2.1 Soundbar w 6.50" Wireless subwoofer and MAXBASS chip by Sound Appeal

I was searching for a solution to help my parents enter the 21st century in terms of their home sound system. After a lot of research, I went ahead and purchased this model from Amazon. The most important features I was looking for was an easy to use system with bluetooth connectivity, plenty of inputs for all the wired components, FM radio and a decent sound. The system was easy to set up, although the directions were a bit vauge - we still figured it out. The remote is super simple with dedicated buttons indicating the interface you wish to select, and of course my mother is still trying to figure out how I "magically" got music to play from her iPhone to the soundbar with no "cables"..For the price, this was a great buy. I had to ding it one star though because I consider the sound to be only "good". The sub is underpowered and while the speaker has good midrange performance, it really can't produce accurate highs or lows. While it's not suitable for an audiophile, it's probably about the best soundbar out there with FM radio and I think my parents are very pleased with the sound. If you don't need FM radio, there might be some better alternatives for you.

I had high hopes for this sound bar. It looks good, and it sounds great. So whats the big drawback? It only sounds good when it decides to work. The only thing that seemed to work ok with this unit was the sync between the subwoofer and the soundbar.The remote works about 30% of the time, and only within a range of about 6 ft. So that's absolutely perfect if you can only sync your use of it up to that 30% and within 6ft of the soundbar. But that's ok, that's what controls on the soundbar itself are for right? Right. Until the soundbar randomly decided it too was joining its remote counterparts revolution against usable technology. In the middle of a movie the sound cuts out, but continues on the TV. But that's ok, I'll just turn it off and on again with the remove, oh wait the remote doesn't work. I guess I'll have to get up and do it. Oh, the controls on the soundbar itself also don't work. Terrific, I'm resorting to unplugging my soundbar and plugging it back in.I now have to buy a second soundbar, I knew i should have just opened my wallet up another $200 and bought a Klipsch. I won't make the SOUND APPEAL mistake again.

I got this soundbar rather than the 8.0" one because the larger one would have blocked the IR between TV and remote. I bought it based on the positive, albeit limited reviews. It came packaged very well; a box within a box. It doesn't come with a digital optical cable, so I had to go out and buy one. After hooking it up, it worked fine. Pairing the subwoofer with the soundbar was very easy. Very simply laid out in the instructions. The remote is straightforward and easy to use. The FM radio setting is an added bonus. My only complaint is that even with a sub, the bass seems very, very light. This package won't impress anyone that is looking for chest thumping surround sound, but that isn't why I bought it. I wanted a richer, deeper sound than the TV speakers provided, and I wanted a simple, attractive package. Mission accomplished! I deducted a star because of the lightweight bass sounds. I expected a little more Oomph from a subwoofer.Update #2 1.22/2016I have to update my review yet again. After receiving a new unit last year because of the random noise issues described above, I've decided that this unit is a complete waste of money and if possible, I would give zero stars. The noise issue was even worse with the new unit I received. Every time the unit was used, our family would hold our breath hoping that the loud noises would not occur. Tonight was the last straw. The noise, while previously low pitched and sounding like a train wreck in our living room, changed into a high pitched sound that I would equate to a smoke alarm multiplied by five. My dog went running for the back room, and my wife, who has been suggesting I throw this unit into the trash, actually demanded that I do so. Happy wife, happy life...This sound bar is inferior and a total piece of garbage, and that is where it is headed. I bought this based on the limited number of positive reviews. Never again. I'm going with Consumer Reports best buys. Sorry Sound Appeal, but you guys need to go back to the drawing board.Update 1/4/2015:I've had the sound bar for around 10 months now and I've had some issues with it. The sound is still quite good, but there are times when the sound cuts out, such as when I change a channel, or when I first turn on the TV. The only way I've found to reinstate the sound is to switch briefly from the optical setting to one of the other settings, such as FM or Aux and then switch back to optical. Sometimes, I can't get any sound and have to turn off the unit from the switch on the back of the bar. This occurs randomly and I never know if I'm going to have sound or not. Another problem is that sometimes when I first turn the TV on a very loud unpleasant sound comes from the sound bar speakers and I have to immediately turn the unit off, then wait around 30 seconds and turn it back on. It truly sounds as if the sound bar is about to blow up. These problems have been happening since I first got it, so it's not a wear and tear issue. For these reasons, I have to deduct another star and really can't recommend the soundbar. The old adage is true; you really do get what you pay for.

I like this system, and maybe this is par for the course for all of them, but I think the bass is too heavy. I wish it had an equalizer. So I either don't use it for routine TV or I cut down the bass setting on the TV. And in fact I don't even use the subwoofer, that adds way too much thunderous bass for my taste. Even the soundbar alone, set to 2.0 instead of 2.1, is too much bass for me. But if you like heavy bass, it's for you. The high notes and midrange are good also. I returned a similar Samsung system to Costco after comparing to this. This produced much more volume and crisper highs.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this sound bar for a while now. It was simple to put together, just 3 wires and done. My wife was impressed with how quickly I was able to do it. I tried to make it seem more complicated that it was. She didn't buy that story. We do enjoy the sound for our TV programs and movies. Wow the bass was great. An explosion in a scene was very real. If I can think of one draw back. It would be that I could not get the remote to be controlled by my cable universal remote and no preset stations for the FM radio. Besides that It looks and sounds great and we are happy we found this sound bar. Big bright easy to read display for us old people. We did consider a larger sub model they offer yet since it was for a small room, the selling company said this would be more than adequate. We appreciated the honesty and not trying to sell us more than we need. As I said we are happy.