Majority Bowfell Plus Review – Trusted Reviews

• Robust soundbar section
• Wireless, ultra-slim subwoofer
• Decent, responsive remote

For just over £60 these days, no one is expecting the earth to shift on its axis, nor the wheel to be reinvented. But it would be great to be a fly on the wall at one of Majority’s product development meetings.

If it goes something along the lines of ‘How do we extract every ounce of value from this product category’, I believe could flap my wings with some satisfaction. The Bowfell Plus surely fits that remit, if indeed conversations like that do exist.

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So, it’s good to reveal that this combo is well-made and easy to set up. The 38cm soundbar section is just the right size for a 40-inch or ageing 28-inch display, but perhaps more aptly for a desktop monitor. The left and right drivers are concealed behind a sturdy metal gauze frontage and the case is fashioned from shiny injection-molded black plastic.

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It looks like it could take a beating from a house full of toddlers and still survive. And no cat or slobbery dog will easily nose nudge it from a shelf-top placement.

As well as a rudimentary but well-designed plastic remote control, you can change the volume and input mode, or toggle power on/off, from the right side of the soundbar. That’s also where you will find the auxiliary 3.5mm input, particularly useful for those who wish to use the Bowfell Plus with a desktop computer.

Majority doesn’t leave me short when it comes to accessories in the box. There’s RCA to 3.5mm and an end-to-end mini-jack, along with a handy full-operation manual wrapped up neatly in the extras bag.

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Also alluring is the super-slim sub design. If you’re thinking of dropping it down by your feet or wedging it to the side of the TV stand – or even plonk it on the desk next to your penholder – the 9cm width will happily oblige. The large driver is obscured by a black cotton grille while the front facing side features a passive reflex port which will boost certain deep frequencies.

It’s a wireless enclosure and pairs with the bar over Bluetooth instantaneously. As it’s forged from run-of-the-mill particle board, any evidence of that is reserved for the rear side, which should be out of view anyway.

Features

• Bluetooth 5.0 streaming
• 100 watts power output
• USB and aux 3.5mm/RCA stereo inputs

For a sub-£100 soundbar to omit an HDMI ARC connection is hardly unexpected. But using the optical cable interface was serviceable and produced no noticeable lag from actors’ voices. Obviously with the 2.1 channel count limit, there’s also no need for onboard decoding of 5.1 sources like Dolby Digital.

With that said, the Bowfell Plus does produce a wide soundstage with an impressive faux surround sound effect. So, if you were hoping for a more cinematic envelope, you should get some of the way there.

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100 watts of power is distributed among the three aforementioned drivers from compact Class D-based amplifiers. You get three nifty listening preset EQs, which were surprisingly effective. The dialogue mode does what it says on the tin, confidently raising voices to the fore, while music keeps the balance of mids and highs in check without over-extending bass energy.

While the movie mode makes the most of reformatting filmed or AV sources to fit the 2.1 container, the bass could get brash. The independent bass and treble controls on the remote only apply to the music mode, so there was no obvious way to dial back the sub during TV watching.

Note that there is a helpful multi-coloured LED light behind the soundbar’s gauze to indicate which source you are using. As the Bowfell foregoes a front-on readable display, this is an efficient way to communicate the status to the listener/viewer. Bluetooth 5.0 recognition is indicated with a blue light, naturally, while optical is orange and USB shines green. I assume most users will flit regularly between the first two.

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Sound Quality

• Wide soundstage
• Grounded dialogue
• Goes loud

Seeing as a soundbar could easily need to cast its energy across larger living room sizes, I’m usually in the habit of letting them rip on the test bench. That means nudging up the volume until I reach that uncomfortable distortion threshold where things start to fall apart. Every device has its limit.

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Kudos to Majority, though, the Bowfell Plus can dispense its output in a medium sized room without flinching. Both voices and music are meaty and fleshed out – even from 15 or more feet away.

I also set up the soundbar around my workstation with it butted up to a Dell monitor and the sub down at my feet. From such a close range, both the devices sonically marry up well and produce a persuasive sense of immersion in movie mode.

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That’s partly because the Bowfell Plus at least attempts to create a pseudo-surround aura from its 2.1-channel array by widening the soundstage. Whether that’s due to the small driver design, their placement or basic onboard DSP is not clear from the provided materials.

And it’s because of that width component that the Majority is quietly confident when playing back my tunes in music mode. The strings soar both left and right during Yvonne Elliman’s If I Can’t Have You (TIDAL), while the expressive vocal appears to be centre-locked. That pleasant image won’t be so obvious when sitting further back in the room, but you will still benefit from this wide-cast wrapping. Even the subwoofer plods along sensitively without drawing attention to its location.

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For a more recent and dynamic recording, I turn to Dubstar’s Tectonic Plates from the Two album. This time the guitar moves into the foreground and the subwoofer gets a tougher workout. It’s all highly listenable while not being subjected to the pitfalls of so many super-cheap speakers. I’m a hawk when homing in on affordable Class D-based amp shrillness or paper racetrack driver emaciation. But they’re not too bad here.

Movies won’t disappoint too much either. In fact, the Majority can produce a nicely scaled presentation. The crumbling buildings during the Spectre opening sequence clunk and thump assuredly with good effects directionality and space. The sub does let the side down, though – it struggles with the load on occasion and reverts to boominess when it gives in. But we’re talking, what, £60 here? And Thomas Newman’s belting score is clear and decipherable.  

Should you buy it?

Buy if your workstation or small TV needs a sonic overhaul

Short, stubby soundbars for smaller screen duties don’t always tick the boxes. Luckily, the Bowfell Plus fits the right physical profile and performs admirably for a bargain price.

Don’t buy if getting multi-channel audio is your bottom line

This inexpensive combo from Majority can go quite loud and project voices and music with ease. But if you need surround sound envelopment from across the room, then you might need to revisit your budget.

Final Thoughts

The soundbar market is awash with choices. But Majority cleverly identified what could be a willing audience for the 2022-released Bowfell Plus. It’s obvious calling as a desktop or second room TV speaker will make it a slam dunk for some shoppers.
 
The sound is confident and balanced, and the soundbar and subwoofer components are wrapped in discreet and attractive housings. Yes, the bass could be more focused and you might balk at the HDMI deficit. But what you do get for probably less than £60 (in most online searches) is frankly a great value compact TV/computer speaker bundle.
 
Still not sure? Check for other Majority soundbars either north or south of the Bowfell Plus’s price – there’s plenty of models from which to choose. If you can stretch the budget a little further and you’re a desktop-chained gamer, consider the Razer Leviathan V2.

With its forthright bass, warm sound and super-cool RGB lighting, it can be found now for well under £200. For direct Bowfell Plus price equivalence (£70 last checked), also consider the Creative Stage 2.1 soundbar – it includes HDMI ARC!

How We Test

We test every soundbar we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find.

We never, ever, accept money to review a product.

Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.

• Tested for more than a week
• Tested with real world use

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FAQs

Does the Majority Bowfell Plus have an HDMI input?

There’s no HDMI input on this model, so you’d need to use the optical port to connect to a TV.

Full Specs

 
Majority Bowfell Plus Review

Manufacturer
Majority

Size (Dimensions)
388 x 72 x 54 MM

ASIN
B0B5LDFRLQ

Release Date
2022

Model Number
1000002852

Sound Bar Channels
2.1

Driver (s)
2 x 2.25-inch full range; 1 x 5.25-inch bass (subwoofer)

Connectivity
Bluetooth 5

ARC/eARC
N/A

Colours
Black

Audio Formats
Dolby Audio

Subwoofer
Yes

Rear Speaker
No