Aperion Audio has taken the wraps off its new SlimStage30 soundbar speaker system, with an eye towards bringing a high-end, theater-like audio experience to flat-screen TVs where a full blown home theater surround system might not be practical—that might include studio apartments and other constrained spaces, but Aperion Audio also has its eyes on bedrooms, studies, dens, game rooms, and other locations where folks might have a second (or third!) television that could use some more audio oomph. The soundbar works “right out of the box”—no AV receiver required—and handles both stereo and digital 5.1 audio signals, including decoding Dolby Digital and DTS Digital Surround.
“Most consumers already expect that a single speaker really can’t match the surround sound performance of a discreet 5.1 home theater system, but for these secondary locations they place a premium on aesthetics such as wanting the speaker to visually disappear under the TV,” said Aperion Audio marketing VP Ed de la Fuente, in a statement. “Still important, however, are dialogue intelligibility, a wide surround effect, and clean, dynamic bass—like they get in the theater.
The SlimStage30 features 4 50mm drivers and two woofer arrays with 3-inch drivers and 3-inch bass radiators: the former are pushed by an 80-watt Class D and amp while the latter have a separate 60-watt Class-D amp. The bar features six inputs: two back-mounted 1/8-inch inputs (one with speaker level 20db attenuation), a front-mounted 1/8-inch input, plus S/PDIF coax and two TosLink inputs. The soundbar also features a front-mounted headphone out and a separate stereo 1/8-inch output for a subwoofer—Aperion Audio sells a version with a bundled subwoofer too. The bar features a piano black look that should match well with most flat-panel TVs; it measures just over 31 inches across, 3.5-inches high, and 3.7 inches deep.
The SlimStage30 is available now. The base model is $599, with subwoofer, the price jumps to $799.
