Verizon has its hands in a lot of stuff; cellphones, the internet, TV, and streaming services. Now, Verizon has decided to enter the soundbar market in partnership with Bang & Olufsen for audio design and manufacturing by Askey, which is a part of ASUS.
There are two models available: The Stream TV Soundbar ($399) and the Stream TV Soundbar Pro ($999). You don’t need to be a Verizon service customer to purchase or use these soundbars.
What Both Soundbars Share
The core features of both soundbars include:
Bang & Olufsen designed and tuned speaker systems.
Virtual Dolby Atmos support: This means that are no dedicated vertically firing drivers for height channel effects. Instead, virtual surround algorithms take over the task, which is not as effective.
Dynamic Sound Field Selection: For Verizon FIOS subscribers, this feature automatically detects the type of content you are watching/listening to, such as movies, TV, music, sports, etc.., and adjusts audio settings to provide the clearest sound. If you are not a FIOS subscriber the soundbars also provide manual sound settings.
HDMI 2.1 support: This includes ARC/eARC and 4K/60hz and HDR video pass-through (HDR formats not specified, but HDR10 would be the core format included).
Android TV OS (ver 11) built-in: Access to thousands of streaming apps, including favorites, such as Disney+, Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and YouTube. 4K streaming is supported with compatible streaming content and broadband speeds.
Chromecast Built-in: Allows casting from Android phones (Apple AirPlay not supported).
Bluetooth ver 5.0: Wireless music streaming from compatible devices.
Find My Remote: If you misplaced your remote control there is a button on one end of the soundbar (next to the Bluetooth pairing button) that will activate a beep on the remote so you can locate it.
Google Assistant: A Google Assistant-powered voice remote is provided.
Wi-Fi (ver 6 compatible) and Ethernet: Both wireless and wired connection options are provided for connection to your broadband router.
Stream TV Soundbar (ASK-STI6251)
In addition to the core features listed above, here are additional features of the Verizon Stream TV Soundbar.
- Speaker system with 5 drivers (3 full-range and 2 woofers). No subwoofer output connection or wireless subwoofer connectivity is provided.
- 2 HDMI inputs and one HDMI output.
What comes in the box:
- Verizon Stream TV Soundbar
- Stream TV Voice Remote
- Power Supply
- HDMI Cable
- Setup Guide
The Verizon Stream TV Soundbar is priced at $399 and is available directly from Verizon.
Stream TV Soundbar Pro (ASK-STI6250)
Here are the additional features you get on the Verizon Stream TV Soundbar Pro.
- Different exterior soundbar design than the Stream TV Soundbar. The design looks a lot like the Bang & Olufsen BeoSound Stage Soundbar (with different internal components and feature set).
- Speaker system with 9 drivers (4 full range, 3 tweeters, and 2 woofers). No subwoofer output connection or wireless subwoofer connectivity is provided.
- 3 HDMI inputs and one HDMI output.
What’s in the box
- Verizon Stream TV Soundbar Pro
- Stream TV Voice Remote
- Power Supply
- HDMI Cable
- Setup Guide
- Wall Mounting Hardware & Template
The Verizon Stream TV Soundbar Pro is priced at $999 and is available directly from Verizon.
Our Thoughts
Whether Verizon can actually make an impact on the soundbar market remains to be seen. One problem is simply brand recognition in the audio or soundbar space – of course, Verizon is a well-known telecommunications company but would a Verizon-branded soundbar come to your mind over more familiar audio brands, such as Sonos, Klipsch, Samsung, Sony, Bose, Vizio, Monoprice, and others already in the competitive soundbar market?
Verizon does seem to be serious about these soundbars, as partnering with Bang & Olufsen for sound system design is a good move. This is providing that the prestigious speaker maker hasn’t been asked to dumb down their specs too much, especially at the price points that Verizon has settled on.
So far, these soundbars are only available through Verizon. This is fine for attracting current Verizon customers to additional products, but not everyone is a Verizon customer. Nonetheless, anyone can buy either of them whether or not a Verizon customer.
Tip: For a limited time, you can take advantage of Verizon’s Buy More Save More offer. If you purchase three eligible accessories — including both new soundbars — you can save 30%. This offer increases to 40% as you buy more accessories. Watch for additional promotional offers throughout the year.
Related reading: Best Soundbars
Verizon Stream TV Soundbar Promotional Video
