![]() Being made of wood is one of its least interesting qualities.New Private Label Supplements Coming in 2021Īs we move into 2021 we are excited to continue to serve you and help you build your supplement business. Its performance belies its size, as it is capable of excellent clarity and a deceptively deep bass. It also has a selection of onboard controls if you can't find the remote.įeatures and construction aside, the AV357's main attraction is its audio performance: It's one of the clearest, most dynamic soundbars you'll find in a small enclosure. The more expensive SB500 and SB700 also include AccuVoice in addition to Bluetooth, and the SB500 is much larger (making it worth the extra $80). But if you really need AccuVoice, there are cheaper Zvox soundbars that also include it, including the $100 AV100. The Zvox AV357's six levels of voice control are something no other soundbar company can offer. Zvox isn't the only company making dialogue-improving soundbars: Polk, Samsung and Vizio all offer models with voice enhancement, though they offer little in the way of custom configuration. It may not be able to pump out bass, but if you don't use the volume leveling feature, the AV357 handles dynamic shifts well - like the quiet jungle sounds of Pandora broken by gunfire. What I didn't expect was the Zvox's dynamics. Meanwhile, the Zvox came off a little thin clear, but thin. During Avatar's thanator chase scene, the thump of the Vizio's wireless sub enhanced the drama. Also, at AccuVoice's highest levels the brighter sound could be uncomfortable for family members who don't need much assistance with hearing voices.Īs you'd expect, the Vizio ran rings around the Zvox for home theater excitement. Depending on the mode, you may find that midrange heavy sounds become unnatural (e.g., Supermode 2 and 3 accentuated turning bedsheets in John Wick), making them sound like they'd been sitting out in the frost overnight. The AV357 offers so many tailored options that it encourages tweaking, but those can be taken too far. The AV357 offered enhanced detail, reminding me of audiophile-grade loudspeakers, and it was especially capable of deciphering gritty British cop shows like Line of Duty. It's a cliche, but I really did check to see if the Vizio V21 was on as the bass seemed too deep, too tuneful to be from the Zvox's small enclosure.Īs you'd expect, given the company's main pitch, the Zvox was better with voices than the Vizio V21 (our current budget favorite). With further music listening I found Foals' What Went Down was especially enjoyable. Even Alt-J's notoriously speaker-destroying 3WW didn't overload the cabinet with its deep bass bed - at least, not after pulling back the bass control previously. While I did notice subtle fading effects on the sparse spoken-word interlude of Fucked Up's Year of the Horse Act 1, I only heard it once during my week with the speaker. Luckily, this was less of an issue with the AV357. Bass-heavy music could pulse in and out to the beat, for example. Of course, this means a lot of behind-the-scenes signal processing, and I found this could lead to some weird behavior. In my previous experiences with Zvox soundbars, one of the company's consistent strengths - in addition to great dialogue - has been the amount of bass the brand can squeeze out of a compact cabinet. ![]() Finally, when set in SD 3 (Surround 3) mode, the soundbar was capable of a wide enough soundstage and bass for music. Additionally, AccuVoice settings 2 and above were loud and too forward and bright - not good for music. For instance, I needed to reduce "Lo" by 2, or bass drums sounded loose and floppy. ![]() It wasn't quite ready to go out of the box - probably due to it using an analog TV source instead of digital. When setting up the AV357, I needed to tweak the sound to get it exactly how I wanted. I actually prefer the unique, brushed look of Zvox's aluminum soundbars to the AV357's somewhat pedestrian black ash. But could I tell the soundbar was wood and not aluminum by looking at it? Not really. The increased physical volume most likely contributes to the bass weight that I heard. While I haven't heard the AV257, the other main differences are the AV357 is much wider and it features wood construction. Personally, I prefer the features of the AV257 to the AV357 as it offers both the extra optical-analog input and has controls on the unit. ![]() If you want more bass oomph, there is a combined headphone and subwoofer output. The soundbar is powered by a 24-watt Class D digital amplifier - just like the AV257 - and a complement of 3-inch, full-range speakers. ![]()
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