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If you don’t have the space for a dedicated audio amplifier, an all-in-one system could be the ideal way to upgrade your home cinema setup. Teufel’s Impaq 3000 set includes a 5.1 speaker system and a Blu-ray player that doubles as a 600W amp.
The Teufel brand isn’t normally associated with Blu-ray playback, but the Impaq 3000’s player looks great and has many of the features we would expect from a high-end player. As well as BD-Live support and 1080p upscaling, a front-mounted USB port lets you attach an external hard disk to play multimedia content. Both DivX and XviD are supported and we had no trouble playing MKV files. An FM radio is another useful addition, although we would have preferred DAB. The only obvious omission is 3D support, which will dissuade anyone that’s recently invested in a 3DTV. There’s also no support for internet video services.
Around the back of the receiver are a number of input and output connections. As well as coaxial and optical S/PDIF inputs, three stereo RCA and 3.5mm audio out, there are also spring terminal connections for the included 5.1 speaker system. There are fewer ways to connect video devices, but component HD and a single HDMI output will cover all HD TVs. Two HDMI inputs also allow you to attach a games console or PVR to the receiver, in order to use the speaker system for more than just movies.
The speakers themselves feel well built and include the cables needed to connect them to the amplifier. Each satellite has two 80mm mid-range drivers as well as a 19mm tweeter for a fuller audio range. Both the front and rear pairs are vertically aligned and can either be wall-mounted or left free-standing, but the centre speaker is designed to lay flat beneath (or wall-mounted above) a screen. It has a convex shape to allow sound to radiate further around a room. A compact subwoofer completes the set, producing 150W of low-end rumble. This, along with 60W of power from each satellite, was more than enough to fill a medium-sized room with sound.
Surround sound effects were incredibly precise when playing our test footage, with no discernable gaps in the audio range. The opening scene of Casino Royale was suitably subtle, with speech sounding crisp through the centre speaker and not eclipsed by the subwoofer or other satellites. Booming bass notes from explosions and gunfire were powerful, but lacked any noticeable distortion even at high volume. We had to increase the bass tone slightly to get truly room-shaking bass, but in most cases the default settings were ideal for watching movies.
As a surround sound speaker system, the Impaq 3000 is fantastic; it has rich audio and impressive volume. Unfortunately the combined Blu-ray player and amplifier is more of a weak link. It lacks internet TV functionality and 3D support, but can’t be exchanged for an alternative player because it also powers the speakers.
There are sets from other manufacturers that have these extra features, for considerably less than the £619 price of the Impaq 3000 – check out the Panasonic SC-BTT775 kit for starters. If you have no intention of buying a 3D compatible TV, though, the system is still worthy of consideration for its audio qualities.
