Loewe, the German manufacturer of televisions and AV equipment, has announced the first of a new generation of speakers called ‘klang’ (‘klang’ means ‘sound’ in German). The klang 1 is a pair of satellite speakers designed to work in many configurations, from stereo to surround sound.

Featuring a cylindrical design, each klang 1 speaker is covered with black acoustic material, with no visible screws, seams or fixings anywhere on the casing. A choice of dedicated stand options – wall-mount, integrated table base or stainless steel floor stand – ensures the speakers can be placed virtually anywhere in the room. Klang 1 also features gilded metal clamps for the speaker cables and hidden cable management that uses a magnetic cover to hide the connections from view.

The klang 1 utilises an enhanced, three-inch full-range drive unit. The speakers can be used in a full Loewe system, integrating with Loewe TVs and active subwoofers, or with any amplifier. When combined, the klang 1 speakers and Subwoofer 300 form a neat 2.1 speaker system, complete with fully integrated power amplification. The klang 1 also benefits from the subwoofer’s built-in signal processing. Add a Loewe TV with onboard Dolby Digital/DTS decoding into the mix and the TV acts as the centre speaker in a 3.1 configuration, with a pair of klang 1s for the left/right channels, powered by the Subwoofer 300’s built-in amplification. Add another pair of klang 1s, and a second Subwoofer 300, and you’ve got a full 5.2 surround sound system, without requiring any external processing or amplification. When used with a Loewe TV, all sound parameters can be adjusted via the TV’s remote control. The combination of Loewe TV, speakers and subwoofer all operate switching on and off together from just a single remote command.

Dimensions (klang 1 without stand; HxWxD): 17.7 x 9.5 x 9.5cm

Availability: October 2016

Price: £450 per pair