Zvox 425 user reviews

4.5 stars

"Wow! What sound from a single speaker bar!" on January 23, 2009 by zakgold

Pros: Well built. Zero sacrifice to quality. Fantastic sound in lieu of all of the 5.1 speakers and wiring. Takes 30 seconds to install. "Wows" my family and friends when they come over and watch television. They ask, "Where are the other speakers?"

Cons: Tiny remote control that I had to "velcro" to my main remote since my Samsung 46A6550 does NOT have a variable sound output.

Summary: First, I knew that a "soundbar" would NOT truly reproduce a true 5.1 surround sound as one with 5 speakers, so I kept my expectations low, but the Zvox 425 sure does come close. From its highs to its lows and the PhaseCue feature, I am VERY pleased!

I am like many users that researched and researched before I bought the Zvox 425. I didn't care what it looked like, I just wanted an excellent sound response and the Zvox 425 sure does deliever! I wanted to mount it either above or below my television, so I figured that I might as well purchase the mount and do it right. I mounted the 425 (with their bracket which is a bit pricey) on my wall an half inch above my television screen.

Keep in mind, like most people, my living room was not designed for surround sound. I have tile floor and there was no way I was going to mess with exposed wires running to remote speakers behind my sofa. I also checked into wireless surround sound and I was not impressed. Also, unless I ripped apart all of my drywall and headers to install a true 5.1 system, I couldn't nor did I want to go through all of this hassle nor the expense. After buying a new 46" TV, I wanted the sound to compliment the beautiful HD picture. The Zvox 425 was perfect for my needs.

What caught my attention about this company is that their founders had ties to both EPI and Advent. Well guess what? During my college years, I owned both EPI and Advent speakers and to this day, there were some of the best built and best sounding speakers I have ever owned. Believe me, I put these speakers through "hell" as they powered many college parties. Anyways, I fugured these guys must know what they are doing so chalk one up for their experience and background.

I, too, was concerned about the simple analog inputs (no digital inputs) but after talking with many other people, I was convinced that today's TV's do a great job of decoding the sound before it sends it out to the TV's analog outputs.

With that, I tested two movies: Starwars 3 in HD and Wall-E in Blue-Ray. Both of these movies "sold me" that buying the Zvox 425 was the right decision. The key is the PhaseCue feature you can adjust with their soundbar. With movies, I like to set it at the 7th or 8th level (out of 10) and when I watch news or sports, I drop it down to 2 or 3.

This is what makes this sound soooo cool and yes, I love it when family and friends ask, "Where are the other speakers?" and when I tell them it all comes from that one "box", they are surpirsed.

As for music, I love listening to my DirectTV XM stations and I find myself not even turning on the main stereo unit (unless I want to relive my college days) simply because the 425 does a nice job.

As for an cons, well...the small remote can be easily lost and since my new Samsung 46" does NOT have variable output, I had to velcro it to the back of my main remote because the sofa and recliner ended up "eating it" too many times.

Also, you have no idea where the sound setting is at (i.e., like a stereo receiver) when you simply turn it out. If the blue light on the Zvox unit stops flashing, you know if you reached the top or the minimum of your sound controls (subwoofer, treble, PhaseCue and Volume).

Other than that, this is a great product with great "surround" sound! Instead of all of the speakers and wiring, this is the next best thing!