Best Virtual Surround Sound for Condos & Small Rooms

We watch a lot of t.v. And in addition to a television that delivers a crisp, clear, vivid picture, I want a sound system that delivers satisfying, well-defined sound. I want crystal-clear dialogue, with none of the digital hisses, twirps, or tweets generated by over-processing. I want rich, warm soundtrack music. I want enough bass response to give explosions and drum beats some oomph, but I don't want blobby, distorted, over-amplified bass shaking my windows and annoying the neighbors. 

And, in addition to all this, I want an immersive surround sound experience. When a car careens from the left of the screen to the right, I want the sound of its engine to swoop by in tandem. When characters walk down a tree-lined lane, I want to hear birds twittering overhead. When storms are brewing, I want thunder in the distance, wind swirling around me, and raindrops that sound so realistic I check to see if I'm getting rained on.

For years, I achieved all this with expensive, high-end surround sound systems requiring expensive amplifiers, miles of wire, and lovingly-balanced speakers. Today, though, my priorities are different:

– I don't want to spend a single moment threading wires into tiny ports on the back of an amplifier, disguising runs of rear-channel cables, or tweaking speaker placement to achieve the perfect surround-sound envelope.

– I don't want an overpriced and underpowered Bose 1-2-3 Lifestyle System — one of the first systems to promise a single-unit surround experience. The 1-2-3 system produces muddy music and virtually incomprehensible dialogue. Like almost anything engineered by Bose, it's high-priced junk.

– I don't want a flaky "wireless rear speaker" solution. When these work, they're a dream. In one of our houses, an inexpensive Panasonic solution was just what we needed. But all too often, these don't work — mostly because they don't play well with home wireless networks. In our new condo, the Panasonic system's wireless rear speaker dropped out repeatedly — and brought downloads and wireless surfing to a halt whenever it was active. 

– I don't want a sound system that comes bundled with DVD-players, Blu-ray players, extensive video switching capabilities, or other doodads that have little or nothing to do with the unit's primary function: delivering incredible sound.

And finally, because I do care how things look, I want the system to be as small as possible (without sacrificing too much sound quality). I want a broad, realistic, 3D sound field — something that makes me feel like I'm in the middle of the action. And while I don't want to be distracted by them, I do want to feel the occasional presence of "phantom" rear speakers — that is, I'd like, every now and then, to think, "Wow, I can't believe this kind of sound is coming from just one speaker in front of me!"

Yeah. And I'd like a gold snuff box, a cure for cancer, and some world peace. I know, I know.

So: inspired by these slightly unrealistic but lofty goals, I started my Obsessive Research Phase (TM), reading anything and everything I could find on the web: press releases, product sites, user reviews. After a couple of hours, I had narrowed things down to my short list:

The Sony HC-CT100. Strong positive reviews drew my attention to this low-priced option, but many tech-heads slammed it for a design that has everything plugged into the unit's massive subwoofer. $277.35 at Amazon.com.

The Phillips Soundbar HTS8100. Comes with a built-in upscaling DVD player! (Yawn.) $324.39 at Amazon.com.

The Samsung HT-X810T. Generally acknowledged as a pricey but disappointing option, with weak surround effects. Also: it's huge! Around $499.00.

Yamaha Digital Sound Projectors. Definitely the option for those with big budgets. Low-end models sell for around $800, with the high-end models going for $1,800. Incorporates sound beam technology that does an unbelievable job of projecting virtual sound sources throughout the room. Also a contender: the Yamaha YSP 3050. 

The Vizio VSB210WS sound bar. My favorite maker of cheap LCD televisions now has a sound bar option out, and it's getting not-bad reviews. 

So, armed with this list, we traipsed off to our local Brandsmart USA. And you know what we did, don't you? Yep. Instead of buying one of these smart, well-researched choices, we fell in love with the sleek, ultra-thin form factor of the brand-new Samsung HT-WS1R crystal speaker bar. 

Designed to go with Samsung's new line of ultra-slim LED televisions, this package includes a wireless subwoofer (I know, I know) and sound bar that looks like a Star Trek yardstick. Sexy!

It sounded good in the store, as they say, so we got it home, set it up … and, as it turns out, this unit delivers exactly the kind of sound you'd expect from a thin, plastic bar. The stereo effects were shallow. The wireless subwoofer lost its connection to the base unit every five to ten seconds. And, worse, even at full volume, the soundtracks of our favorite shows sounded washed out and dim. 

We fiddled with it for hours … and then took it back. Later, a sales rep (at another store) admitted to me, "These just aren't where they should be. People are bringing them back all the time, mostly because the little speakers in the bar tend to fail. In fact, the one here in our showroom has no left-hand speakers at all."

Having been smacked by the universe for deviating from a well-researched list of options, we listened to the Sony HT-CT100. It sounded fantastic, but Clyde was concerned by the size of the huge subwoofer. Let's face it: this is a 22-pound monster of a sub, complete with a digital display on the front. Fearing we could never place it in our living room, we dismissed it — and, once again, got distracted by an off-list unit: the Boston Acoustics TVee Model 2.

There are many things to like about the TVee Model 2, including the fact that Boston Acoustics doesn't make any bones about what the unit has been designed to do: make TV sound great. There's no hype about virtual surround effects anywhere on the box; instead, all the claims have to do with the unit's ability to produce full, rich sound. 

I agonized over the TVee for a full thirty minutes. Frankly? It sounds great, and the subwoofer is amazingly small — but wireless. Would this one, like our Panasonic and the Samsung, cut in and out — forcing me to make a *third* trip to Brandsmart to return it? 

I walked away. And then I walked back. And then, I walked away again. And then, in the parking lot, I said, "Clyde, this BA unit is the right choice. Let's get it!" We turned around. We walked back in. I froze. "No, no, it's not on the list." We walked back out.

Back home, we sat down to watch LOST over nothing but the crappy speakers built in to our otherwise excellent Samsung DLP television. Have you watched LOST over crappy television speakers? Jack, Locke, and the rest all sound like they have cotton wadding stuffed in their mouths. 

So: Sunday morning, bright and early, I sat back down in front of my trusty Mac and started the Obsessive Research Phase (TM) all over again. I focused on these parameters: one speaker, one wired subwoofer, simple set up, no fancy doodads, sweet sound field, and less than $500.00. 

Taking this approach, all roads led me back to the Sony HT-CT100. The price on these is plummeting because the HT-CT500, the next step up, is due out in June 2009. I'd wait for it … but the big advance there is the ability to use the system as a video switcher for up to five HDMI sources. But the sound technology in the 500 is exactly like that in the 100 — and that, my friends, makes the CT100, for those of us interested in nothing but the sound, a great bargain. 

(Yes, the subwoofer is big. Yes, you can turn it on its side. Yes, that's what we finally did, so we could place it in our t.v. furniture.)

I could have ordered one from Amazon.com, but that would have denied my need for instant gratification. So the ever-patient Clyde drove out of our way to a remote WalMart on I-20 that had the units in stock, and, minutes later, I had the HT-CT100 in my sweaty little hands. Set-up took just fifteen minutes — five to set up the system, and ten to track down Tivo remote codes that would allow us to control the CT100 with our Tivo remote. 

With that done, I summoned up an HD copy of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and settled in for a sound check. Gandalf's battle with the fiery Balrog featured immensely satisfying crunches, explosions, and rumbles, showing off the system's strong, solid subwoofer. At the same time, dialog remained crystal clear — never blobby or muddled. 

But the crowning moment came when the battle ended: the sinister breezes swirling around Frodo and Sam leaked out of the screen, wound their way around the living room, and — I promise you! — sounded so real and enveloping, I expected them to muss my hair. 

The scoop: A sound bar is *never* going to produce the faithful, precise surround effects generated by a 5.1 or 7.1 system — and if you're after these, the HT-CT100 won't deliver what you're looking for. 

But if, like me, and you're more interested in:

– eliminating clutter and snaky piles of wire

– avoiding complex set-ups

– aesthetics (one bar to rule them all!)

– simplicity

– good, solid, clear sound (with just enough bass and stereo effects)

– wired, powered subwoofers (no wireless!)

and you live in a smaller space, then you really only have two deeply satisfying options:

1) a $1700 Yamaha sound projector. I sat through a demo of one of these, and loved it — it does things the laws of physics should never allow a single speaker to do. If you have an unlimited budget, this is definitely, no question about it, the "I've got more money than sense" option. Save yourself a penny or two and order it from Amazon.com. 

2) the HT-CT100. With prices falling — and units very likely in your WalMart (or, for thirty dollars more, your ironically-named Best Buy store … or, for a few dollars less, at Amazon.com) — this amazing system delivers stunning sound for less than $280 bucks.