While this review from a professed audio neophyte of the Niro 400 5.1-channel speaker system—a system that purports to provide real surround sound from a single 5-speaker box that sits in front of the listener—is generally pretty positive, she makes it a point to mention that the ‘surround’ effect from the all-in-one box is pretty lacking. So while it might sound appealing to rid yourself of the clutter and wires of surround speakers, $450 is a lot of money for something that doesn’t really work as advertised, especially when a more than capable movie watching system (read: not suitable for audiophiles, but audioplebes) can be had for half as much.
Thing is, I bet the Niro 400s worked great in the lab. Maybe they should document exactly what dimensions the room should be for their ‘bouncing sound off walls’ system to work.
First Look: Big Sound for Small Spaces [PCWorld]
