On the face of it, the Majority Elias is an audio-visual phenomenon. Why? Because it offers upfiring speakers – a key component of ‘true’ Dolby Atmos – at less than £100. When coming to this realization, I expected the soundbar to be the ultimate budget option for those seeking spatial audio, but alas, my expectations were shattered.
Ok, I know that sounds a little dramatic, but really, this thing is disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, the Majority Elias certainly offers an upgrade in several areas over typical TV audio, but there are serious shortcomings in sound quality that make me feel Majority may have bitten off more than it can chew.
Before I get into the criticisms, I’ll prove that I can be nice from time to time. In terms of setup, it doesn’t get any easier than this. You can hook the Majority Elias up to your TV via HDMI and a power cable, so there’s no need to go through a tricky setup process. The inclusion of HDMI also enables you to use your normal TV remote to adjust volume, making the Elias a practical, easy-to-use soundbar.
Another thing I really liked straight off the bat was the soundbar’s design. When I unboxed it, I was struck by its classy wraparound speaker. The Elias has both the Majority and Dolby Atmos logos included on the body in silver, which makes a tidy splash of detail. All in all, it appears well made, avoiding the overly plasticky look that a lot of budget soundbars go for. This helps the Elias appear as if it costs a fair bit more than £100, so when it comes to style, it stacks up well against budget competitors, even those in our guide to the best soundbars.
It’s at this point, though, that I feel the need to reveal some harsh truths about the Majority Elias. Sure, it can score well in usability and even look great while doing it, but as a soundbar these things are subordinate to, well…sound.
Let’s kick things off in the audio department by talking about Dolby Atmos – the key selling point of the Majority Elias. The inclusion of upfiring speakers gave me high hopes, despite the pretty low price point. In the end, I wasn’t blown away by what I heard, but the added expansiveness and verticality were certainly noticeable. To test Atmos, I first streamed some video content on Netflix with Top Gun Maverick. During one scene, Tom Cruise’s character flies his aircraft up at a rapid pace and the directional sense was more true-to-life than my TV’s audio.
I also tested Season One of The Boys on Amazon Prime Video. In one episode, two of the main characters find themselves on a plane during, let’s say, a turbulent time. In this scene, I was listening out for how the Elias would handle sharp movements, loud exclamations and the chaos of a distress-filled action sequence. Again, the sense of positioning was solid, although I wasn’t getting the most incredible, room-filling spatial audio. It’s worth keeping in mind, though, that the Elias isn’t a particularly large soundbar and doesn’t have a subwoofer or rear speakers to help deliver full-on surround sound so, for what it offers, I was decently pleased. If you want to really feel the action, however, it may be worth seeking out a budget 5.1 channel soundbar system alternative – more on this in the Also Consider section.
Even though I did get a sense of relatively competent spatial audio, there’s one overriding issue holding the Elias back – sound quality. The overall audio experience is a pretty negative one out of the box. You can select from four different sound modes: 3D; Movie; Music; and News. Now, each of these settings has unique sound profiles – something that a few competitors fall flat on – but none can save the Elias from emitting disappointing audio.
I started by testing out 3D Mode, with the hope that it would enhance the Dolby Atmos effect. It did add more than the other EQ modes and while watching The Boys, dialogue sounded palatable – at least more than it did in Movie Mode, which was pretty muddy. Sound, however, still felt constrained and unnatural, meaning that even when compared to standalone TV audio, it wasn’t very impressive.
During Movie Mode testing, I watched Episode 1 of Cowboy Bebop on Netflix. One high-octane fight scene felt more impactful with the Elias than it did with TV audio. The action segment contained melee combat, gunshots, screeching cars, flying aircraft, frantic dialogue – you name it. Thanks to the Elias’ meatier (albeit still lacking) bass for low-frequency sounds like explosions and more expansive soundstage, it was able to capture the craziness decently well. However, once again, audio still sounded muddied and lacked definition – a big miss for scenes with a vast amount of sounds, especially when some are in the same frequency range.
To test Music Mode, I connected the Elias to my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 using Bluetooth and threw on some tunes via Spotify. The first track, Black Eye by Allie X, instantly let me know what I was in for, with the intro’s explosive, pumping bass sounding seriously hampered and lacking the impact I’d expect. I also listened to St Thomas by Sonny Rollins – a less bass-heavy track – and although it didn’t sound quite as bad, the sharpness of percussion was limited and slightly tinny. Songs with a more complex mix – like I Want You by Moloko – really exposed the Elias’ shortcomings, with higher-pitched vocals lacking clarity, bass missing its boom and densely layered instruments devoid of definition and separation.
It’s worth noting, though, that in my view, music isn’t a crucial part of a budget soundbar. Very few can replicate music to a good standard, and if you’re expecting the sort of quality you’d get from one of the best Bluetooth speakers, you’ll likely feel let down. At this price point, I’m more concerned with performance for movies and TV shows – especially for the Elias with its inclusion of upfiring speakers and Dolby Atmos – but I’m not convinced you get enough in this area either.
I also tested gaming performance by playing a rhythm game, Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! Usually, I’d stick with Movie Mode for gaming, but for this title – which is focused around playing to the beat of various tracks – I tried Music Mode too. Performance here was mediocre at best. The main issue was, of course, that for a game centered around its excellent soundtrack, the poor audio quality worsened the experience substantially.
Also, the Elias wasn’t perfectly responsive, meaning there was a little bit of latency with sound versus the appearance of notes on the screen, which was an issue for this game specifically, as it made me get the timing wrong on more notes than with standalone TV audio. If you’re a gamer who needs highly responsive, precise audio, the Majority Elias is probably not for you.
The final sound setting, News Mode served its purpose decently well. I tuned into BBC News to test this and felt that while voices sometimes had a slight hiss or lacked crispness, they were still relatively forward and clear. So, overall audio quality is mediocre with the Majority Elias, but even though none of the EQ modes can save it from its sonic shortcomings, they all have a unique sound signature.
Apart from Dolby Atmos and the four sound modes, there aren’t many features to speak of with the Majority Elias. The included remote allows you to adjust bass and treble levels, switch between EQ modes, toggle 3D audio on and off, and adjust the volume. When switching between modes, the soundbar conveniently shows which mode you’re in using LED lighting – it also uses this to indicate when Dolby Atmos is active. That’s all really, but, for a budget soundbar, you wouldn’t expect much more feature-wise.
Before I sum up, I have one more minor complaint about the Majority Elias – its lack of clarity around HDMI eARC. HDMI eARC is key for many soundbars, given that it can enable lossless audio. However, even when using an HDMI cable capable of eARC connectivity, the soundbar simply displayed ARC. The user manual also specifies that the included HDMI cable is for ARC connectivity. All in all, I’m not convinced the benefits of HDMI eARC are truly realized regardless, but this did leave me confused for a while.
The Majority Elias is a device that dares to pack incredibly high-quality performance at an incredibly low price point. Ultimately, it cuts corners on sound quality, leaving a bit of a sour taste. Despite this, it isn’t a terrible soundbar. You still get more powerful audio than from a typical TV and more immersive, expansive sound thanks to Dolby Atmos. On top of that, it has an attractive design and a solid set of connectivity options. If you’re looking to add bolder sound to your TV setup, the Majority Elias isn’t the worst choice but it’s outclassed by a number of competitors. As a result, I’d suggest checking out our guide to the best Dolby Atmos soundbars and speakers to find a stronger alternative.
Majority Elias review: Price and release date
- £99.95 (about $130 / AU$190)
- Launched on March 2024
The Majority Elias is still pretty fresh, having only been released a few months back. Thankfully, this means you get modern features like Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity and HDMI eARC. At £99.95 (about $130 / AU$190), you’re looking at a super-cheap soundbar.
Sure, there are lower-priced alternatives out there, like the Saiyin DS6305 for instance, but for a soundbar with Dolby Atmos and upfiring speakers, this is still a low price point. However, the low price comes with a significant degree of sacrifice – mostly in the audio quality department. There are some clear upsides, such as its tidy design, but I’d recommend checking out some higher-quality budget options – see the Also Consider section for this.
Majority Elias review: Specs
| Dimensions | 24 x 3.9 x 2.7 inches / 610 x 99 x 69mm |
| Speaker channels | 2.1.2 |
| Connections | HDMI (e)ARC, digital optical, AUX, USB, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Dolby Atmos / DTS:X | Yes / No |
| Sub included | No |
| Rear speakers included | No |
| Other features | 4x sound modes |
Should you buy the Majority Elias?
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Not lots to play with, but sound modes are solid, as are bass/surround controls. | 3.5/5 |
| Audio performance | Sound isn’t high quality nor super clear, but it’s rarely grating and pretty powerful. | 3/5 |
| Design | A little cheap-looking, but quite well sized. | 4/5 |
| Setup and usability | Wiring to rear speakers may frustrate some, but setup is simple. | 4/5 |
| Value | Issues with quality are easily made up for by an incredibly low price. | 3/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Majority Elias: Also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Majority Elias | Amazon Fire TV Soundbar | Ultimea Poseidon D50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £99.95 (about $130 / AU$190) | $119.99 / £119.99 (about AU$180) | $119.99 / £149.99 (about AU$180) |
| Dimensions | 24 x 3.9 x 2.7 inches / 610 x 99 x 69mm | 24 x 3.5 x 2.6 inches / 610 x 90 x 65mm | Soundbar: 15.7 x 2.8 x 3.5 inches / 400 x 70 x 90mm; Subwoofer: 6.1 x 9.6 x 8.5 inches / 155 x 244 x 215mm; Rear speakers: 5.3 x 2.8 x 3.5 inches / 135 x 70 x 90mm |
| Speaker channels | 2.1.2 | 2.0 | 5.1 |
| Connections | HDMI (e)ARC, digital optical, AUX, USB, Bluetooth 5.3 | HDMI ARC, digital optical, Bluetooth | HDMI ARC, digital optical, AUX, USB, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Dolby Atmos / DTS:X | Yes / No | No / No | No / No |
| Sub included | No | No | Yes |
| Rear speakers included | No | No | Yes |
| Other features | 4x sound modes | 3x sound modes, DTS:Virtual X processing | Ultimea BassMax, 3x sound modes, surround sound controls |
Majority Elias review: How I tested
- Tested for two weeks
- Connected to my Hisense U7K TV at home
- Predominantly used the HDMI ARC connectivity option
I tested the Majority Elias at home over the course of two weeks. I mainly used HDMI ARC when connecting the soundbar to my Hisense U7K TV.
I put the Majority Elias to the test watching a variety of TV shows, videos and movies across streaming services, including Netflix and YouTube. I also played multiple video games on the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch consoles and listened to music from the TechRadar testing playlist on Spotify by pairing my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 with the Majority Elias via Bluetooth.
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source: https://www.techradar.com/televisions/soundbars/majority-elias-review-an-affordable-dolby-atmos-soundbar-with-disappointing-audio
