Soundbars are the beauty queens of a home entertainment system. Sleek and slim, they look great mounted underneath a flat-panel TV. Moreover, because all three front speakers—left, right and center—are combined in the same housing, the amount of wiring that’s usually required to hook up three separate speakers is dramatically reduced. The only monkey wrench was connecting the rear speakers and a subwoofer.

Atlantic Technology’s new H-PAS PowerBar 235, introduced today at the CEDIA Expo in Indianapolis, incorporates technology that eliminates the need for a companion subwoofer. Designed to mount beneath a flat-panel TV or inverted for shelf mounting, it boasts a bass response down to 47 Hz at -3dB. The H-PAS technology is also found in other Atlantic Technology products, and the company plans to license it to other manufacturers. “The H-PAS PowerBar 235 is the first soundbar where the subwoofer is truly optional,” says Atlantic Technology president Peter Tribeman. “The high levels of exceptionally clean bass emanating from such a small cabinet are almost disconcerting until you get used to it. With its built-in digital amp and DSP surround processor, it sounds great as a stereo or theater system in a bedroom, dorm or small apartment. The PowerBar 235 measures 42- x 5¼ x 5¾ inches.

Lisa Montgomery - Contributing Writer

Lisa Montgomery has been writing about home technology for 15 years, with a focus on the impact of electronics on a modern lifestyle.