Equipped with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, the new Loewe klang bar5 mr is designed to provide a particularly impressive sound experience in the living room in conjunction with the Loewe klang sub5. In addition, this solution is fully in line with Loewe Technology GmbH’s Multiroom Audio strategy.
A 5.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos-capable soundbar including wireless subwoofer is available in the form of the new Loewe klang bar5 mr and the Loewe klang sub5, a combination which, according to the consumer electronics group Loewe Technology GmbH, provides the finest immersive surround sound for home cinema in your own living room.
The new Loewe klang bar5 mr in combination with the Loewe klang sub5 is also, as the name suggests, very closely related to the Loewe klang mr Series and is therefore part of the German company’s multi-room audio streaming concept.
Loewe sound bar5 mr – immersive sound experience
Probably the most exciting feature of the sound bar from Loewe Technology GmbH is that it delivers surround sound from just one source, and what’s more, it is even supposed to be able to offer immersive surround sound. According to the manufacturer’s promise, this puts the user right in the middle of the sound event without having to go to great lengths to install it.
The Loewe klang bar5 mr is designed as a 5.1.2-channel system, which of course includes the Loewe klang sub5 subwoofer that is part of the set.
First of all, the soundbar has two centre speakers which, according to the manufacturer, have been optimised by the acoustics experts at Loewe Technology GmbH for a particularly good presentation of speech. In addition, there are two upward-facing and two further laterally placed speaker systems. Their task is to create a stereo image on the one hand, but also to reproduce a detailed 3D surround sound via reflections on the walls and ceilings of the room.
Once again, it must be noted that, as always with such solutions, the result is highly dependent on the room.
Powerful Wireless Subwoofer
The subwoofer of the system, the Loewe lang sub5, has two 6-inch woofers, which are also supported by four passive radiators. The drivers are arranged in the form of a hexagon to guarantee even radiation into the room.
In principle, the Loewe klang bar5 mr can reproduce a frequency range between 60 Hz and 20 kHz, while the subwoofer covers a frequency range between 35 Hz and 150 Hz.
The Loewe klang bar5 mr is powered by amplifier modules with a total of 440 watts of music power. If you add the Loewe klang sub5 subwoofer, you get a total music power of 800 watts, which means that the subwoofer alone delivers 360 watts of total music power.
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X
The Loewe klang bar5 mr is able to process content in Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X using DSP-based signal processing. In addition, the Loewe klang bar5 mr is also capable of upscaling stereo content to virtual surround via DTS Virtual.
No shortage of connections
The Loewe klang bar5 mr naturally has all the relevant connections, first and foremost HDMI, of which two are available as inputs and one as an output, so that on the one hand the connection to the TV set is established, and on the other hand a source device such as a Blu-ray player, streaming client or games console can be connected. The HDMI connections naturally support all relevant standards, above all HDMI CEC for central control, and are equipped for 4K video pass-through and Dolby Vision as well as HDR10 and HDR10+. The HDMI output also supports eARC, i.e. an enhanced Audio Return Channel, so that content encoded in Dolby Atmos or DTS:X can be transmitted from the TV to the Loewe klang bar5 mr.
The soundbar also has an optical S/PDIF interface, an analogue input in the form of a 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack, and a USB port.
By the way, the subwoofer of the set, the Loewe klang sub5, is integrated via radio, to emphasise this explicitly at this point. So you don’t have to lay cables across the room to integrate the subwoofer into the living room as discreetly as possible.
Streaming included
As already mentioned, the Loewe klang bar5 mr and the Loewe klang sub5 are part of the multi-room audio streaming solutions from Loewe Technology GmbH, which means that they can be assigned directly to the Loewe klang mr series in the broadest sense, or rather, that this soundbar is designed to be used in conjunction with the wireless speakers. And in several respects.
DTS Play-Fi and much more…
First of all, of course, there is the issue of audio streaming, which Loewe Technology GmbH also handles here via the DTS Play-Fi technology platform. For this purpose, the German company from Kronach entered into a partnership with DTS Inc. – see our report “Loewe Technology GmbH relies on DTS Play-Fi”.
Via DTS Play-Fi and the corresponding apps for Apple iOS and Google Android, a wide variety of content can be accessed, including proprietary content up to hi-res audio with up to 24 bit and 192 kHz, and various streaming offers are also available.
What is particularly exciting is that multi-room audio streaming can also be used in combination with other DTS Play-Fi components, namely up to 32 speakers in the network, up to four zones can be realised, whereby each zone can comprise up to 16 speakers.
The connection to Smart Home solutions is also partly mapped via DTS Play-Fi, as this makes Amazon Alexa available as a voice control first and foremost.
Since the Loewe klang bar5 mr also supports Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast, not only can music streaming be realised, but the direct connection to Apple HomeKit and Google Home is also guaranteed. This includes the respective voice controls, be it Apple Siri or Google Assistant.
Just like the solutions of the Loewe klang mr series, the Loewe klang bar5 mr can also access services such as TIDAL, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music HD or Apple Music in various ways and Internet Radio is also available.
Incidentally, integration into the network is very easy via the soundbar’s WiFi module, which complies with the IEEE 802.11n standard.
Bluetooth also on board
Bluetooth 4.2 is available for playing music directly from a smartphone or tablet. This ensures that you can quickly play music directly from a mobile device without having to connect it to the network first.
Surround Speakers for 7.1.2-Channel Surround
Apart from the fact that you can use the Loewe klang mr Series solutions for streaming in the Multiroom network via DTS Play-Fi, they are also available to the Loewe klang bar5 mr as a play partner in the truest sense of the word.
These wireless speakers can be used via WDAL 2.0 for wireless multichannel, as the manufacturer himself describes. This turns the wireless speakers into real surround speakers, so that the surround impression can be reproduced much more realistically without having to lay cables. Of course, the Wireless Surround Speakers need a power connection, but this is mentioned for the sake of completeness.
Elegant design
It goes without saying that a brand like Loewe Technology GmbH focuses on a particularly appealing design, and this applies equally to the Loewe klang bar5 mr soundbar and the Loewe klang sub5 subwoofer.
The soundbar itself is extremely compact, even slim, measuring no more than 1,200 mm in width, but only 160 mm in depth and 71 mm in height, and thus weighing in at 6.5 kg. Placement under the TV set on a lowboard or sideboard is just as possible as wall mounting.
The housing is in basalt grey with a high-quality textile covering. The front is adorned with a display that provides the most important information, and there are several buttons on the top for direct control of the set.
The subwoofer Loewe klang sub5 is round and measures 380 mmm in width and depth, 214 mm in height and weighs 8.8 kg.
The subwoofer also has a very discreet design in basalt grey with high-quality, all-round textile covering, behind which the bass drivers – both active and passive – are concealed.
Prices and availability
The new Loewe klang bar5 mr and the accompanying Loewe klang sub5 subwoofer should be available from specialist retailers in the near future. The recommended retail price is stated by the manufacturer at € 1,359. As already mentioned, this surround sound system for the living room is only available in basalt grey.
Getting to the point
The new Loewe klang bar5 mr in combination with the Loewe klang sub5 probably shines with several features. First of all, there is the particularly compact form with an elegant design that Loewe Technology GmbH chose here, so that harmonious integration into the living space is possible without any problems. In addition, the soundbar offers surround, including immersive surround, although in principle the soundbar itself should be sufficient for this. However, you can also rely on real surround speakers, whereby these optional surround speakers are integrated wirelessly, just like the subwoofer of the system. The fact that with this soundbar you also acquire a very flexible audio streaming system that can even be used in combination with other streaming solutions in the home also speaks in favour of the new Loewe klang bar5 mr and the accompanying Loewe klang sub5.
PRODUCT | LOEWE KLANG BAR5 MR UND LOEWE KLANG SUB5 |
---|---|
Price | € 1.359,- |
Brand | WE. BY LOEWE |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Loewe Technology GmbH |
Distribution | Loewe Technology GmbH |
More about this manufacturer at HIFI BLOG |