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Virtual Surround<br />
Systems<br />
Some people love stringing speaker<br />
wire. For the rest of us, these simple<br />
setups provide solid approximations<br />
of 5.1-channel surround sound. —J.T.<br />
Cambridge SoundWorks<br />
SurroundWorks 200<br />
$1,000 • cambridgesoundworks.com<br />
The SurroundWorks 200 is the Scrappy-Doo of virtual-surround<br />
speakers: tiny, but with an aggressive, punchy output. Everything<br />
seems big coming out of this mighty mite, be it concert footage or fireballs.<br />
Dialog and vocals may lack a touch of crispness, but for sheer<br />
sound-and-fury, it’s hard to beat this little workhorse.<br />
WIRED Simple setup. Precise imaging had us looking for hidden<br />
speakers in our rear walls. Small enough to put anywhere.<br />
TIRED Very few features. Ugly starfish design—but, hey, it’s <strong>sm</strong>all.<br />
Home Audio<br />
Philips HTS8100<br />
SoundBar<br />
$800 • philips.com<br />
Philips gets a lot of things right, particularly<br />
when it comes to design. This slick system<br />
includes a front-loading DVD player, which<br />
makes the HTS8100 particularly pain-free to set<br />
up. And the surround effects gave convincing<br />
dimension to films. But overall, the sound<br />
felt hollow: boomy bass, tinny treble, and not<br />
much in between. We knew it was a bad sign<br />
when the Beastie Boys’ “Sure Shot” video<br />
didn’t compel us to jump off the couch.<br />
WIRED 10 minutes from box to bass-thumpin'<br />
beats. Good surround imaging for the price.<br />
TIRED Weak midrange results in chilly,<br />
echoey sound, especially in dialog.<br />
Polk Audio<br />
SurroundBar 50<br />
$1,100 • polkaudio.com<br />
On the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, there’s a<br />
moment in “Hey Bulldog” when John interjects<br />
a quick “yep.” With the best systems, that<br />
word just floats in the middle of the room. That<br />
didn’t happen with the SurroundBar 50, but<br />
we couldn't find much else to complain about.<br />
This sleek speaker produced warm, crisp<br />
audio. Polk’s SDA technology spread the sound<br />
across our TV wall, but the surround imaging<br />
wasn’t as convincing.<br />
WIRED Much better midrange than most<br />
of the other systems we tested.<br />
TIRED Cable-wire hookups are a pain and<br />
require separate surround-sound amplifier.<br />
Sharp SD-SP10<br />
$349 • sharpusa.com<br />
OK, so the dialog’s tinny and the midrange is<br />
lacking. It ain’t the loveliest piece of hardware<br />
in the world, and its imaging leaves a lot to be<br />
desired. But at this price, who cares? For little<br />
more than the cost of a high-end boom box, you<br />
get a full-featured—if decidedly compromised—<br />
take on virtual surround. You won’t be swept<br />
away, but if you really want to be surrounded<br />
by sound, buy two of ’em.<br />
WIRED Dolby’s Audistry sound processing<br />
allows for customized audio, from boosted bass<br />
to amplified dialog. Subwoofer volume control<br />
(why doesn't every remote have one of these?).<br />
TIRED Can’t compete with systems costing<br />
three times as much. Unimpressive imaging.
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