SoundBase 440

We finally bought our first flatscreen tv, a 32" Samsung, from Best Buy 2 weeks ago. Great picture, very light, but virtually almost no power to hear the programs. It has 2 little speakers on the bottom, facing down, no bigger than 1"X3", 5 watts per side. The volume goes to 100, and we had to turn it up to the 70-80 range, for a normal volume. My wife doesn't care for loud stereo's, and can take up a lot of room, like my full blown system, separate components, tower speakers, high quality wiring throughout (Kimber Kable, NAD, Monitor Audio, Rega, Hafler). It sounds great, but she's not a fan of the space it takes up, so it's in a separate room. Even she complained about the tv sound, so after a day or 2 of research, I read about the zvox, which I was familiar with, from the magazine Stereophile, an audiophile monthly circular that I have been reading since 1994. They tell it like it is, good or bad. Zvox was recommended, and after brainstorming models, I chose the 440. Good sound, a good base for my tv to sit on. I also got the Audioquest Forest Optical cable, .75 meter/2 ft. NEVER skimp on cables, they just hold back less information/sound than the cheap stuff. After a bad experience with Monster Cable back in the '80's and early '90's, I was introduced to Kimber Kable, a bit pricier, but FAR superior, lifetime warranty. With the Zvox 440, the sound is leaps and bounds beyond the tv, the volume is around 12 out of 30, as opposed to 75 out of 100 with just the tv alone. The Zvox is at about 30-35 percent volume, as opposed to 75%. This translates to a product that isn't working as hard, lasts longer, due to not heating up so much. The instruction manual that comes with the Zvox is very good, thorough, making set up pretty easy. Highly recommended, as Stereophile states, well worth the money IMHO. UPDATE 8/8/2023: I have been using this over 3 years now, which was purchased for the wife and her tv. she is more than happy with it. Happy wife, happy life. Never an issue with it. IMHO, a necessity for the anemic tv sound that is currently produced. Worth the money.

My wife and I are in our mid-sixties. As we have grown older we've found it increasingly difficult to comprehend dialog when watching TV programs. We've tried a Bose Solo, a Bose Cinemate II, and a Yamaha YAS-203 in an attempt to improve the audio. Each system had a slight positive effect, but not so much so that we did not need the closed captioning nearly every time we watched. We particularly enjoy British programs on BBC, PBS Masterpiece, Acorn TV, and BritBox. The problem of understanding is compounded immensely by British slang, UK accents, and the general rhythm of their way of speaking "English". We have been using the ZVOX 440 for about 30 days. The performance is absolutely astounding! Dialog is crisp and clear and understandable. Connecting it to the TV was extremely simple. There are just enough sound adjustments to make the unit highly flexible without being overly complex. The "vanishing" display on the front of the box is very readable from my chair 12 feet away. Now, the only time we use the closed captioning is when the Brits use their bloody slang, and even then we have to Google the term to know its meaning! The only difficult time I had was getting my AT&T remote to accept a code that would perform basic functions on the ZVOX. Even there ZVOX has provided an ingenious solution. You can assign the ZVOX the codes of another more common manufacturer such as Panasonic or Sony (6 choices altogether). Then you can find a code from that manufacturer that the remote will recognize. I highly recommended the ZVOX Soundbase 440.

Even though I had a good sound bar with a separate sub woofer, I needed to use closed caption to understand most television programs, and especially movies with intense sound effects or foreign accents. Using the Zvox 440 has made a great difference in the understand-ability of most television programs and much improvement in movies. I can see why it is called a sound base rather than a sound bar. It is large and solid. It comes with very good documentation, and even though set up is rather straight forward, I highly recommend reading the instructions before attempting to connect. After successful connection, I found it very useful to refer to the manual as I experimented with the various features. I am able to watch television without loud volume and without captions. The Accuvoice makes it very clear. For more clarity, I've found it best not to use the output leveling feature, but that feature does keep commercials at an even lower volume...very noticeable. The three surround sounds settings also provide clarity of voice, but enhance a fuller total sound in varying degrees. Even though there is not a separate sub woofer, the base sounds are still better than my previous system. My daughter, who can hear well, said the Zvox made a big difference in sound quality. Set up is rather straight forward, but I highly recommend reading the directions before installing. I also found it very helpful to use the guide as I was experimenting with the different features.Documentation is very good. Even though I have noticed a significant difference in television programs, I watched the latest Mission Impossible movies last night. Although most of the dialogue was clear, the combination of foreign accents and loud and intense sound effects made parts of the movie difficult to understand. I do need hearing aids, so to most people I'm thinking this might not have been a problem. I was just a little disappointed that more of the background wasn't filtered. I do wish it had Bluetooth, but I understand an adapter can be purchased if that is an issue. In general, the Zvox 440 has made a great improvement for me in my television watching. I only gave it 4 stars because I didn't want anyone to be disappointed in watching some movies.