HT Saturn: Hisense's wireless home cinema system finally hits the market
Hisense HT Saturn at CES in Las Vegas © Les Numériques
If Hisense was careful not to unveil new soundbars during this CES, it is because the marketing of the famous HT Saturn wireless home cinema system is finally in the pipeline. Indeed, the Chinese manufacturer is planning the launch of this new set already seen at IFA 2024 within a month or two.
A system consisting of four satellite speakers and a subwoofer
Obviously inspired by Bravia Theater Quad from Sony, this 720 watt system is made up of four satellite speakers bringing together no less than 13 speakers, two of which are oriented upwards to reproduce the three-dimensional Dolby Atmos and DTS:X effects. Hisense, however, would have sought to stand out from its Japanese competitor by accompanying its system with a wireless subwoofer. The HT Saturn therefore offers a 4.1.2 channel configuration, compared to 4.0.2 for the Sony Bravia Theater Quad.
Furthermore, as with Sony, the satellite speakers of the HT Saturn receive audio signals from a box connected to the television.
Hi-Concerto: a Hisense television as the central channel
If the HT Saturn announces excellent sound spatialization through its radiation to the four corners of the listening position, it also gives pride of place to advanced functions. First of all, it benefits from Hi-Concerto technology, which allows the HT Saturn to synchronize with the speakers of a compatible Hisense television. The latter would therefore act as a central channel for better intelligibility of dialogue, as Samsung does with its Q-Symphony technology. In addition, the HT Saturn includes an acoustic calibration system allowing it to deliver balanced sound in all types of environments.
Wi-Fi is missing
The big downside of the HT Saturn could be its connectivity. Indeed, unlike the Bravia Theater Quad which is equipped with a Wi-Fi module, the HT Saturn is equipped with a simple Bluetooth 5.3 receiver. The possibilities for musical broadcasting are therefore limited, as is the quality of transmission. Its connectivity is, however, quite complete, with an optical input, an HDMI eARC port and an HDMI input dedicated to connecting an additional audio-video source.
Although no price has yet been announced, the Hisense HT Saturn will certainly be less expensive than its Sony competitor, priced between €2,100 and €2,700.
