The slender, long design of the Bomaker Odine IV soundbar makes it a perfect external speaker solution for a TV set. It can be mounted on a wall or tucked discreetly under, enhancing the aesthetics of a TV. The Odine IV soundbar packs a sound punch too, being capable of 100 watts peak power via four full range front firing speakers.

The connectivity ports are all located on the rear of the Odine IV soundbar deeply recessed inside a large cutout and evenly spaced out so, you can plug in cables without rubbing against each other. On the backside of the Odine IV speaker, there are two plastic brackets for mounting the Odine IV speaker onto a wall, using the included plastic wall plug and screws. The plastic brackets are attached to the speaker via standard screws so, you can easily remove the brackets from the speaker using a regular screw driver.


The Odine IV soundbar is made mostly of glossy plastic with a metal mesh grille on the front concealing the speakers and backlit digital display. On the far side of the metal mesh, there is a plastic Bomaker logo glued on. There are a total of four speaker drivers all lined up strategically across the front, which creates superb stereo separation and wide sound stage. The Odine IV soundbar measures 84cm long, 9cm deep and 6cm high and weighs 2kg.


The connectivity ports include 1 digital optical (toslink) port, one HDMI ARC, one USB port and one auxiliary port, which is a 3.5mm connection that allows you to connect the Odine IV soundbar to the headphone jack of a phone, computer or TV, using the included RCA to 3.5mm cable (1.5 meters). You will need a male to male 3.5mm cable (not included) to connect to a phone. The digital optical and HDMI ARC connections are useful for connecting the Odine IV soundbar to a TV that supports Dolby Digital or DTS Digital.


Between the two, HDMI ARC is better than digital optical connection because HDMI ARC supports 7.1 surround sound, as well as uncompressed Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Atmos. Digital optical only supports compressed Dolby Digital 2.0/5.1 and Dolby Digital EX, as well as compressed DTS Digital Surround, DTS-ES Matrix 6.1 and DTS-ES Discrete 6.1. When using the HDMI ARC connection, you will need the TV to be ARC compatible. You will also need a high-speed HDMI 1.4 cable with Ethernet or an ultra-High-Speed HDMI cable, which are not included. An optical cable (1.5meters) is included.

The included user guide says that there 7 connection modes, although this seems to be a typo since there is only four modes accessible: HDMI ARC mode, optical mode, bluetooth mode and auxiliary mode. You can toggle between connection modes directly from the Odine IV soundbar, using the onboard physical buttons located on top of the unit. The buttons are made of rubber and have a loud clicky actuation. Aside from changing connection modes, you can also volume up and down. You cannot control any other functions from the soundbar; hence you need to use the included IR remote for controlling audio playback (play/pause, volume and skip tracks) and change EQ modes (Music, Movie, News, Games, 3D surround and bass)


As far as audio performance, you get the best audio quality when Odine IV is connected via optical or HDMI connection. Bluetooth and auxiliary work well too, although the sound is more clear and the bass is more defined via bluetooth connection than via wired auxiliary connection. Despite the bluetooth 5.0 chip not supporting aptX or AAC codecs, it performs well without noticeable lag when watching movies. For gaming though, the Odine IV speaker isn't suitable.


The Odine IV speaker sits 4mm high on two thick rubber strips on the base of the soundbar, which provide stability as well as enough clearance for air to passthrough. The plastic IR remote has rubber buttons (AAA batteries not included) and an 8 meter long wireless range with a front facing coverage, which means the IR remote has to be aimed directly at the front of the soundbar or it will not work.

 

Ultimately, Odine IV is as a 2.0 channel soundbar, which basically means Odine IV is a stereo speaker without a sub woofer. The main difference between Odine IV and a regular set of 2.0 speakers is the number of speakers. Most 2.0 speakers usually have two speakers, whereas Odine IV uses four powerful speakers to produce left and right stereo channels. This allows Odine IV to, not only sound louder but also produce a wider stereo sound stage, thanks to the long cabinet construction of the soundbar. Another neat advantage you get with the soundbar design is better 3D surround sound reproduction, which eliminates the need of having to use separate speakers scattered around a room.


Odine IV is better suited for small/medium size rooms. Being a soundbar, Odine IV has to be connected to an electrical outlet so, it's not as versatile as a speaker with a rechargeable battery. The included 42W power supply has a 1.8 meter long cable attached to a right angled DC barrel connector. A portable speaker with a rechargeable battery is obviously more versatile but on the plus side, you don't have to worry about having to recharge the speaker. You can buy Odine IV via Bomaker's website and amazon and get 50% off using promotional code GGETEX50