With the Cinebar 22, Teufel is pursuing the goal of offering a powerful home theater soundbar system that works without a classic AV receiver and without additional height speakers, but still supports modern 3D audio formats such as Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X. In the Teufel Cinebar 22 test, we were able to test the stylish soundbar in a set with two rear speakers and a large subwoofer. Is it the savior for all those of you who want a powerful, room-filling sound image but simply don’t have the space for a large speaker setup? We’ll tell you.
Technical data
| Model | Teufel Cinebar 22 |
| Dimensions | 100 x 7,8 x 14,7 cm |
| material | – Plastic with metal grille – Housing surface lacquer, matt – Wall bracket attachment |
| Power output | 175 watts (soundbar) |
| Connections | – AUX – Stereo RCA input – Optical digital input – Bluetooth (AAC + 5.3) – HDMI Out 3D ARC CEC – HDMI In |
| HDMI Playback | – Dolby Atmos – Dolby Digital – DTS Digital Surround – DTS:X – Dynamore Ultra |
| Electronics | – Integrated DSP – Automatic on/off – Memory for settings when disconnected from the mains – Standby function – Wireless subwoofer – Total output power (RMS) 175 W – Sound adjustment – Amplifier technology Class D – Amplifier channels 8 |
| Loudspeaker | – Lower cut-off frequency (-3 dB): 33 Hz – Full range speakers (number per speaker): 2 Full range speaker (diameter): 50 mm Full range driver (material): Aluminum Tweeter (number per speaker): 3 Tweeter (diameter): 25 mm Midrange drivers (number per speaker): 3 Midrange driver (diameter): 100 mm Frequency range: 33 – 24000 Hz Acoustic principle: 3-way system Cabinet construction: Closed |
| Controls | – Remote control – Touch panel – LC display |
| Price of |
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Scope of delivery
- Teufel Cinebar 22
- mains cable
- Remote control (incl. 2x AAA batteries)
Teufel Cinebar 22 Review: Design and workmanship
The sound manufacturer from Berlin has always stood for hi-fi technology that people like to place in the living room. And this is also the case with the Cinebar 22. The soundbar, which is available in either black or white, is not too conspicuous to distract from the essentials – the TV content. With its dimensions of approx. 100 × 7.8 × 14.7 cm, the Cinebar 22 is long and slim enough to fit under almost any TV from around 50 inches. For my 42-inch TV in the study, however, it is a little too bulky for my taste.
The combination of matt and glossy elements is attractive. Teufel mainly uses high-quality plastic for the housing. I particularly liked the metal grilles, which are finely perforated and make a robust impression. The Berlin-based company also leaves nothing to chance when it comes to workmanship. For the price range in which we find ourselves here, the quality is at a really high level.
Nothing cracks or creaks and the transitions and gaps are excellent. To keep an eye on the soundbar’s most important parameters, it has a small, but fine LC display. Here you can see things like sound mode, input or volume. Thanks to the dimming function, it doesn’t dazzle even in dark surroundings. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be difficult to read from the side.
On the top of the soundbar is a control panel with touch-sensitive buttons that are pleasantly responsive. For example, you can quickly adjust the volume or switch inputs. Alternatively, you can also use the included remote control. In our opinion, this could be of a slightly higher quality. The connections are located on the underside of the soundbar. Thanks to the two rear recesses with matching straps, cable management is quite straightforward.
You get the following connections:
- OPT IN
- AUX IN
- USB IN
- HDMI IN
- HDMI OUT (TV)
- Mains connection
There are also two buttons for setup and reset in one of the recesses. The Cinebar 22 leaves a really excellent impression in terms of appearance and workmanship. There are only a few small things to complain about. For example, the remote control is by no means on a par with the soundbar in terms of quality. Fingerprints also tend to collect on the high-gloss control surface. Apart from that, however, the soundbar’s no-frills design is particularly impressive.
Teufel Cinebar 22 Review: Standard version with flat subwoofer
Teufel offers the Cinebar 22 in different versions. In the cheapest version, the soundbar comes with a flat T6 subwoofer, which is surprisingly flat with its dimensions of approx. 12 × 42 × 42 cm and can therefore be perfectly concealed in the room. Alternatively, the soundbar also comes with a much larger subwoofer, which also relies on a wireless connection, but is much more difficult to hide.
This version for bass lovers was made available to us by the Berlin sound manufacturer for testing. The subwoofer here is the Teufel T10 (€ 424.99 *). This also comes in the usual high build quality. However, with dimensions of just under 35 x 48 x 38 cm and a weight of a whopping 15.6 kg, it is quite bulky. So if you want to use a more restrained system and don’t need overly powerful bass, go for the standard model with a small subwoofer.
Teufel Cinebar 22 Review: Setup and commissioning
Setting up the Cinebar 22 is straightforward and shouldn’t pose any problems even for less tech-savvy users. Once you have unpacked the soundbar, simply connect it to your TV via HDMI. Thanks to eARC or ARC, it can then be controlled via the TV remote control. If you use a games console, BluRay player or other external sources, connect them to the HDMI input, which offers 4K pass-through. You can connect other source devices to the optical digital input or the analog AUX connection.
The connection to the subwoofer is child’s play. Once the bass guarantor has been connected to the socket, it can be connected wirelessly to the Cinebar at the touch of a button. You can then fine-tune the bass level and other settings on the subwoofer itself. If you use the Teufel Effekt 2 rear speakers (€ 398.40 *), you can connect them just as quickly as the subwoofer.
Simply find a suitable socket and then pair it wirelessly with the soundbar. Then the setup is already finished. As the Cinebar 22 unfortunately doesn’t have any network features, you don’t need to connect it to your WiFi network. Instead, you can establish a wireless connection to your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC support. This is a bit of a shame, as the lack of a network connection also means that things like Wi-Fi streaming, multi-room functions or app integration are no longer available.
Teufel Cinebar 22 Review: Control and ease of use
There are two options for operating the Cinebar 22. On the one hand, you can use the included classic Teufel remote control. Secondly, you can use the touch panel on the soundbar itself. Due to the lack of network features, however, there is no app control. The remote control itself has a logical button layout and responds reliably and quickly.
The most important settings such as volume, inputs, sound modes (neutral, music, speech, night) can be made here and special functions such as Dynamore can be added. You can make fewer settings via the touch panel on the top, but the most important adjustments can also be made here. The multitude of setting options may be a little overwhelming for newcomers, but professionals will be pleased with the individual customization.
Teufel Cinebar 22 Review: sound quality
Let’s move on to the supreme discipline: the sound quality. I was pleasantly surprised the first time I heard it. After all, with your eyes closed, you wouldn’t expect this to be just a flat soundbar. The sound of conventional televisions can in no way keep up here. I was particularly struck by the high dynamics. The Cinebar 22 conjures up a lively and amazingly direct sound that works with surprising pressure at the right moments. At no point does the system seem strained.
After installation, I immediately started with a small movie test. The Cinebar 22 scored highly in terms of dialog intelligibility. This is thanks to the dedicated center channel, which ensures clean word reproduction. When there’s action on the screen, there’s also something to listen to acoustically. This is especially true with a coupled subwoofer. This provides precise yet powerful bass in action-packed scenes. The T10 plays out its power in a targeted manner without booming. In general, the subwoofer and soundbar work very harmoniously together.
In terms of sound, Teufel brings the usual modern technology to the table. Dolby Atmos, DTX Virtual:X and the in-house Dynamore technology in particular provide an astonishingly wide sound stage. The Cinebar 22 only reaches its limits when it comes to treble imaging and lacks a little brilliance. However, this is completely normal for soundbars. The surround sound, on the other hand, could hardly be better. You get a convincing 7.1 surround sound here, which creates a feeling of being right in the middle of things. Of course, the two rear speakers pay off here.
The sound always remains beautifully natural without drifting into artificial sound. After enjoying the movie, I switched to listening to music. And here too, the Cinebar 22 convinced me. The sound is powerful and lively across all genres, but the details are also convincing. Vocals are reproduced cleanly and the instruments can also be clearly separated from each other. Only with classical music do you sometimes notice the slight weaknesses in the treble. Thanks to the numerous setting options, you can adjust the sound to your needs at any time.
Further tests of Teufel products:
- Premium boombox : Teufel Boomster 4 in test
- Powerful gaming headset : Teufel Cage Pro in test
- Compact in-ears : Teufel Airy TWS 2 in test
Conclusion
The Teufel Cinebar 22 proves to be a well thought-out and powerful soundbar system that appeals to both movie and music fans. It combines high-quality workmanship with simple setup, ease of use and a dynamic, room-filling sound. The T 10 subwoofer in the Surround Power Edition we tested delivers a powerful bass foundation, while the soundbar itself scores with clear dialog. The Effekt 2 speakers provide impressive spatiality on top.
Users have to make concessions due to the lack of network and streaming functions as well as the purely virtual implementation of Dolby Atmos. The system is also a little weak when it comes to demanding highs. However, if you’re looking for an uncomplicated, powerful home theater system that doesn’t require a lot of installation work, the Cinebar 22 is a very attractive overall package. Especially in its price range, it impresses with a strong ratio of sound quality and features.
PRO
CONTRA The Teufel Cinebar 22 impresses with its powerful sound, simple setup and high-quality workmanship. Despite the lack of smart functions, it offers an impressive home cinema experience - especially for movie fans looking for powerful sound without a lot of installation effort.
Teufel Cinebar 22
Design and processing
Sound quality
Equipment
Ease of use
Price-performance ratio
92/100
