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(More customer reviews)I purchased the ZVOX 575 because I have a 58" plasma in a fairly large room so the other ZVOX models weren't appropriate for my set up. Background: I have a Onkyo receiver and 5.1 surround in another room hooked up to a 42" plasma. Initially I thought the surround sound was great - loved it while watching movies, enjoyed the theatre like surrounding sound which made you feel like you were a part of the action. After the initial thrill, I realized that I was missing half the dialogue and constantly trying to send more sound to the center channel in order to hear what the actors were saying. Pretty soon I got sick of moving the wires and speakers each time I dusted or vacuumed or washed the floor. Also, the bass was so booming (regardless of how I adjusted it) that it would disturb sleepers located in the upstairs bedrooms (the room is directly under the bedrooms upstairs) if the movie was high action. I ended up unhooking the speakers one day and never reattached them - don't miss the ss at all. This plasma is 4 years old and so the speakers on the TV, while not great, aren't too bad at all.
So I added a family room addition off the back of the house this year and purchased a 58" panasonic plasma for the room. The TV speakers are so painful I could barely watch TV! The size of the room made it worse - 20 X 30 although an L shape makes it so you sit about 10 feet from the television. I knew I didn't want surround sound or I could have moved my existing Onkyo to the new TV. I searched around, went to BB to hear the various sound bars - regardless of price and make, the dialogue seemed to be drowned out by the bass and psuedo surround sound (hard to tell on this though, BB isn't exactly ideal for listening to speakers). What to do!! I contemplated locating the Onkyo receiver in the new room and buying a couple of tower speakers and a center speaker... but realized that the center speaker couldn't sit on top of the TV and sitting the speaker on the TV stand in front of the TV would block the TVs remote sensor. Continued with internet search and.. Enter ZVOX! Everything I read mentioned how crystal clear dialogue would be and how you could adjust the speaker utilizing their version of surround sound (Phasecue) and get a bit of the surround sound experience.
The price was something that gave me a bit of pause... it isn't cheap. I figured if I didn't like it I could always return it within 30 days - no restocking fee. The unit arrived packed beautifully and I had it set up in less than 5 minutes (thankfully I had a couple of teenagers to help me lift the TV and place the speaker box on the TV stand and then rest the TV on top of the speaker box). It looks very nice - the box is attractive looking, blends well with the TV and doesn't look out of place. At first I wasn't crazy about the TV being 5 inches higher but you get used to that and don't even notice it after a while. THE SOUND!! I got out a blu ray (The Unforgiven) and sat down to watch... after adjusting the bass, treble, volume and phasecue to my liking, the ZVOX gave me a full bodied sound - crystal clear dialogue, gun shots that seem to come from afar (phasecue adjustment somehow makes it sound like the speakers are fairly far away from the left and right of the screen) and I AM HAPPY!! Rumbling within the movie seems to come from 'somewhere' but not directly in front of you and I must say I am very pleased with this purchase - ZVOX makes a great product. It isn't surround sound but it is a great speaker that does exactly what it says it does - great sound, crystal clear dialogue and a feeling that you're listening to something other than the big box under your TV. Excellent with music (I attached an iPod to it using a separately purchased analog to iPod wire (purchased at BB)) but you have to realize that 'garbage in, garbage out' applies here - lousy sounding TV shows or music will not be output sounding better - only clearer.
OK, a few codicils... ZVOX uses analog inputs/outputs. You need to have an analog output on your TV (ZVOX uses the TV as the 'switch' so you hook all your acccessories - DVD, Blu Ray, game consoles - whatever) to your TV and the TV sends the audio signal to the ZVOX speaker box. These new TVs have mostly dispensed with the analog output and quite a few of them only have an optical audio output. I had to purchase the GefenTV Digital Audio Decoder and I could only find online sources for it. You connect an optical connection (purchased at BB) from the optical output on the TV to the optical input on the Gefin and plug the included with the ZVOX analog connection to the Gefen and then the ZVOX box. Not ideal, but the only work-around I could come up with. Unfortunately with this set-up, the ZVOX will not automatically shut off when the autio signal stops when you turn off the TV. You will have to manually turn off the ZVOX with the included ZVOX 'clicker'.
The adjustments on the ZVOX are by hearing only.. meaning, you need to adjust it according to what you watch - there is no 'memory' for the settings you like when listening to music or a DVD or TV. I don't find that a pain at all since every movie is a little different and I'd end up adjusting phasecue or the treble and bass each time anyway. Every adjustment you make makes the little blue light on the ZVOX blink.. so you know sort of where you are on the adjustment scale.
I hope this review helps someone - if you want true surround sound - like to hear things blow up behind you - then the ZVOX probably isn't for you. If you want an alternative to surround sound wires everywhere, speakers everywhere and garbled or inaudible dialogue - then the ZVOX might be your answer.
Click Here to see more reviews about: ZVOX 575 IncediBase Low-Profile, High-Performance Single-Cabinet Surround Sound System
The ZVOX IncrediBase 575 delivers awesome, room-filling surround sound -- including window-rattling bass down to 35 Hz -- from a single cabinet that can act as a base for your TV. You get the performance of an expensive multi-speaker home theater system, without all the speaker cabinets, subwoofers and wires.
Inside the IncrediBase 575 are five high-performance speakers, dual 6.5-Inch long-excursion powered subwoofers, a 133-watt amplifier and the acclaimed PhaseCue virtual surround sound system. The 575 reproduces music with remarkable accuracy and depth. Movie sound effects literally surround you. The 575 uses dual 6.5-Inch powered subwoofers in a spacious cabinet (equal in interior volume to a 14-Inchx14-Inchx14-Inch subwoofer box). The result is accurate, window-rattling bass down to 35Hz. No other all-in-one home theater system even comes close.
The Incredibase 575 was created by the well-known speaker designer, Winslow Burhoe. It uses a hand-crafted wood (MDF) cabinet with beautiful high-gloss lacquered end-panels. It is 36-Inch wide and 16.5-Inch deep, and is designed so that you can place your flat-panel TV on top of it. With only one connecting wire -- and a one-page owner's manual -- it is extremely simple to install and use. And once installed, it blends into your decor. Most people won't even notice it's there.
If you want a compact, stylish, simple home theater that delivers incredible sound, the ZVOX IncrediBase 575 may be the perfect choice.
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