Enormous weight, brute size, a fresh design and a familiar name: With the Cinebar Ultima, the devilish Berlin-based audio company brings back a classic that provides a real home theater feeling despite the lack of a subwoofer. What the soundbar has up its sleeve and where it offers cause for criticism, clarifies our Teufel Cinebar Ultima test.
Technical data
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 110 cm x 13.3 cm x 16.4 cm |
| Weight | 11.3 kg |
| Connectors | RCA stereo, HDMI In, HDMI Out, Micro USB, Optical digital input, Bluetooth with aptX |
| Playback | Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS Digital Surround, Dynamore Ultra |
| Loudspeakers | 4x tweeter and midrange; 2x subwoofer |
| Frequency response | 44 Hz to 20,000 Hz |
| Total output power | 380 watts |
| Maximum sound pressure | 99 dB/1m |
| Price | € 454.99 * |
Teufel Cinebar Ultima review: design and workmanship
- Very large and heavy
- Attractive, high-quality design
- Six speakers, distributed among 4 speakers and 2 woofers
Not too often a package weighing almost 14 kilograms flutters into our editorial office. Even rarer is this then also almost 120 centimeters long. The Teufel Cinebar Ultima makes it unmistakably clear even before unpacking that great things await us here – at least as far as the pure dimensions are concerned.
Compared to the Teufel Cinebar 11 (our review), the Ultima is a real monster, which of course first wants to be freed from its cardboard-brown box. Inside, we are immediately greeted by a small cardboard box that contains the remote control as well as the power cable.
Two cloth grille covers for the side speakers and another cloth grille for the huge front section round off the scope of delivery, alongside the soundbar itself. Surprise: Unfortunately, Teufel does not include connection cables, for example for HDMI, RCA or an optical cable in the box – you have to provide them yourself. Well then…
Let’s first take a look at the soundbar itself. It is predominantly kept in black. The four speakers are particularly striking, two of them on the front and one each on the two sides, which are covered in golden fiberglass and thus offer a nice visual contrast.
On the front, you’ll also find two large, pill-shaped woofers made of black Kevlar. Yes, exactly the material that bulletproof vests are made of, for example. The LC display is located in the center of the front, with the manufacturer’s logo below it in silver.
A control panel with a total of five buttons, for example for turning the device on and off, changing the audio source or adjusting the volume, is located in the center of the top. There is not much more to see here. The underside is also rather unspectacular and does not have much to offer besides four red rubberized feet.
Things get more interesting on the back. Here you’ll find the Teufel Cinebar Ultima’s ports, as well as two holes for optional wall mounting. Two HDMI (In and TV Out) and the power connection on the right, AUX, Service and Optical In on the left. Thus, the soundbar should be able to cope with just about all potential players.
Excellent workmanship
- High-quality, robust workmanship
- Magnetic speaker covers included
The high price is absolutely matched by the build quality of the Teufel Cinebar Ultima, which alone – without cables or accessories – weighs in at a whopping 11.3 kilograms. The case is made of MDF, but still looks very high-quality and robust.
The various speakers are also all enclosed in a metal bracket, which are held in the case by Torx screws. This also has another advantage, as it allows the optional cover of the side speakers, as well as the entire front section, to be easily attached to the case magnetically.
Be it to provide additional protection for the speakers or for a more discreet look. In terms of workmanship, the Teufel Cinebar Ultima certainly leaves an extremely high-quality impression.
Commissioning and practice
- Nervous insertion of batteries in remote control
- Various connection options
- Expandable with additional speakers
The first criticism is for the Teufel Cinebar Ultima during commissioning. The fact that the soundbar is not accompanied by any cables, I have already mentioned. However, the insertion of the batteries in the remote control is somewhat tricky.
The manufacturer decided to close the remote control with a Torx screw – and at least includes the matching Allen key. The only problem is that the spring sits very tightly inside with inserted batteries and first catapults the accessory’s lid out again several times until you really get it screwed shut. This costs with already before the first use unnecessary nerves.
Especially since the startup requires the remote control mandatory, because first of all the language wants to be set. Once this is done, however, nothing stands in the way of listening fun.
In terms of connectivity, the Cinebar Ultima is excellently positioned. Whether connected to the TV, the PC or the game console via HDMI, via an optical Toslink cable or even with smartphones, tablets and other devices via Bluetooth, the soundbar connects quickly and easily.
The latter even includes support for Qualcomm’s high-resolution aptX codec. Connecting to a hi-fi system is also no problem via RCA connections. Thus, the soundbar is enormously versatile, although Teufel has also waived WLAN or LAN connectivity this time – as with the Cinebar 11.
Operation and settings
- Good readable display
- Clear, easy-to-understand menu structure
- Various setting options
The operation of the Teufel Cinebar Ultima also works flawlessly. Ideally, of course, with the remote control, because only simple settings are available via the controls on the soundbar itself.
Fortunately, the display on the front is excellently readable even with the cover on and shows the clearly structured menu navigation in bright red letters. You can adjust many details to your own liking in the settings.
For example, it is of course possible to boost bass and treble separately, pair additional speakers or set different sound modes, such as a night mode or a mode for improved speech intelligibility.
Teufel Cinebar Ultima review: this is how good the soundbar sounds
- Saturated, powerful sound
- Firm in treble, midrange and bass
- Excellent virtual surround sound
But let’s get to the essentials. How good does the Teufel Cinebar Ultima sound anyway? First of all, the hard facts: The total of six speakers come to a power of strong 380 watts, while the two laterally installed fiberglass speakers with a diameter of 90 millimeters are supposed to provide a surround sound with the help of Teufel’s “Dynamore Ultra” technology.
We already know this technology for a virtual surround sound from the Cinebar 11, in whose test it could already convince us. In the case of the Ultima, the result is immensely more overwhelming, since the soundbar realizes even more power.
The result does not quite come close to real Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, but 2D sound formats like Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II or DTS are projected excellently into the three-dimensional room and realize an impressive home theater sound.
However, the technology reaches its limits especially when listening to music. Especially detailed trebles are swallowed up a bit here. However, you can easily counteract this by simply deactivating Dynamore and optionally increasing the trebles a bit.
The two built-in subwoofers are also surprisingly rich and powerful, which quickly makes you forget your initial fear that the Teufel Cinebar Ultima might lack power due to the lack of a dedicated woofer.
Whether in movie blockbusters like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, gaming or bass-heavy music: There’s a lot of steam behind it. In general, however, the soundbar is more aimed at a pleasing sound that is suitable for everyday use.
The mids and trebles are also on a broad stage, but especially detailed, multi-layered arrangements lack a bit of presence and airiness in the quiet accents. However, this is a weak point that all soundbars have to deal with anyway – in a direct comparison, the Ultima also does very well here. Especially since you can still tickle out that little bit more with the settings.
Teufel Cinebar Ultima review: conclusion
For all those who like it bigger, the Teufel Cinebar Ultima comes up with a simply impressive performance. Due to its height of 13.3 centimeters, it is difficult to fit it under most TV sets and, with its hefty weight, it first needs to be put into operation safely, but then at the latest, you will be thrilled by the result.
In terms of sound, the soundbar impresses with a convincing performance across almost all frequencies and delivers a virtual surround sound that can actually turn the living room into a movie theater, not least thanks to the “Dynamore Ultra” technology. However, a bit more brilliance in the trebles would have suited the soundbar well.
Of course, it goes without saying that it cannot quite compete with a Dolby Atmos soundbar. But if desired, additional speakers can be connected without any problems to create a real surround sound set.
However, it is a bit of a shame that the Teufel Cinebar Ultima does not support Wi-Fi or LAN and does not come with any cables. That would improve the convincing connectivity even more.
Teufel Cinebar Ultima
Design & workmanship
Sound quality
Features
Value for money
90/100
High-quality and huge soundbar with convincing and rich sound that provides real home theater feeling thanks to Dynamore Ultra technology.
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