The Ultimea Skywave X70 is a 7.1.4 setup with a discrete subwoofer and two wireless rear speakers. It's positioned to compete with other mid-range offerings from big-name competitors, standing out from the crowd with its snazzy black and gold aesthetic and a host of proprietary technologies. Among them, X-Upmix allows you to up-mix non-Dolby content virtually, while the Gravus subwoofer promises serious low-end oomph.
Our Verdict
The Ultimea Skywave X70 is very good for mixed usage. It has a bass-heavy tuning that adds intensity to action-packed thrillers, as well as kick-heavy electronic tracks. While the bass can get overwhelming at times and comes at the expense of a rolled-off treble range, there are plenty of options to tweak the sound via a 10-band graphic EQ and presets. It can get very loud without compressing much too. Cinephiles might be disappointed by the lack of DTS support, as well as the slightly underwhelming soundstage and center performance.
10-band graphic EQ and presets.
Gets very loud.
Full HDMI In port.
No DTS format support.
No room correction feature.
The Ultimea Skywave X70 is great for dialogue and TV shows. While the default frequency response features an exaggerated bass response, the mid-range is quite balanced, resulting in detailed and clear dialogue reproduction. You can always boost the presence of voices via the 'Voice' mode. While the discrete center channel is also quite bass-heavy, it doesn't impact dialogue too much with content like comedy TV shows, which are generally mid-range heavy.
10-band graphic EQ and presets.
Low latency with all supported formats.
No room correction feature.
The Ultimea Skywave X70 is good for music, though it's more suited to some genres than others. The towering bass response produced by the 10-inch sub is best-suited to 808-infused hip-hop tracks and club bangers. While you can tweak it via the graphic EQ to compensate for the recessed treble range, the bass still has a tendency to be overbearing. Still, it can get plenty loud without compressing much, and though the stereo soundstage isn't especially wide, the mirroring of the soundstage across the rear speakers is less likely to be distracting with music.
10-band graphic EQ and presets.
Gets very loud.
Full HDMI In port.
No room correction feature.
Relatively narrow soundstage.
The Ultimea Skywave X70 is a good choice for movies, though there are some notable caveats. The default frequency response features a pronounced low-end with a recessed treble. While this lends itself well to action-packed chase sequences, the towering bass can interfere with dialogue or other mid-range nuances that get lost in the low-end maelstrom. Still, you can adjust the sound somewhat to make up for this via the graphic EQ and presets. Plus, the bar is capable of getting very loud without compressing too much. The soundstage isn't the widest, though, and the 5.1 and Atmos implementation has some quirks that can take away from the immersion expected of these formats. The lack of DTS format support might bother those with extensive Blu-ray collections.
10-band graphic EQ and presets.
Gets very loud.
Low latency with all supported formats.
No DTS format support.
No room correction feature.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Ultimea Skywave X70 comes in just one color variant: 'Black'. If you encounter another variant of this soundbar, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The Ultimea Skywave X70 is a 7.1.4 soundbar that's posited as a disruptor to mid-range offerings from established brands, like Samsung, while also competing with flagship bars from less established, budget-minded manufacturers, like Vizio. It offers a comparable feature set to the Samsung Q930D, as both bars have HDMI passthrough capabilities and granular sound customization. While the Ultimea gets louder, the Samsung's sound is more nuanced, with a wider soundstage and a more balanced center channel. Compared to the Vizio Elevate SE SL512X-0806, the Ultimea provides more low-end horsepower with a higher top volume and HDMI In compatibility. Still, the Vizio offers a wider soundstage and comparable Atmos performance for a much lower asking price.
Check out our recommendations for the best soundbars, the best soundbars for movies, and the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.
The Samsung HW-Q930D is better for must use cases than the Ultimea Skywave X70. The Ultimea's main advantages are its deep low-end extension and high top volume, which is great for adding a cinema-esque quality to movie night. That said, the Samsung comes out on top in most other regards. The Q930D offers a wider soundstage and a much better center channel performance, for clearer dialogue. It's also better built, comes with a room correction feature and is compatible with more wireless playback options.
The UItimea Skywave X70 and the LG S80TR are similar bars with slightly different trade-offs. Both feature a slightly rolled-off treble range with a more pronounced bass range, though the Ultimea can extend lower. It also sounds a bit more immersive with surround sound and Atmos content. That said, the LG's center channel is more balanced, and it comes with a room correction feature to tune the response to the acoustics of your room. Though both bars have an HDMI In port, the LG is the only one that can passthrough a 4k signal @ 120Hz.
The Hisense HS5100 is a more budget-minded, 5.1 option compared to the Ultimea Skywave X70, that makes some compromises to keep costs down. It's not as well-built as the Ultimea and lacks low-bass extension by comparison. It also lacks some of the more premium features, like Dolby Atmos compatibility, and HDMI In port and more granular sound enhancement options. Still, it offers a wider soundstage than the Ultimea, with a better center channel performance. If you don't need the bells and whistles and don't watch much media with Atmos, the Hisense is a good value pickup.
The Ultimea Skywave X70 is a more premium alternative to the Vizio Elevate SE SL512X-0806, though depending on what's important to you, the Vizio might offer better value. The Ultimea offers more low-end firepower and a more balanced default sound, as well as a louder top volume. It also has an HDMI In port for passthrough capabilities and a graphic EQ and presets for sound tweaking. Still, the Vizio has a better build quality, a wider soundstage, and a better center performance. It also offers a comparable Atmos performance to the Ultimea, despite having two fewer up-firing drivers.
Test Results
