Majority is no stranger here, with Cubed3 having covered the Majority Bowfell Compact Soundbar, which was designed for TV use. Now it’s time to take a look at the Majority Atlas Portable Soundbar, which is more geared towards computer users. At a low, low price of £29.95, what can buyers expect from the sound? Can it punch above its weight?
What’s in the box?
The soundbar is packaged neatly in a slim box covered in slick branding with a professional-looking colour palette, finished off by a picture of the device. Wrapped in a plastic bag is the bar itself, and behind it is a small assortment of connecting wires, namely micro-USB cable and aux cables, as well as the user manual.
It’s a simple little package, but it has everything a purchaser needs to get started. The device even came partially charged, meaning it’s possible to get stuck right in!
The device
The Majority Atlas Portable Bluetooth Soundbar has a great slimline look and a pretty hefty, premium feeling to it. The materials used are good to the touch, with soft rubber, smooth plastic, and grating on the front. Where things are slightly less refined is in the connectors; in the one sent for review, the ports are slightly misaligned with the cutouts in the plastic, meaning it’s kind of difficult to get the micro-USB plugged in properly for charging. Otherwise, though, it’s a really nice device that might even attract some looks or questions from guests.
Getting the Atlas set up is very simple. The little volume knob on the front doubles up as the power switch. Just turn the knob until the lady who resides within the bar says a very polite, but compressed, “Bluetooth mode”. Connecting a Bluetooth device is easy-peasy, and cranking up some good gaming soundtracks gives the speaker a solid workout.
There is an SD card slot and a USB connector, both of which allow for direct playback. This kind of playback is a big boon as that can be fed at a higher quality, free of the compression Bluetooth sound regularly presents. Using the USB or the aux port, the bar can be hooked up to almost any device. For PC it will sit neatly on a desk under a monitor, and for portable gaming with a Switch 2 it can connect via cable or Bluetooth for a bit of a louder experience than the built-in speakers. It’s surprisingly flexible in this way. Just be aware it is not waterproof or water resistant, so it’s not a good shower companion!
The playback
What does the bar sound actually manage to produce? Well, the bass is clean and clear with a surprisingly deep performance that can be felt at louder volumes. However, the higher frequencies in some sound files are a little warped, resulting in a muddy performance for things like vocals or higher-pitched instruments. This is oddly not on every piece of music that exhibits high sounds, and as such, when it’s not warping the bar sounds suitably premium, given its very low price.
With dual 20W speakers, it can push quite the volume and clarity for the money; it might even challenge some standalone PC speaker options. However, don’t expect this to stand up against a higher budget setup or anything with a subwoofer/surround options, as those are going to be able to produce more accurate sound – which is expected for their price.
