Bose now just entered the soundbar market with two new systems.

I’m wondering what took them so long, because the company has made a name for itself selling small speakers that do virtual room acoustic gymnastics and seems perfectly suited for this kind of product.

Both systems use Bose’s Phaseguide and Truespace technologies to create surround sound effects without having rear speakers present. These same technologies are part of the VideoWave LCD TV Bose introduced last year.

The Lifestyle 135 includes the 36.8-inch soundbar, an Acoustimass subwoofer, a console with an AM/FM tuner and HDMI switching (four HDMI inputs) plus a wired iPod doc. The Cinemate 1 SR is the soundbar and subwoofer only.

Bose says the new Acoustimass module is smaller than previous models and connects wirelessly to the system, allowing for easy placement anywhere in the room.

The soundbar unit is designed so it can be placed either horizontally or vertically (which I think would look weird) on a wall. An interior sensor in the speaker detects the speaker orientation and makes sound adjustments to accommodate.

The systems also include the company’s ADAPTiQ auto calibration system for optimizing the sound to the room the system is place in.

The Lifestyle 135 is available for $2,499, and the CineMate 1 SR for $1,499.

Grant Clauser - Technology and Web Editor, Electronic House

Grant Clauser has been covering home electronics for more than 10 years with editorial roles in several consumer and trade magazines. He's done ISF-level damage to hundreds of reviewed products and has had audio training from Home Acoustics Alliance and Sencore. He's also the author of the book The Trouble with Rivers. Follow him on Twitter @geclauser.