Introduction
As an audio fanatic, I regularly write reviews about products that have something to do with audio. Today we’re tackling something a little different. A lesser-known brand, but one that does have a bright future, Lemus. The Lemus Home Artistic: an interesting ‘soundbar’.
Lemus is a Danish brand that focuses on audio equipment. The Artistic model is a kind of all-in-one furniture/soundbar combination. Anyway, it’s a beautiful sight.
Not only can the soundbar be hung, but it can also be ordered – for an additional cost – with a steel frame that makes it a true piece of furniture as well.
Philosophy of Lemus
Lemus was founded in 2014 with a mission to bring good old HiFi sound back to homes where traditional HiFi audio systems are not allowed or have been pushed out.
By combining the two worlds, design and audio, Lemus creates a revolutionary bridge between electronic, true hi-fi audio and design that the world has never seen before.
The result is a collection of award-winning sound furniture, which we call Lemus HOME. With multiple awards from both the design and audio worlds, Lemus truly believes they have succeeded in its mission.
Lemus HOME was designed by award-winning furniture architects and the audio system was developed by some of the world’s leading audio engineers with a history of Dynaudio and other recognized high-end audio brands.
From Lemus, it was not only important that the HOME collection was very beautiful, but it also had to sound as good as it would look.
The Lemus HOME Artistic was launched in May 2020 and has since been sold out due to huge demand. After two hours we were sold out (+ 200 units).
Since then we have had incredible feedback from our customers and we finally have Lemus HOME Artistic back in stock.
Lemus HOME Artistic is the little brother of our very popular Lemus HOME Classic. It’s the perfect combination of a traditional soundbar and the larger Lemus HOME Classic.
Developed on the same powerful 300-watt Class D amplifier as Lemus HOME Classic, you will experience an incredible sound experience that will surprise you in every aspect, considering the size.
In terms of sound, it is not compatible with a soundbar – Lemus HOME Artistic outperforms any soundbar on the market. There’s even storage space for the Apple TV and other cables.
How is it possible to create this incredible sound experience with the limited volume and cabinet? The advanced quad-core DSP in the amplifier allows our specialized acoustic engineers to use the units well beyond their natural limit.
With the Lemus HOME App, it can fine-tune the sound to the way the user prefers to listen to specific music or movie. With the advanced room correction, Lemus adds a magical layer to the listening experience.
Specifications
High Definition 24bit / 192KHz
300 Watt RMS
Frequency response: 20-25,000 Hz +/- 3dB
(Revolutionary deep bass)
4×5″ High-end long excursion woofers
2x Dynamic Range High-End units
Powerful DSP
Lemus HOME Room Correction (Via iOS)
Spotify-connect
DLNA UPnP
Google Cast Audio
Google Cast (multiroom)
HDMI input
Optical / Analog input (remote control required)
Apple Airplay 2
Bluetooth
The Lemus Artistic can be purchased in different colors. In this review, the Black Oak variant was chosen.
Unpacking
Time to unpack the Lemus Home Artistic.
As indicated earlier, there are quite a few options with the Artistic.
Once unpacked, the Artistic is on display. The Artistic is not small… after all, it can hold a 55-inch TV, and so it is equal in width. And that makes it a perfect model in my opinion. Not too thin and not too wide to fit anything next to it. The finish is good, neat even. A lot of attention has been paid to detail. And then the soundbar/music furniture is still turned off.
The front is made of thin fabric, which means that there is ‘barely’ – you just can’t escape it if you put something in front of it – change in the sound. This is pretty nil, see it as standing speakers that have a dust cover.
The Lemus comes with a manual, HDMI cable, and power cable.
Pressing in the top center opens the cover a little bit forward. In any case, it is held magnetically so that the cover does not fall extremely hard every time and thus comes off.
Once open, the Lemus can be seen in all its glory. And that’s not bad. With four 5” woofers you can count on a considerable amount of sound. The two outermost speakers are the tweeters. Because they are so far apart, the sound of speech is also delivered very widely.
The nice thing about this system is that you don’t have to constantly look at the speakers themselves because it is neatly hidden. Guests will also not immediately know that it is a speaker system where it can also just be a cabinet on the wall.
Well, the back has both good points and, in my opinion, 1 disadvantage (which, by the way, can be solved).
The back of the Lemus Artistic has two wooden shelves on both the left and right that can be mounted on a wall. The Lemus then rests on those two boards. Quite a fine system, however, I would only – when attached to the wall – not put a TV on it. When it is on the frame, this can be done with ease.
Returning to the back of the Lemus; there is a ‘cable tray’ that sits at the top as well as the bottom. However, cables can also be routed inside. That’s nice for some cable management. The modem is hidden in my Lemus. 🙂
When the Lemus is placed on a stand/frame, it is still difficult to neatly hide the cables – especially if there are a lot of things on the Lemus. In my case, there is an Xbox Series X, LG Oled 55”, Netgear router, Netgear mesh network, Apple TV, and two power strips – because yes, I have a lot of stuff in use.
Consequently, the cables are quite accumulated behind the TV. Then again, that’s not so great. If you are a user using the frame, you also want to be able to attach the cables to something, which is not possible – unless you push everything into the Lemus Home Artistic (ergo in the hole in the middle). And I can assure you … after a few cables, you know soon enough that all your cable work can’t be hidden away. That hole is too small for that.
But, in this case, I also want to say that I am an extreme case who has to have everything there (literally, has to). Normally the router/modem etc. are neatly stored somewhere in a meter cupboard, unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury in my flat.
“In The Ghetto” – Eric Cartman.
Long story short; my downside is also a self-made problem. If you only put a TV on the Lemus (minimalist, it looks best anyway) – when using a frame – you have enough space to hide your cables.
By drilling the lower part in the wall – and the upper part in the Lemus, you can connect the shelves.
In the middle right on the back of the Lemus are the connections:
– Power cable
– Reset button
– AUX/OPT
– USB 5V 0.5A
– HDMI (ARC)
There is no connection for a network cable because the Lemus has WiFi and Bluetooth.
The bottom of the Lemus looks like it can be seen from other angles.
The nice thing about the Lemus is that there is a space inside the soundbar that allows you to store a few things.
The depth of the Lemus is about 20-21 cm. I managed to put my modem in it, neatly tucked away! The entire width of the inside is about 44-45cm. There is of course another part in there which also ‘eats’ space.
Time to get to the frame!
Attached you get an Allen key with several screws. The screws on the left are used for the frame – with the Allen key. What you do need to use is your own Phillips screwdriver, as it is not included. With this, you screw the frame to the bottom of the Lemus Artistic.
The frame consists of 4 parts. The two sides and the two intermediate parts. This is not higher math. You screw the two ends together, and then you have two intermediate pieces, right? Back to the manual! 😉
No, no kidding. The spacers/steel tubes are held neatly in place by the screws on the sides.
The frame appears to be black/gray blasted. In any case, it looks very neat, it even looks fancy.
Then it is a matter of attaching the frame to the Lemus Home Artistic, using the 8 screws.
Once everything is fixed, the Lemus can be admired on its legs. And I must confess that that does look extremely cool!
You don’t necessarily have to have a TV on it. It can also stand against a wall.
Well, one of the first things you will do is of course drag the TV and listen to what you can get out of this thing. And then you get really surprised, the Lemus is doing well.. Very well!
The downside of a dark living room where I shoot my pictures, with backlight from a TV – too little light (and space, lol), etc. – doesn’t result in the very best pictures with the TV on it.
Okay, the Artistic is just a bit wider than the 55” Oled TV. And yet, in my opinion, it looks perfect.
Close or open, the Lemus combined with the 55″ really does delight.
Especially if you have a more or less empty living room and want to keep it minimalist, then this is a lovely combo.
Apps
The Lemus Home Artistic can be set up with the Lemus Home app. It is a quite simple app that nevertheless does what it is supposed to do.
The AirPlay configuration can be started via the WiFi settings of an iPhone. This allows WiFi to be set up on the Artistic in no time. Next, one can go to the app to get started with the settings of the Lemus!
The app of Lemus is simplistic but does what it’s supposed to do. Thus, there is plenty to adjust, right down to room correction. My result; throwing the bass down. The Lemus Artistic just has so much power. To vibrate the cups from the cupboards at the neighbors, that’s just ‘too much’.
The room correction only works on iOS, by the way – according to Lemus.
The room correction works as follows. You put your mobile down on a spot in your room – ideally where you normally sit, and then a sound is played and it measures how the room reacts to it. The Lemus is tuned to this.
Use
The Artistic can be hung on the wall as well as placed on the frame. On the frame, it looks neat, fancy even. As mentioned before during unpacking, I would still like to have some fixings on the back for the cables – if you use the frame. So I had a TV, Xbox Series X, router, switch, Hue hub, Apple TV, modem, and then all the cables that come with it. So now it’s pretty much piled up behind the TV. In the case of some kind of cable management, you can at least hide it neatly. The solution for now… duct tape… Yeah… I know, not the prettiest way. But hey, it keeps everything neatly in place – and above all out of sight. But, also as mentioned before; this is also really the most extreme case of devices that you place/hide on such a cabinet. The idea behind Lemus’ products (I think) is that minimalism is central. Surely in my case, that is the opposite. 😀
We have been using the Lemus Home Artistic for several months now and I haven’t used the sound from the TV since day 1. Everything now goes through the Lemus, from the Xbox to just watching TV. It sounds better than audio from a television. I understand that companies like Philips are very eager to collaborate with a party like Bowers & Wilkins to ensure that the sound of the TVs just gets better because it is often lousy. However, I must confess that of all the TVs and monitors that I have had the pleasure of listening to and viewing, the LG Oled 55 (the 2020 version) already has really ‘better’ sound than any other standard TV. And then, really… hand on my heart I can recommend everyone (especially if you want to keep it minimalistic) to look at the Lemus Home products – and especially if you don’t want to expand with two large columns next to your TV.
In my case, I chose the Artistic with frame. The frame looks neat. You hardly notice that it is a speaker. You just see a TV cabinet, until you realize what you hear because then it sounds like music to your ears (pun intended).
I agree with you that a soundbar is not a 2.1 set, nevertheless – because of the wide design of the furniture), it does emulate a wide sound. From a few meters (distance) the sound is therefore already expanded. And that ensures that you still have the feeling that you are working with a stereo system – those several meters apart.
To be honest, I think it’s a cool product. It’s simple, you can connect anything – also via the different apps (Spotify/Tidal), etc… HDMI ARC also works perfectly, I’ve never encountered a problem once. The remote control of your TV immediately affects the volume of the Home Artistic, which is of course also nice. That way you don’t have an extra remote control. There is also an extra Lemus remote control for sale to directly control the Artistic.
It is of course not a must to set up a TV right away. It can also be used purely as a piece of furniture with anything and everything.
The app is fine, but there is still room for a few things, such as multi-room setups. Because eventually, you will have to deal with that too. Fortunately, AirPlay 2 can also be played on multiple devices.
The fact that a room adapt can be done with the app is of course very nice. It uses the microphone of the device you start it with to test how the soundbar sounds within the room. The system is then adjusted accordingly.
Back to using the Lemus Artistic, of course, I do different tests by watching a lot of series (yes, I do it especially for your readers to write a good story) and movies.
This is and remains a huge upgrade for your TV. For example, I have re-watched – Shooter, Iron Man 2, John Wick 3, and many other movies. The result: the Lemus Home Artistic pulls you into the movie. You don’t feel as overwhelmed as a complete 7.2 set.
I spent a long time on the couch thinking; are you missing the 2.1 (or higher) sound? I don’t think so. This sound is wide, present, and deep (holy moly what power comes out of the Lemus Artistic – not surprising with 4 woofers). The bass levels of the Lemus have to be slightly lowered. Let’s put it this way, with a little perseverance and certain music you can make the speaker of the Lemus vibrate. So power enough.
And you notice that enough power in everything you throw at it. You just hear a lot in movies. People’s speech is clear. No more nagging “what are they saying?” – rewind for a moment.
Playing music through the Lemus is also possible, and of course, I did that too. From Spotify playlists to Tidal via, for example, AirPlay 2, it not only works flawlessly, but it also sounds great.
But let’s face it. This is a soundbar that you use for films and series, of course, rather than playing complete concerts on it. It’s possible, don’t get me wrong. If you’re a real audiophile who won’t settle for a set less than 10k, then I’d still advise you to scratch your head and not just get a real 2.0 set (or heavier). If you do it for the music – and you want to have the continuous feeling that you are sitting on his chair next to Wibi Soerjadi, for example, while he is happily playing, yes… then I would look elsewhere.
To occasionally set up a (music) podcast/Spotify playlist to enjoy. Fine, you will enjoy it. I have the soundbar on almost daily, and as a music lover, I enjoyed it immensely.
Seriously though, for a soundbar, this is a fierce thing. It’s also pretty funny, I’ve been able to test quite a few soundbars through reviews. And yes, there were a few that you can’t necessarily write home about. There were also some among them that are of a different level, see my review of the Naim Mu-so 2nd Gen. I actually put the Lemus Home Artistic in the latter category. It is a true powerhouse, on legs.
Conclusion
Lemus, a brand that is still relatively unknown in the Netherlands, is an interesting player in this audio market. With the Home Artistic, you get a true piece of jewelry in your home, and therefore not just a feast for the eyes. After all, your ears want something too, and that too is in order.
The Lemus Home Artistic has decent power that you can get ahead with. An average living room can simply be filled with this. It is also a smart speaker. I know people who don’t want to have gigantic speakers in the living room because they don’t think that fits with the style. In that case, a piece of music furniture such as the Arctic is simply a very good solution.
The advantage is that there are no speakers next to the TV, and good sound comes from the TV. Of course, as mentioned earlier, you can also just use it as furniture in your living room – just like people want to place speakers in different places in the house.
What of course should not be forgotten, you can of course just hang this under your TV on the wall, which looks clean/minimalist. And that, of course, is tremendously cool.
The speaker itself just looks very nice, the finish is also very nice.
The only thing I would have liked is an option for extra cable management in case the frame is used. Especially if a TV is placed on top, it is nice to be able to neatly hide the cables somewhere.
The app works fine but is not a technical masterpiece. The necessary things are in it, and that is even more than what I found with Denon at the time (in the Denon app you even have to pay extra for the EQ) – just don’t offer it then.
I hope that in the future there will be an addition for multi-room setups so that music can be played in different rooms across different Lemus systems. For now, AirPlay 2 offers the solution for that.
In the meantime, I’ve been using the soundbar for almost half a year, and it’s still great to this day.
I honestly think Lemus will go a long way. In general, it is plausible that with a soundbar of 100/200 euros the sound is ‘meh’ (it is fine for what you want to achieve with it – but don’t let yourself enjoy really beautiful live sets or the like). Even though the Lemus music furniture/sound bars are not very cheap (€1949 with frame), you get something in return. And that, in my opinion, is worth an investment.
The Lemus Home Artistic is simply top-notch in my opinion. A very fine piece of furniture that can enlighten many (a living) rooms in terms of sound, and it also looks nice and clean. What more could you want?
The Lemus Home Artistic gets 5 out of 5 stars from me. An artistic product.
