(Aug 29, 2008)
John P. Falcone
Senior Editor
While a full 5.1 speaker system sounds great, not everyone is crazy about having five speakers and the accompanying wires all over their home theater. If you want the surround-sound experience with none of the mess, check out these virtual surround speakers. While we won't say they deliver the same experience as a true 5.1 system--they don't--they can do a pretty decent job of faking it when you consider the sound's only coming from one or two speakers. These should all work with existing A/V receivers and amps, but you can opt for an all-in-one virtual surround home theater system instead.
Definitive Technology Mythos SSA-50 (aluminum)
The Definitive Technology Mythos SSA-50 raises the bar for soundbar speakers' design and sound quality.
Price: Sorry, pricing not available
Review date: Jun 27, 2008
Excellent
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Soundmatters MainstageHD
Soundmatters' fully featured virtual surround speaker system delivers home-theater thrills in a supercompact design.
Price: $299.00 - $299.00 (check prices)
Review date: Mar 16, 2006
Excellent
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KEF FiveTwo Series Model 11
While their surround effects fall a bit short of the best we've heard, KEF's beautifully crafted FiveTwo Series Model 11 speakers produce five channels of sound with exceptional audiophile-grade clarity.
Price: $1,998.99 - $1,998.99 (check prices)
Review date: Jan 29, 2007
Excellent
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Zvox 425
The single-speaker Zvox 425 TV speaker system delivers excellent overall sound on movies and music and pumps out ample bass from its built-in twin subwoofers--but at this price, we'd like to see more inputs and some digital connections as well.
Price: Sorry, pricing not available
Review date: Dec 19, 2007
Very good
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KEF FiveTwo Series Model 7
KEF's FiveTwo Series Model 7 system produces audiophile-grade surround sound from two speakers--that's a rare compliment for a virtual-surround system.
Price: Sorry, pricing not available
Review date: Jan 24, 2007
Very good
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Polk Audio SurroundBar 50 (titanium)
The Polk SurroundBar 50 sounds great with music and movies, making it a worthwhile improvement over the company's earlier single-speaker surround offering.
Price: $799.99 - $799.99 (check prices)
Review date: Jun 27, 2008
Excellent
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Zvox 325
Capable of producing better bass than its single-speaker competition, the Zvox 325 is a solid choice for faux-surround sound on music and movies.
Price: $349.99 - $349.99 (check prices)
Review date: Oct 10, 2006
Very good
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Yamaha YSP-800 Digital Sound Projector
Yamaha's second-generation single-speaker YSP-800 Digital Sound Projector is more affordable and easier to set up, and it sounds better than last year's model.
Price: Sorry, pricing not available
Review date: Jan 17, 2006
Very good
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Zvox Mini surround-sound speaker system
The transportable Zvox Mini one-box speaker system delivers room-filling sound from any source--for just $200.
Price: $199.99 - $199.99 (check prices)
Review date: Mar 13, 2006
Very good
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Polk Audio SurroundBar
A single-speaker surround system, the Polk Audio SurroundBar works best as a home-theater solution for small rooms.
Price: $493.85 - $599.99 (check prices)
Review date: Dec 14, 2005
Very good
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