Logitech Rally BarPRODUCT REVIEW
Logitech Rally Bar
Three Profound Technologies team members provide their feedback on a tried and true favorite: The Logitech Rally Bar. At $3999, Logitech’s video conferencing bar promises to do it all, from powered built-in speakers and microphones designed to cover the whole room, to a pan-tilt-zoom camera at its center, and with the capability to run the meeting all by itself with a standalone appliance mode. How well does the Rally Bar deliver, as an all-in-one meeting room solution?
Key Specifications
- Certifications Microsoft Teams (Windows and Android), Zoom, Tencent, Lark (Feishu)
- Appliance Mode Yes
- USB Mode Yes
- Built-in Video Supported resolutions: 4K, 1440p, 1080p, 900p, 720p, SD at 30fps; Zoom: 5X optical, 3X digital; Total room coverage: 132.1 degrees Horizontal, 82.2 degrees Vertical
- Built-in Microphones 6 beamforming
- Built-in Speakers 2
- Displays supported 2
Use case for the Logitech Rally Bar
Capturing a small-to-medium sized room can be a challenge for basic webcams. Built-in TV speakers are often not up to the task, either, and using a wireless mouse and keyboard to conduct the meeting with a PC is cumbersome – plus the cost of that equipment adds up. The Logitech Rally Bar can serve all of those functions, including the compute device when it’s in appliance mode, or it can connect to an existing PC in USB mode. Accessories like the Logitech Tap, which we used during our review, allow intuitive, one-touch control of the meeting room. End users can also initiate meetings on their own devices, with the Logitech app. While the Rally Bar may not be appropriate for the largest or most involved rooms, it is a versatile solution for small or medium sized conference rooms.
Price range Logitech Rally Bar
At $3,999 MSRP, the Logitech Rally Bar is right in line with similar video bar offerings from other brands. The Poly X50, Yealink A30, and Crestron SB1-CAM were top of mind for Vince Stellabotte, a veteran service technician. “Things that have app integration with Zoom and (Microsoft) Teams – those bar products are the first things I think of,” he said. Of course, plenty of AV gear could be purchased for that money. Our other panelists thought of products in completely different categories that would be around the same price: Guitars, speaker amps, and big screen TVs were among the responses from our Beginner, Duc Nguyen, and Sales perspective Naeem Johnson.
Build Quality
Our team praised the simple, handsome design of the Rally Bar across the board. “It’s solid,” Naeem said, giving it a ten out of ten. Duc agreed, saying it had an elegant look. Vince praised the quality of the built-in camera and audio components.
Installation experience
Vince praised the connectivity, support for dual displays, and the process for mounting the Rally Bar. “I wish there were a way to tilt it down (while mounted),” Vince said, to make it easier to access cabling after an installation. He also appreciated that the installation process is straightforward, from the beginning all the way through post-deployment support. “When we first started working with this product there were some growing pains as the firmware was trying to keep up with customer demand. But Logitech has been very responsive in both adding features and fixing any issues which has resulted in a solid experience,” he said.
Industry standards
The Logitech Rally Bar does not support high definition copyright protection (HDCP) via HDMI, which is standard practice to allow for meeting content to be recorded. Its HDMI outputs support all common resolutions up to 4K, so the Rally Bar’s video capabilities shouldn’t cause any compatibility issues. Logitech has relied on USB 3.0 for connecting peripherals, choosing a widely-adopted standard with plenty of bandwidth for audio and video. On the other hand, USB 3.0 can introduce stricter distance limitations at times. Our team would be excited to see Ethernet passthrough in a future product, as it is another USB 3.0 supported capability. Logitech has certified the Rally Bar with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Tencent, and Lark.
User interface
Each panelist joined a Zoom meeting in progress using a Logitech Tap, though their experience would have been very similar with an iPad running the Logitech app. “It’s seamless. One or two buttons and you’re done,” Naeem said. “It’s consistent and it works.” “The setup process for the Rally Bar is a breeze,” Vince said, “and Rally Bar receives provider software updates every time its firmware updates.” During initial setup, “it also provides a step to easily type in your Logitech Sync credentials so all the rooms you add are viewable from one location.”
Standout features
All three reviewers mentioned speaker tracking as a standout feature of the Rally Bar. “It makes people easily know who is talking in a big group,” Duc said. “Being able to move and have it follow you wherever you go – it’s a nice touch,” Naeem said. “The only thing I would say could make it better is (improved recognition) of different skin tones. I don’t think I came through very clearly.” The Rally Bar’s built-in camera also features manual PTZ controls, and presets so that users can save common camera positions. There was also a positive reaction to the built-in audio. “I think the audio stands out as very clear, with good frequency response in the low end, making bass sound richer,” Vince said. The Logitech Sync portal allows customers to manage all of their connected Logitech equipment via the cloud. IT managers can save time and money by maximizing the uptime of several rooms, all from one app. Finally, the appliance mode functionality helps the Rally Bar stand out. Being able to handle AV, all inputs and outputs, while running the meeting itself is a big reason why the Rally Bar has a reputation for simplicity.
Reasons to buy
“Logitech is a trusted brand. It’s been around a long time,” Vince said. “Their partnership with companies like Zoom and Microsoft with Teams adds to their credibility. You know you’re going to get a good support system.” But the biggest selling point, Vince said, is its simplicity and ease of use. “(An end user) would buy this product because it will make their meeting experience a lot easier,” Naeem said, “there’s no reason to do it any other way.” Duc mentioned the utility for hybrid meetings, saying the Rally Bar can enhance “the professional appearance of a company.”
Reasons to reconsider
The Rally Bar may not be an ideal fit for larger rooms, or situations where budgets are tight. Customers might reconsider “if the space they’re trying to outfit is too big, or weirdly-shaped,” Naeem said. Those situations would benefit from larger scale systems with discrete components, instead of an all-in-one video bar. On the other extreme, the price point could be a reason for some buyers to look elsewhere. “I think the price would be expensive for small businesses,” Duc said, suggesting that companies with fewer than 20 employees would probably choose a smaller video conferencing bar or DIY solution.
Conclusion
Our Profound Technologies panel was enthusiastic about the Logitech Rally Bar, with Vince and Duc awarding it a nine out of ten, and Naeem giving it an eight. All three agreed that the speaker tracking feature helped the Rally Bar stand out in the video bar category. Paired with the Logitech Tap, our Beginner and Techy alike found the Rally Bar easy to operate. The Logitech Rally bar might not be the best fit for larger, more complex rooms, or very strict budgets, but it is a compelling all-in-one solution for almost any other situation. The chart below has the full breakdown of our panel’s thoughts, by category: