Sharp's wall-mountable SD-AS10 1-bit audio home-theater system
Sharp SD-AS10
The product: Stylish flat-panel audio systems have been around a while (think: Bang & Olufsen), but more companies are offering flat-panel surround systems to complement their LCD and plasma HDTVs. Sharp's SD-AS10 all-digital 1-bit audio home-theater system is a five-disc DVD/CD audio system that you can hang on a wall or place on a narrow shelf with--you guessed it--a flat-panel TV such as the Sharp Aquos. Only four inches thin, the SD-AS10 offers playback support for standard formats, including DVD, DVD-Video, CD, CD-R/RW, MP3, and JPEG. The SD-AS10 also features Dolby Virtual Speaker technology to simulate a 5.1-speaker surround-sound environment without rear-channel speakers.

The price: The SD-AS10 is available now for $699.99.

The prospects: This one was first announced at the CEDIA trade show last September, but Sharp's trotting it out again at CES. We like its looks--and it should appeal to those buying flat-panel HDTVs--but Sharp's previous 1-bit systems have offered only average sound.

By David Carnoy, executive editor, CNET Reviews