There are three isolated channels – left, right and centre – and a total of seven drivers, each one powered by a separate amplifier channel (7 x 50W peak power). The lack of HD audio decoding aside, Soundscape offers a healthy range of features, although its target audience will be most interested in the impressive speaker technology on board. Flexible touches like this are a godsend if you only have limited space to play with. A subwoofer output is provided should you feel the on-board subs simply aren’t enough.Īdditionally Paradigm supplies a wireless subwoofer receiver, which can be connected to any external subwoofer and allows you to place it anywhere in the room. Still, Soundscape makes up for it with the inclusion of two optical digital inputs, a coaxial input and analogue stereo input. It’s also missing a USB port for hi-res music playback and a 3.5mm minijack input. It also rules out the possibility of Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master Audio decoding, which a high-end soundbar like this is made for. Taking a look at the rear panel, the first thing we noticed was the lack of HDMI inputs, which seems stingy given the price. It’s bright and distracting, but thankfully you can dim it in the setup menu. On the front is an LED display, which gives all the relevant information in large blue digits. These allow you to navigate the menu, adjust volume and skip through inputs. There’s a remote in the box, but you can control it up-close using the buttons on top. It’s a stunning soundbar that exudes luxury. A black cloth grille runs the length of the soundbar, which can be removed from the plug fixings if you want to see the driver array lurking behind (more on that later). It’s housed in a gleaming gloss-black cabinet with an alluringly curved back end and angled sides. Size-wise its 1067mm width and 127mm depth make it most suitable for use with 50in TVs upwards. If you opt for shelf placement over wall mounting then you’ll find rubber feet on the bottom for added stability. The clues are there when you first haul it from the box – at 9.1kg it’s reassuringly heavy, which means you’ll need some heavy duty fixings when mounting it on the wall using the supplied bracket. Paradigm Soundscape – Design and ConnectionsĪs you might expect at this price, Soundscape is a beautifully engineered unit, blending debonair design with outstanding build quality. But if you don’t have room for a full speaker system and don’t want to compromise on sound quality then it could be money well spent. Inevitably, this potential step-up in performance comes with a big step-up in price, putting it in the same bracket as other ‘luxury’ soundbars like the Monitor Audio ASB-2 and B&W Panorama 2. As such, it’s being billed as a step-up from your average soundbar, drawing on the company’s enviable engineering heritage to deliver high-end performance from a single clutter-free cabinet. Soundscape is a premium soundbar from Paradigm, a Canadian company with serious audiophile chops.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |