The four speaker drivers at the front handle the bulk of the sound – speech, effects, music etc – while two spatial drivers located in the end panels ‘bounce’ sound around the room, theoretically resulting in a spacious, enveloping soundstage no matter where you sit. Inside the wireless subwoofer is a 6.5in bass driver and total power output is quoted as 300W.

With its luxurious build quality, simple operation and big, enveloping sound, the M10 is a fine soundbar for the money. Its performance is dynamic without sounding brash, with lots of top-end detail and deep, punchy bass.We’re also impressed by the soundbar’s full-bodied, natural sound. Some of the soundbars we’ve tested recently offer a thin, hard tone with practically no bass extension whatsoever, which makes the accompanying subwoofer sound detached and disjointed. If only the quality of Orbitsound service was aligned with the quality of its products, it would be a best in class company. Unfortunately it is not. Front clutter is limited to a single status LED that shines through the grille, while a control panel is found on top. The input, volume and power buttons sport a tactile rubber finish, demonstrating more impressive attention to detail. The inputs are listed on top (Bluetooth, Aux, Optical) and a small white light indicates which one is selected. This brilliantly streamlined design is perfect for technophobes. The main soundbar unit features five drivers: three fire outwards, including one 20mm tweeter, while two 5cm units fire sideways. These side speakers combine with sound processing, to produce Orbitsound’s SST (Spacial Sound Technology) which claims to help radiate sound all around your room.

The M10 does a decent job with music, offering a nice balance across the frequency range, incisive high frequencies, natural-sounding voices and nimble bass work. Setup is easy. Just place the soundbar on your TV stand, hook up the optical cable and away you go – just make sure your TV’s SPDIF output is set to ‘PCM’ and not bitstream. To the left of the centre speaker is a row of controls, including power, volume, Bluetooth, learning and input selection. The right side houses a volume meter (which also shows the bass and treble levels when adjusted), the current input and a ‘Sub’ icon that helpfully lights up when the subwoofer isn’t connected.

M series

A couple of minor complaints to report – the unit hesitates briefly after remote commands and there’s no visual aid when tweaking the levels, apart from the LED flashing briefly. It’s all done by ear. Orbitsound M10 – Performance

The ‘S3’ wireless subwoofer communicates with the soundbar via Bluetooth, using an optimised digital bandwidth that guarantees low latency and low interference without affecting normal Bluetooth performance. It uses a side-firing 6.25-inch woofer and dives down to 45Hz. As for airSOUND, its effect is subtle most of the time but as promised it does widen the listening area considerably – you can walk around the room with very little drop in treble clarity. But the technology works best during scenes with lots of surround information. As the dwarves make their way through the woods in a downpour, for example, the hissing rain feels like it’s falling around you, spreading far and wide into the room. It’s no match for true surround sound but does provide a more immersive listening experience than most soundbars. The soundbars we review are usually designed to deliver surround sound. Not the T12. There are no HDMI inputs, surround sound processors or video upscalers here. When you combine Bluetooth with NFC, streaming your music becomes easier than ever. Rather than having to pair your mobile device with the soundbar, you simply swipe it alongside. Once connected, you can stream music stored on your smartphone/tablet or stream your favourite music services, such as Spotify or Deezer.

E series

Setting up the A70 couldn’t be easier, one of the benefits of a single-cable optical connection. The bar nestles nicely in front of our 55in set, although the size difference did look a little odd – aesthetically, it’s better suited to TVs between 32 and 42in. The buttons are responsive, and you can also tweak the bass and treble levels of the A70. Small dots on the right side of the bar show just how far up or down the tonal controls go. The display also shows which input you’re using (in very small letters).

There’s a satisfyingly cohesive union between soundbar and subwoofer that puts some rivals to shame, and the presence of airSOUND makes it sound great regardless of placement or seating position. The M10’s lively sound is a cut above many similarly-priced rivals. Much of the credit for this should go to airSOUND, which delivers on its promise with an enveloping soundstage. The included Orbitsound remote is stylish and easy to use, but for even more convenient control of volume, the BAR A70 has the ability to learn the volume control from your TV's remote. This means you can control the soundbar volume without putting down your normal TV remote.It would have been nice to have a display on the front to show the input/mode currently in use. There are telltale lights on the top of the unit, but you need to be very close to see which one is lit.