Jamo Torsten Soundbar Preview

When someone asks me for a soundbar recommendation, I usually respond with more questions than they think is appropriate. Why do you want one? What does the room look like? What will you play through it? How big is your TV? Wall mounted or cabinet? How do you feel about subwoofers? How important is sound quality? Are you looking for a soundbar that perfectly matches your TV? What is your budget?

All these (and more) let me know what it is they want out of a soundbar. There is no use recommending a high end soundbar (or surroundbar) to someone that is just looking for something to make the dialogue of their daily soaps a bit more intelligible. Similarly, it is pointless to recommend a budget soundbar when the buyer is really wanting a full surround system but doesn't have the room (or the permission).

Jamo is a name that crosses my bow once or twice a year. It is as if they want to remind us that they are still out there. They don't release five new products a year, they release one or two. That should tell you something about the quality of their releases - they don't put out a new offering until they are sure it is up to their standards.

The new Jamo Torsten Soundbar is the first soundbar for the company. It is 4.5" by 43" by 3". At first blush, it looks unremarkable - just a soundbar and a wireless sub. Two or three years ago a wireless sub with a soundbar was news. But a quick look at the $800 price tag will let you know that Jamo thinks there is something special about their Torsten soundbar.

To start with, Jamo has included two .75" soft dome tweeters at each end of the soundbar. This will help give the Torsten the largest sweetspot possible and the best possible stereo separation. They've included four (two on each side) 3" long throw woofers for mids/bass. When we look at soundbars, this is the sort of driver configuration we look for.

Glancing at the back, we find only an optical digital audio input and a single pair of RCA analogue audio inputs. It is clear how Jamo thinks their customers use soundbars - to connect to their TV and little else. The Tortsen can decode Dolby Digital - the surround format most often included in TV broadcasts. What isn't immediately clear is that the Torsten is Bluetooth capable. This allows you to stream content from your mobile device. As an added bonus, Jamo has included NFC pairing so that compatible devices only need to be tapped (lightly) on the soundbar for automatic pairing. Pretty sweet - if it works.

There is an included remote as well as capacitance touch controls on the Jama Torsten but, like many soundbars, the Torsten can learn your TV's remote signal so that you don't have to use a second remote. Lastly, the Jamo Torsten comes with a wireless subwoofer. While the pairing method is not specified, it is likely Bluetooth. The 10" driver is actually side firing which is a pretty unusual configuration. There is a slot-style port above the plate amp. While we would normally think of the amp on the back of the sub, it looks to us like Jamo intended for the amp to be on the side. So, while the driver is technically side-firing, if you face that forward you get a larger side of the sub (13" by 9" by 16") firing into the room allowing for a larger driver. The amp likely had to be put on the side as the driver wouldn't allow it to be mounted behind it. Placing the sub this way means that the port would be firing into the room and not at a wall. While it looks like it would be best situated on a right wall, we're sure Jamo has specific placement recommendations. As of this writing the manual isn't available on their website for us to check.

If Jamo is to be believed, the Torsten has impressive performance. Jamo specifies that the Torsten will pay down to 32Hz -3dB. Suddenly, it is clear the consumer that Jamo is targeting. The sub may be a bit bigger than many might want, but the benefits are quickly "felt" in the sound quality. We're very curious to see how the Jamo Torsten Soundbar sounds in an actual room.

Conclusion

Jamo is looking to woo those that wish they could have a real stereo system with their Torsten Soundbar. Bragging performance down to 32Hz at -3dB (something we'd love to test), this is for those that love their bass. The $800 MSRP might price this out of reach for those just looking for more intelligible dialogue but, frankly, who cares? This system isn't for them anyhow. While the Jamo name will probably sell enough of these systems, we think that if their performance claims are even close, all it will take is a single listening test to convince buyers that their money is well spent.

For more information, please visit www.jamo.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.