Generally, I'm not a huge fan of "soundbars," the long speaker designed to go with flat panel TVs. But as a fairly inexpensive upgrade to a TV's sound, they're not too bad and their form factor can't be beat.

Companies like Boston, though, are approaching the category from strong speaker background and offer a better take on the subject. For example, the new TVee Model 30 is designed not just for TV sound, but to create high enough quality sound to be able to play music as well.

Inside the cabinet are three 0.75-inch dome tweeters along with three 3.5-inch "Fiber Ceramic Copolymer Material" mid-range drivers. Each tweeter/mid pair is a separate channel.

For bass, there's a wireless subwoofer with a 7-inch woofer.

In addition to digital and analog inputs so you can plug in your TV or PS3 or whatever, there's also built-in Bluetooth so you can stream music from your iPhone or similar.

As mentioned, the TVee Model 30 is going for sound quality, not the faux-surround that other soundbars are built for. That artificial surround doesn't always work, depending on the brand and the room you put the speaker in. Going for sound quality alone is a laudable goal, and the Model 30 will certainly be a big step up over just TV speakers.

The TVee Model 30 will be available soon for $600.

BostonAcoustics.com