One-Speaker surround systems debut

Nirotek America, which markets two-speaker 6.1-channel home-theater-in-a-box systems, is taking the next step with the launch of modestly priced one-speaker 5.1-channel systems.

The two new systems, which pack multiple drivers into a single front-speaker cabinet, compete against home theater systems from Bose, Denon and Samsung. Those systems, however, are designed to replicate a 5.1-channel soundfield through two front speakers.

The only other one-speaker 5.1-channel system on the market is Pioneer’s Digital Sound Projector, which is built around a 2-by-3-foot, 5-inch-deep panel with 254 tiny front-panel drivers at a suggested $40,000.

Nirotek’s new Niro 1.1 and Niro 1.1 Pro, in contrast, retail for a suggested $599 and $799, respectively, and are configured like traditional HTiB systems. The new systems, for example, are built around DVD-receivers. Likewise, Nirotek’s two-speaker systems