Soundbars/Soundbases

You’ve got to admire Roth Audio for taking a risk with the name of its soundbar. It assumes, I guess, that customers will infer that no sub is required, not that the performance is worse than zero. Probably nobody cares, so long as it sounds cool. And taking care of low-end are dual built-in ‘Ultra Bass’ drivers, which complement six other drive units– including two side-firing drivers for an enhanced stereo effect. Power comes courtesy of a 64W amp, with Roth Audio’s proprietary Fractal Expansion processing promising the holy grail of surround sound.

It was probably inevitable that the increasingly popular single-piece soundbar and the booming 2.1 audio market would collide. The result is a hybrid audio solution built around soundbars that can transform, Autobot-style, into traditional left/right loudspeakers.

At 35mm high, Samsung’s first ever soundbase (or ‘SoundStand’ as the Korean corp calls it) is one of the slimmest on the market, allowing it to slip virtually unnoticed under your flatscreen. It also steers clear from the typical design blueprint, opting for a more streamlined look with sleek angles and curves. The brushed top panel flows seamlessly into the angled fascia, which is adorned with a large, legible LED display.

Soundbars are big sellers on the high street but they can get a cold shoulder from the home cinema aficionado seeking authentic surround sound. With its premium-priced HW-K950, Samsung has decided to address that very issue and do it in style. Although to call this simply a 'soundbar' doesn't do it justice.

Fitting somewhere in the middle of Samsung's burgeoning range of upper-market soundbars, the HW-MS750 is a mid-sized offering festooned with features and connectivity. As with the brand's flagship HW-K950 and HW-MS650 tested previously, R&D has been completed at Samsung's California-based Audio Design Lab, so the promise here is of yet another high-performance partner for your flatscreen.