Monitor Audio’s Radius family of speakers already mixes performance, convenience and sharp looks. The company’s new R-One-HD soundbar simply rolls it up into one big front-channel cabinet.

The latest entry into the emerging world of single-speaker soundbar solutions, Monitor’s R-One-HD takes the left channel, right and center and puts them all in a single slim, rectangular cabinet that can go above or below your flat-panel TV.

The R-One-HD takes some design and technological cues from the other Radius members, but this one’s for you if you don’t want box, bookshelf or wall-mounted speakers flanking your bigscreen TV. This one has dimensions of 39.75 by 5 inches, and a shallow depth so it’ doesn’t protrude much into the room.

Its center channel area includes twin 4-inch MMPII bass drivers and 1-inch C-CAM gold dome tweeter, while the left and right channel sections have single 4-inch MMPII bass drivers and the same tweeters.

If you want to round out a full surround system, of course, there are other Radius speakers that will fit the bill and Radius HD powered subwoofers. The speaker won’t bring down your room’s aesthetics, either, but rather give it a boost in its piano lacquer black, silver or white finish.

Check with your authorized Monitor Audio dealer on availability; MSRP is $800.

Arlen Schweiger - Editor of Electronic House Magazine

Arlen writes about home technology installations and product news and reviews for electronichouse.com and Electronic House magazine.