Soundbars/Soundbases

Orbitsound is a relatively new company with only one thing on its mind – making speakers. Its product range runs to soundbars and iPod speakers. And that’s it. With that in mind, you’d expect its T12v3 soundbar and sub combo to be more than a match for rival products from brands with other things on their minds.

As the name suggests, this the third generation of T12. Tweaks this time around include higher quality components in the main soundbar unit and newly-designed subwoofer, but the styling hasn’t changed a jot.

Orbitsound’s unique ‘spatial sound technology’ proves to be more than just PR twaddle. The internal alignment of the eight drivers results in a widely dispersed stereo image, with much less of a ‘sweet spot’ than I expect from a ‘bar. This gives it a clear advantage over your flatscreen’s speakers, and makes it a commendable partner for your music collection.

The £300 ticket gets you a reassuring build quality, and the gloss black design shouldn’t upset too many interior decorators.

The top-mounted iPod/iPhone dock is a welcome bonus. iPods can also be controlled by the supplied remote.

Those with Blu-ray players will rue the lack of an HDMI input – Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD soundtracks are therefore a no go. You’ll have to make do with the optical and coaxial digital audio connections, and analogue stereo jacks.

The subwoofer doesn’t like being put under too much strain – push the T12v3 to its upper limits and the low-end can sound undefined.

Orbitsound T12v3
Price: £300 Approx

Overall: 4/5