If you spend your time watching Dune on a flatscreen or browsing YouTube for videos explaining Dune, a quality soundbar is essential if you want to absorb what you're watching. You shouldn't have to break the bank to do this either. While yes, a premium soundbar like the Bose Smart Ultra will sound great if you've got the room or the budget for one, the alternatives may not be immediately apparant. Enter, the Groov-e Soundbar 50.
The Groov-e Soundbar 50 is a great little budget soundbar, suited for desks as a replacement for PC speakers or under little TVs. It is on the smaller side, ranking at only 50 watts, but for a small living room/office that is plenty enough power to listen comfortably. It comes with an optical cable, coaxial cable, power cord and a remote. The remote has some basic functions, such as play and pause, skipping tracks, volume control and the ability to select between three EQ modes: Music, Voice and Movie.
The overall performance of the soundbar is what you’d expect for the price: it has a good frequency response and a wide listening experience thanks to the dual drivers, which give a stereo listening experience. Though a subwoofer is absent, it would have been nice to have seen a passive bass reflex as an alternative. If you’re in the market for a small soundbar to add to your living room or office, I’d definitely recommend this one. The included cables are a nice bonus, and it feels like a sturdy bit of kit that would survive a few house moves.
Verdict: For the money you put in, it most definitely delivers. The remote control really helps it stand out amongst other wireless speakers, and with a balanced sound (and questionable EQ) it is perfectly suited to a smaller living environment, but there it will thrive.
Groov-ePros
- Comes with a remote and cables, a nice touch
- Delivers a balanced sound, with great volume
- Multiple inputs if you use across several devices
Cons
- EQ settings are very underwhelming
| Drivers | 2 x 20w full-range drivers |
| Output power | 50w |
| Impedance | Not specified |
| Frequency range | Not specified |
| Active / Passive | Active, mains DC |
| Dimensions | 66 x 65 x 60 mm |
| Weight | 1.46 kg |
What's good?
For what you pay, this soundbar goes above and beyond. I’m still running five-year-old Logitech USB speakers, so the Groov-e 50 was very much an upgrade. It packed a punch when it came to volume, and I only noticed high-end distortion once I was at the very limits of the volume range.
The display LEDs are handy when connecting to the soundbar as they display the selected input method. I connected it to my computer via an AUX cable, but I often switched to Bluetooth to listen to music from my phone. The connection was stable and had an impressive range. I tested this, and if one device was at the other end of the house, the other was still connected fine. Your mileage may vary, but since I could see this being the perfect size for a living room in a flat or dorm room, the range shouldn’t have to factor in so much.
The design is simple, but premium-feeling. It has a good weight to it so it doesn’t feel cheap, with a metal grille and polished plastic housing. I do have to report, however, that the housing is like a fingerprint magnet so be cautious when cleaning. There are included screws as well as mounting holes should you wish to wall-mount this soundbar, useful for situations where a TV is already wall-mounted and to save space.
What's okay?
If you happen to use this soundbar on a desk like I did, you’ll lose a bit of real-estate, that’s a given I’m afraid. That is a concession often made with soundbars, and though this one of the smaller of the breed, it takes up a good portion of my modestly sized IKEA desk. There are different designs seen by other brands, such as Majority speakers, where the soundbar is designed to simultaneously project the speakers up and have a swooping front which at least gives the illusion of more space.
Having the three listening modes also seems great on paper, until you fully listen to each of them. I found the Music listening mode to be the most balanced, with Movies adding a bit of low-end and Voice adding a bit of high-end respectively. It feels a little cheap of a gimmick, but it at least has the option. It would have been nice to have had an option to fully control bass and treble levels, but the features offered are fair for the price.
Any negatives?
Though it is great for the amount you pay, I do have a few grumbles. Chief among them is something I experienced, which might just be unique to me. I use RGB strip lights around my monitor to act as a bias light and ease eye strain while working; it has a little remote to turn it on and to change the colour. However, when I turned the soundbar on, adjusted the volume, or skipped the track with the remote, it seemed it operated on the same frequency; it would mess with the light. I tried to combat this by moving it to the other end of the room, but it would still happen. Since I would ideally place it below my monitor as a primary computer speaker, and since I’m aware of the popularity of RGB lights in PC set-ups, it may be an issue with certain light manufacturers.
Aside from this pet peeve, the only other criticism I have is the slight delay if you were to connect to the soundbar with Bluetooth. This is standard among many Bluetooth devices, but if you’re watching on a TV that doesn’t let you change the signal delay, you’ll have out-of-sync dialogue for your TV.
Groov-eIf you like everything you’ve seen so far but think you might want a little more “oomph”, Groove offers higher wattage options, the 75 and 160 models getting you an even fuller sound while still not breaking the bank. The 75 allows you to change the bass and treble levels of its dual drivers (something I felt was missing on the 50), and the 160 goes one step further by simply giving you a subwoofer, making the system fully 2.1 to get the highest highs and lowest lows whilst using it.
MajorityWe’ve reviewed loads of Majority speakers in the past, so we can safely say they pack a mighty big punch. One of the stand-outs we've reviewed is the Majority Teton Plus, and though is at the higher end of the budget bracket, we can safely say it is worthwhile. The design of the soundbar means it is perfectly angled to go at the bottom of a TV, you can connect via Bluetooth, Optical input, RCA, or AUX-input to get the perfect set-up to work for you. Those of you who want a little more kick in their sound will be happy to see the dedicated subwoofer, perfect for getting extra depth from whatever you play through it.
Though it’s a bit more expensive than the Groov-e Soundbar 50, you get your money’s worth for sure. With this, you'd get a great introduction to the benefits of a full hi-fi system, for your desk or your TV.
Pros
MajorityWe’ve reviewed loads of Majority speakers in the past, so we can safely say they pack a mighty big punch. One of the stand-outs we've reviewed is the Majority Teton Plus, and though is at the higher end of the budget bracket, we can safely say it is worthwhile. The design of the soundbar means it is perfectly angled to go at the bottom of a TV, you can connect via Bluetooth, Optical input, RCA, or AUX-input to get the perfect set-up to work for you. Those of you who want a little more kick in their sound will be happy to see the dedicated subwoofer, perfect for getting extra depth from whatever you play through it.
Though it’s a bit more expensive than the Groov-e Soundbar 50, you get your money’s worth for sure. With this, you'd get a great introduction to the benefits of a full hi-fi system, for your desk or your TV.
StealthSTEALTH has the answer for those of you who want a little more flash for your desktop. Ironically named, this soundbar comes with RGB and several modes to have your desk dancing however you want. It has a digital display for setting gaming timers or even just the time, ensuring you get the right amount of time grinding in Valorant as recommended.
Its multiple connection options allow you to plug directly into it with a 3.5mm jack or Bluetooth. This isn’t chained to your desk either, as it has a rechargeable battery if you want to take it on the go. Read more from our review here.
Pros
StealthSTEALTH has the answer for those of you who want a little more flash for your desktop. Ironically named, this soundbar comes with RGB and several modes to have your desk dancing however you want. It has a digital display for setting gaming timers or even just the time, ensuring you get the right amount of time grinding in Valorant as recommended.
Its multiple connection options allow you to plug directly into it with a 3.5mm jack or Bluetooth. This isn’t chained to your desk either, as it has a rechargeable battery if you want to take it on the go. Read more from our review here.
Who tested it?
Olivia Sheed is a tech writer for What’s the Best, specialising in gaming technology, computers and portable audio. A self-identified audiophile, she has started to dip her toes in the realm of high-fidelity listening, thus making her a perfect fit for speaker testing. She listens to music in one way or another every day, if not every minute.
How we tested
For the duration of testing, the Groov-e Soundbar50 replaced my Logitech computer speakers. Kept at my desk, I'd connect via Bluetooth and listen whilst working, meaning this speaker has seen at least 20 hours of testing. The music used was all from Tidal for high-quality streaming, and crossed a range of genres that seek to push the speaker's frequency response to the limits. It has also been used in other use scenarios, such as gaming, for group calls and video editing.
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Olivia Sheed is a Tech Writer and Reviewer at What’s The Best. Here she writes reviews, how-to guides and articles across all things technology.
Her interests align with “anything nerdy.” Olivia is an avid fan of TTRPGs, board games, miniature painting, and video games. Outside of that, she loves to discuss horror films, campy classics such as those from Hammer Film Productions in the 70s are her favourite for a comfy watch. An avid hiker, she visits the Lake District often, for both walking and wild swimming.
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