Apparently, this is the summer of the soundbar. Just a few weeks back, we mentioned how the soundbar market has doubled since 2011. Since that little tidbit, both MartinLogan and Polk have made product announcements. Now, we have another from Definitive Technology.
The company just announced plans to start selling the SoloCinema XTR soundbar this summer. Designed to match your favorite flat screen, the SoloCinema XTR is a compact solution that measures just 43-by-5.19-by-5.38 inches. That said, it doesn't skimp on the sound possibilities.
"You may have a stunning, high-definition picture on your home theater system, but you're listening to sound coming from two-inch speakers that point away from you," says Definitive Technology's Paul DiComo, senior vice president of marketing and product development. "As a result, you miss the excitement of movies, concerts, and games. Great sound is key to the fullest enjoyment of any media experience."
According to the Definitive, the SoloCinema XTR actually squeezes five discreet channels into this slim cabinet, with patent-pending drivers for each speaker element and 200 watts of power. That also gets a little kick from the 8-inch, 250-watt wireless subwoofer that's included in this package.
However, it's not just what's in the package, but what's inside the package. The SoloCinema XTR includes support for DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD, and even has three HDMI inputs to help deliver that lossless high-definition audio experience.
"We're not selling technology, we're selling goose bumps," said DiComo. "For movie fans and gamers, the visceral excitement and experience generated by SoloCinema XTR gets you more deeply involved with your music, movies, TV programs and games in a way that no other sound bar or TV can match."
The SoloCinema XTR comes with all of the hardware so it can be placed on a shelf, above a TV table stand, or mounted on the wall. It also comes packing a remote that has concave and convex buttons, so users can easily navigate the soundbar setup in the dark. Other features include preset set surround parameters for movies and music, a bass control, and a SYNC feature to correct audio and video synchronization issues that occasionally occur in video broadcasts.
Definitive Technology expects the SoloCinema XTR to start selling in August 2012. The package includes the soundbar, the sub, the remote, and a $1999 MSRP.
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