CEDIA 2007 - Denon's Easy Surround Sound Upgrade
A phrase I hate is "wife acceptance factor" (WAF) – the degree to which a gadget is permitted home space by virtue of its ease of use, attractiveness or general benefits – when really what we're talking about is non-technophile acceptance factor. Surround-sound setups are a good example of this; yes, the average SlashGear reader will put up with the wires and sprouting speakers because the audio is worth it, but others are less forgiving. So Denon's DHT-FS3 Active Surround Sound System is likely to win admirers among the gadget-savvy and otherwise, being a discrete black bar that sits under your TV and gives the impression of a full cavalcade of speakers.
With a five channel amplifier built-in, giving 25W per channel plus 50W for the super-slim subwoofer, it uses X-Space Surround to emulate the traditional speaker setup. Three digital and one analog inputs should be enough for the target audience, and there's an optional iPod dock for the ubiquitous Apple PMP. The whole thing can be wall-mounted, and there's a nifty hidden LCD display that, when powered off, is covered by the speaker grill.
The DHT-FS3 is available now for $1,199