The WiiM Bar added the fun I didn’t know was missing from my home cinema setup

Introduction

With keen pricing, an open streaming ecosystem and plenty of scope for expansion, the WiiM bar is a clear shot across Sonos’s bough. This compact, Atmos-approved soundbar directly competes with the Beam 2 but even one-ups the Arc with its attention-grabbing circular touchscreen, which puts album art at the centre of your home cinema setup.

WiiM obviously knows a thing or two about multi-room and music, having released a string of affordable streamers, speakers and amplifiers that don’t skimp on sound quality – but this is it’s first venture into home cinema. Can the $479/£449 WiiM Bar deliver convincing surround sound on par with rivals that have been in the game a lot longer?

How does the WiiM Bar stand out from rivals visually?

At a little over 1m wide, the WiiM Bar sits perfectly beneath a 55in TV and won’t look out of place beneath a bigger 65in set – unlike the smaller Sonos Beam Gen 2. It’s not overly tall, so didn’t obstruct the bottom edge of my LG OLED (which doesn’t have the highest TV stand) – despite the circular screen subtly and smoothly protruding upwards from the minimalist chassis. You can’t miss it, even when the Bar is powered off.

A few touch-sensitive buttons (which light up as your hand approaches) and a tiny activity LED are the only things of note on the top edge; otherwise the whole thing is wrapped in metal, with tiny perforations across the front and on top where the up-firing drivers sit. This isn’t a soundbar that can be oriented differently when wall-mounted, like the Samsung HW-QS90H.

It has some heft, but not so much it was a chore to get out of the box, or that I’d worry for any wall brackets. Built quality is top notch too, with no creaks or rattles.

Is the Wiim Bar’s screen a must-have feature?

At 2.1in, the circular screen is more a fun addition than an essential I can see other brands borrowing for their future soundbars. While it can show track, artist and source information, you really can’t read the text clearly at a typical sofa-to-tv distance. I largely left it showing full-screen album art; play a tune via streaming service and it mimics a spinning vinyl record, making me feel that bit more connected to my music choice.

The rest of the time it can show one of multiple digital or analogue clocks, animated backgrounds, or even act as a digital picture frame for your family photos through the companion app. It naturally indicates volume and source changes made using the remote control.

Playback controls, source selection and EQ presets are just a few swipes away, but let’s be honest: no-ones getting off the couch to do that when their phone is likely much closer to hand, and WiiM’s companion app is up there with the best. Being able to swipe once and pick a favourite playlist or radio station before sitting down, though? Very slick.

There’s a pretty typical selection of inputs at the rear next to the power socket: HDMI eARC for hooking up a TV, Ethernet in case your Wi-Fi signal isn’t up to the task, USB for local music playback, and both digital optical and line in for other audio kit like a turntable. They’re slightly recessed, but not so much you’ll easily be able to keep the cables from view – whether you fill ’em all or not.

I got by just fine with only power and HDMI, given the WiiM Bar is compatible with most of the major music services. You can beam tunes straight from the Spotify, Tidal or Qobuz apps, while WiiM’s own integrates a bunch more. It’s Roon ready and has Bluetooth for direct playback. Only Apple Music subscribers will lament the lack of AirPlay 2.

What makes the WiiM Bar’s remote control so useful?

The WiiM Home app is your best choice for music streaming. It supports all the major services, lets you assign favourites and beam multi-room audio to your other WiiM kit. The layout is straightforward and it doesn’t overwhelm with features, but there are plenty to be found if you go searching for them.

Setup is just as simple, whether you’re getting the Bar connected to your Wi-Fi or adding satellites and a subwoofer for true surround sound. Signing into streaming services (the ones that are fully integrated, anyway) and picking tunes is just as smooth. Adding favourites and assigning them to shortcuts is straightforward too.

The bundled remote control, meanwhile, is a premium affair that’s made from aluminium. It recharges over USB-C and has a built-in mic for issuing Alexa-compatible voice commands with a button press, so you don’t have to yell at the soundbar over the noise of whatever’s currently playing. Having dedicated keys for the four EQ presets (Movie, Music, Speech and Late Night) saves you reaching for the app when watching TV. My only minor criticism is that the buttons aren’t backlit.

How does the WiiM Bar’s sound quality stack up to rivals?

Fire up a film or TV show and the touchscreen quickly fades into the background, letting the eight speaker, 3.0.2-channel speaker array do the talking. There’s one 110mm mid-range driver and three 52mm tweeters (for left, right and centre channels) doing the heavy lifting, plus two up-firing full-range 52mm drivers providing the height effects and four passive radiators bringing the bass.

WiiM has plenty of audio pedigree but dialogue clarity and convincing Atmos height and surround effects are new challenges for the firm. Happily the Bar delivers on both fronts, with a space-filling sound that’s not short on volume. A 135W power output won’t result in noise complaints from half way down the street, but for anything other than “I’m home alone tonight” movie nights I was very happy to stick to between 40 and 50% volume. The centre channel delivers brilliantly clean speech.

The automatic RoomFit calibration makes voices sound like they’re coming from above the bar, to be more in line with your TV. I got the best results using my wife’s iPhone to measure the room’s acoustics, with the two Android handsets I tried giving more varied tunes, but all three brought a small yet noticeable improvement to the tonal balance in my low-ceilinged living room.

Bass is more than respectable for a one-box system, giving hectic action sequences just enough grunt that explosions, gunshots and car crashes felt impactful. You’ll still want to add a subwoofer if you’re after room-shaking bass, though. Also, while the overall presentation has a good amount of width, there’s little sensation of sounds coming from behind or beside you – for that a set of dedicated satellites are still needed.

I used two WiiM Sound speakers and a WiiM Sub Pro, but you could have four Sound Lites as surrounds and assign the Bar solely to the centre channel. The resulting system was wonderfully composed and enveloped my sofa in movies, with no delay or crossover issues.

Should you buy the WiiM Bar in 2026?

Adding surrounds and a subwoofer means the WiiM Bar is no longer quite the bargain it is as a standalone soundbar, but it’s still an obvious buy if you’re already rocking WiiM speakers elsewhere in your home. It effortlessly slots into WiiM’s streaming ecosystem and is delightfully easy to use for both music and movies.

Even if you’re new to WiiM, the Bar’s unique circular screen adds a degree of charm you just don’t get from other soundbars. It doesn’t do anything to make it a true must-have, but sometimes, just putting a smile on your face whenever you queue up a playlist and the album art starts spinning is enough.

What are the WiiM Bar’s technical specifications?