Teufel Cinebar 11 Surround "4.1 Set" review: The perfect soundbar?

Back in 2014, Teufel launched its Cinebar 11, a device that demonstrated how a good soundbar should look and sound. Last year, the Cinebar 11 then received an update. In the Teufel Cinebar 11 Surround “4.1 Set” test, we want to take a closer look at what the second generation, along with the subwoofer and two surround speakers, has to offer. Whereas soundbars were still being wearily laughed at a few years ago, they are now enjoying great popularity. Year after year, the sales figures increase, which is why more and more providers have one or more models in their portfolio.

The success of small-format hi-fi systems is quite understandable. Because TVs are getting flatter and flatter, very few people still listen through the internal TV speakers. Flat dimensions also result in a small sound body and thus a flat sound. If you don’t have enough space for a large sound system, but still want better sound, you can turn to a practical soundbar. Modern models not only provide a better TV sound, but also serve as a replacement for the system in the living room, as it were.

Technical data

Dimensions and weight	Cinebar 11: 94.8 x 6 x 8.3 cm and 1.81 kg. T6 subwoofer: 12 x 42 x 42 cm and 7.66 kg Effect speaker: 11.2 x 15.3 x 11.2 cm and 0.96 kg
Connectors	AUX, 3.5 mm jack, optical digital input, Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX, HDMI ARC, HDMI video input
Playback	Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS Digital Surround, Dynamore
speakers	2x tweeter, 3x midrange, closed cabinet design
Subwoofer	Woofer with 165 mm diameter and frequency range between 31 and 200 Hz
Satellite speakers	1x tweeter and 1x midrange driver with frequency range between 120 and 20,000 Hz
Price	599.99 euros

Teufel Cinebar 11 Surround "4.1-Set"

€ 579.99

N/A

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Differences to the predecessor

With a new edition, it is always advisable to make a preliminary comparison with its predecessor. The Cinebar 11 was Teufel’s best-selling product for a long time. After seven years of success, however, it was time for the Berlin sound forge to provide a breath of fresh air. And the changes are impressive. The 2021 version of the soundbar not only offers more power. On top of that, the subwoofer, which supports low frequencies, has been completely redesigned. Its new design now allows it to be hidden under the sideboard or even the couch. To enjoy the complete package including surround sound, we test the 4.1 version. In addition to the soundbar and subwoofer, you also get two bookshelf speakers here, which are connected wirelessly.

Are you a Teufel fan? Then maybe the Teufel Real Blue TWS (test) are something for you.

Teufel Cinebar 11 Surround “4.1 set” test: design and workmanship

Slim and understated design
Subwoofer completely redesigned
Subwoofer can be placed horizontally or vertically

Teufel is not only famous for its good sound. In addition, the Berliners have always relied on simple but chic appearance in their products. The Cinebar 11 is no exception here. Its understated design makes it the perfect complement to any TV without pushing itself too much into the foreground. The display is located in the center of the slim speaker under a protective metal grille. This allows the Cinebar 11 to be controlled perfectly even in the dark. Teufel includes a practical remote control so that this can be done without getting up.

Teufel Cinebar 11 Surround "4.1-Set" Test — Slim and inconspicuous – that’s how the Cinebar 11 comes across. We like the restrained design very much!

In terms of workmanship, you get the usual quality here, which distinguishes Teufel. The 95 cm wide, 6 cm high and just under 2 kg heavy soundbar does not crack or creak at any point. The color selection is not extensive, but more than sufficient. The colors black and white are available.

The display is not distracting at any point, even in dark surroundings.

While the 2021 version looks confusingly similar to the 2014 model, the subwoofer has changed quite a bit. This is now significantly flatter than the predecessor with 12 cm when lying down and scores above all with an extra portion of flexibility.

So it can now be placed either standing up or lying down, which opens up more possibilities, especially in small living rooms. Especially if you don’t necessarily want the subwoofer to be seen, you should enjoy the new concept.

So you can now hide the bass guarantor, for example, almost invisible under the couch or sideboard. The 4.1 set we tested is completed by two wireless speakers of the “Effect” type. Thanks to the wireless design, they can be conveniently placed in the living room.

However, the AC 1001 SP stands provided to us do not have a suitable cable guide, as the cable on the speakers cannot be removed and cannot be guided through the metal rod with plugs. Funnily enough, the cable is also noticeably white on the black speakers.

During our test period, however, Teufel still added the K&M AC 6001 SP to the range, which solve the problem of cable routing, but are also twice as expensive.

Teufel Cinebar 11 Surround “4.1 set” test: sound technology and connectivity

2x HDMI, 1x opt. in, 1x 3.5 mm jack connector
Peak power of 150 watts
Radio connection between Cinebar 11 and subwoofer and bookshelf speakers

With a soundbar, hi-fi manufacturers face the challenge of teasing out as much sound quality as possible from a small sound body. In the Cinebar 11, three mid-range speakers are used on the right and left. This is completed by two tweeters. A total of eight Class D amplifiers and DSP provide the corresponding power. According to Teufel, the installed technology provides a peak power of 150 watts.

Die Anschlüsse verbergen sich in einer praktischen Aussparung. Dadurch lässt sich die Cinebar 11 unmittelbar an der Wand aufstellen bzw. aufhängen.

The fact that the Cinebar 11 should not only be able to play TV sound, but also control the entire HiFi entertainment for the living room, is clear from the connectivity. For the TV, the HDMI-ARC input is reserved. Another HDMI input is available for game consoles or another source device. A 3.5 mm jack and an optical digital input round off the equipment. Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX codec also ensures that you can play music wirelessly via the soundbar. The connectivity is therefore comparatively low and the Cinebar 11 does not offer any smart features via Wi-Fi, but it should be sufficient for most households.

However, you should also note that not all TV apps support Dolby Digital. I was able to activate Dolby Digital on my Samsung TV and the surround sound then worked perfectly in Netflix and other apps, but there were also apps like Spotify that could not cope with it and did not output any sound when Dolby Digital was set.

The subwoofer relies on wireless technology and can thus be placed freely in the room.

As is usual with soundbars, the Cinebar 11’s weaknesses lie in the lows. However, this is not a problem with the 2.1 and the 4.1 set we tested. After all, the subwoofer with its frequency response down to 31 Hz replaces this without any problems. That is a really good value considering the price range we are in here. The interaction between the soundbar and the subwoofer works surprisingly well. If you consider that the bass chassis is only connected to the soundbar via radio, this is astonishing.

Are you looking for a soundbar specifically for gamers? Then take a look at the Razer Leviathan V2 (test) or the Creative Sound Blaster Katana V2 (test).

Teufel Cinebar 11 Surround “4.1 set” test: home theater sound in a small format

Real surround sound thanks to shelf speakers “effect”

It is quite amazing what surround sound Teufel tickles out of the Cinebar 11. Thus, the soundbar offers not only Dolby Digital but also DTS and Dolby ProLogic II. Although the Cinebar 11 can already simulate surround sound on its own, anyone who is a bit demanding in this area will probably not be completely satisfied with the in-house Dynamore technology alone.

The combination of red and black make the bookshelf speaker effect an eye-catcher. Unfortunately, the connection cables are also white in the black version.

In our tested bundle consisting of Cinebar 11, subwoofer and two wireless speakers, this weakness is sufficiently eradicated. The two wireless speakers can be conveniently integrated into the system at the touch of a button. Each of the effect speakers offers 35 watts of power. That may not sound like much, but in practice it proved to be quite sufficient.

Teufel Cinebar 11 Surround “4.1 Set” Test: Sound Test

Peak performance in movies and music

The Cinebar 11 is, in a sense, an eierlegende Wollmilchsau. Thus, the Berlin sound forge wants to offer here not only a replacement for TV speakers that are too weak on the chest. On top of that, the soundbar combo is also supposed to be convincing when listening to music. I listened to it and first tested the performance in the area of movies and TV. Then it’s the music test’s turn.

Movie and TV

Now we want to get to the most important discipline – the sound. Since this is a soundbar, I wanted to focus first on the performance when enjoying movies and TV. To be able to really compare, I test listened to the Cinebar 11 once with subwoofer only and then again with coupled effect speakers. In the mode with supporting subwoofer, the soundbar already convinced me. In particular, the rich lows, which provided explosions in action movies that go into the marrow and leg, convinced me right away.

On the soundbar itself, you can make settings like input selection and volume.

Even at high volumes, the subwoofer did not reach its limits. I didn’t have to deal with distortions or other noise. However, you don’t have to do without intelligible dialogues at all. Thanks to the great highs and mids, they are reproduced crystal clear. This coexistence of rich bass and intelligible conversations in movies or series is anything but a matter of course. Although I already didn’t miss anything in 2.1 mode, I had a real awakening with the rear speakers turned on. Flying projectiles or a helicopter hovering above my head gave me a real feeling of being in the middle of things. The Dynamore technology, provides even more for a convincing surround sound.

If you want to make adjustments from the couch, you can reach for the included remote control.

So the extra expense for the two effect speakers is definitely worth it from my point of view. Teufel offers different sound modes to suit personal taste. On the one hand, there is the speech mode. This clearly emphasizes spoken words. Furthermore, there is the night mode. Here, the bass is turned down a bit for the sake of the neighbors. The normal mode, on the other hand, lives up to its name and leaves all settings at a balanced level.

Music

Let’s move on to the music quality. Here, too, I let the Cinebar itself stand in the spotlight in advance. And I was really gobsmacked. Despite the flat dimensions, the Sounbar delivers great mids and terrific highs. These strengths are especially noticeable in rock and classical music. With the subwoofer turned on, it also delivers great results in the hip hop and electronic music genres.

There are three midrange and one tweeter on the right and left, respectively.

With coupled effect speakers, the sound is even better, especially for electronic music. After all, the crystal clear sound then comes from every corner of the room. Dynamore does not always have a positive effect on music, but everyone must decide for themselves.

Teufel Cinebar 11 Surround “4.1 set” test: conclusion

Admittedly, I was a little skeptical at first when I unpacked and set up the Teufel Cinebar 11. After all, my many years of experience with HiFi products have taught me that bigger and heavier usually means better. So how could such a small soundbar provide good sound? But when I switched it on and listened to it for the first time, my prejudices were soon gone. The sound experts at Teufel have managed to get the perfect sound out of a compact speaker.

You are already gobsmacked when you only hear the Cinebar 11 alone. If you then switch on the narrow subwoofer as a supporter, even bombastic action movies are no problem. The whole thing is rounded off with the two effect speakers, which act as guarantors for optimal surround sound at the rear left and right. If you want to create your own personal home cinema, you’ll more than find what you’re looking for with the Teufel Cinebar 11 Surround 4.1. And that at an exceedingly fair price.