Logic3 SoundStage 5.1

Like the idea of experiencing couch-quaking surround sound without having to dirty up your pristine living room?

Well, you're not the only one, which is why Logic3 have developed this one-box alternative to multichannel audio.

Plug your DVD player, games console or Sky box into the SoundStage and it'll take the raw audio and turn it into surround sound. How? By using loads of mini-speakers to bounce the different channels to the appropriate part of your room, that's how. It's the idea at least, and to a certain extent it's successful: slap on a DVD and you occasionally get the idea that, say, a helicopter just flew past your left ear or an orc grunted vaguely to the right of you. If you expect it to replicate a proper 5.1-channel setup, you're going to be disappointed -- it's not a patch on the Denon DHT-FS3 soundbar at recreating surround sound -- but it's certainly a step up from using your telly's built-in speakers.

One thing it has plenty of is power. It's big and heavy, and with two subwoofers stuffed inside, it gives good bass. Neighbour-baiting bass, you could call it. There are also plenty of inputs for hooking up your gear, as well as an FM radio tuner.

The best thing about this is the price. If you've just blown most of your budget on a big screen TV and want to give its audio a boost, this is one of the cheapest ways to do it. Just make sure you've got the space.