Audio Video News

Soundbars and Stereo Speaker Systems

Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 Atmos Soundbar: $999

Bowers & Wilkins, more commonly known as B&W, has a storied history of making outstanding speakers — speakers so good that they have been the monitors of choice at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios for years. So it should come as no surprise that the company’s second soundbar, the upscale Panorama 3, delivers on the promise of delivering audiophile-quality sound, in this case with hi-res music streaming via B&W’s excellent app and movie magic provided courtesy of Dolby Atmos. AirPlay 2 and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth are also on tap for more high-quality streaming options.

The bar packs 400 watts of power and engages 13 drivers to create a 3.1.2 Atmos setup featuring a trio of front-channel arrays — each of which mates a titanium-dome tweeter with two midbass drivers — two upfiring height drivers, and two 4-inch woofers, which make use of a long sealed chamber to produce solid, though not earth-shaking, bass. And then there’s the DSP-controlled equalization that helps keeps everything in check when the volume is pushed to high levels.

Veteran reviewer Rob Sabin was impressed with the Panorama 3’s “highly palatable audiophile playback” and ability to cast a respectably wide image with music, pausing to revel in the outstanding clarity and detail he heard on "Bad Guy" by Billie Ellish and "You Look Good to Me" by the Oscar Peterson Trio, the latter of which garnered special “as good as I’ve heard” praise. Playing a selection of Atmos music and movie titles, he verified the bar’s ability to deliver immersive surround with a sense of height. Falling rain in Disney’s Jungle Cruise, in particular, provided a nice broad canopy of ambience, even though it fell short of delivering coverage you'd get with separate rear-surround speakers. And the film’s chaotic chase scene left Sabin astonished at the convincing detail and cleanliness, including the “fine dynamics and excellent timbre of the horn-driven score.” With the Panorama 3, B&W has gone out its way to stay true to its audiophile roots. Editor’s note: As of this writing, the Panorama 3 is available on Amazon.com for $899.

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Audiophile sound for music and movies
Atmos height effects
Good bass
Integrated high-res music streaming
Minus
No expandability for surrounds or sub
No voice-boost or height-channel adjustments

Full Review Here (posted 6/23/22)

Devialet Dione Atmos Soundbar: $2,499

It’s rare that a reviewer will proclaim a speaker, let alone a soundbar, the best he’s ever heard, yet such is the case with the Dione, an amazing all-in-one system from Paris-based Devialet, maker of the utterly unique Phantom line of compact speaker systems. Okay, at $2,499 Dione is anything but cheap but, boy, does it deliver. And it does so in a way that will leave you stunned as you look around for additional speakers and a subwoofer.

Dione is a feature-rich 5.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos system with 17 drivers — including eight (!) woofers, upfiring units for Atmos front height channels, side-firing surround drivers, and a central Orb that houses its center-channel speaker — in a sleek enclosure almost 4 feet wide but still slim enough to fit easily below the screen of a table-mounted TV. The cool thing about the Orb is that an internal gyroscope detects whether the soundbar is being placed on a table or mounted flat against the wall and reassigns the system’s drivers accordingly. Among the bar’s many features you’ll find the versatile Devialet app, which provides quick-but-effective automated calibration, and wireless connectivity via Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, or a UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) network server.

The moment you fire it up Dione makes its presence know, especially in the bass department. Veteran reviewer and former S&V editor-in-chief Rob Sabin admits to being “astonished” by what he heard and felt when he fed the system a 20Hz tone. Aiding and abetting every aspect of the soundbar’s performance is 950 watts of class-D amplification and an arsenal of custom signal monitoring and processing designed to achieve max SPL without distortion and project well-defined virtual speakers into the room, among other things. Bottom line: Whether you’re listening to music or watching a blockbuster movie, the Devialet Dione all-in-one soundbar will blow your mind. As Sabin put it: “Movie soundtracks were outright balls-to-the-wall fun and extraordinarily detailed, balanced, and dynamic” as the soundbar reached its volume limits with no detectable distortion or edginess. “If you've been listening on any other soundbar, you won't believe what you've been missing.”

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Stupendous bass without an external subwoofer
Outstanding timbre and dynamics
Easy to use via HDMI-CEC or Devialet app
Minus
No remote learning for optical connections
No voice integration
No DTS decoding

Full Review Here (posted 9/7/22)

Stereo Speaker Systems

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Wireless Smart Speaker: $799

If you follow England’s Bowers & Wilkins there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Zeppelin, not the iconic rock band but the all-in-one, retro-modern speaker system the company introduced 15 or so years ago, back when the iPod was king. No question, it’s an unusual product for B&W but one with immense staying power. Now in its fourth generation, the new Zeppelin looks almost identical to the original model, except for the iPod docking arm, and delivers the caliber of sound you expect from a brand that provides speakers to London’s Abbey Road Studios.

The updated system has been rejiggered to enhance bass output and is now a bona fide smart speaker with built-in microphones for summoning Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant and controlling the system with voice commands. The Zeppelin also supports hi-res (24/96) streaming through an app that provides quick access to Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer, TuneIn internet radio, and other services. You can also stream via AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, and the newer aptX Adaptive version of Bluetooth, which supports 24-bit/48kHz streaming.

Revisiting the blimp-like speaker a decade after reviewing the iPod-based Zeppelin Air, former S&V editor Rob Sabin remained impressed with the big soundstage and palpable imaging it delivers. “The physical design puts the drivers so close to the edges of the baffle that you get uncanny separation that seems impossible for a speaker whose tweeters are less than two feet apart,” he wrote, noting that the sonic payoff also comes in the form of solid dynamics and outstanding timbre: Instruments and vocals sounded natural and open, even if the system is a little bass-shy. Listening to Eddie Holman’s 1969 hit “Hey There Lonely Girl,” Sabin heard detail in the familiar recording he’d never noticed before — quite the compliment for such a compact system. The Zeppelin isn’t cheap but it is an extraordinary system that brings music to life in an impactful and engaging way. Editor’s note: As of this writing, the Zeppelin is $599 on bowerswilkins.com.

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Impressive Imaging
Excellent timbre
Well-controlled dynamics
Alexa voice-control
Minus
Limited deep bass output
No wired inputs

Full Review Here (posted 3/30/22)

KEF LSX II Wireless Speaker System: $1,400

The art and science of coaxing “big sound” out of little speakers is well known and has led to numerous examples of small boxes that do just that. KEF’s cantaloupe-sized LSX II speakers fall squarely in this camp with their ability to deliver sound that is rich, full-bodied, and exquisite. More than that, the LSX II is a well-conceived and impeccably built wireless music system that is completely self-contained, requiring nothing more than power and an internet connection. Fire up its app, and you have Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify, Amazon Music, and other top streaming services at your immediate disposal — without having to worry about “hooking up a system.” You don’t even have to run a cable between the speakers if you don’t want to.

Veteran reviewer Dan Kumin remained consistently captivated by what he heard as he worked his way through a varied list of music covering everything from folk and classical to rock and EDM, noting that the “low end proved eminently capable of producing a satisfying bottom” with most genres of music. But what impressed him most was the system’s versatility and ability to present a believably real sense of space. “No matter what I cued up, the sound was clear, detailed, and spatially distinct.” Even full-orchestral recordings played at middle-of-the-house concert-hall levels were powerful and satisfying.

Quibbles were largely confined to the speaker’s sensitivity to placement — a byproduct of the horn-like effect created by the coincident drivers — and the lack of physical controls (though you do get a remote control in addition to the app). There are also no tone controls in the app but that wasn’t a huge issue for Kumin due to the system’s superb native balance. Yes, bass is limited (you can’t defy physics), so you will need a subwoofer if you want to revel in truly deep bass. But that’s not to in any way knock the exceptional audiophile sound these speakers are capable of producing.

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Highly accurate tonal balance
Superb imaging
Sub output for instant upgrade
All-in-one solution with HDMI ARC for TV sound
Minus
Limited output in large rooms
No physical controls

Full Review Here (posted 9/28/22)