ZVOX 575

ZVOX today added three new soundbars to its lineup. The three new models include the ZVOX 575 HSD, 550 HSD, and 430 HSD. Each model features Dolby Digital technology and PhaseCue virtual surround sound. The 575 HSD and 550 HSD are “Z-base” models, meaning they are designed to have a TV placed on top of them. The 430 HSD by contrast is a slim wall-mounted soundbar. All of the new soundbars have wood (MDF) cabinets and have built-in powered subwoofers.

The 575 HSD has a retail price of $749.99, the 550 HSD $449.99, and the 430 HSD $449.99. Availability information was not published at press time. Note these models are updates of the original models sharing the same name, which are currently available.

ZVOX Audio Website

The ZVOX 430 Sound Bar follows the path less taken, giving users a simple to use sound system with no compromises in quality. Where most manufactures find ways to cut costs, either by using an over abundance of plastic or cheap components, ZVOX holds nothing back in their wood enclosure speaker systems. The end result is an easy to setup speaker system that brings other “full-size” systems to their knees.

ZVOZ 430 Specification

• Dimensions; 30.4”w x 5”d x 5.7”h (without the plastic feet, which are removable)
• Weight: Without external power supply: 13 pounds. With external power supply: 14 pounds
• Amplifier: The 430 includes built-in 60 watt amplifier
• Inputs: Two rear “mixing” inputs (if two devices are connected and playing, you will hear both devices): dual RCA jack inputs
• Frequency range: 45 Hz – 20 kHz
• The 430 is bi-amplified, using a specially designed amplifier that includes electronic contouring for superb frequency response
• The 430’s 4” subwoofer with flared port provides accurate low bass reproduction
• The 430’s three 3.25″ main speaker drivers use ferrofluid and neodymium magnets to create remarkably loud, remarkably clear sound
• The system is magnetically shielded so it can be used near a TV or monitor
• A subwoofer output jack on the rear allows owners to connect a separate powered subwoofer (optional)
• Auto-on/auto-off circuit senses sound from source (TV, iPod, PC) and turns on the 430 two seconds later. Approximately three minutes after it has received no signal, it automatically shuts the unit off
• MSRP: $450 (currently $399)

Setup

Out of all the systems I have reviewed, the ZVOX 430 was by far the easiest to setup out of sheer simplicity. You remove the single speaker assembly from the shipping box, connect the AC adapter to the wall, connect up to two sources through analog RCA connections, and press power on the remote. That is it, no separate wires, no calibration, not even a display to view what mode you are in, just power and it works. For the average user who just wants high quality sound without all the fuss, the sound bar method is the way to go.

Usability

The ZVOX 430 was very easy to use, to the point where it became transparent and forgotten. After the first day I left it powered on in its automatic mode, where it shuts down when there is no incoming signal. I didn’t need to use the ZVOX 430’s remote since I had my TV’s speakers disabled and the audio output set to variable so I could control volume with my normal TV remote. The ZVOX system became an extension of my TV, with the TV handling audio like it normally would as you switch to different video inputs. There was no extra device to turn on or second remote needed to watch a movie; you just use your normal remote to handle everything.

To handle sound adjustments, ZVOX does include a remote, but it isn’t needed beyond handling minor changes. You can use the remote to mute the bar, turn the power on or off, put it into auto mode, adjust the subwoofer level, adjust treble, adjust phasecue for simulated surround, and adjust volume. Each command from the remote is met with a blink from the power LED located behind the speaker grill, since there is no display onboard. You just change the setting until you like how it sounds and leave it.

Performance

Audio performance was impressive to say the least. I still remember taking it out of the box and feeling how heavy it was. It is extremely well built, with a very solid wood frame, unlike many of the all-plastic speaker systems that are becoming all too common. Some of that was met with doubt though, when I looked at the backside and only saw analog RCA inputs. I am so used to seeing digital inputs on all of my home theater components; but as noted before, this simple connection method makes it easy for anyone to set up and use ZVOX products.

Don’t let the connection method fool you though, audio quality was fantastic, easily meeting many of the full-size, multi-speaker, home theater systems I have reviewed. While you don’t get the physical separation of a 5.1 system, most of that can be overlooked when you have good rich audio filling your room. Lower-frequency sounds came through thumping with the built-in subwoofer, easily matching many of the unpowered subwoofers of budget 5.1 surround systems.

Midrange and high-notes came through clear, making things like gunshots and explosions sound like they were happening around you. The one audio complaint I have is some interference and static could be heard if you had to ramp up the volume of the sound bar to compensate for a weaker audio source. This was a problem when I connected my home theater computer directly to the ZVOX 430, where even at 100% volume in software, it still didn’t come close to what satellite tuner could pass through the TV. When sound was playing it was hard to notice, and probably isn’t a problem for computers with higher-quality soundcards. Besides the computer, none of my other devices had this problem with static, which included the pass-through audio from my Xbox 360, Blu-ray player, HD-DVD player, and satellite DVR.

Conclusion

The ZVOX 430 Sound Bar is an almost perfect blend of high quality audio components and simple user interface. When properly set up, the user doesn’t even have to change the way they watch movies or TV, since most TV’s can handle variable audio output internally. Since there are no external speakers there are no wires to hide or route through your family room, you simply find an available outlet, and connect the bar to your TV or audio source. Sound quality is superb, easily surpassing same-priced surround systems that put more money into cool features than they do into the speakers themselves. While $450 might sound a lot for a single “speaker”, it is well worth the money if you just want rich sounding audio with none of the hassle.

The ZVOX 430 is available directly from ZVOX for $449 but is currently on sale for $399.

Pros

• Excellent build quality
• High-grade speakers
• Basically no setup required

Cons

• Analog inputs can be prone to static or interference

Rating – 4.5 out of 5 Stars – Editor’s Choice

All of ZVOX’s new products leverage their PhaseQue simulated surround sound system, which we think plays some of the best audio tricks in the business. This coupled with new subwoofer technology should continue to make ZVOX one of the best buys when it comes to high-quality sound jammed into a small, single package.

ZVOX 430 and 440

The ZVOX 430 and 440 are the latest in their line of high-performance soundbars. Both units feature wood cabinets, high quality speakers and an internal 4″ subwoofer. The 430 is 30.5″ wide, making it ideal for TVs 32″-42″ in diameter; the 440 is 39″ wide, making it ideal for TVs 40″-52″ in diameter.

ZVOX 430 and 440 Features:

• All three 3.25” full-range drivers use Neodymium magnets and ferrofluid to create very high sound pressure levels from compact speakers
• One 3.25” full-range all-channel speaker
• Two 3.25” full-range speakers
• Long-excursion 4” powered subwoofer in a tuned enclosure reproduces accurate low frequencies down to 48 Hz (ZVOX 430) or 43 Hz (ZVOX 440)
• Simple to install, with only one connecting cable to hook up to the audio outputs or headphone jack of a TV
• Rear-panel (mixing) input can be used to connect an iPod, PC or any other audio device
• Bi-amplified, using a specially designed amplifier that includes electronic contouring for superb frequency response
• Magnetically shielded
• Included remote controls volume, PhaseCue virtual surround level, subwoofer level, treble, power on and mute
• Auto-on/auto-off circuit senses sound from the TV and turns on the system two seconds later

The ZVOX 430 and 440 are available now for $449.99 and $549.99 respectively.

ZVOX IncrediBase 575

The ZVOX IncrediBase 575 is an improvement on the Z-base 500, designed to double up as a soundbar and television stand for panels 37-inches to 65-inches in size. The Incredibase 575 features five high-performance speakers, 133-watt amplifier and dual 6.5″ long-excursion subwoofers.

ZVOX Inredibase 575 Features:

• (5) 2″ full-range speakers and (2) 6.25″ subwoofers
• PhaseCue virtual surround sound
• Auto-on/auto-off circuit
• Remote control included
• (2) Analog stereo inputs (mixing inputs)
• 133 watts system power
• 36″w x 16.5″d x 5″h

The ZVOX IncrediBase 575 has an MSRP of $799.99 and will ship October 1st.

ZVOX Z-Base 525

The Z-Base 525 is a smaller version of the Z-Base 550 system that’s designed to bring great sound in a small package (12.5″ deep) to spaces like bedrooms and offices. The Z-base 525 is also being pitched as a high-end PC sound system that can live underneath the monitor stand, taking up almost no additional space on the desk.

The Z-Base 525 incorporates five speakers, a powered subwoofer, amplifiers and PhaseCue virtual surround circuitry.

ZVOX Z-Base 525 Features:

• Fie 2″ full-range speakers
• 5.25″ subwoofer
• PhaseCue virtual surround sound
• Auto-on/auto-off circuit
• Remote control included
• 2 Analog stereo inputs (mixing inputs)
• 60 watts system power
• 24″w x 12.5″d x 3.5″h

The ZVOX Z-Base 525 has an MSRP of $399.99 and will be ship this month.

Update 11/05/09 – ZVOX 430 Review Posted

Product Description and Details

The Z-Base 550 enclosure is constructed of MDF (medium density fiberboard) and measures 3-5/8″ tall, by 14.5″ deep, by 28″ wide.  It is designed to handle TVs with screens from 26-50″, with bases that are less than 27″ wide and less than 14″ deep.  According to the manual, the TV needs to weigh less than 90 pounds.

The 550 also looks very good.  It’s painted a matte black with a black perforated metal front grill – it’s sleek enough to look good underneath your TV, but simple enough to blend in well with your setup.

ZVOX Z-Base 550 under 42-inch TV

Moving inside the enclosure, the ZVOX marketing materials state that they don’t skimp on materials or speaker technology.  There are five 2″ main speaker drivers that use ferrofluid and neodymium magnets and the 5.25″ subwoofer uses a “high-mass long-throw design in a ported enclosure”.  To prevent any magnetic interference from the speakers to any electronics next to the enclosure, the 550 is magnetically shielded.  A 60 watt amplifier drives the speakers and the system has a frequency range of 45Hz – 20kHz.

The virtual surround sound that can be output by the 550 is provided by ZVOX’ proprietary PhaseCue system.  ZVOX is fairly quick to mention that this system is not equal to the surround capability of a 5.1 system.  Their stance is that the 550 is the best quality, most simple to set up system that will give you some surround sound capability in a single enclosure system.

As far as inputs, there are simply two sets of RCA inputs.   Your primary device should be plugged into Input 1 since the second set of inputs don’t work unless there is something plugged in there.  The two sets of inputs automatically “mix”, so that if you’re playing audio from two devices, you’ll hear audio from both.  The only other “input” is the jack to plug in the AC adapter.

ZVOX Z-Base 550 back panel

If you have a separate subwoofer, there is a single RCA output from the Z-Base 550.  The output from the 550 on this jack is a full-frequency, monaural connection, so your subwoofer needs to have a variable crossover.  ZVOX suggests that you set this crossover to be at 90Hz.

In the box with the 550, ZVOX includes the remote control, a 2 meter RCA to RCA cable, a short (but complete) manual, and the power adapter.

ZVOX Z-Base 550 back panel and power brick

Setup, Usage, and Performance

Setup couldn’t be more simple – just plug in the power cable and connect the audio output jacks on your TV to the Input 1 jacks on the back of the Z-Base 550.  By the way, take a quick breeze through the manual – it’s very short, but has lots of good information and once you read it, you’ll never have to refer to it again.  Once everything is powered up, you can control the volume of the 550 using its remote, but it’s probably easier if you link the volume to your TV volume.  Most TVs have the ability to set audio output to “variable” so that when you increase your TV volume, the output signal is louder as well.

The included remote control is the only way to adjust the settings of the Z-Base 550 (unless, of course, you have the TV audio set to variable output).  Frist, you can mute, toggle the power, and toggle the auto on/off functionality.  By default, the 550 will power itself on a couple seconds after it detects an audio signal and then will automatically power off after 2-3 minutes with no audio signal.  The Auto On/Off button defeats this functionality.

ZVOX Z-Base 550 remote control

From there, you can adjust the volume, PhaseCue level, subwoofer level and treble level.  For each setting, there are 9 levels.  You can tell if you’re maxed out (or bottomed out) if the blue LED behind the front grill doesn’t flash when you push the buttons on the remote.

Now that we’ve set things up and we know how to use it, then how does it actually sound?  Well, in a nutshell, overall quality is better than your TV speakers (even if they provide virtual surround sound), but not quite as impressive as a full multiple-piece home theater system.  The PhaseCue surround effect is quite good with programming that is capable of it (newer movies and sports).  You’ll definitely need to  adjust it to your ear.  I found that for sports, like a football game, a higher level of PhaseCue created a nice effect of being in the stadium, with fan noise all around you.  However, during movies, I needed to turn down the PhaseCue to make the dialog a little clearer.  At high levels of effect during movies, you hear more of the background noise to the detriment of any dialog.  The 550 manual actually gives some pointers to this effect.  As you would expect, the PhaseCue surround effect is also most effective right in front of the enclosure.  The surround effect changes as you move away from that central axis, but it’s a wide enough to work in most setups.

One thing that I was disappointed about was the level of bass coming from the subwoofer.  It may just be my preference, but I couldn’t quite get enough oomph out of the Z-Base 550.  Its size makes it just not able to get that seat-rumbling effect possible with a dedicated subwoofer unit.  The ability, then, to connect an external subwoofer will come in handy for those who like as much bass as I do.

Bottom Line

If you’re looking for a speaker system that gives your TV a bit more oomph and are looking for something that’s simple to set up or you have another good reason for not getting a full 5.1-capable home theater system, then the ZVOX Z-Base 550 is certainly worth consideration.  However, a current price of just under $500 puts it at the higher end of the soundbar market, so you definitely need that good reason for ruling out a full 5.1 home theater system.  You do get a high-quality speaker enclosure with high-quality speakers that can double as a TV stand.  The audio output is good to excellent, just not with the power that you’d find in a full system.  The virtual surround sound effect is also very good and easy to customize its level.

4 out of 5 stars

Where to Buy

At the moment, the Z-Base 550 can be purchased directly from ZVOX Audio.

By design, the system is easy to set up. The speakers, amplifier, virtual surround technology and powered subwoofer fit into a single cabinet with enough strength to support a flat panel up to 47″ (or 90 pounds). Plug in a power cord and connect the included analog audio cables to your TV and that’s it. 

The system features five 2″ full range speakers and an integrated 5.25″ subwoofer. To get the surround sound feeling, ZVOX is using their PhaseCue virtual surround sound system. Should you decide there’s not enough bass, the system allows for an external subwoofer to be added. The system also features two analog stereo mixing inputs, an auto on/off circuit and remote control.

The case itself is 28″w x 14.5″d x 3.5″h and is made of high-gloss black end panels, while the top is finished in scratch-resistant black vinyl. Thankfully the top of the unit will not get marred by sliding your television into place. The case is made of MDF and weighs in at 20 pounds.

The ZVOX Z-Base 550 has an MSRP of $499.99 and is available now at ZVOX Audio.