ZVOX 43.9" Soundbar For TV in 50-80" Sizes, w/ Accuvoice & Built-In Subwoofers, SB500 w/ Hearing Aid Technology, Six Levels of Voice Boost, Home Theater Audio TV Speakers Black Aluminum Soundbar

Vast improvement over your standard downblast speakers integral to your TV. This unit replaced a troublesome and more costly JBL system with Bluetooth subwoofer. Although we do not consider ourselves 'bassheads', we had become used to the subwoofer. We tested this unit w/ and w/o a wired subwoofer and decided we liked the richness the subwoofer provided. If you are not replacing a unit like we were, odds are the bass will be adequate. We were after something that was easy to install and use and this fits the bill. This unit does have some depth to it, about 6-inches, so be mindful if you want to position below a TV on a stand. If you are wall mounting or suspending below a TV (we hung below a 75-incher on an articulating mount), its perfect. We also wanted a unit that was easy to use; it does not get much simpler than this. No fussing with ARC HDMI cables, multiple inputs/outputs and the like. Comes with a nice digital optical cable that plugs into your TV and away you go. Bluetooth works flawlessly. LED display built-in behind the cover tells you volume level, surround output (three choices), and whether AccuVoice and sound leveling are on or off. You can easily adjust these settings and bass/treble from the robust remote (not the little credit card thing others offer). Has nice, big buttons on the end of the unit for power & volume. If you are looking for a well-built unit (with or without wired subwoofer) that can easily fill a 20x20 vaulted space with clear sound and crisp dialogue, this unit is for you. Anyone hard of hearing or tired of commercials blasting you out of the room (us in both cases), look no further. Researched several manufacturers and websites; doubt you can find a better deal in this price range. Stop your research, pull the trigger, you won't regret it.

Purchased a like-new refurbished unit from ZVOX through Amazon. Speaker arrived in new packaging with all new accessories and looks like it is brand new. This is an outstanding sound bar for the price. I've been looking at and listening to high end sound bars from Bowers and Wilkins and Paradigm, While they sound great they simply aren't worth five times the price of this bar in my view. If you value audiophile level sound but don't want to overpay I suggest you check this sound bar out. Additionally, built in Bluetooth and numerous sound settings allow a great deal of placement flexibiiity. Installation and setup were easy. Unpack the sound bar, set it on a table, plug the digital optical cable into it from your source device, plug in the sound bar power cord and use the remote control to power it up. That's it. Ten minutes max. I'm using this with an LG PF1500 HD Projector which projects 110 inch picture on my living room wall. I found a short stand to place the soundbar on and it sits out of the way below the wall. Quite a compact setup which plays music and movies with amazing dynamic range on a very large screen. The dynamic range, highs, mid range, and low end are finely balanced. I don't see the need for a subwoofer but an output is available. Music sounds very good and movies sound fantastic considering this is not a full 5.1 surround system. Trust me on this. In my basement I have an expensive 7.1 component sound system connected to a 65inch TV. That system is state-of-the-art but requires a lot of real estate and wiring. The SB500 can't compare in terms of surround capabilities but sonically it gets the job done with little wiring and lots less work. As you may know, ZVOX has several features which help refine and tune the sound output and they all work as expected. I tend to leave the settings neutral but with a slight bass level boost because of my large room. Surround settings 1 or 2 work best in my room. This soundbar turns itself on when a signal comes through the optical cable and turns off after about 15 minutes with no signal. A very useful feature. Would I like to have a $1500 B&W or Paradigm sound bar? Sure. I simply can't justify it knowing this sound bar comes close at one-fourth the price. Highly recommended.

My old Soundbar died and was replaced by the ZVOX SB 500 all I can Say is WOW.... The SB 500 took me 5 minutes to install with an optical cable, I programmed my Harmony remote with no issues, and the remote controls all the functions of the Soundbar. This soundbar for the low price I paid on Amazon is better than my old soundbar that I paid 800 dollars for a few years ago. Voices are super clear and easy ho hear at low volumes with the SB 500, Music sounds good and the Bass is more than adequate for listening to music or watching concerts on TV or watching regular TV or news programs. The Soundbar I received included an RCA port for a Subwoofer, The build quality of the SB 500 is great being all aluminum with the only plastic being on the ends of the unit, the only thing is that it is a little tall, If you are mounting this on a wall under the TV this is not an issue. I will have to raise up my TV an inch or so to not have the Soundbar cut off the bottom of the screen. This is a great product, I never heard of Zvox but I am glad I took the chance on this unit after reading all the great on line reviews. I am blown away by this unit, you will be too, you will not be disappointed if you purchase this soundbar.

UPDATED 8.2017: Still going like a champ. I have uploaded a photo that shows the subwoofer out (note upper right of photo). For some reason, ZVOX makes this option unclear in their information materials, and I noticed several questions about the sub. Hopefully this helps folks with buying info. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I have the newest model of the SB500 (which now comes with a subwoofer out port for added bass response, if you want to connect an external sub). You'll see the single RCA port at the back of the unit (if your model has one). To my knowledge, ZVOX product information does not make this added feature clear, so look to see if your model features it as an option. Giant, rubberized buttons on the end of the SB500 are so rugged and simple, it'll feel a little bit like you're using Fisher-Price's "My First Sound Bar." But the streamlined design only underscores that the ZVOX is designed to do one thing, and one thing well: outstanding TV audio. To that end, this handles action movies like a champ, even without an added sub. Like most sound bars, the SB00 struggles a bit with music, as the PhaseCue circuitry that's designed to mimic surround sound isn't optimized for music. There are three surround modes (1, 2 and 3) but little to distinguish any of them. I set mine at 2. To me, the AccuVoice and Output Leveling features greatly reduce the fullness of the sound field, so I set them both to "off". By ZVOX's own admission, and similar to every sound bar out there, this can't duplicate the performance of a true home theater set-up. But if your primary purpose is audio for TV, movies, video games, you'll be very pleased.

I almost never give 5 stars, and the fifth star here is in light of the really good prices available on the SB500. It is amazingly good at it's price. In part that's because they aren't trying to get the bottom octave from a sub. Quality bass is always better than loud, flabby bass, and this speaker sounds clear and punchy, but it doesn't go that low. Adding a sub is up to you, but now you're spending a lot more, and maybe the Sonos would have been a better deal. The 500 is very good at what it does; it's very well made, easy to setup, and flexible. I'm even using it as a bluetooth speaker, and I've never done that with any other speaker. The surround programs basically just direct more signal to the drivers that are more to the edges, and the more they do that, the less pronounced the dialogue. Accuvoice is strange but effective. I don't have hearing loss, and when Accuvoice first engages, it sounds terrible, compressed and tinny, but after a minute it sounds fine, and it definitely emphasizes dialogue. This thing also gets plenty loud. In fact, it seems to have more power than it can use, but that is not much of a criticism.

Despite the glowing reviews, this unit is sonically lackluster. Expecting any sound bar to perform like a 5.1 setup is of course unreasonable, but this unit is far short of my expectations. Yeah, it’s “got some bass, and it’ll play loud”. So what? It lacks clarity, is unable to convey dialogue adequately- even with “Accuvoice” engaged- and is not worth the asking price. On the plus, the build quality is very good, and installation is a breeze.

I have been listening to this for a couple of days and I was impressed enough to remove my existing surround sound system. First off, know what you are getting. This is not going to replace a Atmos setup or some 7.1 system if that’s your thing. What it will do is give you a wide and detailed soundstage that makes shows and movies much more pleasant to watch. I rarely turned on the old system anymore after the novelty wore off because I just wanted to watch a tv without complications and overwhelming sound all the time. Mission accomplished. I should also add that I can now clearly hear dialog that was hard to understand previously, and I don’t have hearing problems. The focus on vocalization isn’t marketing hype, it works, and I say that after using a quality center channel speaker for years. I also wanted to add that I started listening to the ZVox with my 12” built-in sub hooked up and it was complete overkill. I’ll leave it hooked up but turned off just in case I need it, but I was surprised at the bass from the two 4” drivers. It won’t make your living room windows pump in and out or your teeth fall out, but it had a very full sounding presence and it is all that is needed for the vast majority of the things I watch, including action films. Setup was ridiculously easy and done in 5 minutes except for mounting it to the wall. The soundbar remote learning process was simple and there is nothing to do now except turn on the tv and use the same remote that I’ve always used to control volume and power. Other adjustments can be handled by the included remote. If you want full, clear sound without a burning desire to feel like you are in the middle of a battle or dinosaur attack every time you watch tv, then simplify your life and get this.

I have gotten used to closed caption, but Hubby still dislikes it. Luckily we got this! The sound is fabulous, but the ability to tweak the sound and push the audio for voices up is wonderful! I don't know how they do it, but am so grateful that they can. I like that it is made in the USA, and the case is made of metal. It is a bit heavy if you were going to wall mount it-plan ahead it is heavier than the others we tried. But ours sits on a shelve behind the tv which is on a little stand. Really such an improvement I cannot say enough how much we are enjoying this. It has brought back enjoyment of several shows that had such muddy sound it wasn't worth the hassle to try to decipher them. But it improves even the ones I thought were fine. Also, it hooked up easily. Regular remote turns it on when we turn on the tv, and the Bluetooth works well. Took an old iphone and plugged it in nearby and use it to play music or podcasts or audible books when I want. Can hear them thru out the entire house if I turn it up to 6 or 7. Really pleased, wish had found this years ago.