Soundbars/Soundbases

Orbitsound is a relatively new company with only one thing on its mind – making speakers. Its product range runs to soundbars and iPod speakers. And that’s it. With that in mind, you’d expect its T12v3 soundbar and sub combo to be more than a match for rival products from brands with other things on their minds.

The HLX-56S is an all-in-one home cinema system cast in the shape of a soundbar. With integrated Blu-ray player, digital amplifier, net portal and media streamer, it’s pretty much all you need for instant AV gratification.

The SB-100 claims to deliver a 5.1 experience through the magic of its so-called 3D sound feature, despite not being equipped with digital inputs or any kind of surround sound decoding. The only sockets are one set of stereo phonos and dual 3.5mm line inputs. Analogue signals are processed by circuitry licensed from Sonic Emotion and delivered to your ears via the SB100’s room-filling multiple drive units. There are six full-range tweeters and a 20W subwoofer that offer a combined 80W of power output, which is four times as powerful as most TV screens’ built-in speakers.

The Quick Start guide supplied with Yamaha’s YSP-2200 system concludes with a clear message in bold, overlarge type. It reads: ‘Then have fun for playback!’