Bose Corp's Companion 5 multimedia speaker system offers surround-sound-like audio when you play games or watch video on your personal computer. It's not cheap, at about HK$4,500, but the price seems appropriate, based on the sleek design and performance.

Available in graphite grey with silver trim, the Companion 5 system's two speakers come preassembled on stands and each measures 14cm wide and 9.7cm deep. The Acoustimass module, which provides low sounds, can be placed out of sight on the floor. Users can adjust the volume via a small control pod. The device has a headphone jack and input for an additional audio source, such as an MP3 player.

The setup does not require software installation, a sound-card upgrade, adapters or complicated wiring. This three-unit product rivals the performance of a fully wired five-speaker system because of its proprietary TrueSpace surround processing circuitry. The technology provides the 5.1-channel surround-audio experience many games and movies are encoded to deliver, but without using rear speakers.