Tech special: Four amazing audio systems

We all love our movies and the experience of watching one on a large screen with excellent surround sound is unparalleled The only downside to it these days is the exorbitant amount of money you have to shell out for it mdash tickets tubs of popcorn food et al But what if you could bring that largerthanlife experience home We look at some sleek affordable audio systems small enough to fit into our nano homes require minimal wiring and those that fit well beneath most television sets available these daysIt only takes the right sound system to convert your living room into an enviable space and watch all the television yoursquove ever wantedBOSE CINEMATE 130 Price Rs 131513If you want great sound look no further The Cinemate 130 fills your room with sound as if you are sitting in a cinema hall Its soundbar is a small control console and the wireless woofer is called the Accoustimass The soundbar is designed to sit flat atop your cabinet or be wallmounted All you need to do is connect a power cable and further connect it using an included optic fibre cable to your TV Connect all your devices to the control console the console to the TV and you are all set to go After it is connected the system runs a proprietary sound test called AdaptIQ that will finetune the system to individual settings Do not worry about moving the furniture about ndash the system recalibrates itselfThe soundbar features six builtin speakers and two Phase Guide radiators The radiators enhance surround sound and the speakers align the vocals music and background score towards the listener The Bass Module pumps out low bass tones making sure you hear every wave that hits the rocks to every time your favourite onscreen vampire is on the prowlThe Control console also acts as a wireclearing device It has four HDMI inputs that can be connected to your DVDBluRay player your Apple TV and your satellite settop box You also have an analog input and a 35mm jack to connect your phone What it does not do however is connect wirelessly to the Internet or to your phone without an additional accessory The Cinemate 130 is also available in a starting model at Rs 50513 that comes without a control console and a wired Accoustimass ModuleSONOS PLAYBAR Price Rs 99990 available on AmazonSonos has been the leader when it comes to wireless speakers and with its Playbar the phrase lsquono strings attachedrsquo gets a new meaning The soundbar is just 9 cm high and you can connect it to your TV and wirelessly to the Internet The speaker also streams directly from the internet or wirelessly from your phone to the TVCompared to Bosersquos Cinemate 130 the Playbar has just one input that connects to your television Your other sources will still connect to your TV and your TV could send the sound to the Playbar The Playbar shines when it comes to a single remote control as it comes with an Infrared Blaster that can send remote commands to all your devices You can also download the Sonos app for your phone which can then be the single remote control for all your entertainment devices The Playbar features nine ClassD amplifiers inside the sounder that power six midrange drivers and three tweeters divided equally for each channel left right and centreThe Playbar is a good device to start with but keep in mind that you will need a separate sub woofer in time and yes it will cost you more The only downside to this gadget is that Sonos does not sell their devices in India so most of these are imported and warranty might be an issueLG NB5540 Price Rs 38990The LG NB5540 is the cheapest among the four and puts out a great performance Its gun metalcoloured plastic body with archshaped ends is a good example of the understated but attractive design mdash a far cry from Bose and Sonos The NB5540 comes with a subwoofer that you may find bulky but it is wireless and can be hiddenAn optical input hooks it up to your TV and like the others this has a 35mm jack too NB5540 is a 41 channel system with four front speakers split into front and surround channels The speakers deliver 4x40 watts and the subwoofer 160 watts The surround sound quality however is goodPHILIPS FIDELIO HTL9100 Price Rs 49990The HTL9100rsquos soundbar has breakaway speakers which can be placed around the room This feature is a mixed bag but if you like playing around with where you place your speakers this is a good gadget The speakers connect to the main soundbar through Bluetooth with a battery life of up to 10 hoursThe soundbar features two 1inch tweeters and 25inch mid range drivers while the satellite speakers just have one 25inch driver each A 35mm jack connects to your phone and you can also connect your phone wirelessly to the speaker and stream music over Bluetooth The HTL9100 does not connect to the Internet thoughThe lsquoNight Modersquo setting ensures good sound yet keeps the volume in check A subwoofer connects automatically and wirelessly to the main unit and can be placed anywhere it needs a power source