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The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Meet you at the bar for better sound.

  • Tech Insider Network Member

  House brands, such as Best Buy’s Insignia, sometimes have an extra burden to bear when it comes to distinguishing themselves as competitive products among more established brands. Although there are always some design differentiations when comparing brands, a little industry secret is that often, for mass-produced items, independently owned and operated factories are making products side by side with more known and often more expensive brands. So, whereas reputational differentiation between brands still has some importance, realize that the actual production is often accomplished at the same facility by the same personnel. With that in mind, at the somewhat lower end of the soundbar pricing cohort, lies the capable, Insignia NS-SB21, a simple soundbar that includes a complementary-sized wireless subwoofer and a remote control. It includes audio modes such as Standard, Theater, News and Night to tailor sound to match the associated descriptions. Additional features include DTS Virtual-X Sound for enhanced simulation of ambient sound, Dialogue Enhancement for increased intelligibility of speech in program material, and Customizable Equalization at bass and treble frequencies. Communication to the soundbar is achieved through connectivity such as Bluetooth, HDMI ARC (via an included cable), digital/optical, USB and 3.5 mm auxiliary analog. Mounting brackets, a template and screws are provided for the soundbar and batteries are intended to be included (mine were missing) for the remote. Also, don’t forget to access the web for a more comprehensive user manual which I wish would just be included instead of including a less useful, simplified version. The subwoofer is quite sprightly, despite the diminutive 5” driver and extremely light over-all weight of only 6.61 lbs. There are only a pairing switch, indicator light and AC power cord input on the back. Obviously, this size driver/subwoofer does not lend itself well to larger spaces or higher volumes, so if you are realistic in your expectations and maybe place the subwoofer in somewhat of a corner area, you will see a bit of an acoustic boost in its level. The sound bar is fairly long despite only seemingly having two full range drivers emitting sound. (I could be wrong as the grill cover is quite opaque and there does not appear to be any on-line discussion/information sharing the driver complement.) The positive aspect of the unit’s length is that you will hear a bit better stereo separation as well as more realistic processed sound field immersion. However, its length might be more visually compatible with mid-sized screens. Like the subwoofer, the weight is quite light at 4.18 lbs., which is both indicative of its hardware simplicity as well as a hint regarding expected performance. Out of the box and after a little stretching (also known as breaking in the drivers for a more accurate depiction of long-term sonic experience), I think the sound is pretty good. I like the simulated surround function and each of the four sound modes seems appropriate for the names given and expected applications. The spoken voice describing the functions and inputs when selected, seems to be a handy helper, but may grow wearisome over time. The bass delivered by the subwoofer is adequate for the task and not likely to get you evicted or vibrate the plates off your shelves. It does, however, deliver impressive sound for its small driver size, diminutive enclosure and weight. The LED indicators on the front of the sound bar make sense and are discreet enough to disappear after confirming your selections on the remote. Connectivity worked as expected with a good variety of ways to connect to this device, covering most people’s needs. Glad to still see an analog connection available for the increasingly rare legacy devices that occasionally still need to be heard. Other things I like include the fact that the power supplies are built into both the subwoofer and the sound bar, enabling a cleaner installation without the typical bulky power supply brick(s). This is especially useful when mounting the sound bar on a wall and relying on the AC power sourced from behind a TV, because hiding a bulky brick of a power supply behind a flush-mount TV is much more difficult than just a cord. The sound quality of the system is impressive for the price and size and will definitely service the need of improving the anemic sound of most TVs, as well as provide a handy Bluetooth playing outlet. Another positive, at least in my mind, is that there is no additional app required to use all the features of the product. My opinion is that it’s just one less potential data leak source and reduces dependance on phones. Some of the items I’m less in love with include the remote’s text barely having sufficient contrast to enable reading in even a normally-lit room. The four buttons on the top of the sound bar are very poorly embossed as well as unpainted, making them very difficult to read as well. On a minor note, the port on the subwoofer is also very poorly constructed with a plastic and cardboard interface that are not in alignment, causing unnecessary air turbulence. The troubleshooting section should mention that when you see all the white lights flashing on the front of the sound bar after attaching an HDMI connection, that you need to enable the output of the TV to emit PCM/DTS mode (not Bitstream) to be compatible with the sound bar’s input. If you have any trouble connecting the HDMI connection on the sound bar, it will most likely be the sound output settings on the TV, and unfortunately the configuration settings may be difficult to configure as they are all slightly different depending on the brand. Be sure to use the cable supplied, as it will work and other, older legacy cables may not. Lastly, when attached to the TV via the HDMI cable, the sound bar announces, “HDMI” calling out the input being used whenever being powered up or changed. This is kind of too loud and kind of unnecessary after you use it for a while. Also, there are color coded LEDs on the front panel that also identify which input is selected. My conclusion is that this is a useful, enjoyable sound bar set that covers most casual needs well, is fairly priced and will bring enjoyment to those that use it.

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  Posted 1 month ago by Dustmaker

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Insigna 2.1 Soundbar with Power Punch

  • Tech Insider Network Member

  The Insigna 2.1 Channel Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer is perfect for my bedroom setup with a 55inch Smart TV. Setup was very simple out the box incuded with HDMI Cable and mounting brackets. The Soundbar is a bit long but does make up for great sound output of DTS Virtual X Surround. The sound fills up the whole room with clear, magnified audio. The Subwoofer connects to the Soundbar automatic pairing once they are plugged into the outlet. The Subwoofer is light in weight but does the job size is adequate for limited space. The sound has been great so far. With the EQ Customization you can control the Soundbar and subwoofer by the remote to adjust bass and treble. The sound mode button lets you choose between Standard, Theater and News. The Soundbar makes command 'HDMI Connected' each time the TV is turned on and when switching inputs to Optical, HDMI, Auxiliary, USB and Bluetooth. The Insigna 2.1 Channel Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer is a great package for limited space combined with great sound.

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  Posted 1 month ago by Mookie

• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  Nice sound for your room

  • Tech Insider Network Member

  This unit is pretty good for a budget sound bar. It definitely elevates the sound in your room and the subwoofer is adequate but not room shaking. The soundbar and wireless subwoofer are pretty basic setup. You just need to plug in the soundbar and connect to your tv via hdmi cable or can connect Bluetooth. I elected the hdmi cable route and had instant success. The remote that comes with the unit is basic but functions adequately. The soundbar has 3 sound modes standard , theater and news. Standard sounds pretty decent when watching tv shows. The bass is not overpowering and the dialect is clear. Theater the bass amps up a notch and sounds good. If you up the bass too much it does not sound the best and drowns out the overall sound. News really is for dialogue and bass is fairly absent. If you’re looking for an affordable soundbar setup to enhance your TV experience (movies, shows, casual music) and you’re not chasing the holy grail of sound, this is a very good pick. If you are looking for a true theater experience of bass, you might want to spend a little more.

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  Posted 3 weeks ago by ukfireman