INTRODUCTION

     When people buy new TVs or projectors, they usually pair them with standalone speakers to greatly improve audio quality. Those who have extra space may opt for an 5.1/6.1/7.1/9.1 (and above) Dolby speaker system whereas those who don't have space (or who just don't want to spend much) will probably choose to go with a far more compact soundbar. Back in the day when I had enough free time to watch movies almost daily, I too liked using multi-speaker systems because let's face it, nothing can beat their performance. When free time however ceased being a thing, I turned towards soundbars thus trading audio quality for more space and well, I haven't regretted doing so one bit. Hiwill Intelligent Technology is yet another brand established in China and for the past month or so, I've been testing one of their entry-level models, the HiElite A41 Dolby Atmos Soundbar System.

    Hiwill was founded with a vision to redefine how the world experiences sound. Since our inception in 2015, we've been driven by the belief that everyone deserves access to exceptional audio quality. Today we continue to innovate and elevate listening experiences for people around the globe bringing immersive sound into homes, businesses and beyond.

    The HiElite A41 is a 4.1 channel Dolby Atmos compatible soundbar and so aside the center speaker (side media controls available) that packs two front facing drivers it also features two side/surround speakers (single front facing driver each) and a subwoofer. All 4 front facing drivers feature aluminum-magnesium alloy diaphragms complete with copper rings and as for size they are all 40mm ones (roughly) with the subwoofer driver being 5.25" and side facing. As for specifications the HiElite A41 has a maximum output of 300W PMPO, 45Hz-20kHz frequency response (on the product page it says 45Hz-20kHz and 55Hz-20kHz so it could be either one) and sports the HXS-Processing ClearVoice technology for optimized vocal clarity. Finally, when it comes to available connectivity the A41 comes ready with HDMI eARC, Bluetooth 5.3, Optical, and 3.5mm auxiliary. Once again, the HiElite A41 is one of Hiwill's entry-level models but it does look good on paper so let's check it out.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Hiwill uses a plain cardboard box the front of which has just a product drawing and the model name.

Contact information for Hiwill and their EU distributor are available on the left side.

3 drawings on the right side showcase the available connectivity of the HiElite A41.

At the rear of the box, we find yet another product drawing and drawings showcasing the contents of the bundle.

You will face the instructions on how to use the soundbar for Atmos and DTS content once you open the box.

Packing is quite good with the entire bundle placed between two pieces of foam.

Along with the main speaker, two surround speakers, subwoofer and power adapter of the HiElite 41 inside the box you'll also find a remote control, batteries, HDMI cable, HDMI 90-degree adapter, optical cable, 3.5mm aux cable, mounting screws for the surround speakers, cable strap and the user manual.

THE HIELITE A41

The main speaker of the HiElite A41 is quite compact and so it only measures 416mm in length, 113mm in width and 60 in thickness (plastic enclosure).

Taking a look from the front you can see the two 40mm drivers on the far left and right and the VFW screen at the center.

Hiwill likes pointing out that this a Dolby Atmos compatible soundbar so that's printed on the top right.

Turning the soundbar around we see two wall mounts on the sides and all available connectors right in the middle.

Here we find the eARC/ARC HDMI, optical and aux audio inputs, USB port, power port, bass output port and stereo RCA outputs.

The main speaker sits on two rubber feet and again at the base we also find instructions for non-Atmos content.

On the far right side we find mode, play/pause and volume up/down, previous/next buttons.

Each surround speaker measures 160mm in length, 113mm in width and 60mm in thickness (if you place them vertically 160mm becomes their height).

The subwoofer on the other hand is made of MDF and measures 300mm in height, 230mm in length and 135mm in width.

The VFW screen doesn't really stand out, it's just there to inform you about the current input and volume.

CONCLUSION

    Every time I happen to receive a sample from a new company (to me at least) I'm skeptical about what I'm going to encounter and well, in the case of the HiElite A41 I was right to be, at least initially. You see right from the box the HiElite A41 was plagued with numerous issues from disconnections while watching a movie to turning off and back on again and other less important issues. Luckily almost all of those were resolved once I updated the firmware of the soundbar so if you happen to get it (or any model by Hiwill) this should be the very first thing that you do (firmware updates are available online but you should contact support just in case there’s a newer one available and the site has yet to be updated). After this was done however it was mostly smooth sailing for the rest of the month with the HiElite A41 producing surprisingly good audio clarity, for both its size and cost that is. Now the reason I said mostly smooth is because Dolby Atmos reproduction just isn't there, not unless you mount the two surround speakers just over your TV (left and right). This allows sound from those speakers to produce a pseudo Dolby Atmos positioning audio which although by no means perfect for the most part it's better than nothing at all (this will also improve Dolby Digital/DTS accuracy so it's a must really). Needless to say, since the HiElite A41 is a wired model placing the speakers high may not look great, but such compromises occur even with much higher-end models (not to mention speaker systems in general). As for audio power the reported 300W PMPO by Hiwill seem to be higher than what my experience has been with the HiElite A41 and even though I can't say volume levels were an issue for me at the same time they weren’t quite sufficient to cover a very large room.

    Right now, Hiwill has a sale available (-20%) and so you can currently get your very own HiElite A41 for USD103.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 108.37Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) so things are great in this regard. At the end of the day the HiElite A41 is clearly aimed towards people on a very tight budget and well for such consumers I highly recommend giving it a shot.

PROS

- Overall Audio Reproduction
- 4.1 Surround Sound Speaker System
- Dolby Atmos Compatible
- HDMI eARC, Bluetooth v5.3, Optical & 3.5mm Aux Connectivity
- 5.25” Subwoofer
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Dolby Atmos Reproduction
- Volume Levels (For Some)
- Wired Speakers