CEDIA 2012

Even though soundbars were pioneered by midline speaker companies like Definitive Technology and Polk, TV companies such as Samsung and Vizio kinda took over the category with ~$300 self-powered models that you didn’t have to connect to a receiver. But at the 2012 CEDIA Expo, the speaker companies came roaring back into the category, fighting the TV guys with advanced features and potentially better sound quality, albeit at prices ranging from surprisingly affordable to “HOW much?”

Here’s a few photos of new soundbars showcased at the CEDIA Expo. There were at least four displayed at the Expo that I didn’t cover here. We’ve already completed (but not yet published) reviews of the GoldenEar 3D Array and MartinLogan MotionVision, so look forward to seeing those soon. We’ve already written about the Atlantic Technology PowerBar 235 and the recently renamed Paradigm Soundtrack; the only news is that both units are in their final versions and are supposed to ship soon.

Also, I covered the new generation of TV-base soundbars — really a whole new category — a few days ago.