Boston Acoustics TVee Model 30 Sound System (Black)

• Simple one-wire hookup for analog or digital input.
• Simple remote control learning function - no new remote!
• Triple 3.5" FCCM mid-bass drivers, triple 3/4" tweeters, potent 7" FCCM subwoofer in a tuned band pass chamber
• Optical digital input and Dolby Digital decoding . Digitally Optimized Virtual Surround mode for fantastic movie and TV experience
• Inputs: 1 optical Dolby Digital, 1 RCA stereo, 1 3.5mm mini plug stereo, Bluetooth input supports A2DP, AVRCP

Ok, where do I start? I have been looking for a sound bar for my bedroom for about a year now. I have read reviews, here, on CNet, av forums, magazines, etc... But I was not able to come to terms with one that satisfied my tastes. I was just about sold on the ZVox575 and literally about to pull the trigger on it when the TVee30 popped up in my searches. I started to research it and was kinda bummed that there wasn't a lot there on it, but that which I was able to find was very positive. Now that ZVox575 had some very very good reviews as well but, it's seriously butt ugly, I mean ugly like it looks like a cheap wood box. So I took a leap and based on pure gut instinct I clicked add to cart and then hit buy.

Now I used the standard shipping, but it got to me in 3 days! Excellent plus :)

From opening the box to full setup I counted 25 minutes, it is so easy and intuitive (except for the remote, more on that later). the packaging as described in an earlier review is amazing, sturdy and 100% recyclable, another plus! Now granted I am very technically adept and that did help out, but I can't see how someone would have any issues with the simple to follow instructions. I connected all the cables, fired up the speakers and in about 3 minutes was streaming music from my iPad, as a matter of fact I am now sitting in my living room (about 25 feet away) streaming Pink Floyd from my iPad as I type this. I love it!

The remote did take a little finesse... While the instructions are clear, remember to hit the buttons slowly and make sure that the

remote is in line of sight (about 10 inches away, not closer). Once I mapped all of the buttons on the speaker bar to my remote it

was pure joy. Now this was a replacement for a Cambridge Soundworks PC speaker/sub system that I had ghetto rigged to my cable box/tv and PC. The lack of inputs and a remote really detracted from my enjoyment, the sound was great and to be truthful I had my doubts that this was going to meet or exceed the sound, but I can't be more pleased!

I streamed audio from winamp on my PC, spent a few minutes watching True Blood on HBO, checked out a movie and threw all kinds of music at them from my extensive collection on my iPad. From Salsa to Heavy Metal it took it all in stride and performed incredibly. No I don't work for Boston Acoustics nor Amazon for that matter, just a very very satisfied buyer!

Now before those audiophiles out there begin to flame (you know you want to), does it sound like my Denon AVR 4802 which is connected to my beloved Orbs? NO! But then again it cost no where near as much now did it. Does it sound amazing for my bedroom? You better believe it! I would highly recommend these to anyone looking for a system for a small room that does it all. It would have been great to get DTS decoding or hdmi switching, but it really shines despite these slight cons.

Now mounting it was a 5 minute challenge. Did not mount on wall and did not use put on tv stand. What I did (and I can hear the purists gasping in horror) was to simply put some heavy duty Velcro between the top of the tv and the sound bar. Works great!

centered, solid and the grill will not be exposed to laser by and the sound it self will not be affected by my bedroom furniture.

Sorry for the long drawn out review, but I am really pleased and wanted to let others that might be thinking about this purchase listen to my opinion and perhaps use it to for a decision. You will not be disappointed! Excellent product.

Buy Boston Acoustics TVee Model 30 Sound System (Black) Now

We have a very open room and my wife was constantly complaining about not being able to hear the dialog from our Sony KDL 52V5100 (50 inch LCD flat panel) which admittedly has a fantastic picture but lacking sound. We needed something that would provide clear dialog and did not ADD to the confusion of remote controls. If you are looking for "blow your mind" surround sound, keep looking. I doubt ANY sound bar will make you happy. But if you are looking to vastly improve over your existing TV speakers and add a good solid bottom end you cannot do better than this unit for the price.

Total set up time from when I got the box cutter out until the entire unit was connected, programmed and working was under 20 minutes.

The unit just works. And it learns your existing remote control for volume up/down, mute, input select and power on.

Sound clarity due to a dedicated center channel speaker is fantastic. The sub is wireless and can be placed anywhere within range of an electrical outlet. It communicates via blue tooth to the sound bar. One optical cable (which is included!) connection to your TV and that's it.

Boston Acoustics has always made excellent sounding stuff so I was not surprised by this units performance. But at this price point the build quality is fantastic.

I was concerned when it showed up in its original box only and was not double boxed. No need to worry it is packed extremely well with lots of extra cardboard (no Styrofoam or foam padding that ends up in the land fill) so it call all be easily recycled.

For a second room, or small apartment or bedroom I would highly recommend this unit. It has very good range and dynamics so it can play loud. Very open sound stage across the front but limited to no phantom surround effects in my particular situation.

Last point: This unit also supports connection via blue tooth to other mobile devices so you can have your iPhone or Droid play music through it. I have not tried this yet so I don't know how easy or hard it is to do.

Read Best Reviews of Boston Acoustics TVee Model 30 Sound System (Black) Here

Update: With the update of ios 5.1, the Bluetooth now works again with the soundbar.

The sound of this system is great. Well worth the money. The only caveat I have with the system is the IR sensor on the device does not always pick up the signal from the remote. The metal grate that covers the sensor restricts too much of the signal making it difficult to adjust the volume from time to time. It was helped to some degree by removing some of the dust shield attached to the metal grate around the IR sensor, but it still is annoying.

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Purchased this to upgrade from a Denon soundbar purchased a few years ago. Much better quality and cheaper than the Denon. The unit looks good and has good power. The sound is great, but don't expect true surround. The center speake channel is good enabling you to hear dialog in movies.

It was simple to set up. I connected a HDMI cable (included) directly to the tv and it worked. Satelite receiver, dvd, and Roku were already hooked to tv via HDMI.

The only thing that took a little time was programming the remote. It does not come with a remote and you program it to work with your tv remote which it does.

I am very glad I purchased the unit and would recommend.

Update: I have had the soundbar now for over a year and it still works great. The only thing that I would improve is the remote. You do have to be almost directly in front for it to work as others have stated.

****UPDATE 1/5/12****

Sigh, it's going back. Too many issues popping up. Bluetooth problems with IOS5, the return of popping noises and now, a high-pitched tone that can be heard when no output is selected. The TV is off, yet the tone comes through the speaker. Not that loud, but enough that you hear it clearly in a quiet room. Too bad, since it does sound great.

****UPDATE 12/29/11****

It was the AppleTV's fault for the below issues. Did the same thing on the Yamaha YSP-2200 with the popping and dropouts. So I'm bumping this back to 5 stars, because that was the only issue I'd had. And let me tell you, after auditioning the Yamaha YSP-2200, I couldn't pack that thing up fast enough to send it back. The sound was dreadful especially compared to the TV Model 30.

****UPDATE 12/28/11****

So, after the initial glowing review below, I've hit a couple speed bumps (I knew I'd jinx it). Most notably an annoying "popping" sound that occurs whenever I watch video from my AppleTV. It's the only source that produces the noise. I've switched out cables, etc., but it's still there. We watch a lot of video through the AppleTV, so that's not a good problem to have. Also, there's been a few audio drop outs during the last week. Quick drops that eventually self-correct, but annoying nonetheless. Looks like the Yamaha YSP-2200 will be getting an audition after all.

**** Original Review Below ****

I just jumped into the sound bar field after having a dedicated 6.1 setup with speakers, receiver, etc. for the past 10 years or so. Decided to streamline the room and besides, we found ourselves not listening through the speakers much anymore. Searching for a sound bar though is an exhaustive process. Between the conflicting reviews and the wildly fluctuating price discrepancies I almost decided to forget about it. Ultimately, I opted to sample several models and choose the best from the group the TVee Model 30, Yamaha YSP-2200 and Polk Surroundbar 6000.

The TVee Model 30 was up first and it might have blown my plans to bits. I've had it for nearly a week now and haven't found a reason to try one of the other two models. It's handled everything with such ease that I can't believe more hasn't been written or said about it. Maybe because it's so new? I can hardly find a word about it on the AVS Forums which is usually the go-to place for anything home theater/audio related. Movies, TV shows, music they all sound great. I think the dedicated center channel must be the key. The dialogue is crisp, clear and not once have I had to crank up the volume to hear what anybody is saying which I admit is something that occurred with regularity on my 6.1 setup.

A couple days ago, I nearly pulled the trigger on the Yamaha YSP-2200 because it's received a lot of glowing reviews. But I backed out because I really don't see the need. Is it going to be that much better than the TVee Model 30? Not from what I've read. I still might, because, well, I have a problem with not knowing (ask my wife :) ). That would be it though, I see no need to compare it to the Polk model.

One caveat, and it's been mentioned here in other reviews, the IR sensor is finicky to the say the least. I've had no problem controlling it as long as I'm no more than 2-to-3 feet from the side of the sound bar. But step outside that window and it's a PITA. If I do decide to keep it for good, I'm going to modify the grille cover a bit to make it easier. Also, programming the remote was easy enough (our FIOS universal remote AND our Harmony 700), however my TV has an annoying feature that displays a pop up dialogue saying "This Feature is Not Available" when you opt to mute the TV speakers and control the volume directly through the sound bar. I was able to work around it by programming the Harmony to only send the volume control signal to the TVee Model 30 and was able to program the FIOS universal remote "AUX" button to work the same way. It took a little time, but now it works great.

I cannot comment on any Bluetooth issues, because I haven't paired anything with it yet. Instead, I choose to plug my iPhone or iPad directly into the AUX jack and control it from there. The music sounds fantastic on the dedicated "Music" mode. I'll update this if I ever do try the Yamaha YSP-2200, but for now I'm thrilled to have tried this model first.