Sound quality: ZVOX's Accuvoice AV203 TV Speaker delivers sound quality that falls in the Fair range, meaning that it has sonic shortcomings that leave a lot to be desired when listening to music but don't rule it out for dialog. In the Surround 2 mode bass has good impact but is slightly boomy, and the deepest bass is lacking. The midrange is hazy, somewhat grainy and "boxy" sounding, and a bit nasal and echoey. The treble is extended, but is soft and slightly prominent. This model doesn't do a good job of recovering the actual room ambience of recordings (the sense of the acoustic space in which the music was recorded), and sounds somewhat congested. The Surround 1 mode has a more pronounced and rougher midrange and a more constricted sound than the Surround 2 mode. The Surround 3 mode sounds very similar to the Surround 2 mode but the midrange is a hint smoother and there is a touch more of the echo effect. The Accuvoice feature makes the midrange prominent, harsh, and shrill; the higher the level the louder, harsher, and shriller it gets. There was no significant difference in sound quality between optical and analog inputs. The system can provide satisfying volume in a medium sized room.
TV setup and ease of use: Very Good overall. Setup: Programming to respond to a TV remote was quick, easy, and straight forward, but you'll need to refer to the instructions. The programming instructions are provided on-line but not with the soundbar; instructions that come with the soundbar refer to the on-line instructions. All appropriate cables for TV connection are included. Ease of Use: This model can be programmed to respond the volume and mute buttons of your TV remote so it will work seamlessly with your TV. If you decide to use the soundbar's remote instead you'll find it's easy to use with uncluttered, well labeled controls. The soundbar console has power, source, and volume controls; it lacks a mute control but if muted with a remote it can be unmuted using the volume buttons. The controls are very hard to see from arms length due to poor contrast and are on the right side where they may not be easy to see or access. The console display lacks a persistent power indicator. Source, numeric volume, mute, and DSP mode indicators are visible from across the room, but are momentary and only the DSP mode display can be recalled without changing its status.
Features setup and ease of use: Good overall. Setup: Setup consists of plugging an alternate audio device into the input that is not being used by the TV. Ease of Use: The soundbar's remote is uncluttered and controls are well labeled. The soundbar console has power, source, and volume controls; it lacks a mute control but if muted with the remote it can be unmuted using the volume buttons. The controls are very hard to see from arms length due to poor contrast and are on the right side where they may not be easy to see or access. The console display lacks a persistent power indicator. Source, numeric volume, mute, and DSP mode indicators are visible from across the room, but are momentary and only the DSP mode display can be recalled without changing its status.
