ZVOX SoundBase 440 28" SoundBase TV Speaker with AccuVoice Hearing Aid Technology - 30-Day Home Trial

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.

This is much bigger than I expected. Certainly not a typical sound bar. Much more. Looks great. Easy to set up. At first, there was a popping sound every time the sound source was changed, or I paused, started a sound source. The next day...that went away. It may have been something to do with the sound on the TV and not the unit. In any case, it has gone away for now. It really does help bring clarity to voices, my biggest issue. Not loudness, but clarity. If you keep raising the volume on white noise, it will still be white noise, just louder. What I found was I could use a much lower volume but the voices were much more clear. It is a huge improvement and I don't have to wear a head set to understand what is being said....in about 90% of the time. That is a huge improvement over the 40% I was getting. Just make sure you have lots of room for this unit (440 28"). So far, I am very well pleased and it has proven to be worth every dime. I have my fingers crossed that the popping won't return. I've ordered another (larger) TV, TCL 49" HD to replace my Hitachi 40". I am hoping that this match will be a much wanted improvement in picture and sound. The ZVOX Soundbase 440 is almost a piece of furniture, but looks great and feels solid. And....if you want volume, this sucker will get loud and the sound quality is way better than from the T.V. Recommend this product if you have hearing issues at all.

I have had this new ZVOX soundbase 440 for a couple of months. I also have an older version, which is 6 years old. They are similar in their features and both have a built-in ported subwoofer, which gives them a much fuller sound, especially with music and movies. I use the included optical cable to connect it to my TV (make sure that the optical cable is fully inserted in the ports on the TV and ZXVOX). The DE (Dialog Emphasis) on this unit only has 1 level but it is enough for me. Other models have more levels of dialog emphasis but don't have a subwoofer.I've heard a few of the Sonos and Bose models and I would say that Hands-Down the ZVOX is the best.ZVOX may not have the same recognizable name as Sonos or Bose but ZVOX has been around for many years and makes a great product. Keep in mind that this unit is larger than most soundbars because of the subwoofer and ported box.As a side note: I have a power line-conditioner for my TV and ZVOX, which I think is important for delicate electronics. I have not had any difficulties with my 6 year old ZVOX or my new ZVOX, maybe the line-conditioner is why. I also have an "Amazon Echo input" connected to the analog input on the ZVOX so that I can play music, news, podcasts through my ZVOX (unfortunately, Amazon doesn't sell the "input" anymore but you can find them on on the secondary market).In conclusion: I highly recommend this ZVOX unit.

Plays audio for a few seconds to a few minutes and then a gnarly whining amping up noise replaces any audio and then silence. At this point if you turn off the speaker it will get stuck in the off mode and will never turn back on unless you hit the switch at the rear. And on top of that, it doesn't really sound good with any audio settings adjusted. I have two Pioneer sp-sb03 soundbase and those blow this out of the water/sky.