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A horizontal soundbar that sits neatly on a shelf or as part of a home entertainment stack, it can be transformed in to a 2.0 system simply by pulling apart the speakers, and replacing the central base with two separate vertical stands; one for each of the two speakers. The stands are adjustable which means they can be angled to suit your own set-up preference.
But it’s not just a neat modular design – Varsa also delivers impressive performance across all frequencies thanks to its 2 high-sensitivity drivers. The right speaker features touch- sensitive power on/standby, volume control and mute functions.
Otone Audio has announced details of two brand new products; the Sonora AV-Lance and the Varsa soundbar systems.
Aiming for an end of February release, Otone claims the Sonora AV-Lance will deliver “finely balanced, clean and rich, distortion free sound”.
Packing four 3in midrange drivers and twin ¾” tweeters, the Sonora AV-Lance aims to produce “crisp midrange audio” while delivering bass through a 6 ½” wireless subwoofer.
The soundbar has a number of different sound modes for movies, gaming and music, with a "panoramic surround sound" for maximum audio immerison. At least that's the plan.
There are options when it comes to positioning the soundbar, too, the Sonora AV-Lance pedestal stands can be used as wall brackets, too. A price for the Otone Sonora AV-Lance has yet to be confirmed.
Also new is the Varsa mini soundbar. The Varsa works as a soundbar or as a 2.0 system, when you pull the soundbar apart in to two speakers. Two adjustable stands for the satellite speakers are included.
The Otone Audio Varsa is set to go on sale at an enticingly affordable £80. Again, a release date has yet to be confirmed.
Check it out online here.
The Varsa is one of a small but growing number of speaker systems from the UK based company Otone Audio. Manufactured in China and available for under £80, it’s an affordable alternative to your computer’s desktop speakers or modest addition to your TV set-up. Its unique selling point is its versatility, both single horizontal soundbar and 2.0 separate speakers in one neat and fairly portable package. See all audio reviews.
The speakers clip together easily to form the soundbar and by the way of additional stands can be set on either side of your desktop or laptop computer at a variety of angles. It’s a cool option, but one that only makes sense if you are likely to fiddle with speakers regularly to adjust them from one to the other. After a little experimentation we found both options to be agreeable on the ears, with a sound that copes particularly well with bass heavy dance music. The Varsa copes less well with more complex music, where detail seems lost. Take a look at Group test: what’s the best speaker set?
Sat in front of you, the combined 20 Watts offers more than plenty and turned up is enough to fill a small room, when in party mood, without distortion. For gamers the speaker system adds a fair bit of excitement to gaming, especially for those who like to be lost in the action. A solid but unspectacular design and build is complemented by touch-sensitive power on/standby, volume control and mute functions, which proved responsive despite their diminutive feel. The Varsa is available online via Otone, Amazon and online and instore at PC World.
Otone Varsa Expert Verdict »
Total RMS Power: 20W (2 x 10W), Frequency Response: 90Hz ~ 20KHz, Signal to Noise Ratio: >70dB, Drivers: 2 x 40mm high-sensitivity drivers per channel
Audio Input: 3.5mm stereo jack, Power Supply: AC
Dimensions: 86 x 570 x 87mm
Weight: 1.3kg.
Overall:
While the Otone Varsa 2.0 speaker system offers some variety, we are not sure how often users will feel the need to switch from soundbar to separate speakers and vice versa. That said, it’s a decent sounding and looking compact audio accessory that should improve on your computer audio without either breaking the bank or your desktop.
Check out the online review here.
Otone Varsa
£80 otoneaudio.co.uk
So many gadgets are designed to be soothing. Look at the Galaxy SIII which is suppoded to resemble a magical pebble from an enchanted beach. But in the right doses, anger is good, and healthy, and unavoidable. So where are the gedgets for furious people? Here's one: it's a 20W soundbar that you can, in a fit of pique, tear in half. At which point it becaomes not a broken mass of wasted money but a functioning 2.0 system. Then maybe put on a bit of relaxing music.Light a candle or something.
Otone Audio has introduced a mini soundbar that sits neatly on a shelf or as part of a home entertainment stack and can be transformed in to a 2.0 system simply by pulling apart the speakers and replacing the central base with two separate vertical stands. The stands are supplied with the unit and are also adjustable, so can be angled to suit users’ setup preferences.
Total RMS Power: 20W (2 x 10W)
Frequency Response: 90Hz ~ 20KHz
Signal to Noise Ratio: >70dB
Drivers: 2 x 40mm high-sensitivity drivers per channel
Audio Input: 3.5mm stereo jack
SRP £79.99
13 Jan | 0161 924 2267 | www.otoneaudio.co.uk
For Him:
The future dad-to-be has sold over 30 million digital songs in the United States and the mini soundbar Varsa is ideal to play the newborn all his hits.
This mini soundbar Varsa from Otone Audio is ideal to play music. It's stylish, offers high quality audio and is highly competitive on price.
It also packs quite a punch, with a total RMS power of 20 Watts and a frequency response of 90Hz – 20Hz.
Priced at £99.99 and available www.currys.co.uk
