Many people spend free time watching television shows or movies. But for some, hearing those programs can be difficult.
There could be several causes -- appliances running, a noisy air intake from the air system (as in my case) or even damaged hearing that can can make it difficult to hear or understand dialogue.
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The ZVOX SoundBase 350 requires a flatscreen television with a 32-inch to 42-inch screen and an optical digital audio output, coaxial digital audio output or RCA audio output jacks. The 350 retails for $249.99. Other sizes are available. More information is available at zvoxaudio.com.
A company named ZVOX has produced solutions to this with its soundbar systems using Accuvoice technology.
A soundbar is a speaker system compacted into one box or bar. The SoundBase systems from ZVOX are built to hold flatscreen televisions atop them as they play the audio from those televisions. That can be a good thing, because in my experience, most of the speakers on flatscreen TVs are pretty lousy, usually lacking the depth of a true speaker system.
The SoundBase systems take care of this issue. ZVOX has several models, based in part on the size of the television. I tested out the SoundBase 350 with a 32-inch television.
The ZVOX SoundBase 350 isn't just a speaker system. It's meant to improve sound dramatically, particularly when it comes to voices.
The SoundBase is made up of three speakers -- two standard speakers and a subwoofer. It uses what's called PhaseCue technology to imitate surround sound, so the ear believes the sound is coming from elsewhere in the room. It works, too. At one point, I was prepared to get up and chase a cricket I was certain had gotten into the house, only to realize it was on the television.
Installation was incredibly easy, in part because the cables needed are included in the box. I was able to hook it up using a toslink optical digital audio cable, which sometimes seems hard to come by. That single cable was all that was needed to connect the SoundBase to a Toshiba flat-screen television.
For those lacking a toslink audio cable connection, the SoundBase also can use RCA cables (which also are included) and a coaxial digital audio cable.
With the cable plugged in from the television and the SoundBase plugged into an outlet, it was ready to go. It was the easiest audio installation I think I've ever done.
The SoundBase comes with its own remote, but it also can be used with many television and cable universal remotes. The instructions include directions on how to teach the SoundBase the frequency of an existing remote. That way, you can use the same remote to turn the volume up and down, mute or power down the SoundBase. However, you will need the ZVOX remote to turn on the extras.
The extras are worth turning on. They're not only impressive, they answer a couple of long-held issues with television audio.
ZVOX gets a bit of revenge on those channels that like to drop the audio of the program and blast you out of the room with the commercials. I can name a few channels notorious for this, and to say it's annoying is an understatement. The SoundBase has a wonderful feature called Output Leveling. With that little OL activated, the SoundBase automatically drops the volume of the commercials to the same level as the rest of the channel's programming. It wasn't hard to test this feature -- there is more than one channel guilty of this frustrating habit. The SoundBase delivered, bringing the commercials at least close to the level of the movie I was watching.
The other extra is Accuvoice. This technology increases the frequencies on which voices carry, enhancing them and making each word more distinct. As a result, words are much clearer and dialogue, even softly spoken, is much easier to hear and understand. It works even at lower volumes.
It's one thing for me to put the SoundBase through its paces, but I decided to subject it to the real test -- my mother.
Like most people as they age, my mother's hearing doesn't work as well as it did when she was younger. Consequently, she has trouble sometimes hearing words distinctly, especially on television.
The SoundBase is aimed, in large part, at helping with these types of hearing issues. Naturally, I figured Mom would be a better judge of its abilities than I would.
The sound and Output Leveling worked just as well for her as for me. The biggest test, however, was the Accuvoice feature on television shows. I could hear a difference when Accuvoice was activated, but I wondered if it would be the same for Mom, who has a lot more difficulty hearing words correctly.
The look on her face showed it worked. I could tell she was impressed, and she said she could hear a clear difference. We tested it several times on TV shows, movies and even music played from her phone using the SoundBase's Bluetooth wireless connection. The difference was evident each time for both of us.
I noted the clear difference the next day when she turned it on to watch television. The volume was lower than the level she usually has it set to hear words clearly. It wasn't to the level I usually use, but it was a lower level for her.
Clearly, the SoundBase made a difference in her ability to hear the words or music better. It made a difference for me as well.
The SoundBase 350 made a lot of promises, but it delivered on each one. The sound was rich, the Accuvoice helped hear dialogue better and the Output Leveling was a welcome relief.
It won't solve hearing problems, but it certainly could help those who have them hear their televisions a little better.
Melissa L. Jones can be reached via email at mljones72@me.com.
SundayMonday Business on 09/14/2015