The team at Denon have been working their white towelling socks off lately, cranking out typically exceptional and innovative kit on a regular basis. And the DTH-FS3 X-Space Surround Bar looks set to maintain that reputation.
Following on from Yamaha's YSP and Philips' recently announced AmbiSound Sound Bar, Denon has created its own take on the surround sound from a single speaker aesthetic. The FS3 comprises a single sound bar providing the surround audio, with a matching separate subwoofer to deliver depth and texture to the sonics. Interestingly, the FS3 can also be used as a centre and sub in a more traditional 5.1-channel set-up should future upgrades become an option. Nice touch.
Pumping out a respectable 150 watts, Denon relies on diffraction and very broad 'soundbeams' to project the audio, with the new technology untroubled by traditional problems of awkward room shapes and corners distorting the audio.
Denon describes this system as 'plonk and play', saying it's simple enough for your gran to operate without too much trouble and also claims it benefits from 'Massive WAF' (that's wife acceptance factor for the uninitiated).
Stocked full of Denon knowhow and finished in a gloriously glossy piano black, the X-Space Surround Bar hits the shops in August for £700.