When Roku first announced its streaming soundbar, I wondered how the device would appeal to audiophiles already invested in Roku's equally excellent wireless speakers I asked a Roku representative if they had considered enabling a surround sound setup

I did, and Roku rewarded my patience at CES 2020 There I met with a representative of the company who showed off a brand new surround sound setup: with a Roku soundbar and Roku speakers, all you have to do is put the speakers behind you and follow a few simple prompts to pair the three devices together Roku If you have a wireless subwoofer, that can be part of the setup as well

Today (January 29), Roku officially announced that this feature will be available via software update in the coming weeks If you already have a soundbar and speakers, simply connect them to the Internet If not, you can purchase the former for $160 and the latter for $150 (no package deal yet) Place the Roku soundbar just below the TV This provides front-facing sound Next, place Roku speakers, one on each side of the sofa These speakers complement the main sound source, especially with directional sound like gunshots in an action movie Theoretically, the setup is similar to that of a movie theater, allowing for a more immersive TV and movie viewing experience

Surround sound setups are nothing new, of course, but Roku hopes to differentiate its product in three ways: first, its price: wireless surround sound packages in the $300 range are not unheard of, but they can run up to $500 Considering that a 4K Roku player is included as part of the Smart Soundbar, a little over $300 is not a bad price

Second, there is the ease of setup: all that is required to pair the Roku Smart Soundbar with wireless speakers is to answer a few menu prompts about the location of each speaker The Roku OS does the rest, and the process takes only a few minutes As someone who once spent an entire afternoon assembling a wired surround sound system, this alone is worth the price of admission

Finally, there are Roku's powerful sound and volume options While most movies these days have 51 surround sound, Roku has programmed its software algorithms to play directional sound across all media, including music, movies, and TV Users can switch between "movie + TV" and "music" algorithms, or turn them off completely Even when the algorithm is turned off, the rear speakers will continue to broadcast stereo sound

Roku showed off the surround sound options with selections from various pop music and recent movies All sounded good, and I can say that there were layers of nuance that I had not heard on the Roku audio device alone However, I heard this setup in a hotel room, which was a bit smaller than the average living room, and the acoustics were different I look forward to trying the surround sound options in a more natural environment

All of the hardware needed for Roku's surround sound project is already available, and Tom's Guide will have a more detailed report when we get a chance to test it ourselves