Is this the new affordable surround sound system to beat?

A four-piece, wirelessly connected, true Dolby Atmos-compatible 5.1.2-channel system for less than £300/$350? Even those of us who are familiar with the Hisense business philosophy – which is, in a nutshell, 'offer as much as possible for as little as possible' – might do a double-take.

And yet here we are. A full-on spatial audio home cinema audio system for not much cash, looking to compete with the best soundbars as well as the best surround sound systems whilst being kind to your wallet. There has to be a catch, though, doesn't there?

How much does the Hisense AX5125H cost?

The Hisense AX5125H is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it sells for £299, tops. In the US it's no more than $349, while in Australia it sells for a maximum of AU$599 – or, at least, the nearest-equivalent AX5120G does (such is the way with regional naming).

There's no disputing Hisense is offering a lot of stuff for the money in the AX5125H. Whether or not it's worthwhile stuff is a slightly different question, however, so read on for the full review breakdown.

Features & What's New?

Unlike a whole lot of 'Dolby Atmos' soundbar systems that rely on digital sound processing to do their thing, the Hisense AX5125H offers actual, physical upfiring drivers to create the sensation of height and space that's so essential to a spatial audio soundtrack. And it uses actual, physical speakers to create rear channels of sound, too. Obviously this means more actual hardware – but as long as you have the space (and the mains sockets) to accommodate it, the AX5125H seems better equipped to create a true 'home cinema' sensation than pretty much any price-comparable alternative.

As far as the nuts and bolts of specification are concerned, there are some things Hisense is prepared to divulge and, frankly, some it is not. So I can say for sure that the entire system is driven by a total of 500 watts of Class D power. I know that 180 of those watts are taken by the subwoofer in order to power its 165mm driver, and I know that another 40 watts is responsible for powering the pair of upfiring drivers in the soundbar.

What else? Well, I know the system intends to deliver a 5.1.2-channel sound via a total of nine drivers – but apart from the subwoofer's, I don't know the size or the composition of the drivers themselves. I don't quite know what the complete driver layout is, either – one in the subwoofer, one each in the satellite speakers and two on the top of the soundbar makes four, which means the front, centre and right channels facing outwards from the soundbar are somehow served up by five drivers.

When it comes to connectivity, things are a bit more explicit. Each of the four boxes requires mains power, but of course, but then the subwoofer and satellite speakers communicate wirelessly with the soundbar via Bluetooth. The soundbar itself has a couple of HDMI sockets (including one eARC), a digital optical input, a USB-A slot and a 3.5mm analogue input. Wireless streaming is strictly via Bluetooth 5.3 – there's no Wi-Fi or Ethernet provision here.

The AX5125H features 'TV mode', which means that when connected to an appropriate Hisense television the screen's speakers can join in with, rather than be overridden by, this sound system. There are seven EQ presets available, including 'Movie' (which, let's be honest, we're all hoping for) and 'Night' (which flattens dynamic response in the name of good relations with the other occupants of your home). The biggest selling point here is the AX5125H's compatibility with Dolby Atmos and DTS: X soundtracks though.

Hisense AX5125H review: Performance

I'll get to the specifics of how the AX5125H performs in just a moment – but first I think it's worth noting just what an assertive listen this system is. Not for the Hisense this 'revealing your nature over time' nonsense – the AX5125H takes any audio content it's given by the scruff of its neck.

This is particularly true of the soundbar and subwoofer – each is a forward and direct performer, perfectly happy to attack a soundtrack and drive it forward. That's a very welcome trait in some circumstances – a full-on action movie, for instance – but it's slightly less welcome during quieter, more spacious scenes. At these moments it's almost possible to discern the system waiting impatiently for the next time it can kick right off.

The frequency response is tilted towards the low end in much the same way the system response is tilted towards the front. You can dial back the bass using the remote control, but there's always disproportionate low-end representation no matter how you fiddle around the edges of the presentation.

Add this to a tonal balance that's on the thick and slightly blunt side, and the Hisense's intentions are all too plain. The midrange projects pretty well from the front of the soundbar, and there's decent high-end sparkle – but these always play second fiddle to the lower frequencies and their desire to dominate.

The AX5125H establishes a broad and reasonably well-defined soundstage, and when given some Dolby Atmos content to deal with is capable of offering a fair impression of height to its sound too. Those upfiring drivers aren't able to create a sensation of 'overhead' sound, even in a room of average ceiling height, but there's no denying this is a taller, more enveloping sound than a similarly sized soundbar without the necessary physical drivers can create.

Dynamic response in any EQ setting except 'Night' is fairly impressive too – although the Hisense's ability to sound quite loud even when it's describing quiet scenes can hamper it just a little in this respect. And although the rear speakers generally make a worthwhile contribution, when the going gets rowdy they are comprehensively overwhelmed by the activity coming from the soundbar and, especially, the subwoofer. At those moments of big Hollywood bluster, they can disappear from the presentation almost entirely as the two speakers at the front begin to dominate.

The emphasis is similar if you decide to send some music to the AX5125H via Bluetooth. The sound is slightly lumpy and bottom-heavy, and it's a trait that can impact negatively on momentum and rhythmic positivity. There's no denying the vigour and decisiveness of the presentation, though.

Hisense AX5125H review: Design & Usability

The price does rather dictate that 'design' isn't really something that's happened here – 'construction' is a better word to apply. But there's no arguing with the quality of construction Hisense is offering, nor the standard of finish – even if the plastics that make up the majority of the boxes here don't feel anything special. For such an aggressively priced system, the AX5125H makes a strong visual case for itself.

At 60 x 920 x 90mm (HxWxD), the soundbar is of quite harmonious proportions and should slide beneath your average television with too much difficulty. Sensibly, the top surface is covered in fabric, which obviously allows the upfiring drivers to do their thing but also means it doesn't reflect the light of the TV above it.

Each satellite speaker is an equally manageable 141 x 90 x 110mm, and as well as having little rubber feet to protect the surface they may be standing on they feature 'keyhole' wall-mounting too. The MDF cabinet of the wireless subwoofer is a usefully compact 310 x 211 x 300mm.

All four elements feature a quantity of perforated metal as a grille, and there is a dimmable LED display behind that of the soundbar. The grilles wrap across the top surface of the satellite speakers, but don't be fooled – the only upfiring drivers in this system are integrated into the soundbar.

As far as usability is concerned, things couldn't really be much simpler. There's none of your fancy-pants app control here – everything happens using a remote-control handset that's just as prosaic as the system it commands, but it's logical and simple to use. Once each element of the system is receiving mains power, wireless pairing is swift and stable – and the remote allows you to trim the bass and treble output to help get a workable balance in your specific environment.

Hisense AX5125H review: Verdict

It's important to keep expectations realistic when faced with a wireless 5.1.2 home cinema system with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive audio decoding for an almost suspiciously low price. So while the Hisense AX5125H is not the best-balanced home cinema system you ever heard, it does it offer a big, punchy and enveloping sound – the likes of which is very hard to come by at anything like this money.

Also consider

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 isn't much pricier, but uses digital signal processing (DSP) to create a sensation of Dolby Atmos surround, doesn't come with a subwoofer (let alone satellite speakers) – and yet it's the best, most credible alternative to the Hisense AX5125H that I can come up with.

It's definitely a better bet when it comes to listening to music, and what it does with Atmos soundtracks is pretty impressive in the context of its 'just a soundbar' configuration. And yet all I've done here is make the Hisense seem even more compelling, haven't I?