PANASONIC SC-HTB490

If you’re in the market for a soundbar, chances are you’re not looking for something the size of a railway sleeper – well, if you had that much space to play with you’d just go for a full-on surround-sound system. So Panasonic’s new SC-HTB490 might be just the noisy cuboid you’ve been looking for. Inside you get two forward-facing full-range drivers and dual bass reflex ports – and despite its slimline dimensions it still packs in 160W of audio-pushing power, which is doubled to 320W by the similarly punchy wireless sub. There’s HDMI ARC and an optical input for getting the sound out of your TV, and you can also connect over Bluetooth if you want it to double up as a long, thin stereo. £349 / panasonic.com