OTHER TECH

Flat-Speaker Phenomenon

Sound & Vision readers are well aware that advances in TV technology have spawned a new generation of flat-panel sets. But with TVs now hanging on the wall or nestled up against it on a sleek stand, home theater speakers that once massed comfortably around them look more awkward and boxy than ever. The laws of physics say you can only make speakers so flat and still have them sound good. So creating models that can mate with the new flat TVs while still meeting audiophile standards is a serious challenge. Pulling it off takes not only a change in styling but a fundamental rethinking of speaker design. Here are systems from three companies that successfully made the leap (original review, January, "Speaker, Speaker on the Wall").

-Al Griffin