Some of the toys are less than they appear to at first sight: in particular the 10-channel effect is really not worth the paper it is written on – it certainly doesn't amount to an audible improvement in my view.

And don't imagine that the video upscaling transforms the modest DVD player that comes with this system into a rampaging high-definition monster. It doesn't. I was, however, impressed by the players ability to cope with almost anything 12cm and round, audio and video.

Another example of the LG system's reach being greater than its grasp concerns the quoted 1,000W power output, which is simply science-fiction. The claimed output of 155W per channel at 10 per cent distortion level probably translates to, at best, 40W at an industry standard 0.1 per cent distortion level, and you don't need a room full of measuring equipment to tell: this is how it sounds, too. The system quickly becomes breathless if pushed too hard.

My main point of comparison for this test was the speakers and amplifier that are supplied as part of Panasonic's TX-37LZ800, which is a mid-to-upmarket example of a modern TV. Although it suffers from typical shortcomings of what might be called 'flatscreen sound', in my experience it is one of the better performers around.

From the outset it was obvious that the LG system sounded better: bolder and warmer, leaving the Panny's internal speakers seeming rather scrawny. With normal sources – a news channel – the sound was thin and unintelligible, thanks to a rather 'floaty' ill-focused midband.

Through the LG system, the audio was palpably richer and more vividly coloured. The bass still wasn't good, though. The Panasonic doesn't really have any, while the LG system has a rather bloated upper bass, which is as close as the speakers get to generating real throb. Not really surprising, given the limited internal volume of the enclosures.

The subwoofer makes little difference in practice; it sounds slow and rather blurred, and it's often easy to ignore its contribution. But the colourful, relatively intelligible midband makes up for these deficiencies, and this in my view is where the LG's strength lies.

Simply does it

To an extent, the LG HT903TA is at the mercy of its ambitions and its low, low price, but LG must be given credit for what it has achieved. The system makes no pretence at high fidelity, but it is elegantly good-looking, simply but adequately equipped and it performs in a highly presentable way, easily outperforming the competition – namely the speakers that you get as part and parcel of your flatscreen TV. And it does this without having a ruinous effect on your wealth.