Customer Reviews

ZVOX 325 High-Performance Single-Cabinet Surround Sound System

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

The 30-day trial period is much toooooo long. We knew within 5 minutes after installing the ZVox 35 that this was exactly what we have been searching for the past 2 or 3 years. Very reasonable price; EASY control; small footprint; FABULOUS, concert-hall quality sound! We actually discovered that not all of the anchors MUMBLE - we just thought they did, due to the poor quality speakers in our big screen TV. I am a trained musician and have lamented the quality of TV sound - NO MORE. I highly recommend this unit to anyone looking for great sound without all the messy speaker wires, extremely high cost, and additional speakers. This one works!

This is by far the best sounding, easiest to set up all in one theater system I have owned or heard, bar none. I have owned many 5.1 systems, and also two different soundbar systems (the highly rated Sony HT CT-100 being one of them), and the zvox 325 is the best bang for the buck.

Crystal Clear vocals, smooth bass, and the phase cue option is great for action movies (Wanted and Matrix Blu-ray sounded amazing, although music sounds much better with the phase cue turned almost all the way off.)

While the CT-100 worked great in my bedroom, vocals were still a problem, and the bass was way too punchy even at lower levels. Since I had just ditched and sold all my 5.1 equipment (yamaha 1000 watt receiver, boston acoustics bookshelves, and some older bose fronts) the last thing I wanted to do was run wires all over my condo, as well as have my fiance complain about space issues and how confusing it was for her to just watch tv through the internal speakers. I also did not want to drop thousands of dollars on other sound bar systems just because they had digital audio and hdmi switching capabilities.
My hdtv has 4 hdmi inputs, which is more than enough for me. I have my blu ray, wii, and hd cable all run through hdmi into the tv (except for wii, component), and the analog audio out to the zvox 325. I still do not buy the digital audio is always better bs, as this sounds 10x clearer than my ct-100, and can go twice as loud through a stereo mini jack! No, it is not true 5.1, but during movies I can hear background effects side to side, and most importantly, I can actually HEAR the dialogue. If there is one con, its the flimsy remote, but I can deal with it. I think zvox now has a customer for life, and for $299, I dare you to do better.

If I could give this speaker 4.5 stars I would. It is a very well made piece of equipment and absolutely simple to set up and use. Music sounds really good through this. You would be challenged to spend $300 for a receiver and speakers that sound as good. It is a major upgrade over built in TV speakers. It has solid bass that you will even hear at low levels. Voices are very clear and natural sounding. You definitely get a widened soundstage with this speaker and you would think that you are listening to 3 speakers (left, right and center).

As for surround sound effects, you may be a bit disappointed. My tv is in a corner which I am sure does not help. You aren't going to be fooled into thinking there are speakers behind you. I would think you may get slightly better results in a room with 4 walls and your tv in the middle of a "narrow" wall. Let's face it, it can be difficult to have a seamless surround sound setup in many rooms. This is a great alternative. I really don't think you could get more bang for your buck than the ZVOX 325. If you eventually upgrade to a real surround sound system, you will be keeping this to add to a second tv rather than selling it on EBay. If you have a learning universal remote, you can program it to control the volume as opposed to the TV's volume control.

I have a new 42-inch TV with Clear Voice technology and a variety of audio modes which can be set to Music, Sports, etc. It is pretty good audio. But, this ZVOX 325 unit is vastly superior! Watching the Pete Seger 90th birthday tribute was a real joy with the ZVOX. Bruce Springsteen never sounded so good.

The ZVOX does a couple things that bring the music to life. As advertised it creates a virtual surround or wide-stage effect: voices or instruments seemed to be coming from 3-4 feet on either side of the box (it is adjustable). It also creates audio separation between the instruments so that each sounds clean and true. It adds a deep, full-bodied bass which I have never heard on any TV system. The vocals are so life-like it sounded like I was right in front of the stage (that was during play-back from my iPod). There have also been moments I felt like I was sitting in a movie theatre.

Operationally the remote is a must-have. I returned some Bose speakers because they did not have the remote. Hook-up is straight-forward with just power and audio RCA jacks - my wife loves the fact there are no speakers or wires running around/outside the TV cabinet. Generally I still run with some TV volume and let the ZVOX provide the depth to the sound.

As far as drawbacks, it does not have bass or treble controls. You get what your source is putting out. With an iPod you can adjust these on the iPod. However the bass and treble on my TV do not affect the non-variable audio output so that is fixed. And, of-course, when you adjust the volume on the ZVOX you won't see that familiar volume bar pop-up on your TV.

When I replaced my old projection Sony with a new 46" led lcd tv; it made my old 5.1 sound system obsolete(no HDMi), so I started looking for an alternative. I really knew nothing about soundbars. Went in Best Buy and listened to six different systems. I didn't like the sound or the looks of any of them and I didn't want a mediocre 5.1 system either. Then I read the reviews of the Zvox 325 and decided to give it a try. It arrived two days after I placed my order and this on standard shipping. I opened the box and in 10 minutes was up and running.
WOW! what a blast. I opened the Phasecue to three quarters and the bass to three quarters, placed it on "standby" and haven't touched it since. My 12' by 20' great room is filled with great sound and music is out of this world. I am amazed how clear the voices are and all the background sounds I had never heard before.
This is not 5.1 so the sounds going side to side behind you are not there; however, for $250.00 plus free shipping I don't see how you can go wrong. This sounds as good as the 3.1 Bose system I heard in Best Buy.
Three other things; you can hook up a self powered subwoofer to this system if you think you need it.
Turn your TV speakers off, and place on "variable" and the sound can be changed by your main remote.
Don't forget; most charge cards offer two double the manufacture's warranty; just register with them.
A lot of rambling here; but I hope this helps someone make their decision.

This combo speaker/amp does an incredible job given the size and price; the sound is much better than my built-in TV speakers. This product is only 17" wide (just like your other AV components) and just 5" tall. It uses better speaker components than those packaged, 5 piece theater-in-a-box units and has a decent base sound built in. Vocals are crisp and clean and better than traditional TV. Music is fuller and richer, particularly when bass is involved. Your money goes to good components within this single piece set-up. As advertised it creates some wide-stage effect: voices & crowd noise & instruments seem to be coming from several feet on either side of the box. Again, it's much better than traditional TV speakers and this synthetic surround effect is adjustable.

Hook-up is as simple as it can be with just one audio cable from yout TV to this unit and we love the fact there are no speakers or wires running around/outside the TV stand. If you have a powered sub you can add it but I didn't find it necessary.

As to full surround sound, the ZVOX does not do that. Sure, it provides a good rich and wide sound field, but for full surround you need three front speakers so you can have strong center (usually vocals) and strong left and right at some distance from the center -- and strong rear units as well. So, if you are looking for Star Wars effects or earthquake/tornado effects so you feel like you are in the middle of it, this is NOT for you; do plan to spend a lot more money and a lot of time hooking things up.

The ZVOX comes with a simple remote (On/off, Volume up/down, Mute). My husband and I don't use the remote and allow our TV to control the volume so as to not add one more remote for the family. (He has speakers on our Sony TV set to OFF and audio out set to Variable. Then we turn ZVOX volume up close to max and leave it alone. So the volume and muting for the TV can be controlled by standard TV or TiVO remotes as if the ZVOX doesn't even exist; and the ZVOX is smart enough to turn itself off when it doesn't detect sound from the TV for some period.)

Pro-
Solid sound
Small single unit
Very easy hook-up
No string of wires

Cons--
Not a five speaker surround sound system
If you add too much synthetic surround sound effect much of the vocals can get lost in the music or crowd noise (but it is adjustable.)

This is a 5-star device if you want solid improvement in your TV sound without having to find a place to locate 5 speakers (and mess with the wires and extra buttons) or buy a $$$$ 5' sound bar. I rate it a 4 star as it claims a bit more than it can deliver in terms of surround sound.

I bought the Zvox 325 to use with my 48" television, as I was not satisfied with the sound quality of either the TV's internal speakers OR the Bose 3-2-1 system I had been using. I found that the Zvox 325, at roughly 1/3 the cost of the Bose unit, provided sound quality that blew away the Bose 3-2-1, hands down. The room is literally filled with sound with the Zvox 325. Particularly with action films, where the dynamic range of quiet scenes combined with things like explosions and vehicle crashes, can stress even the finest audio systems, I found the Zvox 325 remained solid, clear and crisp, even at high volumes, with low end bass that reverberates through the room like speakers costing much, much more. Zvox is a tremendous product and an exceptional value, and I will definitely purchase additional Zvox units for the other areas of my home, as they provide a simple-yet-elegant, unitized product that is affordable and that outperforms systems costing many times the price!

I recently bought a 325, and once I got the "Phase Cue" (ZVOX's virtual surround sound) adjusted just right, I, my family, and friends have been blown away by the sound quality! Imagine: Bose-quality sound for about 1/3 the price!

Gone are my numerous surround sound speakers and wires replaced by one simple unit that sits on the shelf above my DVD player. And it could not be simpler to set up and operate. I just connected the single cable from my DVD audio out jacks to the mini plug on the back of the ZVOX. That was it!

The truly amazing thing is being able to have the volume turned down (when the rest of the family has gone to bed) and yet still have deep bass response you can feel. This was the biggest treat of all! Another huge plus is the unit turns itself on and off when it senses you have turned your TV (or other equipment) on/off.

The other day when I had guests over for dinner, I plugged my laptop into the front panel input for streaming internet radio. More amazing sound quality! So nice to replace so many components with one simple unit.

I am really satisfied with the 325. Eventually I am sure I will upgrade to the 425 for even more fun!

I use my computer as an all-around multi-media device...it's my source for music and video. I needed new speakers and tried Bose computer speakers. Major disappointment as the small satellite speakers buzzed and it just didn't have the "punch" I expected from Bose. Found the ZVOX online and bought the 325 since you get a 30-day refundable trial period. Out of the box and set up in minutes. Turned it on and WOW!!!! Totally blown away that these are computer speakers. Can't recommend these enough. If you value sound from your computer, music device, TV or whatever, you will love these. They fill my whole house, which is small, but still I've never had speakers fill the whole house before. Am too afraid to push it all the way for fear of blowing the speakers so I have no idea how loud it will go, but it's plenty loud for the neighbors to hear when I'm really rockin' out, I'm sure!

This little unit sounds pretty decent, but not for a living room. There was no stereo separation once you get a few feet back. I could hear where the sound was coming from too well; from a little box in the middle of my entertainment center.

This would be great on a desk for a computer system or for someone wanting to throw money away for a smaller entertainment center(bedroom)

Returned and got a sound bar with sub, much better for the price.