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Alfawise XBR-08 sound projector test - is the juice diluted for cheap meat?

Alfawise XBR-08 sound projector test - is the juice diluted for cheap meat?

It looks good, knows a lot and is cheap. Where's the bump here?

Alfawise XBR-08 sound projector test - is the juice diluted for cheap meat?


 

Introductory

It is no exaggeration to say that I had no need for this sound projector. I have big standing speakers, I have a regular amp, so if I want to go to the movies, the sound is there. However, I wondered. Here is a sound projector that looks good based on the pictures. It has a remote control, it can be used in several ways, it is Bluetooth, and it is also cheap. I thought I'd buy one, write a test on it, and then we'll see. I might keep it because it’s convenient to be able to send music to it from the phone easily, wirelessly, and if you just need some little background noise it will be good. So I bought it, I unpacked it, and now that I’ve been using it for two weeks, it’s time for me to write an article, well-founded, fair, so that you too can decide if you’ve lost one.


 

Packaging, accessories

The Alfawise XBR-08 came in a surprisingly small box. Sound projectors are usually and mostly elongated tubular things that need large cardboard. However, the XBR-08 is different from the average.

alfawise xbr 08 1

When the box is opened, the projector is found in two pieces, inserted into the thick and soft plastic placed at both ends of the cardboard. The packaging is exemplary, it would probably withstand a major impact without damage.

alfawise xbr 08 2

Except for the speaker, we find a lot of cables, including jack, RCA, and optical cable, so you can choose how you want to connect it to the TV audio output. Highlighting the speaker, there were also objects that looked like two feet lurking at the bottom of the box, but we’ll talk about these in the next paragraph.


 

External

For me, the first experience, the feeling when I unpack a new composition and take it in my hand, is very decisive. This already forms a preconception, if something bad is already in our hands, it does not promise much. Well, there's nothing wrong with the XBR-08!

alfawise xbr 08 13

After assembly, a 95-centimeter-long structure is obtained. The most commonly used material is plastic, from which the ends are made at the ends and from this the casing is also made. In front of it, a black metal grille stretches over the speakers. The cover is glossy black, the ends are matte. Opposite it, the manufacturer's name can be found at the top left of the speaker. Overall, the stuff is trusting, the materials used seem good quality. The glossy black housing collects a little fingerprint, but that’s not a big drawback in this case, we’re not going to grab too much.

alfawise xbr 08 4

Although the Alfawise XBR-08 comes with a remote control, buttons have been placed on the projector. I’ve been reaching for these since I used them, except for the one case where I wanted to try if they work. Opposite the “tube,” the controls are located on the right end, there is also a USB port and a card reader slot.

alfawise xbr 08 3

Inverting the sound projector is also on the right, but of course we find the inputs on the back front. As you may have read above, there are several of these. There is also a thin string hanging from here, but I will write about its role in operation.

alfawise xbr 08 9

On the back, we find two more things than before. One of them is an RCA connector when joining the two sides, so we can transfer the “sound” from the side of the inputs to the other side. In addition, we find two more attachment points that we can hang on the wall. There are also two sized rubber soles on the bottom half of the cover, which come in handy if you just want to place it in front of the TV, the projector won’t slip off if you accidentally push it.

From the outside, it can be said that it is not only worth the price, it shows the structure much more professional and high quality.


 

Operation

The Alfawise XBR-08 looks good, but the point that requires it is not this, but that it can be used in multiple ways and for multiple purposes.

alfawise xbr 08 7

I’ve already said that you can hang it on the wall, also that the rubber soles will definitely stand on the TV cabinet as well. However, there is a third way to use it, this is perhaps the most interesting. If the two sides are not joined together, we have the option to mount the bases found in the box, so we get two standing speakers that can be mounted on both sides of the TV. In this case, the two sides can be connected not with the short, but with the longer RCA cable included in the package.

alfawise xbr 08 8

This “extra” is very useful, I will describe why. After installation, I put the sound projector in front of the TV nicely, I gave it power, I connected it to the TV, I turned it on with the remote control. Everything was fine so far, but I couldn’t turn on the TV. The infrared receiver is on the bottom half of the hood that was just obscured by the projector. I tried to turn the remote control in all directions, I pressed the button, but nothing. The end result was that the speakers were placed on both sides of the TV, in a standing position.

Speaking of operation, we also need to talk about the technique hidden in the tube, that is, where the sound comes from. 4 active 10-watt, 4-ohm, 52-millimeter membrane diameters with active and two passive SUB tubes are responsible for sounding the effects. The speakers are responsible for making the middle and high tones, while the tubes are responsible for the subwoofers. These, because passives do not contain any diaphragm or other driver, simply happen that when the diaphragm of the speakers moves backwards towards the inside of the tube, the air pressure inside increases and the “excess” air escapes through the tubes through the front panel, thus creating the necessary “rumble,” for example, when an explosion occurs in your film.

alfawise xbr 08 5

I wrote above that we also have a USB port and a card reader at the end of the projector. From this they can already conclude that we can introduce sound and music into the structure through several sources. That is, you can use the projector as a projector, amplify the sound of the TV, use it wirelessly, via Bluetooth, or insert a flash drive or memory card. In addition to these, it can sound in another way, as it also has a built-in FM radio, the above-mentioned wire protruding from the back belongs here, i.e. antenna. So it can even be used as a radio if we feel like it.

One thing was missing, the remote control. It seemed simple at first, but he really knows everything we might need. It is small, the buttons are made of soft rubber, the surface is matte, so it does not collect fingerprints either. I deserve a high five.

So far so good, the exterior is convincing, the variety of modes and placements is perhaps astonishing without exaggeration. But the point, after all, isn’t that, it’s how it speaks.


 

Use and experience

If you were to ask someone what the XBR-08 is all about, I would say briefly that it is not good. Sure, I could be a little more nuanced, I could try to apologize, but I don’t want to.

The role of sound projectors is to replace the faint sound of the TV with a little fuller, more powerful. If we look at the Alfawise projector only from this point of view, we can say that it essentially delivers what it was invented for, the sound is louder. However, there are already problems with fullness. SUB pipe here, SUB pipe there, those damn deep ones just don't want to come. We prefer to hear only the mid-range, but at least loudly.

alfawise xbr 08 14

I don’t even see the problem with TV because the voice is pretty clear. The trouble is more, that despite the plethora of possibilities to get our music into the speaker in its present state, it is not suitable for listening to music. There is volume, but that alone is unfortunately not enough for salvation. However, I am almost certain that this could be improved. In the old days, when I didn’t have the money for normal speakers, the easiest way to fix such a box sound with cotton wool stretched out of the bathroom was to say it with great success. I don’t think Alfawise’s projector should need much more than that. Quite simply, the problem is that the plastic housing is not properly insulated, is too hollow and probably has a bit of a thin wall. And these problems are easy to help. I’m sure it would help a lot in deep sounds if the air moved by the small speakers really escaped through the SUB tube, not like now that the little moved air is lost in the big tube.

I didn’t mention that we also get pre-programmed audio images, this can be toggled with the EQ button on the remote control. There are flat, rock, jazz pop and classical settings, of which maybe even rock is what’s going on in terms of dynamics somehow. Flat mode is perfect for watching TV. Unfortunately, the point here too is that despite the pre-programmed settings, they can't improve the overall impression.


 

Should we buy it now or not?

If we look at the price, which is currently about 16 thousand forints, we can say that it is worth so much. Lots of modes, multiple placement options, these are super things. In fact, if you don’t want to yell, but have a relatively low volume TV, you may need a little background noise, radio, some music, it will be good too. It won’t be good to sit on the couch and enjoy the sounds of music.

So the point is this. If the sound of your TV is not enough, you want a little more, but that's why you don't want to spend 30-40 thousand forints, then buy it. If you want to listen to music on it, but not out loud, that’s not what the party would go for, buy it. If you’d be willing to do a little DIY to make it better, buy it anyway (though I didn’t take it apart, so I don’t guarantee you’ll be able to take it apart).

alfawise xbr 08 10

If you like jingling highs, lungs that vibrate your lungs, don’t buy them. If you want to save on your home theater, subwoofer, and you want to entrust it all to a sound projector, don’t buy it. If you’re organizing a house party and entrusting the music to that, don’t buy it.

That's about it. I think this story is so round. We get a lot of good features for not too much of our money, but quality is like price. I’ve heard speakers in this category before, they were all like that. Not better and no worse. The trouble here is perhaps caused by the post-unpacking feeling mentioned at the beginning of the article. It makes us believe that we got a quality voucher very cheaply, but that’s not true. Not even if, based on your looks and abilities, you can safely play the XBR-08 one league higher.

If the above didn’t scare you, buy it. After what has been described, you will not be disappointed. He still speaks to me now, so on Sunday afternoon, I listen quietly, gently to the songs of an already classic band called Talk Talk while writing the article. The Alfawise XBR-08 doesn't look bad now.

 

Here you can buy it: Alfawise XBR-08 sound projector

About the Author

s3nki

Owner of the HOC.hu website. He is the author of hundreds of articles and thousands of news. In addition to various online interfaces, he has written for Chip Magazine and also for the PC Guru. For a time, he ran his own PC shop, working for years as a store manager, service manager, system administrator in addition to journalism.