If you are looking to fill your house up with music and do not want to go through the hassle of setting up your soundbar, look no further than the Vifa Stockholm 2.0. This model has a premium price point of MSRP $1,300, and one would wonder if the soundbar will deliver audio quality that is equivalent to its price? To find out, here is our review of the Vifa Stockholm 2.0 Bluetooth Soundbar.
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List of Specifications
Table Of Content
| Product Dimensions | 8.5 x 39.76 x 4 inches |
| Weight | 21.6 lbs / 9.8 kg |
| Wireless Audio Protocol | Bluetooth 4.0
NFC Wi-Fi B/G/N, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi Direct Apple AirPlay |
| Audio Decoding Codecs | Qualcomm aptX HD Audio |
| Subwoofer Type | It can be bought separately |
| Connectivity | Built-in subwoofer
Connectivity 1x USB 1x 3.5mm port (Analog or optical) |
What’s good?
- Great out-of-the-box sound
- Provides access to all major streaming services
- Premium, unique and aesthetic design
What’s not-so-good?
- No equalizer
- Pretty pricey for a Bluetooth soundbar
- Apps may be confusing to navigate.
- Not suitable for TV
What’s in the box?
- Vifa Stockholm 2.0 Soundbar
- Remote
- Auxiliary 3.5mm mini-jack cable
- Travel bag
- Manual, quickguide and warranty
Design and Build
Right out the box, Stockholm 2.0 shows off a premium and aesthetic design. The unit stretches 8.5 x 39.76 x 4 inches and weighs about 21.6 lbs. The frame of the unit is one-piece diecast aluminium. The enclosure is ABS reinforced, and the grills are custom-made Kvadrat textile.
Visually, it is very pleasing to look at, and the finish is of top-notch quality. The fabric is tightly and seamlessly installed around the sleek aluminium housing, and the soundbar itself has adequate weight to it, which gives that feeling of a high-quality product build.
Stockholm 2.0 comes in 6 different colours: anthracite grey, pebble grey, sand yellow, ocean blue, pine green and mountain blue. You can choose whichever colour suits your living space the most for it to blend seamlessly into your decor. Wall brackets are available behind the soundbar as well for you to mount it against a wall.
Besides that, the remote is cast in zinc, which gives it a premium look and a little weight for the quality feel. A travel bag is also included with every purchase, making it safe if you need to bring the soundbar with you wherever you go.
The Stockholm 2.0 is equipped with a 2 x 28mm tweeter Vifa driver unit with a soft dome and neodymium magnet, a 2 x 80mm midrange Vifa driver unit with aluminium cone and neodymium magnet and a 4 x 100mm woofer Vifa driver unit with a flat sandwich cone and neodymium magnet. The woofer drivers are mounted mechanically back-to-back in a force balanced configuration supported by 4 passive radiators.
Controls
The Stockholm 2.0 features simple buttons at the front and the rear of the unit. The power button, the Vifa Link button, and the connection button to choose either a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection are at the rear. The volume up and down buttons and the Vifa Play button with which preset favourites can be switched on are on the front.
The soundbar can also be controlled with the Vifa Play app. You can have 3 preset favourites where you can assign specific functions like a radio channel or Spotify. These presets can be accessed via the physical Play button or the app.
Connectivity
There are a USB port and an auxiliary 3.5mm jack for physical connectivity, which is quite rare for present-day audio devices. Unfortunately, the lack of input ports like HDMI makes Stockholm 2.0 not very suitable for TV usage.
For wireless connectivity, you can stream music via Bluetooth or Apple’s AirPlay, play music from your own network through DLNA and stream through services like Spotify, Tidal and many more.
Setting up the soundbar is very simple and straightforward, and that is the case for all Vifa systems. Just turn on the soundbar, download the Vifa Home app, search for the soundbar via Wi-Fi, set it up as an AirPlay speaker, and automatically place it in the app.
The Vifa Home app is designed to connect several Vifa speakers to the app and control them easily from there. The app can also serve other functions like naming your speaker, updating firmware, checking the status of the Wi-Fi connection, access streaming services, physical inputs or music that are on your device or within your network. With the app, you can see what song is playing and make a playlist as well.
Another app for better connectivity is Vifa Link. Vifa Link is a multiroom function that allows you to link to other Vifa devices in your home.
Performance
Stockholm 2.0 was designed and built to deliver premium quality audio. First of all, this soundbar performs well in a wide space. The soundbar’s sound field is wide, with depth and gives a great placement for the vocals and instruments in the room. The built-in woofers also give a great balance between the lows, middles and highs.
With Qualcomm aptX audio, the soundbar makes sure that every sound produced is of the highest quality. Although the default sound produced from the soundbar is already great, the sound quality can still be better improved if there is an equalizer available for the soundbar.
Competition
The Vifa Stockholm 2.0 delivers in terms of overall sound quality. However, there are certainly other models out there that can rival performance and connectivity. Here are some of the models that are around the same price point that can rival against it:
LG SN11RG
For an extra $200, the LG SN11RG features a 7.1.4Ch configuration. It also has an equalizer for you to customize for you to get the best sound you want. Additionally, it features HDMI inputs which allow it for a more versatile function. This soundbar also has an external subwoofer and 2 rear speakers to create a more realistic sound bubble. Get the LG SN11RG from BestBuy.com here.
One advantage that the Vifa Stockholm 2.0 has over the LG SN11RG is that it is extremely easy to install and set up. The LG SN11RG requires the user to download 2 apps before you can fully use the soundbar and set up the subwoofer and rear speakers, which can be quite inconvenient for those who are not tech savvy.
Samsung HW-Q900T
At the same price point, the Samsung HW-Q900T features a 7.1.2Ch configuration. This model also features an external subwoofer, but it has no rear speakers. It also has Alexa built-in, which makes it able to cater to a wider range of customers. Graphic equalizer also allows consumers to customize to get the sound that they want the most. Get the Samsung HW-Q900T from BestBuy.com here.
At the same price point, the Samsung HW-Q900T and LG SN11RG triumph over the Vifa Stockholm 2.0 in versatility and connectivity. However, the Vifa model has better aesthetics and is easy to use right out of the box.
Conclusion
With how the Vifa Stockholm 2.0 looks, many would assume that this soundbar is like most soundbars in the market, catering to home theatre systems. However, that is not the case for the Stockholm 2.0 soundbar. With only a 3.5mm audio jack and a USB input, it is not convenient to use it for your home theatre. As for those who love to have music in the background, this soundbar is perfect for them.
The out-of-the-box sound is excellent with great balance, which can save you the hassle of customizing with an equalizer. But this can be a small bummer for those who prefer to customize to have the sound they want. If you can look past the absence of an equalizer, this model is definitely for you. As a bonus, the soundbar has visually appealing aesthetics as well.
Buy the Vifa Stockholm 2.0 Bluetooth Soundbar now!
