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Soundbar Update: What’s New For 2102

Atlantic Technology:

The audio company
is bringing H-PAS (Hybrid Pressure Acceleration
System) bass technology to an active
soundbar for the first time to deliver deep bass
from a soundbar without the need for a separate
powered subwoofer. The 2×45-watt PowerBar
235 will deliver bass response down to
47Hz at –3dB. It will ship in August at $899
and incorporates Dolby Digital and DTS decoding
and a speech-enhancement circuit to
address poorly recorded soundtracks.

Coby:

The company’s first two wallmountable
soundbars, both shipping in
May, include the $129-suggested CSMP95
slim soundbar, which is also the company’s
first soundbar with wireless subwoofer. The
$79-suggested CSMP90 features built-in
subwoofer and adds stereo Bluetooth.

LG:

The company is expanding its selection
with three new models, two with stereo
Bluetooth.

The $299-suggested NB3520A comes
with wireless subwoofer, stereo Bluetooth,
Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 decoders, and
proprietary 3D sound algorithm to synchronize
sound output with a 3D picture’s depth.

The $199-suggested NB2420A offers the
same features as the NB3520A but without
subwoofer.

Panasonic:

Three new soundbars can
be split into two separate left-right speakers
that can be mounted on the wall or on included
bases. They’re also the company’s first
with a dialog-level control with four settings
to boost dialog over background sounds in
a video program. All also feature automatic
gain control to level out abrupt changes in
sound levels when a TV program switches to
a commercial. They’re priced at $229, $299
and $399.

Philips (P&F):

P&F USA is expanding its
selection of Philips-brand soundbars. The
black $129 CS2123 is available with separate
subwoofer and virtual surround technology.
A white version is no longer planned.
Other new models shipping later in the year
are the $179 HTS3111 with virtual surround
and the $349 CSS5123 with Wi-Fi and DLNA-
certification to stream audio and video
from Android devices.

Samsung:

An expanded soundbar lineup
consists of three models, one available in
two colors, priced from a suggested $229
to $449. They include the company’s first
convertible model that can be split to create
two separate speakers for placement on
both sides of a TV. The lineup ranges from a
suggested $229 to $449 for the convertible
model, which is available in silver or black.

Sharp:

The company’s three new 1-inchtall
soundbars come with replaceable inserts
that expand or reduce soundbar width
to match different-size TVs. The inserts
can also be removed to turn the horizontal
soundbar into two separate left-right vertical
speakers sitting atop their own stands.

The new $329-suggested HT-SL75 is
already shipping. The $499-suggested HTSL77
ships in late May.

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