Mordaunt-Short Genie

For our first wish, we'd like this...

We'll leave Larry "J R Ewing" Hagman to dream of Jeannie - we're getting all clammy over this Genie instead. Check out the curves on those aluminium sats - you don't get that kind of sex appeal out of a bottle, that's for sure. Okay, so the massive subwoofer might be styled like Queen Latifah's backside, but even then it has a certain class about it.

Plugging these boxes into a suitably tasty amp, the sound is immediately pleasing, but a little harsh in the treble. That little glitch is sorted with a decent running-in period - playing music through the speakers for at least a few hours, non-stop - after which they perform superbly.

The oversized centre unit communicates dialogue very well, while the surrounds have enough clarity to ping effects around with an amazing degree of realism. The subwoofer is capable of shaking walls with the best of 'em, yet, despite its size, it also integrates almost seamlessly with the little satellites to deliver a sonic experience with few shortcomings.

In straightforward stereo - where most 5.1 set-ups sound tinny and incoherent - Genie is more musical than it has any right to be. The raw sounds of The Libertines aren't overly "spitty" or hard on the ear, and funky Ice-T tracks roll along with baby-oil smoothness.

Along with all that, you even get stands that double as wall brackets, plus a clever sound-pressure-level meter and PC software to set the volume balance correctly for your room size.

Some might grumble about spending �800 on speakers alone, but anyone who's serious about home cinema, music and style will see the sense of investing in this majestic system.