The soundbar market is booming. After all, not everyone has the space to fit a full speaker complement into a room -- especially if it's to put audio into a secondary listening space.
However, just because you want a single speaker doesn't mean you have to sacrifice on the sound. Core Brands' SpeakerCraft is out at this week's CEDIA Expo in Denver, Colorado, showing off a trio of TV Speakers. That's right; these aren't the typical soundbars. Instead, each offering is designed to be placed directly under a flat-panel TV.
The new models include the smaller CS1, the larger CS5, and a redesign of the popular CS3 TV Speaker. All three include a remote and a front-panel display to make it easier to monitor the speaker's operating functions. If you don't like the idea of another remote in your mix, each of the new TV Speakers can learn IR remote commands from any existing controller. That way, you can use your own TV remote for volume, mute and power functions.
All three speakers also include Bluetooth connectivity, so users can send music directly to the speaker, all without wires. This works with a variety of devices, including smartphones, tablets and computers. Each model also has a top-mounted USB connector for charging up your favorite portable, as well as a subwoofer output for a little extra oomph.
The CS5 is SpeakerCraft's top-of-the-line TV Speaker model. It has a full center channel with two 3-inch midrange drivers and a 1-inch tweeter, as well as two rear-firing 0.75-inch tweeters and a down-firing 6.5-inch woofer with an 8-inch passive radiator. Those speakers are driven by 130 watts of total amplification power. Other features include Dolby Digital 3.1 decoding, DTS Volume technology, a top-mounted 3.5mm audio input, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Also worth noting is that this 30-inch-wide unit can support up to 160 pounds of TV. SpeakerCraft will start shipping the CS5 sometime in the second quarter of 2014, with an MSRP of $849.
The redesigned CS3 has received a bump in system power, from 80 to 100 watts. That boost was accompished by ditching the dual down-firing woofers and adding a new single, long-throw 6.5-inch woofer. Featuring Dolby Digital 2.1 decoding, the 28-inch-wide unit can also support TVs up to 160 pounds. This model is also scheduled to ship in the second quarter of next year, with an MSRP of $649.
The last in the new lineup is the CS1, which is designed for use with smaller TVs. Still, it has two-way speakers with 3-inch midrange drivers and 0.5-inch tweeters, as well as a 5.25-inch down-firing subwoofer. With internal amplifiers that are rated at 80 watts total power, this 17-inch-wide speaker can support TVs up to 100 pounds. This one will ship before the other two, sometime in the first quarter of 2014. Expect it to be priced at $449.
"Excited as we are about all the features we've added to the new TV Speakers, we're just as stoked about the sound," said Core Brands' Keith Marshall. "A lot of reviewers picked the original CS3 as the best new soundbar-type product last year, but the new models take it a step further. All of them use drivers designed specifically for this line. We've also added Dolby Digital decoding to the top two models and bumped up the power. So, not only are the TV Speakers the easiest way to upgrade TV sound, it is our belief that they're the best way."
According to SpeakerCraft, each of the new TV Speakers wll come packing a full set of discrete command codes for third-party home automation systems.
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