Soundbar Reviews

This graph shows the quasi-anechoic (employing close-miking of all woofers) frequency response of the Monitor Audio ASB-2 soundbar (purple trace). The left channel was measured with the grille on, at a distance of 1 meter. The ASB-2’s listening-window response (a five-point average of axial and ±15° horizontal and vertical responses) measures +2.25 /–2.26 decibels from 200 hertz to 10 kilohertz. An average of axial and ±15° horizontal responses measures +1.74/–2.83 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The –3-dB point is at 55 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 47 Hz. —Mark J. Peterson

Video Test Bench

The MA soundbar performs video passthrough only; there's no video processing. It passed our 1080p-in, 1080p-out tests, though it was borderline on the highest-frequency chroma resolution test pattern. This is not unusual; many displays we've seen perform similarly, and it had no apparent effect on normal program material. —Thomas J. Norton