Group Test: Single-box sound

The home cinema market is one of the fastest moving areas of technology. From CRT to LCD and plasma (and now OLED), SDTV to HDTV and stereo to surround sound, no one area is left standing for long. The latest wave of interest comes in the shape of single box sound options. It's a technology that's been toyed with to varying degrees of failure for quite a while, but now a new batch of single-box systems from some of the most respected AV manufacturers around have been unveiled. What they offer is the experience of convincing sound, be it surround or stereo, married to the convenience of no wires or endless speakers cluttering up your lounge. Overview Price: £700 More info: Denon Size: 850x96x125mm Weight: 10.2kg Surround formats: Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Pro-Logic II Power: 150W Connections: 2x optical, 2x phono, coaxial, Denon iPod control bus Denon DHT-FS3 SoundBar Denon's DHT-FS3 is utterly sumptuous in design, dressed in a glossy black veneer with front-mounted controls and a speaker grille that stretches from side to side. It also comes with fittings for a wall mount. Alongside the SoundBar is a wired subwoofer that actually makes this a two-box system, but fret not because it's a vision in design - sleek and monolithic in the best possible way. The SoundBar unit comprises six individual precisionn speaker drivers each powered by its own digital amplifier, with DSP signal processing painting the surround sound stage. Two of the speakers are dedicated solely to the centre channel, the intention being that the booming surround effects never drown out the dialogue. Set-up is as instant as plugging it in, though there are myriad sound tweaking options for the connoisseur so you can tailor the audio to music, movies or plain old TV. On first listen, it's tough to believe so much sound is coming from just one unit and that spindly sub. Surround effects are encompassing and consistently well placed. Dialogue remains natural and transparent throughout and never loses focus. Things can also go very loud without losing clarity, though the sub was a little on the puny side, to be honest. Music is almost as well handled as movies, though for purity it wouldn't match a similarly priced hi-fi system, though only aficionados will notice any real difference. For the full package - aesthetics, sonics and value - the Denon is as good as it currently gets. Verdict Plus points Convincing and perfectly placed surround effects wrapped up in a stylish, designer exterior, fair price too Minus points The sub lacks grunt and as a result any real presence

Overview Price: £700 More info: Philips Size: 850x96x125mm Weight: 10.2kg Surround formats: Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Pro-Logic II Power: 150W Connections: 2x optical, 2x phono, coaxial, Denon iPod control bus Philips HTS8100 The HTS-8100 is not just a surround sound system, because Philips has seen fit to incorporate an amp and 1080p upscaling DVD player to turn it into a complete home cinema. Like the Denon, it too comprises a separate sub to take care of the bass duties, but together they make a good-looking and contemporary unit. The sound bar section is wall-mountable but is by no means small so is best matched to a TV 32 inches or bigger. Once you've hefted the two units into place and made the 'to wall mount or not to wall mount' decision, set-up is a breeze. The system is powered via the sub rather than the main unit, with a single and very chunky cable connecting the two. Connectivity is bountiful, with HDMI the obvious choice for the best results, and once tooled to a TV a brief and simple acoustics menu concerning room dynamics tailors the 8100 to your room's shape and its position within it for optimum performance. Sonically the Philips is arresting to say the least. The sub is an almighty performer delivering an ominous rumble that generates real atmosphere, even if it is a little overzealous at times. The sound bar section balanced the sonics nicely however, providing plenty of detail and potent surround delivery, though it didn't feel as all-encompassing as the Denon, with the majority of the audio emanating from directly in front rather than all around. Images are equally good when hooked up via HDMI. Colours are vibrant and clean and there's plenty of detail on show, no matter how challenging the source footage. Not the most accomplished performer in any one area, but as an all-in-one package the Philips is a worthy and credible piece of kit.

Verdict Plus points Convincing audio effects are matched if not bettered by the DVD images Minus points Sizeable, and not quite as detailed in its surround effects as the Denon and Yamaha

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