Orbitsound T12 soundbar

If you don’t have an iPod then of course the product will be less appealing. There is basic control of the Apple product via the unit’s own remote, but there is the line-in option for those with other MP3 products. The performance we experienced with TV sound was good, but stereo music production is where the little devil really hits its stride. A bit of Duffy followed by British blues/rock riff kings Thunder proved the system versatile enough to cope with different frequency ranges. But what really takes you by surprise is the genuinely stereo sound that you get, via iPod or CD player.

The sound really fills the space and we found ourselves peering at the box trying to work out where the sound was coming from. The trick seems to be that, unlike many conventional designs, this technique works with its environment, using the room’s surfaces to expand the sound.

The unit also come swith it's own easy-to-use remote

Coupled to the spatial techniques employed by the speaker, it really does create a very pleasant and listenable stereo field. Some problems can occur at low bandwidths via MP3 playback if the recording is a bit poor. On the rear of the unit there is a switch that allows you to control the amount of stereo dispersion applied to the signal, which irons out most problems.

For a bit of fun, we unplugged the speakers from a BOSE 3.2.1 GS system and compared how the T12 compared when the DVD sound was fed through the T12 rather than the BOSE speakers. It was not as good, but it was close. It's not the loudest speaker you will find, but it made much of the sacrifice scene from Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto, with every sickening thud and squelch delivered over an engaging sound field with real accuracy.

Verdict

For the money, this is well worth a look. The speaker cables provided (between sub and main speaker) are not the best, so perhaps upgrade these. A few more connections would not go amiss, if only to be able to enjoy the product’s undoubted sound qualities from more sources. The sound created is a real ear-opener and at the same time does not feel gimmicky and could easily become your main living room sound reproduction unit.