Sentiment rank: 1.6<\/div>\n

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