Description
Technology you can feel!
The table comes equipped with 2 USB ports, an AUX input, and a DC 16V power chord to charge the table itself so it can be moved to any location in the room with no worry of having to plug it in like most charging tables.
- Wireless Charging: 5W (5V 1A)
- Battery Powered Playing Time: Up to 5 hours
- Charging Time: Up to 4 hours
- Diameter: 16″
- Height: 24″
- Material: MDF, linen
Introducing the All New Alphasonik Decor Bluetooth Speaker Table with QI Wireless Charging
Technology and Style finally meet!
Modernize your living room, patio, or bedroom with this wireless charging, Bluetooth speaker Alphasonik Décor table which features a contemporary design and durable construction. With a single charger built in to the surface, customers can power their phone battery by simply placing it down, no cords needed! The Alphasonik Décor charging table has a multiple finish options that blend well with any color decoration.
- Rated Voltage: DC 16V 3A
- Max Consumption: 34W
- Internal Li-Ion Battery: 6600mAh
- Bluetooth Frequency: 2.402-2.480GHz
- Power Output: 88W
- Frequency Range: 90Hz-18kHz
- Bluetooth Version: 4.2
- Bluetooth Distance: 10m/33ft
Styligh Without Losing Quality Features
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Looks Good AnywhereWith the sleek design of this conspicuous table bluetooth speaker, you can place it anywhere your fashion senses desire! |
Compact BuildThe Décor is very easy to build since all you have to do is screw on the 3 legs. The simple and elegant design offers unbelievable sound with a built in large audio driver that offers full high definition stereo sound and as well as a rear facing subwoofer that provides enhanced bass! The 6,600mAh Li-ion batteries along with leading power technology combine to provide you with 24 hours of non-stop music! |
Sleek and ElegantThis one of a kind, sleek, elegant, yet technologically advanced piece of furniture will become your favorite without a doubt. Here at Alphasonik we strive to be a step ahead and this is our personal invitation to have the next best product of the future. |
Steven R Untersee –
Great sound system, though volume increment could be better
To be clear, this review is for the Vizio S4251w-B4 5.1 soundbar, and I am not an audiophile (and if you are, I doubt you’re looking in this price range). At the same time, I know that the cheapest option is often going to keep you murmuring “you get what you pay for” in your sleeping and waking moments, so paying a little more than the lowest price is often a good idea.I had moved the family flatscreen tv into a larger room that swallowed up the sound, so I was looking for something to improve our sound volume, and hopefully sound quality. I was drawn to this product based on several individual and professional reviews and the low (but not too low) price. I chose this over other products because it offered real surround sound (I’d never had it before, and am loving it!) and because it was cheaper than other products that got good reviews from multiple sources (I’m not naming names, sorry!)Equipment I’m using with this soundbar:Insignia flatscreen tv (connected with optical cable that came with Vizio)Tivo (connected via my tv)Xbox 360 (connected via my tv)relatively old 5-cd player (connected with those red and white cables, I think they’re called RCA – did not come with Vizio)iPod (connected via Bluetooth)recliner couch that sits about 10 feet from the tv (often in the reclined position on my half)What I like:• Low price, good value.• True surround sound – I read that virtual surround sound was not as impressive, but have not experienced it, so I cannot make a direct comparison (just happy with what I have).• I can listen to my iPod playlists and podcasts via Bluetooth (I read about compression limiting audio quality, but do not notice any problems)• Easy to connect• Included digital optical cable, which I didn’t have• CD player plugs directly into it, replacing my 90’s stereo system (wife so happy).What I’m less please by:• Increments in volume are not small enough – it jumps from barely audible to a bit too loud when watching tv. I would love more resolution in the volume. This factor is the reason why I gave it 4 stars and not 5.• Soundbar blocked remote sensor on my tv (I had a platform I had made to raise our tv above our Tivo, and it was just the right size, so this was not a problem for me, but might be for you).• Relatively easy to set up, but you do have to manually adjust sound (bass, treble,• Did not include RCA cable (but I had several, so not a problem for me).What I did not love, but did not really bother me:• Complaints about short wires connecting satellite speakers to subwoofer. Come on – other products in this price category do not have a subwoofer or satellite speakers. The subwoofer is wirelessly connected to the soundbar, so it sits next to my sofa with no cables running across the room, and the satellite speakers are wall-mounted behind my sofa with the wires nearly unseen behind the sofa (and plenty long for the length of my sofa).• The remote. It took me a bit to realize that the small LCD display was informative (partly because I had the lights low, and LCD’s don’t show up in the dark). I paired my Tivo remote with the Vizio, but have found that the sound volume issue is worse with the Tivo remote (the Vizio remote has smaller increments, though not as small as I’d like). So, as other reviewers say, the upside is that it comes with a remote, and the downside is that you have another remote.• The size of everything. I did not measure things out, and gave my wife a rough estimate of the dimensions of what I was buying. I was way off. It was shipped in 2 big boxes taped together. For our space it worked out fine (smaller than the sound system it ended up replacing) but you might want to break out the tape measure.All in all, we’ve had this system set up for 1 day (the cd player) and a little over 3 weeks (the rest of the system) and my wife, my 3-year-old and I are very happy.
K. N. Barker –
BANG! BANG! Are we under attack?! Nope, that’s just what my dollar sounds like now. Whoa…
Packaging: Pure Sweetness. I love Amazon. They put the box that you’d see at Walmart inside another box. Vizio themselves was neat by making a package that’s perfect for standing on show room floor. That’s what i want to see when I decided to purchase something that was supposed to create a robust yet efficiently derived sound (less wires more wireless) at a more reasonable cost then a receiver and a 5.1 purchased separately.Quality of Equipment: I seen the optical cable that came with the unit. I am glad I got the more robust cable from amazon. The optical it comes with while will work and do it’s job looks and feels like it must be handled delicately. It’s really easy to connect the sound bar to the sub and the same goes for the sub to the rear satellites (there’s lights on both bar and sub to indicate pairing is taking place on each end). I do wish the wires were thicker from the sub to satellite, but so far no issues. Got the rears on a pair of Atlantic mounts. Almost didn’t have the parts to get them planted on them but I managed to fasten it without it looking messy (looks amazing actually). It was also a real pain to feel the wires through the stand, but other than that I’m pleased. The satellite wires have an elbow on one side that’s for the speakers and a straight out for the sub connection. The atlantic stands will do a good job to protect the weight of the satellites and keep them upright and impossible to tip over. The remote has no backlit screen so viewing in the dark even with the tv on is nearly impossible. The remote feels cheaply built too and reminds me a lot of an old sanyo tube tv remote i had that broke once after being dropped and was easy to pull apart from afterward.Mounting: After mounting the soundbar above the tv using drywall anchors (not included) it looks like the top of sound bar has a natural 2 or 3 degree forward tilt going on which is perfect. You’ll want to measure the mounting screw holes of the diagram before you use it to trace the wall. My wall mount diagram for the sound bar was off by 1/8 of an inch. It makes an annoying difference when you’re trying to line up the wholes to attach it to the wall. Use two people though, it’s just too long for one person to manage especially if the tv is already in place.Sound: Whether mounted above the 60 I got for it or sitting in front the 32 it sounded great. The other cool thing about it is that the surround is loud enough to hear clearly anywhere in the apartment that has connecting open space. If I go into the bedroom it’s muffled and dampened enough that another person could take a nap. With that test I would say you’ll probably max out (in most apartments or rooms – i live in a corner of a building complex) the sound around 3 dots resting on average for 2.5 dots for movies with explosions or awesome video game experiences. For the casual upgrade from the tv’s sound you’ll probably want 1.5 to 2 dots of volume. It really fills the room completely. Once on tv, somebody was knocking on a door. Since the noise occurred with the door off camera, I thought it was the other tenants knocking on the back wall that I shared with the stairwell to the basement especially since it was kind of late. It was actually coming from the rear left-channel. I didn’t figure that out until the main character of the story opened the front door. I still went and checked the stairwell to be sure.Functionality: Besides the lack of hdmi pass-through, the level of inputs is satisfactorily. Bluetooth I don’t believe is 5.1 for reasons of which I am unaware. It does utilize the sub if it is wirelessly connected to the bar though. The remote display allows you to tweak the sub pressence, 2.1 or 5.1 functionality, stereo to 5.1 conversion (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), ecopower = which turns the equipment off after no use time period expires, night mode which reduces the bass of speakers and sub, plus has bluetooth controls like a headset for pause/play, skip, etc. One thing to note might be the is that you’ll probably never hear anything at .5 dots and sometimes impossible to hear 1.0 dot. You almost always need at least 1.5 dots of volume. There’s a small lag in the time it takes for the sound bar to turn off and you pushing the power button, but if you start with the sound and then do the tv power, you’ll never notice. The remote allows for some of the key functions to be performed by your tv remote like volume up or down. There’s a tru sound option which I guess makes sure the content is at the correct sound level (like possibly for different channels – I always leave this on).Test Enviroment: 12 ft x 12 ft living space with rear satellites on either side of a 3-seater sofa. Sub in corner of room laid out exactly as directed by the instruction manual. Soundbar on plush carpet, 19 inch tv stand, and finally a little over 6ft from floor mounted to wall. Amazonbasics Digital Optical Toslink cable connected from soundbar to tv. Videogames and netflix through hdmi from xbox 360 to tv. Android phone Verizon Galaxy Note 2 for bluetooth streaming. Used PowerAmp as music player app. Power comes from two individual surge protectors from triplite.Recommendations: Turn sub down and possibly base down or volume down in general when listening to bluetooth from phone. Always start with 1.5 dots volume when changing content from tv to external speakers. Any new speakers need to overcome a break-in period especially the sub so don’t go for the explosions at high volume right away if you want to have these things sound awesome for a long time.Overall, I’m very much impressed by the system. The issue with the diagram was annoying but there was no need to run wires through the walls or hide them along the walls. I didn’t need a separate receiver. Is it possible to get better sound from using a receiver and quality speakers and wire? Probably especially with 4k on it’s way. Will you notice the change in such a way that it makes sense for the increase in sound to cost about $150 extra or more? For apartment people – you must be crazy. For sound people and home owners – might as well but you’ll have to tell me how much fun it is to deal with all of them wires.
E. Stoneham –
LOVE the sound, but a note on the mounting methods
I suspect our old speakers had just finally given up the ghost (13+ years old), but this system resurrected the sound we didn’t realize we were missing. I bought 2: one for our downstairs workout room and one for our living room.PROS:Assembly:Wish I had done this before. No complicated wires or menu setups. VERY easy. I mounted this above the TV due to clearance issues, and I think that actually made the sound better as it put the speaker on the level of the 2 surrounds.Wires:YAY! nothing to trip on or have to otherwise accomodate.Set up:The remote is totally gouge! This would have been near impossible to make it work so well without it. You can also program your TV remote to control the bar (but it might require turning off your TV speakers, which I was not savvy enough to figure out even after pouring over multiple on screen menus).Price:Although we love to have the best possible sound from music and movies, we cannot afford what it takes to justify audiophile quality speakers (i.e., separate audio room specifically designed to optimize high end speakers), but these are perfect. Price range is appropriate and speakers seem to be built well. Though really, if you don’t have a dedicated room, why go to the expense of purchasing said speakers for ‘just’ your living room (unless that living room is not like ours which was built in 1977 and is attached to the kitchen- bad acoustics).Sound:Excellent. The first night we were watching a movie, I kept turning my head thinking the background sounds were coming from our house (was just the right decibel level such that it actually felt like background noise). It was a little disconcerting at first, but made the surround sound experience that much nicer. Subwoofer is nice too. It doesn’t blow out your ears, but you can definitely feel it. It seems to have been well paired with the speakers. The overall sound is fantastic. It makes me want to find a movie with distinctive three dimensional audio just to hear it.CONS:General setup: Subwoofer power cable is much shorter than I needed, but then that is why extension cords were born.Mounting (satellites):The thing that made me absolutely nuts, was trying to find a place to put or mount the surround speakers. Although I had older stands as well as new ones recommended by Amazon (Atlantic Satellite 77305018 2 Speaker Stands (Black)), none of the hardware (securing screws) fit the mounting hole in the back of each speaker, and with no other way to mount it, I had to klooge together a fix. Although those stands are actually pretty nice, they are designed for larger bookshelf speakers and because I didn’t want the mounting hardware of the stand to stick out past the front of the speaker, I had to use the provided sticky tape and another screw (s) I found in our stash of extra nuts and bolts, that ‘sort of’ fit. The holes are much smaller than the standard mounts on most speakers this size (and smaller than the included screws in the stand package), so be prepared to get others.Mounting (bar):For one TV, I used generic mounts to put it above the TV. It is ‘ok’, but seems like the least stable place for it, and getting the mounts (Sewell Direct SW-29908 Universal Soundbar Bracket) lined up was a major PITA (and it is still a bit canted). It also is a bit distracting to have space (where you can see the mounts) between the top of the TV and the sound bar, but due to the mounting holes on the back, and the maximum allowable space of the bar, I wasn’t able to get it closer. We have a 36″ (I think) flat screen, so maybe it just isn’t large enough. However, you only notice this when you first start using the TV, so it isn’t a big deal.For the other, I just put it on the stand under the TV (no problemo)Getting started:For the newer model TV, set up was so easy, even my dachshund could do it (and she doesn’t have thumbs).For the other TV (about 4 years old or more), it took me an hour and a half to figure out how to make it work.Tips to make your life easier:INPUT INPUT INPUT: A lot of my initial problems turned out to be figuring out why I wasn’t hearing anything when there is so little you can mess up setting the hardware up. Turns out that I hadn’t set the input (at all). You have a choice of digital optical, digital coaxial, stereo RCA, stereo mini-jack, and USB, but it doesn’t automatically figure out which you are using, so you need so scroll through the input button on the remote (if you can’t remember which you selected, just wait for the sound to come through:P) However, they have done a very nice job of idiot proofing this by labeling each input with type and number so you aren’t guessing when you set it up via the remote.If you have your TV hooked up to… say, a Blue-ray with Wi-Fi, make sure that whatever cable you choose to use is compatible with it. Ours only has a digital coax and a digital optical, so the other inputs on the speaker bar are now unusable). This was again, part of my problem with setup. The first TV was setup directly TO the sound bar, but for the other TV, I had to run the input from the blu-ray directly to the sound bar. Since I couldn’t figure out how to turn off the TV sound, I ended up having to switch it (and the blu-ray) to PCM mode (which worked fine).I know many of you might roll your eyes at this next ‘revelation’, but cut me some slack, I am a wet-bench scientist, not an electrician :P: Yes, it is wireless, but where I got overly excited at not having speaker wires snaking all over the great room floor, I forgot that the subwoofer does need power (yeah, I know… astonishing that it can’t get wireless electricity from across the room…), and that means one power cable has to go somewhere to get it.Also, their troubleshooting guide is helpful (even though it is short), and they have a help desk if you have problems.Even though I had some minor issues with setup and mounting, this was a far cry from the DENON receiver I removed, and which had 5 Bose speakers and a subwoofer, complete with associated wiring (either too short or too long), which just cluttered the floor.
IndustryMvp –
Best Sound Quality Of Any Sound Bar In Its Class And Pricepoint, Hands-down
1st off I don’t understand how I have a Samsung surround system in my living that has 6 speakers!!! 1000 watts 2 tower front speakers, center speaker, subwoofer, and 2 rear speakers and this system only has 4 speakers and it sound better than that!!! This was a disappointing day for me because I did not know how bad my Samsung sound system was until I heard my new Vizio sound system. The Samsung came with a bluray player and has more.adjustments However as far as pure sound quality not features. Samsung can not touch Vizio on that aspect. Don’t get me wrong Samsung makes some of the best tv and smartphones on the market. However I do believe that is what they should stick to because when it comes to pure sound quality Vizio has got it down pack. I have used Bose products for years I’ve had Bose speakers and right now I even have a Bose mini. I must say the this Vizio surround sound system us the closest thing I’ve seen come to Bose sound quality is Bose. This sound quality is so good in this speak system you will have to look before you tv to make sure there is not someone in the room!!! I’m telling you if is Amazing. This sound is so brillant, clear, crisp, and precise that I sat back & listen to music for hours just because it sounded so good. It’s so good you will hear different instruments in songs that you never heard. Now I did hear someone else say that it is not good because it does not have any subwoofer, different adjustments, and settings. I almost took off a star because of this but then I thought about it. Wait, this is a sound bar but this sound bar is SO GOOD that me & including others are actually comparing it to actual flown blown surround sound systems that cost way more money come with more speakers and come with receivers. Granted my Samsung sound system in my living room has way more adjustments and settings but I have used EVERY ADJUSTMENT in that book in the end no what it seem does not come out or sound better then this Vizio system. Please Note: in my house my living room is in the front of my house which is smaller my Vizio sound system is in the middle right next to the living room in a way bigger space. Therefore I came to my conclusion easily how can I take away a star from a sound system that sounds N EARLY PERFECT every time you turn it on without making any adjustments or settings? This is actually a reason to add a star for convenience because honestly who actually wants to have to adjust setting for every song, every movie, and every different thing they listen to on their system like I basically have to do with my Samsung sound system. This is actually a inconvenience not a plus. Let’s be clear buyers and reviewers please keep in mind this is only a sound bar. The reason why I know this is only a “sound bar” because it did not come with a receiver. This sound system works from you only connecting one speaker into your tv and all other speakers work simultaneously in unison with that speaker. Therefore comparing a sound bar to a system system with a receiver is like comparing a sound system to a Bluetooth speaker. Hence a sound bar and a Bluetooth are two things that are designed for CONVENIENCE!!! These two things were invented for people like me and you who do not feel like and refuse to buy another sound system that will force you to run speaker wire everywhere, have all type of extra speakers, hardware, box, etc versus simply just buying a sound bar with less hassle, less wire, and less bulk that will produce just as good sound or better sound then a full blown surround sound system with a reciever with 6 speakers. This Vizio sound bar is SO GOOD I almost forgot that it is ONLY a sound bar. Keep mind more sound bars only come with one speaker lol This sound bar is SO GOOD that is comes with the sound bar with satellite speakers and a subwoofer this is AWESOME!!! This is why this sound bar is so strong and can actually compete with other full surround system because it comes with a similar but better set up with less wires and aggravation from setting up. Not to mention this sound bar has built in Bluetooth which means I saved $30 Dollars because now I don’t have buy an adaptor to make it Bluetooth it is built in. To ask the question what do I if I have to adjust the setting well my answer to you is very simple you when listening to music I have never even had to, even thought about it, or deemed it necessary to have to adjust any settings when listening to music on this sound bar it literally comes out perfect everytime. However I have listen to movies and the bass has been to loud so on and so forth. So my answer to this is very simple if this ever does happen to you simple just grab you tv remote press menu, go to audio, and adjust the bass settings for the tv and it will transfer to the sound system same concept if you were listening to music on your phone too much bass simple just adjust the settings from that music player on your phone and it will transfer to you sound bar. I have research and have also heard for myself live and in person hoe good these speakers sound. I am telling you right now you WILL NOT find ANY SOUNDBAR that sound THIS GOOD with this MANY FEATURES and this kind of SOUND QUALITY, ANYWHERE. I only paid $200 Dollars for this sound bar system and to tell you the truth they shouldn’t of dropped the price because I would of paid $300 for it and it would of been worth every penny. For $200 dollars you won’t find a better sound bar guaranteed. I wouldn’t even waste my time looking any longer if I were looking at this product. In fact if this product is still only $200 I would hurry up and buy before the price goes back up to $300 that’s my advice. I would recommend this product to anyone looking for good sound quality. This product is outstanding
Curtis StClair –
Soundbar W/Surround
I am very happy with what I have.I have never owned a soundbar before and wasn’t quite sure where to start. Having a technology background I do know that it can be beneficial to stay with the same brand for multiple pieces of equipment. I have a Vizio 55″ 3D T.V., so I decided to compare Vizio soundbars. My decision was down to two models, this one and the VHT 510. I paid $176 out of pocket for this one compared to what would have been $65 out of pocket for the VHT 510.I will admit I was hesitant to buy this according to some of the reviews. I was worried about sound cutting out, delay in initial sound coming from pausing, etc. When I compared this to the 510 my biggest concern was that the model I was going to buy would not have the bugs fixed in the light issues (510). Spending the little extra to me was worth not worrying about faulty lights. A. So far I have only noticed the soundbar not having sound when I first turn the tv on. I have to hit the volume button to “wake up” the soundbar. I don’t think you should have to do this, but for me it isn’t that annoying. B. Same thing switching to a different input on the tv. For example, switching to my PS3, If it is not already on when I change inputs, the tv says it is waiting for an input signal. This sometimes causes the soundbar to go into a “sleep mode”, and once again I have to hit the volume button to wake up the soundbar. Still, not a major issue but at times if you are an impatient person it could be annoying. C. TV setup is great. Like I said, I paired it up with a Vizio TV, the tv remote controls the volume of the soundbar, but not the menu (changing inputs, speaker levels, etc.) I also have Directv which controls the soundbar as well. That was a nice surprise. I did turn my tv speakers off, but still see the volume levels change on the tv when using the Directv remote. For anyone else in the house who isn’t used to looking at the soundbars lights for volume levels, it can cause them to turn the soundbar up extremely loud. This is part of the lag when turning the TV on and hitting the volume button to wake up the soundbar. Even though sound isn’t coming out of it yet the soundbar receives the volume increase commands and raises the volume. When it does start playing the sound, it will play according to how much you increased/decreased the volume during its waking up process. D. Bluetooth – I paired it to my Galaxy Note II and it worked perfectly fine. I had no troubles switching inputs or pairing it to do this. E. Components – I was surprised to see that it came with the cables needed to hook it up immediately. It came with 1 optical, digital, aux cable. I only used the optical since I am using the TV to send sound from Directv and PS3 to the soundbar. Which this is where it helps to have a newer TV or one that is compatible with the soundbar. I set my audio output to PCM. I have had NO problems with sound at all for any of the devices that send Digital Output to the soundbar. F. Set up – I took my time taking things out of the box and saw what was to be attached where before I started setting it up. I also had to do some minor alterations to my room to put the subwoofer where I wanted it to go. In all it took about 30-45 minutes (took my time). Once the speakers were set where I wanted them I adjusted the sound output to each using the remote. REMINDER – it DOES have to be pointing directly at the soundbar or it has trouble receiving commands from the remote. G. I do have this in a “bedroom”, so the sound can get loud at times. I only have mine turned up to level 2 to 2.5 (two bright dots or two bright dots and a 3rd half bright dot) and this can be loud at times. When I turn it to level 3 (3 bright dots) it is almost too loud for the area it is in. When nobody else is home I can turn it up pretty loud, and to me that is when I get my $$$’s worth.Pros – Without prior experience with soundbars, to me it has great sound (don’t know what some people are complaining about in the reviews??). My size of TV it doesn’t block IR receiver. Pairs nicely with Vizio TV’s.Cons – For some, the lag when first turning TV on. For me, the sound increases too much at lower levels. It is hard to find that happy medium when turning the volume up. At level 2 for some shows the center is too low (even after adjusting settings), but at level 2.5 or 3 it is too loud. ** keep in mind that in a larger living room or larger bedroom this may not be an issue.Would I recommend this unit? YES!I have only had it for a short amount of time, but it has not given me any problems yet.*To the person who posted a bad review because they got a DOA. RETURN IT TO THE STORE!!! Why would you even send it back to Vizio if it is within the return guidelines from the store it was purchased at?UPDATE 8/9/2013After having this for a while now I am glad that my Vizio tv offers Dolby Digital and PCM. I have listened to both output methods to the soundbar and there seems to be a “dip” in the sound when watching tv while it is in Dolby Digital mode. I have not noticed this same “dip” while in PCM mode or while playing my PS3 on a different HDMI input. I have not found any forums anywhere that have mentioned this so I cannot add any more details on it.
Pew Heretic –
Best For Price Point
Very good “bang for buck” speaker system. Better than any home-theatre-in-a-box setup I’ve owned and it affords a little more flexibility. Main sound bar is very good with just a little weakness on the high trebles. The two rear satellite speakers are strong enough to give good surround sound and even drown out the main bar if you choose to do so. They’re strong in the mids, but I found them a bit weak in treble. The sub is adequate for anything I could ever want. I wish it was an 8″ but the little 6″ does it’s job very well and can rattle your seat. I’ve never over driven it and it can keep up with all the scy fi movies we watch. I didn’t like the placement of the sub at the rear (behind us) so I moved it up forward under and behind the screen. The sub just isn’t immersive enough to cloak itself no matter where you put it in the room but it wasn’t a bid deal to customize it. I had to wire the two rear speakers with very long, high quality speaker wire but that’s not a negative for this system, just something I had to tweak to get the best sound for me. Every room will have a different acoustic signature so you’ll have to find your own sweet spots.I was missing a power cord but I fortunately had an extra one laying around. The package also showed up in the original “store” box. It was beat half to death but nothing was damaged so I guess all’s well that ends well. It would probably have been wiser for the vendor to box it all up in a separate box with packing material. One annoying feature of the system is the power on/off. Like most circuit board “processor” controlled electronics, it has to do a short routine for power up and down. Don’t expect the unit to power on just because you pushed the ON button, or go off immediately when you push the OFF button. Mine takes at least seven seconds to power on and about as long to power off after the command is given. It’s a minor annoyance and I’m sure that I can tolerate a few extra seconds in the big scheme of things.My setup is in a 17′ x 20′ room with 10′ tall ceilings and only three walls. The fourth side leads to a very large open space that leads to the rest of the house and has a 24′ tall ceiling. Acoustics are good where the seating is located but it’s been noticed that the open area behind the system is VERY boomy and loud. Your acoustics will vary, of course, so you will have to tweak with everything to get yours customized. The fact that you CAN move things around and rewire and experiment is a positive. Having a system that has one option for location is never good. We mainly watch downloaded content and DVD movies through a quality HDMI cable using a good laptop. The system also has a DVD player attached so make sure you understand how to get true stereo sound when you’re routing through various equipment. Stereo isn’t guaranteed just because you have sound coming out of the system.Overall a good system, especially for the price point. It serves us well. Of course, when a speaker dies or, worse, when the sub dies the entire system will have to be replaced. I don’t like having all the interface controls routed through the sub but I didn’t pay for an expensive component system. The sound bar could be a nice stand alone unit for any TV but if the sub dies then the main sound bar will also stop functioning. Unless, of course, you get geeky and make it work. Time will tell how long it will last. The longer it lasts the better the price point and I’m hopeful the quality will remain good over the course of the system’s life.
Sumanth Krishna –
That needs space to actually sound like something but if does
Given the price and given that this is a sound bar and wireless sub, I did not expect these speakers to work so well.PROS:1. Setting up Bluetooth connection between and setting up a new Bluetooth device paired to this is a cake walk.2. The subs automatically connected to the sound bar without any problems.3. Sensibly lengthy cables for connecting all the connections required.4. The sub kicks a**. It is just absolutely gorgeous, how this baby drops it. Just make sure you give the sub some breathing space so the base just does not vibrate the couch or the bed right by it and gets absorbed. There is a small sub speakers on the side of the woofer. That needs space to actually sound like something but if does, it does the job better than anything else.5. The remote covers pretty much EVERYTHING you want. The “Night” mode on this is amazing. Just one button and the bass and sub drops down to a very tolerable and enjoyable level so that it does not annoy your neighbors or roommates.CONS:1. The number of cables they provide is SO confusing! I got one optical cable and a few more. I had, and still have no idea how to connect this speaker to my computer. Question on this follows in the end of the review.2. NO BUTTONS. This remote, more than anything else, gets lost a LOT. I kept losing it and had to hunt for this for so long because they do not have a power button in the sound bar.3. Mounting this on the wall is hard if you don’t know what you are doing and the screws they give you need to be screwed in patiently for the clamps to stay on the wall.4. Cables, again, is the biggest con for me. There are so many options, not too many cables.There is an aux cable, an AV component cable, an optical cable, and another one I don’t remember what. Does not seem to have the utility of all the features. It has following input options: 1. Aux 2. Aux 3. Digital 4. Optical 5. USB 6. BluetoothI got NO idea how to use anything but Aux right now. The aux cable is really weird and so is the digital cable. There is a chance that I might have lost one of these cables but if I did not, these options just seem pointless. Any help on this would be appreciated.5. Again, on the remote, if you drop it or lose the back cover, FIND IT. The batteries just keep popping out and you will end up losing the battery and, as I said, no buttons. So you might want to keep your remote safe.OVERALL:This is an AMAZING set. Works like an absolutely beauty. The sound quality and clarity is just top notch. I would recommend this for anyone who is looking for a nice stereo system that plays nice trapstep, dubstep, or anything ratchet at all, this is your pick. Amazing features, brilliant control on how you want these speakers to work, managing the center, bass, subwoofer, and the satellite speakers is easy and gives absolute control of where you want the audio to come out of.QUESTION:I have a computer with a 32″ Samsung LED TV. How do I plug this in the computer? My motherboard has a 5 pin receiver but this is not what I want because the sub is wireless, the satellites go into the sub. So, I have just two cables. The worst part, these two cables go into the speaker! So what goes inside the COMPUTER? I got frustrated and just started playing audio from my phone using Bluetooth.QUESTION 2:I had a stupid audio driver installed that kept trying to modify the settings which is making it harder for me to connect. So I tried connecting the speaker to the TV and play, but the TV gets confused because of the audio being sent to the TV from the CPU and the CPU is not able to transmit the audio output of the computer, feed it into the TV, send it from the TV into the speakers. This just confuses all my devices and it just stays silent. Annoying!QUESTION 3:Do you guys have any idea if these speakers work on 5.1 when I play on Bluetooth? Because it just feels like it is being randomly transmitted and the workload being distributed to the satellite speakers from the sound bar. Does not look like it actually is doing the job of a 5.1 speakers.At this point, I just feel like I am going to play a movie in my laptop, connect my laptop to the TV with my HDMI cable, connect the speakers to the TV with an AUX cable and then play! LOL
US Hondo –
Great Sound for the Money
I have a 55 inch Panasonic TV that needed a decent sound system. The TV hangs on a wall over a hutch and the room has few power jacks or places to hide wires.Here is my review:Packaging: Came in well packed box that was slightly off balance but the items within it were well protected. All of the items were easy to unpack and the Styrofoam holding the product in place was NOT the kind that falls apart easily. Everything was well marked and easy to determine what it was for.Setup: The Quick Start guide was easy to understand. The wiring had color coded connections. The guide points out to use ONLY ONE connection to the TV (RCA, fiber, etc.). Choose which one is right for you. The system includes connectors for all of these types of jacks. Also, there are two power cords. One is heavier and longer than the other. There is no indication of which one goes to the receiver vs. the subwoofer. I assumed the heavier and longer cord went to the Subwoofer. Plug it all in and since the Bluetooth is already setup, it fires right up. Remember, the satellite speakers connect by wire to the Subwoofer. The Subwoofer connects to the receiver by Bluetooth. You will need one 120v receptacle for the Subwoofer. I turned off my TV sound entirely. Most TV’s today have a capability to do this within their setup menu.Performance: Now there is no menu on screen to adjust the sound system. This is done by a LCD menu on the remote. You press “Menu” and you can adjust the output of the various speakers. Settings are for Center, Treble, Surround, Bass, Subwoofer. You can also adjust the balance of the rear surround speakers. The Center and Front speakers (which contain the Bass and Treble settings) are in one unit. This unit can be attached to the wall or can sit on a flat surface. In my case the sound bar sits on the hutch below the TV. Out of the box, the system does need some tuning. Remember, this is not a high or even medium sound system so forget trying to tune this using Bass crossover or anything you would find on a decent receiver. That said, I found a good sweet spot that I am quite happy with. The Subwoofer is surprisingly powerful and the THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) is very low. You can power this system all the way with little distortion. Sound is crisp and clear. There is a two second delay or so between the time you send sound from your TV to the sound system. This delay occurs when first turning on the TV and occurs after pausing streaming content from the internet or from a DVR.Ease of use: So far no problems. Been an idiot proof setup and very easy to use. The controller is simple and has a learning feature. That said, I programmed the remote commands into a universal RF remote which worked fine. Now as far as programming the remote menu into a universal remote (by a learning command on your universal) I have not found a way to do it. This is not a critical issue but I am curious how the remote communicates menu changes to the receiver. My universal remote doesn’t seem to pick up a signal. Again, no big deal but I will figure it out when I have some time.Summary: Sound system is packed well. Instructions are easy to read. Setup is easy. Use is easy. Sound is excellent for a low end system. Low THD and powerful subwoofer. Few advanced adjustments can be made to the system. Overall very pleased. Recommmended.
LFGM –
Great value, good sound
Nice 5.1 surround sound, everything sounds great and crisp. I was pleasantly surprised at how clear everything sounded, whether its blu-ray movies or my full day of NFL this afternoon. I’m not an audiophile, I was just looking for something not overly expensive while delivering quality sound. Volume levels seem wide, in that 3-4 taps of volume+ makes it really loud and vice versa. Remote is small sleek and displays your settings at the top of the remote, which is better than having to look across the room, but the display could be much brighter. Programmed my main remote to control the sound with no problems.I wall-mounted this and it fits nicely under my 50″ wall-mounted flatscreen TV. I installed the sub behind the couch, with the wired satellites on either side. Plenty of line for the satellites; you could always splice in more speaker wire if needed. Bluetooth connection was simple; before I even connected any of my components, I easily synced my phone to it and played some music just to test it. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being hardest) I’d rate the install at about a 5 for a few reasons:1. The power cable is about 3 feet long, which wasn’t going to make it through the holes (with grommets) behind the TV down to the cabinet in which my components and surge protector are stored. Its the only cable/power cord of all my components that was this short. Since its unsafe to have an extension cord connected inside a wall, I had to velcro tie the power cord behind the TV, and connect it to the extension cord that I ran up from the cabinet. To most this might not seem like a big deal, but I found it slightly irritating.2. The included digital optical audio cable was cheap, extraordinarily thin and broken. Luckily I had a few left over from my old system. However, the optical input faces down, which forces you to bend the cable up to connect it to the TV. If you want to keep the wire hidden, you’re bending it up at 180 degrees. Not good for an optical cable. Since the product was designed to fit under a TV and many people will be connecting it up to the TV, I don’t understand why it was designed this way. I’m sure there are also many who might be connecting this (down) to a receiver, so why not split the difference and have the outputs face to the side of the soundbar, so that in any scenario, the bend of your cables isn’t so extreme.3. If you’re wall mounting this, be prepared to do some precise measuring and leveling to ensure it looks centered and level with your TV. The included template is a nice preliminary guide, but you’ll need more than the template to know where to drill your mounting holes.Overall, its definitely a great value and the sound quality is above average to my not so demanding ears. There aren’t many (any?) soundbars out there for this price offering true 5.1 surround sound. Best Buy has this in stock in my area and listed at $299. Great deal here at Amazon!
Adam –
My first soundbar. Enjoyable so far.
I purchased this to replace an aging 5.1 home theater in a box/DVD player combo. I was hesitant to go with a sound bar as before the HTIAB, I was a component guy, but that route was more than I’m willing to spend anymore. After a lot of research, I settled on this unit from Amazon, and I’ve been very pleased with it.The sound itself is very good. Loud, clear and crisp, with no distortion. I honestly don’t have to turn it up very high as it does get pretty loud very fast and the sound quality is good, even at lower volumes. The sound bar houses the left, center and right channels and this is where the dialog and music come from. As near as I can tell, it does a good job of decoding the audio signal, and all of the sound is reproduced nicely. The rear speakers took a little bit to dial in, as the default setting was a bit high, so some of the ambiance that they’re supposed to produce cut through the mix a little too well at first. Now, they’re find and add the subtle hints that they’re supposed to. Bass response is quite nice. Again, deep response without getting distorted or overpowering. This decodes a number of digital signals, so you should get the most out of your DVD/Bluray experience.Setup was very easy and everything worked right out of the box. My cable remote even worked with it without performing any additional steps, but I can’t power it off; I can only adjust the volume.My only complaints: There’s no HDMI port, so this can’t sync with your TV to display the volume as you turn it up or down. This also means that if you have a system where everything connected via HDMI can power up at once… That won’t work.Also, The remote is pretty basic. Controlling the volume is easy enough, but setting up is a little weird. The LCD on the remote is tiny and it’s not lit, which makes it difficult to see which setting you’re trying to alter. Once you’re on the appropriate setting, the only way to tell what level it’s at is to look at the LEDs on the front of the sound bar. Every other receive I’ve had either displayed the levels on the TV or had their own display to monitor the settings.With that being said, I am a fan of the wired, phono and bluetooth options available in case you want to connect an external audio source. It’s nice to be able to send a wireless signal from my phone to the soundbar to play music. Very convenient.All in all, I’m pretty happy with this. The wireless subwoofer and rear speakers mean I can place them virtually anywhere, and it’s great to get rid of the mess of wires going around the room and behind the couch. I also like the auto sleep feature as the cable remote can’t turn the unit off. I really don’t like the remote that came with this, so once it got setup, I just put it away. After a while of not using it, it shuts down automatically and comes back on when I adjust the volume again.For the price, it’s hard to beat.