Digital Home Thoughts: Front Rendered Surround Sound Review

"Yes, we know what you're thinking because it is what we used to; but after some extensive testings with the latest SRS front rendered surround sound technologies, we can't call it a gimmick anymore than any other surround sound we've tried. Now that we've gotten that off our chest, we would like clarify what technologies like SRS TheaterSound and SRS TruSurround HD are; both are sound processing technologies that enhance two speaker systems, and while we won't call them a gimmick, we won't be throwing our rear speakers away just yet. That doesn't mean they don't have a place in any home theater, but if you're interested in knowing where they do fit in, well, you'll just have to click through and read the rest for that tidbit."

Engadget takes a look at the latest in simulated surround sound technology from SRS. It doesn't sound anywhere near as good as a real surround system, but could be a nice addition for people who can't install a full surround system. Since I have a full surround sound system in my home theater, I can't see me using something like this there, but for a secondary TV this would it would be better than nothing. Currently, this technology is only incorporated into TVs and speaker bars. The folks at Engadget think it might sound better if they could use their own speakers. For now though it really is just for the situations where it is not realistic to have an actual surround setup.