Surround sound with no speakers.

[videonastie]

In a DVD magazine, I recently read an article advertising a Sony (I think) amp/speaker system, which consisted of a single box underneath the LCD TV, which outputted 5.1 surround sound, without the need for speakers & wires. I'm not 100% sure about these systems & I apologize if this is common knowledge, but I really am interested in something like this when I upgrade my TV to an HD, to go together with my PS3 & Blu-ray movies. I'm sick of wires & mess, so my question is, are these any good, or are they just a gimmick? Also what kind of price am I looking at & do they output the new HD soundtracks?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[davepuma]

Was it a soundbar type device you saw?

 

[videonastie]

Was it a soundbar type device you saw?

Very similar to those. Do they output HD sound & are they any good?

 

[davepuma]

I think they can accept LPCM over HDMI so providing your source decodes the HD audio on board and outputs it as LPCM eg. PS3 it will output HD audio but by design, they're already a compromise. In the right shape/sized room with a subwoofer they can sound pretty good with plain ol' DTS or DD5.1. A mate of mine has one of the older non-HDMI models which he was impressed with so him and his brother bought one for their parents last Christmas.

If you check Yamaha's website, you can check the specs and download manuals. I know if you shop around you can get the older 900/1100 models for a lot less than RRP.

 

[YellowSphere]

If this is the route you want to go down, I'd get a Yamaha model and one of the stands they make for them. Much much better quality than the Sony, and they also do a much much better job of mimicking genuine surround speakers. No match, but a very reasonable compromise.

 

[videonastie]

Is the PS3 limited as to what it can decode?

I want something tidy & preferably with no clutter of wires.

 

[davepuma]

The PS3 can decode pretty much everything. It's the best bluray player out there by far.

 

[videonastie]

The PS3 can decode pretty much everything. It's the best bluray player out there by far.

So which model would let me connect a 37" HD TV, a DVD recorder, PS3 (playing games & Blu-rays) & a Sky box? (SD or HD)

 

[badbob]

Virtual surround is a gimmick, it usually just has some kind of bipolar side firing treble EQ going on.

If you can't have a 5.1 system, just get a stereo system. Don't waste your time with those SRS/Virtual sound things.

 

[videonastie]

What are the general opinions of the Denon DHT-FS3 X-SPACE?

 

[davepuma]

I would do a search on the particular model you're looking for on the site as those soundbars don't really fall into one category. Sometimes threads pop up in this forum (AV amps) but most of the time, they appear either in the all-in-one or speakers forum. They're a bit of a misnomer in that respect.

 

[RottenFox]

Agreed..
I'll move this to the All-in-Ones forum.
there have been a few soundbar topics in there of late,and maybe one of the owners might pipe up.

 

[videonastie]

From the reviews I've read, the soundbars are just not gonna cut it I think I'm gonna go down the amp & speakers route. The problem is the size, ideally I'd like to downsize. I currently have a Yamaha DSP-AX750SE & Morduant Short speakers, which are floor standing. The sub is the Avant 909. My current amp can't output HD quality sound, but I'm not sure on the speaker side. If I bought a new amp, would the speakers/amp be fine? Also what small amps output HD sound at a good quality?

 

[badbob]

Tbh if I had the choice of

1) A seperates system with standard audio (from DVD's)
2) A soundbar SRS "thing" or cheap HTIB that supports HD Audio

I'd choose the first one.

 

[videonastie]

Will the YAMAHA DSPAX761 give me what I require?

 

[badbob]

Doesn't look like it, no "HD master audio" or similar in spec page.

 

[syko67]

sony recently released the HT-CT100 in the USA....no news on it crossing the water... its been getting great reviews http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...1000281&page=6 , I've been looking for a good soundbar option too...they all seem too big an beefy at the mo but the sony looks really good.