SpeakerBar
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Pioneer introduces first sound bar in 15 years: six speakers and a subwoofer for $399 (hands-on)
The last time Pioneer introduced a speaker bar was 1998, but 15 years later the company's giving it another go. The just-announced speaker bar system, the SP-SB23W, will retail for $399 this fall -- reps said the device was designed to pump out high-quality audio without sacrificing a small, attractive design. It's clearly not the most compact rig on the market, but it does offer decent output. It features six independently amplified speakers and an eight-channel active digital crossover network. There's also a wireless subwoofer with a 6.5-inch driver and Dolby Digital decoding on board. On the noisy show floor here at CE Week, it was a little difficult to judge sound quality definitively, but the dialogue recording we heard did sound extremely crisp. For those who already count a Pioneer speaker or two among their home theater setup, the speaker bar should fit in perfectly; it sports a wood -- rather than plastic -- construction, and the company says its cabinet enclosure offer better control of the speakers "because of its resistance to unwanted resonance." Check out our hands-on photo gallery below, and head past the break for the full press info.%Gallery-192388% Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Sound Hive brings surround sound to the honeycomb hideout
Granted, surround-sound bars are a devices that bring a set of compromises with them. But if that's the only choice that will work in your setup, and you need something a little more visually striking (or if you think you can do better than the built-in steering algorithm), these Sound Hive speakers from Oskar Daniel might be what you're looking for. The panel of hexagonal drive units certainly will make for an interesting gear-related icebreaker at your next movie night. Unless, of course, you happen to live in a geodesic dome; in which case these might actually blend in to the surroundings. Best of all, though, each drive unit can individually oriented, meaning you can get the sound "just so." Somehow we're thinking the average customer for these isn't interested in audio tweaking, though.
Yamaha's beefy YSP-600 sound bar isn't cheap
Yamaha's no stranger to the quickly-expanding sound bar arena, and its latest looks to be quite the winner. The YSP-600 offers up 62-watts of total power split between two woofers and 16 "beam drivers," Dolby Digital / Pro Logic II support, a pair of HDMI inputs (along with one output) and a "Night Listener Enhancement" mode to keep you involved in the action without getting any nastygrams from your neighbors. Heck, it's even set to receive commands from any remote belonging to a Toshiba REGZA or Panasonic VIERA HDTV. The pain? A stiff £499 ($988) when it arrives next month.
iLive cranks out iT188B iPod speaker bar
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/tech_news/iLive_storms_with_33_new_iPod_iPhone_friendly_audio_products'; iPod surround bars are nothing new, but iLive's hoping to catch a few eyes that normally gloss over these type things by blessing its iT188B with an oh-so-attractive $99 price tag. This iteration sports "dual built-in subwoofers," an AM / FM radio, obligatory iPod dock and an on board clock to boot. It also comes bundled with a remote control and an auxiliary input to complement the twin video inputs, video output and subwoofer out for connecting an external thumper. As you'd expect, this one's built for use underneath a flat-panel HDTV, but it shouldn't have any problems perched up on a countertop, either. You already know how badly this one's gonna hurt your wallet, but at least you've got until April to save up.
Yamaha's YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector: a 5.1 sound bouncer that works
The YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector joins Yamaha's high-end YSP-1100 in their digital sound projector line-up of simulated surround-sound speaker-bars. As a followup to the YSP-800, the YSP-900 comes in silver or black and introduces the "My Beam" and "IntelliBeam" functions previously found only in the YSP-1100. Just press and hold a button on the remote control and the My Beam function will instantly "beam" the sound in your direction -- useful for the hard-of-hearing or late-night movie fests while the rest of the household slumbers. IntelliBeam then, is the auto system calibration software which optimizes the unit's placement in the room. Just keep in mind that the sound will bounce best in a rectangular room with the couch offset from the center of the back-wall. That limitation aside, Yamaha's sound projectors come highly touted for quick and not-so-dirty home theater setup. Hitting Japan on February 22nd for ¥94,800 or about $602. Better yet, these will come Stateside soon enough.
