When my workday is done, I like to slide into my deep sofa chair, sling my legs over one wonderfully tall armrest and lean my head back against the other. With everyone else's agenda behind me, I can relax and rewind. I sometimes choose to listen to music; one of my favorite DVD-Audio discs: Faith Hill's Cry is soothing to my soul and I find her music restoring. That great big sofa chair is also wonderful to watch movies from.

To me, home theater is a part of my lifestyle. Though it hasn't always been that way. In the early days, I had front and rear speakers that were nothing more than large pieces of furniture with transducers in them. Installed in a small condo, this made for a rude intrusion.

Additional Resources
• Read more about audiophile floorstanding speakers.
• Check out AudiophileReview.com for a blog on high end audio speakers.
• Learn more about Bowers and Wilikins speakers.

With the ever-growing popularity of plasma displays, many companies are moving towards an in-wall or on-wall solution for sound. In keeping with the clean and un-intrusive nature of the plasma, many consumers are settling for cheap, poor-performing home theatre in-a-box solutions. The thought of degrading a wonderful picture by adding poor sound makes me cringe, but until recently there haven't been a whole lot of high-performance options...

Unique Features - The B&W (Bowers & Wilkins) VM1 is an extension of the highly acclaimed LM1 (Leisure Monitor) speaker line. The VM1s are a flexible speaker, able to occupy all five positions in a home theater setup with little intrusion. Each can be mounted vertically or horizontally on a wall bracket (included) or affixed to an optional floor stand. There are also small foot-type stands included that are highly effective. The VM1 is slim and slender in design and comes in a silver, black or white finish. As a center channel speaker, the VM1 can be laid horizontally or placed vertically on its short foot stand atop your TV, The body of the VM1 is molded of a high-strength polypropylene, and features contemporary styling, including a tactile elastomeric trim. B&W's dimpled Flowport is integrated into the rear of each VM1 speaker. On the front is the B&W logo tag that is also flexible--able to rotate according to the speaker's vertical or horizontal positioning.

Competition and Comparison
You can compare B&W's VM1 speakers and AS1 subwoofer against other products by reading our reviews for the Spendor S-3 subwoofer and the Revel F12 speakers and B110 subwoofer.  You can also find more information by visiting our Subwoofer and Floorstanding Speaker sections or our B&W brand page.

The AS1 subwoofer is an active, entry-level subwoofer equipped with an 85-watt amplifier. Bass extension passes through a 6.5-inch woofer with a frequency range of 27Hz to 100Hz and also has a selectable music/movie mode. The music/movie switch operates easily for precise presentation of material with a frequency response of 34-75Hz (music) and 27-75Hz (movie). This switch is a unique offering in a subwoofer, as is its location: conveniently, along with the volume level switch, on the top surface of the sub, other than on the rear panel where many other subwoofer brands offer their controls.

Continue reading about the VM1 and AS1 on Page 2.