JVC has come up with a 4.1 channel home theater system with 4 speaker sound bar and wireless subwoofer unit, giving it a model number of TH-BA1. This midrange soundbar is easy to set up and can be easily paired to the modern flatscreen tv and monitors.

Design

JVC has the reputation of being built for quality, however the designs do require some improvements. The construction of this system is solid with no mismatched plastic panels or molding issues. It has a plastic housing with a metal mesh front, while the subwoofer is a wooden cabined with a fabric cover. Overall, the weight may not be favorable for users who intend to wall-mount this system. It also does not carry the current trend for sleek and slim designs.

There are lots of indicator lights on the sound bar to indicate different controls. Indicators are available for power on/off, input, surround mode, and a two digit display that shows volume levels and other information such as showing SR1 when the Surround 1 mode is on.

Overall, there are four 4cm cone, full range speakers that derives 30W output each for frequency range of 84 Hz to 22 kHz in the main unit speakers. There is an analog (RCA) input port and two optical digital inputs. It measures some 35.4” x 4.9” x 3.4” and weighs 7.8lbs.

The subwoofer speaker is a 16cm cone with 100W output for frequency range of 45 Hz to 5 kHz. The subwoofer measures 9.5” x 13.8” x 10” and weight is 11 lbs.

Setting up the JVC TH-BA1

Setting up a sound bar is always easy. There is an AC adapter for the center speaker unit, and the sound bar plugs directly into the wall. However, analog audio cable is not included in purchase. The system can also be wall mounted, but mounting hardware is not within the purchase.

The manual provides a good guide and users will find it easy to navigate through with good explanations. A single cable connects the sound bar to a source, whether it be a DVD player or a Blu-Ray player, or to the tv via each systems’ two digital optical inputs and one analog input.

The settings can be change using the buttons on the front panel of the sound bar, or alternatively with the remote control. There is a master volume control to sync the center, surround and subwoofer volume. Users may also modify these different channels independently. There is also a fade or mute button that would lower the volume, especially useful when there is a phone call.

There are also two buttons on the remote control, one to adjust the brightness of the lights on the soundbar’s front panel, and another to toggle the Dynamic Range Compression (DRC) feature that enables clearer sound quality at low volumes for Dolby Digital and DTS sources.

The wireless subwoofer, meanwhile, gives users the freedom of placement and secondly helps boost the quality of sounds.

Sound Quality

JVC TH-BA1 supports Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Pro Logic II Decoders. There are two surround modes, Surround 1 and Surround 2. According to the manual, the Surround 1 option is more suited for reproduction of multi-channel sources while Surround 2 is better for stereo music sources. Users may also, alternatively, turn off the surround sound option totally.

The surround sound effect is very subtle and natural sounding, unlike many systems that creates a fake effect instead. Overall, the audio quality is consistent with JVC’s quality image, and the system is able to handle the different types of audio well and outperformed the built-in TV speakers. The quality remained consistent at various volume levels, and there is no sign of distortion even as the volume is increased to an uncomfortable level that would very often cause hissing sounds or sound breaks to other systems.

Pros and Cons

Setting up the system is easy although users may need to buy an analog audio cable since it is not included with purchase. The sound bar quality is above average and the wireless subwoofer gives freedom of placement without the hassles of wiring and cabling. The build was good, but design a little outdated.

Conclusion

Users may find this JVC TH-BA1 system a good buy for the price it demands, yet delivering above average sound experience. Although it is true that no sound bar is able to replace true surround sound experience, this system will still give much satisfaction to the average user for what it can deliver.

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The year ended with an applause specially for JVC’s innovation: a pair of super slim and sexy new home cinema speaker systems, codenamed TH-BA3 and TH-BS7.

The duo, introduced to the world by JVC just ten days before Christmas, broke two innovation records. The first model, TH-BA3, is the world’s first dual wireless soundbar system that features a wireless subwoofer and wireless surround speakers. The second, TH-BS7, is a super-slim soundbar that can be mounted on the wall. It measures only 1.4” in height.

TH-BA3

The TH-BA3 is a 280-watt, 5.1 channel surround sound system that includes a sound bar, wireless subwoofer and wireless rear speaker kit. Everything is wireless, including the left and right surround speakers and receiver. The sound bar contains four speakers – one each for the left and the right and two for the center channel.  It also includes a built-in power amplifier, surround decoding, system controls and the transmitter for the wireless surround speakers.

Decoders include Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Pro Logic II.

TH-BS7

Meanwhile, the TH-BS7 that is convincingly the champion of the “Biggest Loser” is designed with the slimmest of flat panel HDTVs in mind. The soundbar measures just 1.4” tall (36mm) and includes an even slimmer wall-mountable amplifier/control unit and a wireless subwoofer. It operates on just 180-watt, is a 4.1 channel system and its slim design is possible with JVC’s own Direct Drive speaker technology that uses a unique voice coil design and strong neodymium magnets to deliver outstanding sound quality and a broad soundfield.  This technology allows the soundbar to boast a frequency range of 200 – 20,000 Hz that falls to just 200-10,000 Hz at 360 degrees off-axis.  There are four JVC Direct Drive speakers within this system, carefully determined as the left and right main channels and the left and right surround channels.  The two surround channels are able to provide a surround sound effect without the need for rear speakers, thanks to JVC’s Front Surround technology.

The amplifiers are only 1.2” deep and can be wall mounted. It decodes Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Pro Logic II.

Both systems will go on sale this month, priced at $549.95 for the JVC TH-BA3 and $599.95 for the JVC TH-BS7.