The remote has a phase cue adjustment that controls the proportion of the out of phase signals versus the direct signal which expands and contracts the perceived sound field. With the Z-Base 550, you don’t have rear speakers, but adding the signal to the opposite speaker fools your mind into perceiving that the sound is coming from the sides/back. This is the same way Dolby Surround used to synthesize the ambiance signal that went to the rear speakers: take the out-of-phase signals (add delay and contouring) and then feed the rear speakers with this new signal.
ZVOX SOUNDBAR DRIVER
It simply takes the out of phase signal from one channel and adds it to the signal of the opposite driver and vice versa. The Z-Base 550 uses what ZVOX refers to as “PhaseCue” to simulate a surround effect from the single box solution. There is a master power toggle on the back of the unit and the Z-Base 550 turns on automatically when it senses a signal. I probably wouldn’t get a lot of work done if I did because I’d be listening to music all the time! That’s not a concern for me because I personally don’t want one of these on my desk. (OK, DJ’s but that’s not who the Z-Base 550 would be for.) But later I decided that maybe if I had this unit on my desktop, then I may want to have the Z-Base 550 playing music and then mix in audio signals from my computer. My first thought was that nobody in their right mind would want to mix two signals. So the Z-Base 550 mixes the two signals together when they are both receiving a signal. The second input goes active only when the first one is connected to a source component. There are two stereo analog inputs on the back of the Z-Base 550. There is another idiosyncrasy with the audio inputs. To be fair, I have a standalone stereo amp with an LED that is red when it is on and glows green when it is off. That’s not exactly the most intuitive arrangement. The quirky part is that it glows green when the unit is off and turns blue when the unit is on. It responds to IR commands, communicating with the user by blinking as the commands are received. In the case of the Z-Base 550, there are some obvious and some not so obvious design elements that support this statement. The manufacturer does not specify the type of loading for the sub.Īlthough I don’t have firsthand experience with the other ZVOX products, I think I can safely say that they all have an endearing quirkiness. The sub is down-firing and is also protected by a metal cage.
ZVOX SOUNDBAR DRIVERS
These drivers are protected by a metal cage type of grille that is for all intents and purposes non-removable. The other two are placed as close to each outer cabinet edge as possible. Three of the main drivers are clustered in the middle of the front baffle.
ZVOX SOUNDBAR TV
It coincidentally raised the TV to the correct height as my stand is wee bit too low. I placed it on my TV stand, supporting my 42″ Panasonic plasma TV. It has a vinyl veneer top and piano gloss end caps. I must say, however, that the Z-Base 550 played to a decent sound pressure level in my master bedroom. I put the power rating in quotes because the manufacturer does not reveal the particulars behind this power spec. These drivers are driven by a “60 watt” bi amp. It has five 2″ main drivers and a single 5-1/4″ subwoofer. It’s about 1-1/2 times the size of a typical turntable. The Z-Base 550 is a pedestal base that is designed to be placed on a shelf and then a flat screen TV can be placed on top. It’s a humble little audio product that is perfectly content to just sit there and produce sound better than it seemingly has any right to do. It doesn’t have video capabilities of any kind, as a matter of fact. There are no HDMI inputs, no on-screen menus.
Secondly, it doesn’t aspire to be the central nervous system for a complex system. To begin with, it’s really a pedestal and not a “bar”. It differs from the typical sound bar in several notable ways. The ZVOX Z-Base 550 is a one-box surround sound solution.
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