Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos review: Home cinema on a budget

A full Dolby Atmos sound system for £169, you say? Including subwoofer and surround speakers? You cannot be serious?

But Cambridge-based Majority is very serious – as that’s just what it’s delivered with this bijou Bowfell box of tricks.

It’s one of the least expensive ways to experience object-based surround sound at home – but what you get might not be quite what you expect.

The Bowfell Halo Atmos package bundles together a compact soundbar, wireless subwoofer and diminutive rear speakers, which pair to create a genuine 5.1-channel system.

This isn't a rival to premium systems from Samsung, LG or Sonos, as you'll find among the best soundbars. It’s designed for those of who want bigger TV sound without spending a fortune.

Price & Availability

The Bowfell Halo Atmos is available now, and sells for £169.95 / €179.95. That's around $230 or AU$320 – not that it's launched in USA or Australian territories.

It sits above the standard Bowfell Halo 5.1 surround system, which omits Dolby Atmos support and sells for just £119.95. Buyers wanting just an Atmos-enabled soundbar can opt for the Bowfell Axis Atmos 2.1 package, at £129.95.

As you can tell, we’re very much in the cheap seats here.

Features & What's New?

Premium accoutrements are thin on the ground. There’s no automatic room calibration or microphone-based optimisation available. This is very much plug-and-play.

The single box package contains a compact soundbar, separate wireless subwoofer and a pair of rear surround speakers.

While these satellites communicate wirelessly with the front stage, you'll need sockets to power the lead (right) surround speaker and somewhere to hide the wire that connects the two rears together.

When it comes to codec support, the Bowfell Halo handles Dolby Atmos and all its subsidiaries – Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Surround. However, DTS is absent.

Majority also includes four listening presets, covering Music, Movie, News and Sport. Bass and treble adjustments allow a modest amount of tailoring.

Sound Quality

No-one should expect reference-quality Dolby Atmos at this price. Yet the Majority Halo delivers something that TV speakers and stereo soundbars simply cannot: wraparound sound that puts you in the middle of the action.

Installation takes only a few minutes. The soundbar, wireless sub and rear speakers pair without fuss. I moved from unboxing to watching films in a jiffy.

Spinning the Dolby Atmos Amaze demonstration clip on Blu-ray immediately reveals the system's strengths – but also its limitations.

Surround steering works well. Effects pan cleanly around my listening position. There's a satisfying sense of movement as sounds travel from front to rear.

What never truly materialises is convincing height effects. There’s no upfiring drivers to be had on the Halo. The soundbar faces forward.

The result is that the overhead canopy that for many defines the Dolby Atmos experience is missing.

This front soundstage is also fairly narrow, largely because the drivers are packed closely together inside the compact enclosure. On the plus side, dialogue stays anchored to the screen and remains intelligible.

Bass, meanwhile, is dominant.

The compact wireless subwoofer digs surprisingly deep. Majority quotes a reach down to 45Hz, but I measured lower. It certainly adds weight to blockbuster films. Explosions, rumbles and portentous soundtracks are delivered with plenty of grunt.

The opening bombing sequence of WWII drama Unbroken, with its exploding flak, demonstrates this trait well.

However, the crossover between the bar and the sub is set high, around 200Hz, so the sub is contributing to the front soundstage fairly consistently. It's important, therefore, that it’s not positioned too far from the soundbar itself.

Running the Dolby Atmos ‘Amaze’ demo jungle clip reveals a decent sense of surround and panning movement, even though there's really no height component to the mix. A consequence of that high crossover causes the soundbar to clip quite viciously when the big thunderclap comes.

Music exposes the system's compromises more readily.

Billie Eilish's Bad Guy overwhelms the room with bass energy. The ported subwoofer is wildly enthusiastic, and unless you reduce its output by one or two increments, it booms. Dial it back too far, though, and the relatively thin character of the soundbar becomes more apparent. It’s a delicate balancing act – and not one I think I mastered.

Ultimately, the Bowfell Halo Atmos sounds exactly as its asking price suggests. It’s rowdy, energetic and unapologetically entertaining. Even if refinement is left at the concession stand.

Design & Usability

This build is best described as functional, and the finish is neat enough, although I really don’t like the oversized Dolby Atmos branding.

The bar itself measures 40.5 x 9 x 6.2cm; the subwoofer, a ported design with a downward-firing 6-inch driver, is similarly compact, at just 18.5 x 15 x 32cm. The two surround speakers are circular pucks, measuring 9 x 6.2cm.

The unit ships with a simple remote control that covers all key functions and provides direct access to sound modes.

These dimensions make placement relatively straightforward. The soundbar should sit neatly beneath most TVs, while the rear speakers are small enough to perch on shelves or mount discreetly on walls.

Daily usability is a little more mixed. The soundbar communicates via a scrolling LED display, which isn’t particularly intuitive.

Connectivity comprises HDMI eARC for TV audio, while an optical digital input offers compatibility with older screens.

Bluetooth 5.3 enables wireless music streaming, while USB playback supports MP3, FLAC and WAV files.

There's also a 3.5mm AUX input for any legacy kit you might want to hook up.

Verdict

There’s very little that can match what Majority offers with the Bowfell Halo Atmos. It’ll surround you with sound for a price that’s undoubtedly generous.

Viewed purely as a Dolby Atmos system, it falls well short of what the format can ultimately achieve. Height effects are non-existent, the soundstage lacks width, and the subwoofer throws its weight around in a distinctly antisocial manner.

However, it still warrants a recommendation. Give it an action movie or a Netflix thriller and it rewards with aggression, clear dialogue and wraparound sound.

Teenage bedrooms, gaming rooms and smaller lounges are where the Bowfell Halo Atmos belongs. Movies, games, and sports all benefit in the right context – and without having to pay big for it.

Also Consider

If your budget stretches considerably further, the £899 Samsung HW-QS90H is a far more sophisticated Dolby Atmos soundbar. It offers a much larger soundstage, convincing height effects, advanced room calibration and Samsung's excellent Q-Symphony integration for compatible televisions.

Alternatively, check out the £179 TCL Q65HK 5.1 soundbar and sub. It lacks dedicated rear speakers, but includes support for DTS:X, has a 580W power plant, and uses proprietary Ray Danz side-firing drivers for a wider soundstage.