Small, placed high, and easy to drive
Surrounds carry effects and ambience rather than the body of the soundtrack, which is why they can be small — and why placement beats size in this position. The design choice is between direct radiating speakers, which point at the listener and localise a sound precisely, and dipole or bipole designs, which fire in two directions to make the effect diffuse. Cinema mixes have moved toward precisely placed objects, and direct radiators have followed. What to check in the specification is ordinary but decisive: sensitivity, since a surround channel is often driven by the weakest amplifier in the receiver, and the mounting provision — a keyhole, a bracket thread, or nothing at all. We compare stated sensitivity and impedance, radiating pattern, mounting provision, dimensions and weight.
Passive pair · 3.5-inch driver · 3-way · fully waterproof · marine rated · ABS housing
A marine-rated outdoor speaker — the most weather-resistant thing in this catalogue, and a surround speaker only in the room that needs one.
Best for: A terrace, a garden or a bathroom — and a rear channel in a room that has to survive weather.
≈ $38 / £31 / 30 €
Passive pair · full-range driver stated · compact cabinet · wall mounting · for 5.1 surround or office
A compact satellite pair with a single full-range driver — the simplest possible surround speaker, and the smallest cabinet here.
Best for: Rear channels in a system that already has a subwoofer and a receiver with a properly set crossover.
≈ 45 €
Passive pair · 28.8° angled baffle stated · wall or ceiling mount · Dolby Atmos compatible
A passive surround pair with an angled baffle — 28.8 degrees, stated — which is the specification that decides where the sound goes once the speaker is on a wall.
Best for: A receiver-based system where the rear speakers have to go on a wall and be driven properly.
≈ £219 / 225 €
Passive pair · 4-inch driver · 21 cm high · weatherproof · brackets included · indoor and outdoor
A weatherproof passive wall speaker — which is a real surround option in a room that opens onto a terrace, and worth naming as such.
Best for: A living room that opens onto a terrace, where one pair of speakers has to serve both.
≈ 45 €
Compact surround pair · designed to pair with Bose soundbars · adapters supplied
Compact rear speakers designed to pair wirelessly with Bose soundbars — a system component rather than a general-purpose speaker.
Best for: An existing Bose soundbar that needs real rear channels without a cable run to the front of the room.
≈ 319 €
