Yamaha YSP-800

Surround sound in one box? Now that's neat.

When the first convincing single-box surround sound system was released, it cost a whopping �25,000. Now, just a few years later, you can pick up this almost identical model for just �600 - and, in terms of performance, it's equally as impressive as the original.

The idea is simple - the unit sits below your flatpanel telly and uses lots of separately powered little speakers to fire audio around the room, bouncing it off walls to present it to your lugholes as surround sound.

Unlike Yamaha's larger YSP-1, which was designed for 42-inch screens, this one's aimed at people with 32-inch sets. As a result, it has slightly fewer drive units - 21 small midrange drivers, plus two larger cones for bass.

Setting up is easier than getting lost in Selfridges, thanks to an automatic procedure using a little microphone. You don't even have to buy an amp; just plug your DVD player straight into the device.

That it works at all is no small wonder, but the fact that it works so well is mind-blowing. There's plenty of detail and the sound is big, bold and room filling. It's actually quite hard to believe that it's all coming from one unit - although we would recommend you add a subwoofer to beef up the bass.

There are other drawbacks, though. It isn't the prettiest piece of kit we've stumbled across and while the sound does, so to speak, surround you, it's nowhere near as precise as a full 5.1 speaker package would be.

Still, it's a darn sight better than any other virtual surround sound solution we've heard. If you're after a surround set-up with fewer cables and less bother then it's worth every penny.