Bearing more than a passing resemblance to Yamaha’s YSP line of home theater surround systems, this new Marantz ES7001 Sound Bar is designed to produce a fully-immersive home theater experience with a single box.
Like the Yamaha, the ES7001 crams all the amplifiers, speakers and surround processing gear into the same box. There’s no detail on what movie surround standards it will support, but I’d expect at least the standard Dolby Digital and DTS if not more.
The system will ship this June for ¥124,000 (just over $1000 USD.) An optional subwoofer will run ¥24,000 ($197 USD.) Speaking from personal experience with the YSP series, the subwoofer will more likely be a necessity than an option. A space-saving TV stand with a special cutout for the system will also be available for ¥50,000 ($411 USD.)
[via Engadget HD]
