B&W Panorama

The basics

The B&W Panorama is a true one box surround system, or sound bar. It bristles with speaker drivers, and projects 175W of surround sound, engulfing you in music, speech and sound effects. It also has three digital inputs - two optical and one coaxial.It measures 130x1090x186mm and weighs 14.1kg.

The good

To look at the B&W Panorama is to want a B&W Panorama. This is one of the most stylish sounbars we've ever seen (not something we ever thought we'd find ourselves saying) with a glossy aluminium top panel and seductively curvaceous rear end that would make J-Lo jealous. It's not just a looker though. This one-box replacement for your 5.1 surround sound pumps out audio that's full of bass thanks to the nine speaker drivers. And because they're fed by six amps that kick out 175W of power, you can bet your teeth will be shedding enamel through all the vibrations. Other boons include the three digital inputs and the nifty egg-shaped remote control that allows you to control everything.

The bad

The real problem here is the "surround sound". No matter how hard soundbars try, they're never really a substitute for proper 5.1 offerings. Here the Panorama does provide some width to the sound, but you never truly feel engulfed by the sound emanating from the box. The other downside here is the lack of HD formats. By that we mean no support for Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master Audio. It's just plain old Dolby Digital and DTS. Oh and the £1,500 price tag? It's a whopper.

The bottom line

For its faults, the B&W Panorama is still an excellent soundbar. If you want full-on surround sound, then a soundbar's probably not for you. But as soundbar's go, this is one of the best.