It’s an all too common mistake. I see it all the time amongst friends. They invest heavily in a new flat-panel display and completely ignore provisions for audio. Or, nearly as common, they sell their spouse on the clean look of a wall-mounted display and, in turn, use up all of their political capital and can’t convince them on the rest of the system. 

The inevitable compromise ends up being a soundbar. Why not come to terms ahead of time and either get a full audio system, or just get a great TV with a great soundbar built in?

Luckily, a great display with a great soundbar built in doesn’t necessarily have to break the bank. Buy.com has the Mitsubishi Unisen LT-46151, a 46” 1080p 120Hz LCD with built-in 16-speaker soundbar, for only $997 and free shipping. 

Having demoed the Unisen series back at CEDIA, I can say its soundbar offers the best sound I’ve ever heard built-in to a display and better than most sub-$500 soundbars I’ve heard as well. And our full review of the Unisen 249 series echoed those sentiments.

That great sound can easily be expanded on with the included subwoofer output, making for possibly the ideal living room or bedroom arrangement (the rooms most likely to lack a proper surround system).

Note: Deals subject to availability and price changes.

Stephen Hopkins

Stephen Hopkins is chief technology editor for EH Publishing. He writes product reviews, features, and focuses heavily on 3D TV, iPhone and iPad apps, and digital content.