CES 2012

GoldenEar Soundbar

Tom Norton  |  Jan 15, 2012

Available either alone ($1000) or with a small subwoofer and surround satellites ($2000), GoldenEar's new SuperCinema 3D Array is an unpowered soundbar (requires an external, customer-provided AVR) that appears to effectively compensate for the limited spacing of its left/right channel drivers by a second set of internal drivers to "effectively cancel out [the] crosstalk distortion between the left and right channel[s]." I spend some time listening to it, and was surprised at how effective it was. More importantly, its overall performance, while no substitute for good, well separated conventional speakers (of which GoldenEar makes more than its well-received share) was remarkable and well worth considering by those who need a space-saving, home theater solution.

COMMENTS
hi.lalo's picture
Submitted by hi.lalo on January 15, 2012 - 10:19pm

Hi,

I really want to audition any of the Goldenear stuff this year.

You mentioned that this SuperCinema 3D Array needs an AVR to be powered. How do you connect this sound bar to the AVR if there will be no left/right speakers?? I'm curious.

Have a great day!

Thomas J. Norton's picture
Submitted by Thomas J. Norton on January 16, 2012 - 9:39am
The question did not come up at the show, and the setup made it awkward to peek behind. But I suspect that there are simply three sets of connections on the rear, one each for the left, right, and center channels. The separate surrounds and subs, if used, are also connected directly to the AVR in the normal manner.

Incidentally sound bar will not normally sit on top of a flat panel HDTV as shown--there is no clear way to support it. How GoldenEar did this at the show I'm not certain, but it was not a normal setup. Typically the sound bar will be positioned under the set, on a shelf above it, or on the wall when the TV is also wall-mounted.

Sandy Gross's picture
Submitted by Sandy Gross on January 16, 2012 - 1:03pm

Yes, there are 3 speaker wire connections on the back of the speaker for left, right and center. We mounted the 3D Array on top of the TV at the show so that it would be less blocked by the crowds at the show and more people would be able to listen. It would normally go on a shelf (it comes with adjustable rear supports), on a wall (it has keyhole mounts), or it has threaded inserts to allow it to be attached to a bracket.

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