ZVOX started the year announcing three new sound bars, 575HSD, 550HSD and 430HSD, all of which comes with analog, optical digital and coaxial digital inputs, and supports Dolby Digital decoding.

Two of the models, the 575HSD and 550HSD are Z-Base systems, and this means that the systems are strong enough to support flat panel TVs placed directly on top of them. Meanwhile, the 430HSD is a slim, wall-mountable system.

ZVOX used real wood cabinets for all three systems, incorporating powered subwoofers within the wooden chassis. It uses its acclaimed “PhaseCue” virtual surround sound system technology.

The systems carry a retail of USD749.99 for 575HSD, USD449.99 for 550HSD and USD449.99 for 430HSD. Finally ZVOX included digital inputs into its sound bars!

According to its founder, Tom Hannaher, many TV manufacturers introduced new models without traditional analog audio output jacks. The only way that sound can go from TV to the ZVOX sound bar is via digital connections, hence the decision to include digital inputs with these new models. ZVOX also strongly believes that users prefer to use the TV as the switching center, rather than using the sound system.

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ZVOX 575HSD IncediBase Low-Profile High-Performance Single-Cabinet Surround Sound System
and
ZVOX 550HSD Low-Profile Single-Cabinet Surround Sound System with Optical and Coaxial Digital Inputs
and
ZVOX 430 HSD Single-Cabinet Surround Sound System

The ZVOX 430 soundbar is a simple system which focuses more on sound quality than on design. This unit is perfect for flat screen TVs which measure between 32 and 42 inches. A unique part about this soundbar is the fact that it is enclosed in wood. This means that the sound quality is particularly impressive, but there are a few other factors which contribute to the final result.

Design
The system measures 30.4 inches in width, 5 inches in depth and 5.7 inches in height if you remove its feet. The total weight of the ZVOX 430 is 14 pounds, which is not much for such a large box. You can mount it on the wall if you want to, but most people opt for placing it on a stand, under the TV set. There is not much to say about this unit when it comes to design. The soundbar is covered by a simple see through black grille and the wooden elements are painted black. This is not the most attractive system around, but it gets the job done since it compensates in sound quality. The unit doesn’t even have a display, but you won’t feel the need for one either. Each push of the button will be acknowledged by a small LED light hidden behind the grille.

Setting up the ZVOX 430
Setting up the ZVOX 430 is one of the easiest jobs you can find. You just have to plug it in and connect a couple of cables to your TV and you will be good to go. The included remote control is easy to use and your job is finished as soon as you power the system on. You don’t have to deal with complicated sound settings and you don’t even have to look into the manual.

This unit comes with a built in amplifier which works at 60 watts and the system works at a frequency range of 45 Hz to 20 kHz. Three speaker drivers can be noticed behind the grille, each one measuring 3.25 inches. A 4 inch subwoofer is also present and it will offer remarkable sound for small to medium sized rooms. If you want to place the ZVOX 430 in a larger room, you can always add a more powerful subwoofer through the output jack. This simple addition makes the system useable in very large rooms.

You don’t have to worry about the placement of this soundbar since it is magnetically shielded and it won’t interfere with TV sets or other monitors.
There are only two mixed inputs available. This means that if you connect two devices at once, you will hear them both. This is not an ideal situation and you will have to choose between using only one input at a time and simply switching one device off. Dual RCA jack inputs are also available for those who need them.

Sound quality
Without having to focus on design and video features, you can be sure that the ZVOX 430 is all about sound quality. After you first turn it on, you will be surprised to see how sound can fill your entire room. No matter where you decide to sit, the audio quality will always be the same: intense and extremely clear. Turning up the volume to maximum will not go smoothly, but this can be solved by adding an optional subwoofer.
Watching movies will be a new experience since explosions and gunshots will be happening all around you and listening to music will certainly please your expectations. There is not much surround sound present, but the system wasn’t built for that.

Pros and cons

A good feature of the ZVOX 430 is the auto power on and off circuit. If you turn on a source, the system will automatically start. When the signal stops, the soundbar will wait for three minutes before shutting down. The sound quality is excellent and you will notice a huge difference between the sound coming from your TV and the one coming from the ZVOX 430.

Unfortunately, this system doesn’t come with many features and it might not fit the needs of most people who are looking for a soundbar.

Conclusion
At $400, there are a few soundbars which can compete with the ZVOX 430. However, if you are looking for clear and powerful sound, this is the soundbar which can offer them both. You won’t get anything else, but you can be sure that high quality sound will fill your room.

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The IncrediBase 575 is a somewhat large soundbar which can be placed directly under your TV. This is a powerful unit which can fill even the largest room with surround sound of high clarity. This is the perfect system for those who are looking for powerful sound, but you shouldn’t expect a whole lot of extra features for the price of $700. One of the best parts about the IncrediBase 575 is the powerful bass. With most soundbars, buying a subwoofer is mandatory if you want to enjoy the full experience. With the IncrediBase 575, you won’t feel the need of a separate subwoofer because the system packs a powerful punch.

Design
The design of this audio system is as simple as it gets. The IncrediBase is a rectangular box which you will most likely place directly under your flat screen TV. The unit is covered by a black metal grille and it doesn’t draw attention to itself. If someone doesn’t know that you own a soundbar, he or she might mistake it for a TV stand. You shouldn’t worry about the fragility of this system because it can support up to 140 pounds, which is more than enough, no matter how large your TV is.
Some people consider the design of the IncrediBase 575 a problem. If you have a wall mounted TV, you will probably have a hard time finding the perfect place for the soundbar. You also have to make sure that your flat screen TV isn’t already placed too high. At a weight of 45 pounds, the IncrediBase 575 is 5 inch tall and this will affect the viewing angle. The unit is 36 inches wide and 16.5 inches deep. This means that many TV stands will be too small and they won’t be able to accommodate your new soundbar. Because of this, you should always take some measurements before you decide to buy it.

Besides the grille on the front panel, there is not much to look at. You will notice a blue LED which will light up when you press almost any button on your remote. You will eventually get used to the lack of a display panel, but not having one is obviously a disadvantage.
You will receive a remote control with the system, but it isn’t the best one in the world. You would expect a simple layout considering the fact that it only comes with 11 buttons, but this is not the case here. All of the buttons are similar in size and differencing one from the other is quite difficult. The remote control is larger than it should be and the power button is placed in between two identical buttons, instead of the classical top right or left side of the remote. The lack of a backlight only makes things worse.

Setting up the IncrediBase 575
Behind the front grille, you will notice five drivers which measure 3.25 inches each and two subwoofers which measure 6.5 inches each. Adding a subwoofer is not necessary, but it can be done through the subwoofer output jack. The total power of the amplifier is 133 watts.

The IncrediBase 575 soundbar comes with two sets of analog stereo RCA inputs and you will receive a stereo analog audio cable with the package. Considering the $700 price tag, you would expect far better connections such as HDMI. The main problem with the connection is that the inputs are mixed. This means that if you plan on connecting two sources at once, you will hear them both at the same time. As a result, you will always have to disconnect cables when switching between sources.

If you connect a source to the system, it will automatically power on, which will prove to be a great feature in the long run. When you turn your TV off, the soundbar will wait for around 3 minutes and enter into idle mode, which will save some energy.

Sound quality
When it comes to sound quality, the IncrediBase 575 performs excellent in certain departments. You won’t complain about the power offered by this soundbar and the woofers are better than what you get from similar units. The fact that you don’t have to add an extra subwoofer is certainly a plus. This unit performs great no matter how large your room is and you will never feel the need to crank up the volume to maximum.

Surround sound is present, but you shouldn’t expect an excellent performance. PhaseCue and Infinite Compliance are responsible for the soundfield created by this soundbar. If you want to get better surround sound from the system, you just have to adjust the PhaseCue and take a look at the result. After you play around with the settings for a couple of minutes, you will have nothing to complain about. The system is great with CDs for listening to music and it will deliver clear dialog and unbelievable explosions when watching movies. Action flicks are particularly attractive since you will be able to hear and feel every explosion or gunshot.

Pros and cons
This is the soundbar you need to buy if you have a large room. The system is very powerful compared to most units on the market and one of the best parts is that you will hear strong bass sounds.

On the downside, the IncrediBase 575 doesn’t come with a whole lot of inputs and outputs. If you are looking for HDMI, you need to find some other system. The remote is large, it comes with only a few buttons and it doesn’t even have a backlight. Some people will also feel the need of some type of display and others will crave for Dolby digital decoding.

Conclusion

In the end, the IncrediBase 575 is perfect if what you are looking for is power. The system doesn’t come with a lot of features, but it can offer sound clarity in most cases and it will fill a large room with powerful sound.

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At first glance, the Z-base 525 looks like your average speaker which can be placed directly under your TV and double as a small podium. If you take a closer look, you will see that this is not an average soundbar. At just $350 to $399, this system can offer you the sound you would normally get from a 5.1 channel system and it also comes with a few sound enhancing features. You shouldn’t expect excellent surround sound performance, but the system is certainly far better than the built in speakers of your TV.

Design
Like the Z-base 575, this system was not created for its design. It is a simple black rectangular box which can be placed under most TV sets. The front panel is covered by a black metal grille which is as simple as the rest of the soundbar. If you are tired of large audio systems which only draw attention to themselves, you should take a look at the Z-base 525. It will blend perfectly under your TV and it will do the job it’s supposed to: offer you high quality sound without any extra wires and without taking too much space.

You need to start measuring your TV if you plan on buying the Z-base 525 and use it as a stand. Keep in mind that the maximum weight which can be placed on top of this soundbar is 90 pounds and that your TV set will be lifted 3.5 inches after you add this unit under it. The bottom side of your TV shouldn’t be more than 23 inches wide and 11 inches deep. A wall mounted TV usually looks impressive in any room, but if you decide to get the Z-base 525, you won’t be able to place it on your wall like you would with other soundbar models. If your TV set is already wall mounted, you have to find some type of shelf for the Z-base 525.
A remote control is included in the package and it is as simple as the rest of the system. There are a total of 11 buttons, but the layout is not ideal. You will have to use it for a while until you memorize each button because it doesn’t have a backlight.

Setting up the Z-base 525
This soundbar is 24 inches wide and 12.5 inches deep, which makes it perfect for flat screen TVs which are not bigger than 32 inches. If you own a large plasma screen, it will probably weigh more than the maximum 90 pounds supported by the Z-base 525 and you won’t be able to use it as a stand. Suction cups are located on the button of the soundbar, which is the perfect addition for extra stability. At 60 watts of power, even if you turn the volume up to maximum, you don’t have to worry about vibrations.

You can adjust the audio levels, but you won’t be able to see what you are doing because the Z-base 525 doesn’t have a display. This means that the only indicator that the remote control is actually working is a flashing light. If this light stops flashing, you have reached the maximum or minimum volume level. A blue light will appear when the soundbar is turned on and a green light will appear when the system is preparing to go into idle mode.
Only two analog stereo RCA inputs are present on the back of the soundbar, but this might be enough for most people. You will receive a 6 foot RCA cable in the package which means that you just have to connect a couple a wires and you can start using this soundbar.

Sound quality
The soundstage offered b the Z-base 525 will get large enough for medium sized room, especially after you turn up the Phase Cue control. You won’t notice an unbelievable surround sound effect, but you will get a nice illusion of surround. If you are not used to the quality offered by 5.1 channel systems, you will certainly be impressed.

One of the problems with this soundbar appears when trying to understand the dialog. If you want a wider soundstage, you will have to increase the Phase Cue. After you do this, the dialog will become harder to hear, especially in action movies.
Many people expect problems from the lack of a subwoofer, but this is not the case here. The Z-base 525 works great with bass sounds and adding a subwoofer is only recommended if you have a very large room. You can always tweak the treble and subwoofer levels until you find the perfect balance.

Pros and Cons
The Z-base 525 is an attractive system mainly because it can be personalized to fit your needs. You can always improve the sound quality by adjusting the treble and bass and you will like the result especially if you place the system in a small or medium sized room.
If you have a larger room, this system is not necessarily the one for you. You will have to crank up the volume when watching movies and the only way to really enjoy the experience is by adding a subwoofer or by spending some extra money and buying the Z-base 575.

Conclusion
The Z-base 525 is a soundbar which can be used in small and medium sized rooms without adding an optional subwoofer. The best experience comes from listening music, but watching movies is also great since the system offers a wide soundstage. The surround sound capabilities of this soundbar won’t amaze you, but you will certainly like the sound quality offered by the Z-base 525.

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