Dell SB725 review: It’s the answer to conference call woes

The Dell Premium Conferencing Soundbar SB725 is a great, budget-friendly solution for anyone looking to enhance their sound quality in a personal office. So, could it be one of the best computer speakers?

It offers excellent noise cancelation for clear calls on both ends and provides a clutter-free (as long as you’re a Dell monitor user) way to improve audio quality.

However, with limited connectivity options, it may not be for everyone, as it requires a particular setup and works better if you have magnetic fixtures under your monitor screen.

So, is this the conference calling soundbar for you? Keep reading my Dell Premium Conferencing Soundbar SB725 review to find out.

Dell Pro Premium Conferencing Soundbar SB725 review: Specs

Dell Pro Premium Conferencing Soundbar SB725 review: The Ups

The Dell Pro Premium Conferencing Soundbar SB725 has an understated design with accessible controls that make an office setup look instantly premium. The sound quality for calls is amazing, and the environmental noise cancelation is some of the best I’ve ever used.

Sleek design

The Dell conference soundbar has a very sleek design that is understated and will fit in with any office setup. The grey colour and mesh front make it look really put together, and the lighter grey buttons make the whole thing feel cohesive.

This device is better suited to someone looking for an audio solution for their personal or home office, as it would be disruptive to others working around you. This soundbar gets pretty loud, which is obviously great if you need to be having a conversation with someone on a call, but this is going to distract everyone around you and perhaps let them in on some private information.

The magnetic fixtures on top of the sound bar mean that if you have the right monitor (which I will get to later), you’re guaranteed a clutter-free setup.

Good sound for calls

The speaker has a 52mm speaker that reaches volumes of 90db. I tested out the Dell Pro Premium Conferencing Soundbar SB725 soundbar by calling my colleague, Erin. I was able to hear Erin’s voice far more clearly than when using my usual MacBook Air M2 speakers or when I use headphones or earbuds.

There was no feedback on the audio, and the soundbar uses Echo Cancelation to deliver an enhanced audio quality. I could tell that the soundbar was working to create a more palatable sound profile, and I was more comfortable taking calls for longer as there was never any tinny sound.

Peripheral management

You can download and use the Dell Display and Peripheral Manager. This helps with the overall management of the device and allows you to install firmware updates. You can also alter some sound settings, including bass boost, speech boost and treble boost. I used the speech boost, which further enhanced the voice on the other end of the call.

Environmental noise cancelation is great

The SB725’s microphone has great environmental noise cancelation capabilities, and my colleague Erin said it made my voice incredibly clear. The microphone has a pickup range of 2.3 meters, but even when I was working in the office with people around me, only my voice could be heard. That’s because of the AI noise-cancelling that works by detecting human voices and focuses on them. This works extremely well and I was able to communicate seamlessly with my colleague.

To really put this to the test, I played music from my phone at full volume and put it on my desk. Erin couldn’t hear it at all. This was really impressive, as I’ve never tested a microphone that was able to totally cancel out music at the highest listening volume.

It also completely canceled out the sound of me typing on my Keychron K8 Max mechanical keyboard.

Affordable

The Dell SB725 soundbar is undeniably affordable. Conferencing soundbars can reach some pretty steep prices, and for under $90, this one offers big sound and excellent environmental noise cancelation.

It’s a lot cheaper than other soundbar solutions available, which often include an integrated camera. Other soundbars we have reviewed have a far higher price point, such as the Poly StudioP15 Personal Video Bar ($449) or the Insta 360 Connect ($1,999), but if you already have a webcam, the SB725 is a great addition to your conferencing experience.

Accessible controls

The controls on the Dell Pro Premium Conferencing Soundbar SB725 soundbar are very accessible and don’t need to be pressed hard to activate. There are also LED lights behind the controls to show the active buttons.

Specific buttons for answering Teams calls make it easy to use the speaker to streamline your workday if you spend your day jumping from call to call. The buttons also allow you to mute, end the call, and alter the volume with one press. When your microphone is muted, the LED light will remain on so you remember to turn it back on again.

I found the controls easy to use, and while I don’t use Teams at my job, I can appreciate the ease of having the buttons right at your fingertips.

Dell Pro Premium Conferencing Soundbar SB725 review: The Downs

The Dell Pro Premium Conferencing Soundbar SB725 isn’t for everyone. You won’t be able to get the clutter-free perks of this soundbar without a Dell monitor, and the short cord to hook it up to your computer makes connectivity difficult at times. It may be a great solution for calls, but not so much for everything else.

Best with a Dell monitor

The Dell Pro Premium Conferencing Soundbar SB725 attaches to the underside of some Dell monitors magnetically. Dell provides a list of the 40+ monitors that are compatible with the soundbar, so if you already have one of these, the soundbar would be a great addition to your setup.

My Dell P2419H flat panel monitor isn’t one of the compatible models, so I had to precariously balance it on top. It kept falling off whenever something bumped the desk, so I ended up setting it to the side of me.

The cord is only 5.91 inches long, which really isn’t much at all when you’re trying to juggle all of the wires on your desk, and it made it a little tricky to get the perfect angle when using the magnets to attach it to my display.

Good for calls, not much else

So the Dell Pro Premium Conferencing Soundbar SB725 is great for calls, which is its intended use, but it struggles in other areas. I decided to use it in the same way I’d use my regular laptop speakers, but I was left disappointed by the sound performance.

I watched some YouTube videos with dialogue, thinking it would sound similar to video calls, but the videos sounded super muffled. I also listened to some music through the soundbar, and it sounded pretty tinny. However, I could tell the soundbar was trying its best to isolate the voices of the singers. This soundbar is under $90, making it super budget, so this is to be expected.

Dell Pro Premium Conferencing Soundbar SB725 review: Verdict

The Dell Pro Premium Conferencing Soundbar SB725 is an affordable and effective choice for video conferencing. And if you have one of the compatible Dell monitors, the user experience is even better.

The soundbar is extremely affordable, featuring a sleek design that complements any setup beautifully. The controls are also accessible and easy to use for making calls and adjusting the volume. The speaker also has incredible environmental noise cancelation capabilities. It can even block the sound of loud music playing in front of my desk and still make my voice sound crystal clear to my colleague on the other end of the call.

It works best with the 40+ monitors that Dell recommends, with the magnetic fixtures, but you can still connect it to any computer — it may just look a little more cluttered. Especially as the short power cord limits where you can place it.

If you need something that can cope with music and streaming videos too, you may want to invest in some of the best computer speakers instead. But if you need something only for daily conference calls in a personal office, this soundbar is a great device for the job.