The new Teufel Ultima 25 Aktiv offer unique features at an amazingly affordable price. SamaGame tested the stereo speakers – do they sound good?
Table of contents
- Teufel Ultima 25 Active with HDMI, radio & Bluetooth
- Versatile and expandable
- Simply swipe over the box
- Teufel Ultima 25 Active in the sound test
- Four sound modes plus dynamores
- Test conclusion Teufel Ultima 25 Active
With the new Teufel Ultima 25 Aktiv, the manufacturer from Berlin is bringing real universal talents onto the market. This equipment and playback options may even be unique; the stereo speakers play music from all conceivable sources, reproduce television sound and even receive it radio. And the whole thing is available for a decent price Sound bar. With so many talents at an affordable price, the only question that remains is whether the Teufel Ultima 25 Aktiv do their job well. The detailed test from SamaGame provides the answer.
Teufel Ultima 25 Active with HDMI, radio & Bluetooth
What at first glance seems like a completely normal couple Stereo speakers looks like, turns out to be much more at second glance. At 37 centimeters high and 22 centimeters wide, the Teufel Ultima 25 Aktiv are not particularly compact, but with a depth of 25 centimeters they fit on any standard shelf, or better yet, on sideboards. The black plastic surface looks practical; the Ultima 25 Aktiv is also available in white. A small display at the bottom of one of the two speakers as well as buttons to the right and left of it suggest that the speakers are not entirely ordinary. The back confirms this with numerous connections:
- Aux In: In principle, anything that has an analog stereo output can be connected to the stereo input in the form of two RCA sockets, from a CD player to a mixer.
- Optical In: The optical digital input is suitable, for example, for streaming players or for old TV sets without HDMI.
- HDMI: Most people have digital AV connections TV the appropriate output (HDMI ARC). Advantage over the optical connection: Here the volume can be adjusted using the TV remote control.
- USB: The USB-C port is intended for computers; the Teufel Ultima 25 Active can then be selected as an external audio device under Windows. The input digests a maximum of 16 bits and 48 kHz, the playback software usually adjusts to this automatically. The speakers didn’t work on the Mac at the time of testing.
- DAB+/FM: A receiver for digital radio (DAB+) and VHF (FM) is built into the box. Reception works in many places with the included antenna wire; alternatively, an indoor or outdoor antenna can be connected.
- Bluetooth: Smartphones and tablets can contribute their audio program via the radio interface. The aptX and AAC sound formats minimize radio-related sound losses.
Two connection terminals establish the connection to the second box, which has no other connections apart from a corresponding pair of terminals. Teufel supplies a 3 meter long cable; if necessary, a shorter or longer, commercially available loudspeaker cable can be used. Which box is on the right and which on the left can be selected in the settings menu.
Versatile and expandable
The settings menu of the Teufel Ultima 25 Aktiv also offers a number of useful options: The sound can be adjusted in bass and treble, and the radio station search is also carried out there. For optimal interaction with televisions The sound delay can be adjusted to match the image so that lip movements can actually be seen in sync with the speech. There are also expansion options in the menu: The speakers can be paired with Teufel subwoofers (from 300 euros) and also with the Teufel Effect 2 surround speakers (400 euros per pair). The most common surround methods are available with Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic.
Simply swipe over the box
There are buttons on the included remote control for important settings such as display brightness and sound. It serves its purpose, but it is rarely necessary in everyday use – because music selection and volume adjustment are done on the player, be it the television, smartphone or PC. In addition, there is a painted line on the left Teufel box with touch sensors underneath. You can quickly change the music title or station with a tap of your finger and adjust the volume up or down with a swipe of your finger.
Teufel Ultima 25 Active in the sound test
Teufel has provided the Ultima 25 Aktiv with comparatively large woofer speakers; hardly any competitor in this price range has a diameter of 16 centimeters. Together with the impressive dimensions, this results in a remarkable richness of sound – the speakers sound really big and stately. This can seem a bit full, especially near the wall, but reducing the bass by two levels tames the oomph. The sound always remains warm and pleasant, which is an advantage in modern living rooms with wooden floors instead of carpets, as well as for mediocrely produced music. The Ultima 25 Aktiv, which is designed in a similar way, is not a miracle of resolution Heco Aurora 200 P for example, more details can be heard.
Four sound modes plus dynamores
The Ultima 25 Active still makes the sound advantage of direct digital playback of uncompressed music via USB-C easily audible. Because you rarely hear it so crisp and clean in this price range. In Film mode there is some extra boost in the low bass range as well as slightly shinier highs, although this sounds a bit cool. The “Speech” mode puts dialogues in the foreground without imposing a distorted sound on them. This is even clearer with the “Dynamore Virtual Center” setting, which can sound exhausting. Night mode tames bass, dynamics and annoyances with the neighbors. If you want it to sound as good as possible, music mode is clearly the best choice – regardless of the sound source.
Test conclusion Teufel Ultima 25 Active
The Teufel Ultima 25 Aktiv offers powerful and voluminous sound at a fair price and unique features on top of that. With the HDMI connection, the stereo speakers compete with soundbars, which, however, have no chance in terms of sound quality. The built-in radio is very welcome for everyday use, otherwise there are very good options for playing music with Bluetooth and USB. The operation via swipe and tap and the display with plain text are also unparalleled in this price range.
