A soundbar, sound bar or media bar is a type of loudspeaker that projects audio from a wide enclosure. It is much wider than it is tall, partly for acoustic reasons, and partly so it can be mounted above or below a display device, e.g., above a computer monitor or under a home theater or television screen. Basically, in a soundbar multiple speakers are placed in a single cabinet, which helps to create surround sound and/or stereo effect. A separate subwoofer is typically included with, or may be used to supplement,a soundbar. Early passive versions simply integrated left, centre and right speakers into one enclosure, sometimes called an “LCR soundbar”. Altec Lansing introduced a multichannel soundbar in 1998 called the Voice Of The Digital Theatre or the ADA106. It was a powered speaker system that offered stereo, Dolby Pro-Logic and AC3 surround sound from the soundbar and a separate subwoofer. The soundbar housed four 3″ full range drivers and two 1″ tweeters while the subwoofer housed one 8″ dual voice coil driver. It used Altec Lansing’s side-firing technology and algorithms to provide surround sound from the sides, rear and front. This configuration eliminated the wiring of separate speakers and the space they would require. Soundbars were primarily designed to generate strong sound with good bass response. Soundbar usage has increased steadily as the world has moved to flat-screen displays.Earlier television sets and display units were primarily CRT-based; hence the box was bigger, facilitating larger speakers with good response. But with flat-screen televisions the depth of the screen is reduced dramatically, leaving little room for speakers. As a result, the built-in speakers lack bass response. Soundbars help to bridge this gap. Manufacturers such as Bose, Pioneer, Polk, and Yamaha are leaders in the high-performance soundbar segment.[citation needed] Soundbars also eliminate the issue of inherent audio loss, when sound emitted from the rear of a TV or monitor immediately reflects off the wall behind the unit.