Klang! Loewe's superb new soundbar is more than just a brilliant name

Klang isn't just an excellent word and sound effect. It's the name Loewe uses for its high-end soundbars and speakers, and the latest model has just been announced. Designed for TVs 43 inches and larger, the £999 Loewe klang bar3 mr soundbar – the lower case product name is deliberate – aims to be one of the best soundbars for any system, delivering 3.1 channels of immersive audio in a single box and enabling you to add wireless or wired speakers for a 5.1 surround setup.

If you're not a Kraftwerk fan you might not know that "Klang" is German for "sound" – and if you are a Kraftwerk fan, you might suspect the name is also a homage to the electronic pioneers' Kling Klang studio. And for me, it's meant a whole morning of Wu-Tang Klang jokes. But name-related tomfoolery aside, this is a serious soundbar for serious music fans.

What features does the Klang bar3 mr have?

The klang bar3 has seven front-firing speakers and two subwoofers, with 360 watts of power and full support for Loewe's multiform systems and "any modern or classic active speaker". The support for active wired speakers is unusual, and Loewe says that feature is unique to this specific soundbar.

The soundbar has its own integrated 5.1 AV receiver with classic cinch sockets, enabling you to connect it to other firms' speakers as well as Loewe's own. But of course Loewe would quite like you to use their speakers, and to that end there's the firm's WDAL 2.0 (Wireless Digital Audio Link) for Loewe's klang mr speakers.

As you'd expect from a high end soundbar there's good support for multiple connections here. The Loewe klang bar3 mr supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Multiroom via Apple Airplay 2, Chromecast, DTS Play-Fi and Loewe Wireless Digital Audiolink. There are three HDMI ports, eARC, 4K pass-through and an optical input (Toslink) too.

The The Loewe klang bar3 is available now from Loewe's retail partners. The RRP is £999 / €999.