Hisense HS214 review
The Hisense HS214 could be the perfect soundbar for you if you’ve decided it’s time for an upgrade on plain ole TV audio, but you’re working on a pretty tight budget. The Hisense HS214 is a popular budget option, typically priced at just $99 / £79 (about AU$160). It’s a 2.1 channel soundbar with a built-in sub that aims to offer powerful audio via a compact, all-in-one build. But does it deliver?
Well, before I answer that definitively, let’s take a look at sound quality. I’m happy to report that out of the box, the Hisense HS214 sounds pretty good. When watching I Think You Should Leave on Netflix, a scene with two characters conversing in a people-filled room had clear dialogue, which was decently separated from background murmurs.
Similarly, when watching Howl’s Moving Castle, the vocals of protagonist Sophie felt a bit more defined in the overall mix than with standalone TV audio. During one scene, whistling winds were also replicated accurately, without any tinniness or unintentional harshness – something I always listen out for in my hunt to find the best soundbars available in all price brackets.
One aspect of the HS214 that Hisense talks up is its bass output. That’s mainly because the Hisense HS214 has a built-in woofer, which is meant to offer “powerful bass”, according to the Chinese electronics giant. And in fairness, the soundbar mustered up a bit more of a boom than my TV could manage alone – although it wasn’t massively striking, that’s to be expected given its size.
I watched the horror movie Smile and during a heart-racing scene with screaming and object-smashing, the deep bass playing throughout was a touch underpowered, meaning the full weight of the scene was slightly restricted. Luckily, this can be remedied significantly, thanks to the bass boost/reduce option on the remote. This enables you to raise or decrease bass output by five levels. When cranking up low-end output, the spooky scene in Smile had more impactful bass, which created a darker atmosphere in the build up to the scene’s climax (I won’t spoil it, don’t worry).
So, even if you won’t get massive, imposing bass out of this mini soundbar, it has the potential to offer a considerable leg-up to some of the best small TVs. You may notice the soundbar struggling with deeper bass tones and sub-bass when listening to music, however. For instance, when I tuned in to the bass-heavy Splash Mountain by Yung Gravy, the low-end boom from deep bass running throughout the track was a little bit feeble. More generally, music sounds solid with the HS214, though. It’s decently clear for the most part and doesn’t get awful tinny like some cheap soundbars.
I mentioned that bass boost/reduce option a moment ago, but you might be wondering what other features the Hisense HS214 has to offer. You get three different sound modes here: Movie; Music; and Night. However, those of you with a Hisense TV will also be able to access Sport and Night mode if you alter the EQ mode via the soundbar settings menu, rather than the soundbar’s remote. Each of these are well differentiated, with Movie adding a bit of emphasis in the low-end. I used this for the majority of testing.
Another feature is surround sound mode, which to clarify, has nothing to do with Dolby Atmos or DTS:X/Virtual:X. When I realised this was an option, I was looking forward to trying it, because even if the HS214’s overall audio quality was good, it didn’t offer much of a spatial impression. Unfortunately, though, surround mode isn’t worth activating. I tried using it when playing Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth on PlayStation 5 and despite providing broader, more nuanced positioning, it wasn’t long before I switched it off. And that’s down to one big issue – it significantly hampers audio quality, which is tinny and a bit unpleasant.
This isn’t the end of the world, of course – the HS214 sounds totally fine without surround mode. And even if it doesn’t offer mesmerizing spatial audio, it does plate up a solid helping of power. It has a total power output of 108W and can get pretty loud, making it an ideal step-up for TVs with weaker audio, or sound that gets easily distorted at higher volumes. And placement isn’t too bad either. During gameplay, one character whizzed across the screen on a motorbike and I got a solid impression of his directionality. Of course, this is a small soundbar and you won’t get much width out of it – especially with Surround Mode off – but general audio placement is decent.
One more feature worth mentioning is the dimmer option, which can alter the brightness of the LED light display on the front of the soundbar. I kept it at max brightness, but I have to say, I wasn’t a massive fan of the LED display used here. Rather than displaying volume numbers, EQ modes and more, you just see a small light flash when you change settings or volume. This isn’t the most clear or intuitive and a lot of cheap soundbars, like the Majority Elias, for instance, use clearer displays with words and letters.
But look, I don’t want to be overly critical, especially as I personally like the design of the Hisense HS214 overall. It has an almost leather-like plastic casing on top of that soundbar which is attractive and adds a touch of class. It also has button controls for power, source and volume if you don’t have the soundbar’s very neat-looking remote to hand.
On the reverse side, there are a number of ports that enable you to connect your soundbar to a TV in multiple ways. These include: HDMI (ARC); AUX; coaxial; digital optical; and USB-C. That means it should be good to go with any modern TV and gives you plenty of options if all of your HDMI slots are used up. I opted for the HDMI ARC connection type and found setting the soundbar up incredibly easy – just plug in the connector and a power cable and you’re good to go.
All in all, the Hisense HS214 is a very solid budget soundbar. It’s wide of the mark on spatial audio and you may not be wowed in the bass department, but it’s an attractive, compact, easy-to-use soundbar that plates up clear dialogue and solid amounts of power. Given the price you pay, that does make it an attractive offering. If that’s all you need, I’d say this soundbar is worth considering, but for those seeking a stronger spatial impression, one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars will offer a more nuanced, expansive and premium-sounding experience.
Hisense HS214 review: Price and release date
- $99 / £79 (about AU$160)
- Launched in 2021
The Hisense HS214 is positioned as a budget, entry-level option for those looking to add a bit of power to their TV setup. It was released back in 2021 and has a list price of $99 / £79 (about AU$160). However, you may well be able to snap this soundbar up for even less. I’ve personally seen this soundbar available for less than £70 via Amazon UK, for instance, so keep an eye out for some sweet deals.
Hisense HS214 review: Specs
| Dimensions | 25.6 x 3.7 x 2.3 inches / 650 x 95 x 58mm |
| Speaker channels | 2.1 |
| Connections | HDMI ARC, digital optical, AUX, USB, coaxial, Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Dolby Atmos / DTS:X | No / No |
| Sub included | No (but includes built-in woofer) |
| Rear speakers included | No |
Should I buy the Hisense HS214?
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Weak surround sound mode, decent EQ options, Bluetooth connectivity. | 3/5 |
| Audio performance | Clear vocals, powerful for its size, just don’t expect booming deep bass. | 4/5 |
| Design | Ultra compact, attractive build, nice remote, LED display not the best. | 4/5 |
| Setup and usability | Very simple to setup thanks to many connection types and small size. | 4.5/5 |
| Value | Decent audio packed into a small soundbar with a small price to match. | 4.5/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Hisense HS214 review: Also consider
| Row 0 – Cell 0 | Hisense HS214 | Panasonic SC-HTB100 | Amazon Fire TV Soundbar |
| Price | $99 / £79 (about AU$160) | £79 (about $100 / AU$160) | $119.99 / £119.99 (about AU$180) |
| Dimensions | 25.6 x 3.7 x 2.3 inches / 650 x 95 x 58mm | 30 x 2.3 x 2.8 inches / 762 x 58 x 70mm | 24 x 3.5 x 2.6 inches / 610 x 90 x 65mm |
| Speaker channels | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Connections | HDMI ARC, digital optical, AUX, USB, coaxial, Bluetooth 4.2 | HDMI ARC, digital optical, AUX, USB, Bluetooth 5.0 | HDMI ARC, digital optical, Bluetooth |
| Dolby Atmos / DTS:X | No / No | No / No | No / No |
| Sub included | No (but includes built-in woofer) | No | No |
| Rear speakers included | No | No | No |
Hisense HS214 review: How I tested
- Tested for one week(s)
- Used at home with the Hisense U7K TV
- Predominantly used the HDMI ARC connectivity option
I put the Hisense HS214 to the test over a week-long period. I mainly used HDMI ARC when connecting the soundbar to my Hisense U7K TV – a model which had integrated support for the HS214 in its options menus.
While testing, I watched a number of TV shows, videos and movies – mainly using streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and YouTube. I also played Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth on the Playstation 5 to judge the soundbar’s capabilities for gaming. In addition, I connected the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE to the Hisense HS214 using Bluetooth connectivity for playing music. I made sure to play tracks from the TechRadar testing playlist to assess the quality of the soundbar’s Music EQ configuration.
- First reviewed: January 2025
- Read more about how we test
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