Once upon a time in the 20th century

, 5.1 sound was called 3D. Back in 2001, I used to go to the computer market just to buy my first 5.1 Soundblaster Audigy sound card. I still have my original Creative 5.1 speakers, the first ones made for PC, which I saved up for half a year to get. They’re still playing in my bedroom, connected through a splitter and hooked up to my new TV via HDMI.
They’ve been going strong for about 24 years now. They don’t make gear like that anymore. But not everything has to be new to work well. We often throw away equipment that, with a few adapters and a bit of tinkering, can keep working just fine — and often better than half of today’s plastic Chinese junk. My old Creative 5.1 wooden speakers, not plastic, still sound amazing
So why shove them down to the basement (because you wouldn’t throw them in the trash, right

), when they can still be used? And who knows — maybe one day your kids will find that set buried under a pile of stuff in the basement, come across my review, and piece it all back together again.
1. Your soundbar insights & preferences
For me, a soundbar is primarily a device that has to work smoothly and conveniently within a typical home setup. That means it must seamlessly connect to various sound sources — from modern projectors, through gaming consoles, to smartphones and older 5.1 speaker sets. We increasingly encounter unusual configurations that combine equipment from different generations and with different specs, so it’s important the soundbar handles all that without annoying issues.
I don’t care only if the gear sounds nice, because that’s subjective and often just marketing hype. Much more important is whether the sound flows steadily, whether there are no delays, if Bluetooth connections hold their range, and how compatible the device is with various ports and standards like eARC or HDMI passthrough. These practical aspects decide if the user experience is comfortable and hassle-free.
Many users today struggle with properly connecting a console through a subwoofer to a projector, or with using an old 5.1 set so it still works in a modern home. These are the real-life challenges I want to test and show step by step — no pointless filler, just facts.
2. Your experience with sound systems?
For over two decades, I’ve been messing around with audio equipment — from 5.1 sound cards on PCs and early Creative speaker sets, through various home configurations, all the way to current setups involving projectors, PS3 consoles, and HDMI splitters. I know how it all fits together and where things usually fall apart.
From my experience as an audio enthusiast, I see way too many vague reviews online and not enough details, so I want whoever runs into a similar problem to find a clear opinion or at least a lead on where to look next — not some fluff like “It looks nice and sounds good. Recommended!” because those reviews don’t add value. We customers (you, me) are getting smarter and want to spend money on gear that just works. As technology advances, you need to know what really works out of the box, and what’s hidden behind options you have to enable manually. The manuals don’t mention those nuances anymore.
I’ve already tested several Ultimea devices, and I know what works really well and where there are minor glitches. It’s not about nitpicking — it’s about helping improve. Sometimes just sending a note to support can fix something in a new update; sometimes a different adapter, port, or option setting means the user doesn’t have to return the gear because “it doesn’t work.” The devil is always in the details.
I want to be the tester I myself would want to find when looking for answers. Straightforward, concrete, with practical examples and zero BS. And I’m happy to compare the new Poseidon D80 Boom with the Nova S90, which I bought and am currently testing to see how beautifully it plays.
Regards
View attachment 29