ZVOX AV257 TV Soundbar with AccuVoice 12 Levels of Sound Boost, Dialogue Clarifying Sound Bar with Patented Hearing Technology, Alphanumeric Display, TV Speaker

I purchased this brand after some study because unlike other brands with only an equalizer and sometimes a dialogue bias adjustment, ZVOX specializes in assisting hearing problems with powerful dedicated controls specifically for listening to speech. This product comes with an optical cable for easy setup on a smart TV and the remote is easy to see and large buttons easy to use if you need that extra benefit. This bar can be used with or without your other TV speakers. The 12 presets, particularly the six new Super settings, are great for correcting loss at the high end of the audio spectrum. I can use this particularly in the bedroom where the TV is on without hearing aids. I have the typical older persons' type ofdeficit with speech. I lose the sibilants and consonants that causes TV dialogue to sound like mumbling. It took me a little while to realize it wasn't my TV speakers going bad, but when I got my aids I realized what a correction they had made, so when I found the dialogue setting on my sound bars inadequate to do the same job, this Zvox looked to be perfect for the bedroom. It worked great. People who don't like these products may not actually be looking for something dedicated to its designed purpose, but for those of us who need restoration of sounds of the human voice and high up, I can say that the amplification with that bias is plenty strong to solve my issues in understanding speech in audio. It can be used alone or in conjunction with other sound sources, performs in stereo and even has a couple of surround sound settings. You have a dozen choices of aggressive high frequency equalization to help you without going too far. I live alone so I don't know what others in the room would think but my review is for you and not for them. It can be turned off without cutting off any other services that may be in use. I consider this an excellent value for my money and I even got a discounted near new example which I will gladly keep.

I real enjoy this sound bar and so does my wife. I have a moderate hearing loss. With the addition of a Bluetooth transmitter, I can listen to the TV with wireless noise cancelling headset and adjust the volume to my comfort while my wife can listen to the direct sound a her comfort level. The adjustments for Accuvoice are very helpful to hear dialogue and reduce ambient noise (background music, explosions, racing cars, etc.). The remote is simple to understand and use. It only controls the ZVOX sound bar which is not a problem (I have to use 2 remotes, one for the sound bar and one for TV and Cable box). There are no delays in the syncing of the TV with the ZVOX sound bar. I have noticed that noisy commercials are slight modified during live programming. Customer service is great. I actually talked to a live agent in the USA with almost no wait time. Their communication was clear, concise and not overly technical.Cons: NO BLUETOOTH Transmitter built-in. Also I've noticed a volume reduction when watching recorded programs. Lastly, the sound bar does NOT have an optical (Toslink) input or output for better quality of sound. Hopefully, ZVOX will come out with a sound bar with these added features. I'll be 1st in line to buy one.UPDATE:ZVOX Customer Service is GREAT!!! When you call you get a REAL LIVE PERSON almost immediately! Their Customer service Representatives are knowledgeable, courteous and communicate clearly. The response to my problems was beyond great. I would recommend this Product not only for the quality but the Customer Service. YOU CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THIS COMPANY!

I've had a couple different soundbars, but I have a hearing loss in the range of human voices, and when watching TV, I had difficulty understanding the dialogue when it was overwhelmed by the background noise and music. The ZVOX was very easy to set up, and it really makes a difference. Now I can hear and understand the dialogue without a problem. I like to watch Formula One racing, but before I couldn't understand the British accents of the commentators who were drowned out by the engine noise. Now I can easily hear and mostly understand them. I will admit that the overall sound is somewhat degraded and a little tinny, but it's worth it to hear the dialogue. The Surround Sound feature of this device is not really useful, since it doesn't work when the Accuvoice is turned on, and I do not need the Super Accuvoice feature, so I probably could have bought a less expensive model and been happy. I also wish they had included the simple instructions for having your TV remote learn the soundbar instead of requiring you to find the appropriate video on YouTube. But the end result is excellent for those of us with a slight hearing loss.

Loved the product until its untimely death. ZVOX speaker did not have the shelf life of a package of baloney at Walmart. Self help videos were worthless. Would have been happy at the time with a replacement product but none was offered. Settled for 80% of purchase price with Amazon - felt like reverse shop lifting! An exchange of emails with ZVOX Customer Service (oxymoron) was a waste of time. After sending requested info to ZVOX, there was absolutely no response - zero, zilch, NOTHING! In 15 years, I’ve never experienced anything like this with Amazon. I’ve never abused their return policy. However in the future, my Amazon purchases will be limited to low risk, low cost, low tech items, e.g. dental floss, doggie poop bags, etc. As for ZVOX, I’m done.

I researched lots of sound bars before I settled on this one. What I didn’t want was an elaborate multi piece sound bar with loud booming special effects. All I needed was a system to correct poor sound quality when so stream internet tv. Sound is especially bad streaming older black and white programs. This box is small,easy to set up, and the remote control is simple. The sound leveling is excellent. I used to have to grab the remote and lower the audio when a commercial came on or even when there was loud music in a movie or old tv show. Now the sound stays the same level and the vocals are perfectly clear.