One-speaker Surround Sound
By Ultimate AV Staff August 10, 2004 — You wouldn't know it to talk to most home theater purists, but there's a market for simplified, easy-to-implement surround sound systems: college students in cramped dorms, for example, or vacationers in summer homes.

For movie fans such as these, niro1.com USA Inc. has announced four new additions to its line of easy-to-use, single-speaker surround sound systems: the Niro 400, Niro 600, Niro 1.1 Pro II, and Niro Reference. In the tradition of the Niro 1.1 introduced in 2003, each system delivers 5.1-surround sound from a single speaker box.

The brainchild of legendary audio designer Niro Nakamichi, the single loudspeaker enclosures work their magic via the compact "SPA" digital amplifier, running Niroson processing with an onboard DSP (digital signal processor) able to perform 600 million calculations per second. Niroson processing is a "revolutionary implementation of an HRTF (head-related transfer function) algorithm," long recognized as the basis for localizing sounds in space. This processor creates "a vivid surround sound field in any room, from one speaker box," claims niro1.com USA, Inc.

The SPA is a "plug-and-play" device, with both coaxial and optical digital audio inputs, and is compatible with all DVD players and DVRs, as well as all cable and satellite HDTV receivers. These digital audio inputs on the SPA enable Niro to accommodate the growing number of users who watch DVD movies on their personal computers, according to the August 2 announcement.

The $900 Reference is the benchmark Niro home theater surround sound system, with five 3" drivers, a lacquered compact enclosure, and a ported subwoofer. The Reference is said to make great home theater performance "easy and accessible in any space and (with) any video display." The $800 1.1 PRO II home theater system features new Niroson algorithms, raising the standard set by the original Niro 1.1 Pro, the world's first single-speaker 5.1 surround sound system.

The $600 Niro 600 incorporates five drivers in its enclosure and a new low profile subwoofer. The Niro 600 "generates a broad surround sound field in any room and doesn't require technical expertise to achieve perfect performance," the manufacturer claims. The $450 Niro 400 also houses five drivers but has a more compact enclosure. Its slim subwoofer is ideal for apartments, dorms and offices, and its monitor mount accessory allows the NIRO 400 speaker to be easily affixed to the top of a TV, computer monitor or laptop, "while still delivering vivid surround sound."

Niro surround sound systems are available online only, direct from the manufacturer. "Offering our systems manufacturer direct saves our customers from paying retail markup," said company vice president Lonnie Pastor. "We invite our customers to try a Niro system. With our thirty-day, money-back guarantee, there's no risk. It sets up in minutes and they'll be able to decide for themselves."