Lenco Soundbar SB-100 speaker

Lenco is a Swiss manufacturer of hi-fi products but this is one of its first UK products.

The idea of a ‘soundbar' is that it emulates the surround sound you'd get from a six-speaker setup without the hassle or cost of setting up all those speakers.

Instead there is a single ‘bar' that measures 54cm across (just less than a couple of feet) and 16cm tall. It has a mains power lead attached and three audio inputs. Two are headphone-style stereo 3.5mm sockets and one takes two phono leads for a stereo connection.

It's designed to sit beneath a TV or computer monitor and, by ‘bouncing' sound waves off the walls of the room, it produces something like a true surround sound experience. Setting it up was simply a matter of plugging it in and connecting an input.

A small but clunky remote control is supplied and contains buttons for power, changing and muting the volume and switching between the three inputs. It also switches between the standard stereo and 3D modes.

Sound quality in the standard mode was unimpressive – it wasn't any better than the speakers in our test television. Switching to the 3D mode was much better – the sound appeared to fill the room much more, quality noticeably increased and it became louder.

Watching films or games with motion, there was an audible 3D effect, though it wasn't as good as from a true surround setup. We compared it against an Onkyo home cinema receiver, which outshone it in every department, but costs at least £500.

Against that, for the £150 retail price the SB-100 isn't bad. It's easy to set up, small and does – in the 3D mode at least – improve upon the built-in speakers of a TV or monitor.