Bose® Solo TV Sound System..
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2264 of 2363 people found the following review helpful.
By Kristin
I am a Vine reviewer, and often receive products before their release to the public. This Bose Solo TV Sound System is one of these products.
I received this sound system with no knowledge of what it really is. No expectations, except that it a Bose product, so I had an expectation that it'd be quality.
Upon receipt, the unit did not work properly. I contacted Bose directly and they were AMAZING. They immediately sent me out a new one, and explained that the product is still in beta-testing. (They were surprised that I received the product so early before its release.) I sent back the old one, and they told me that it had old software on it (pre-release). No worries on it being in the official-product. The second one had the same problem (since they sent out the second before they got the first back, they didn't realize that the stock was of old software). No problem--Bose sent out another. The rep that I worked with (they assign you one person to talk to--a real, live person who emails you back immediately if you have a question) was GREAT. He checked on me to be sure it was working properly, and answered all questions I had promptly.
So, for customer service, Bose ROCKS! I would have no problem doing business with them in the future, knowing that they care this much about making things right.
(This is as opposed to a review I did for LG, where they couldn't care less when their product had failures--they were going to charge me to even check it out...even when I told them that I am a Vine reviewer and their customer service would be on my review...some companies couldn't care less.)
So, to the details of my system:
I have an LG 3D HDTV (http://www.amazon.com/LG-55LM7600-55-Inch-LED-LCD-Glasses/dp/B006ZH0M9Q/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1345651587&sr=8-4&keywords=lg+55+inch+hdtv) and run a Sony Blue Ray Player (http://www.amazon.com/Sony-BDP-S590-Blue-ray-Player-Built/dp/B0081SJP7W/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1345651686&sr=1-7&keywords=3d+blu+ray+player+sony). I use low-loss optical audio cables (http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Digital-Optical-Audio-Toslink/dp/B001TH7GSW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345651814&sr=8-1&keywords=optical+audio+cable+amazon).
The set up was simple. Plug it into the wall outlet, plug it into the tv (use the optical audio!)...well, lah. It's ready. If your tv needs a manual change to the external audio, be sure you know where that is. My tv had an automatic switch to any external audio outlet. I had to do nothing to switch it.
I have run this speaker through all sorts of testing. News programs, Movies, Music stations, using all sorts of sound bands.
Here's what I found:
Speech: (This is my favorite part of the speaker, and deserves lots of attention.) I have a hearing problem in that I have trouble understanding speech coming from television speakers. My television has an option that amps up the voice, which I thought helped a lot...until I plugged in this Bose speaker. Suddenly, the voices were crisp and clear! It was clearer than "life", in my opinion. I believe that this is the best feature of this speaker...When I compared it to the sound from the tv (with the voice-feature turned on) it was night and day. (And here I thought that it was so good with the voice feature from the tv...not so much, now.)
Comedy (with canned-laughter): As I said earlier, the speech is clear, and the balance is such that the canned-laughter is not overpowering. Great quality, especially when you compare it to the tv's internal speaker.
Movies (with lots of bass--bombs, car chases, etc): The speech is great (have I mentioned that before? haha) but the lower end seems to be lacking a bit. Not in comparison with the tv. The tv didn't get it, either...but compared to the separate receiver and subwoofer, it does lack in the bass range. I didn't notice this as much as the people watching with me...yeah, it was the guys--they like that bomb-stuff :)
Music: Same issue as the movies. Music channels, like XM or Sirius, have a great lack in bass. The music crispness and treble are great--but the bass is lacking. Obviously, you don't want to make your tv the primary outsource for your music enjoyment, but this deserves to be noted. Again, comparing it side-by-side with the tv, the sound is spectacular (but both lack the bass of the receiver).
Pros: Voice, clarity, real-life feel to all sounds. Simplicity of set up and use. Simple remote control (has only 3 buttons--Power, Volume Up, Volume Down). Looks nice on the table...but this is also a "con".
Cons: Lack of ability to change settings on bass/treble. Big box on the table instead of a wall mount.
So--the bottom line is this: If you are using this speaker as it is intended, which is to replace your tv's internal speaker, then it's AMAZING. If you think it will be a replacement for all of your outlets, including music listening, you might be disappointed.
600 of 626 people found the following review helpful.
By Penumbra
Although I have a nice Sony Bravia TV, the sound can be a little...disappointing. This is especially noticeable when we watch BluRay versions of movies like "A Bridge Too Far" or "The Battle of Britan" - the TV begins to vibrate and buzz when the planes fly over. However, not being an overall audiophile, I had no desire to install a surround sound system with five speakers. I was looking into getting a sound bar when I discovered the Bose Solo TV Sound System.
The Bose Solo is a single box, roughly the size of a standard DVD / BluRay player; the dimensions are 10.25" x 20"; the TV is placed on top of the Bose Solo. Not having to find additional shelf or floor space for the speaker is definitely a plus! According to the package, this is designed for TVs up to 32" and in some cases up to 42". The base of the TV must not overhang the Bose Solo, or else the TV may be unstable and fall. However, the base of my 46" TV fits on top of the speaker box with room to spare.
There is a very small, thin, flat remote control that comes with the Bose Solo - ON, UP, DOWN, PAUSE/OFF. According to the Operating Guide the unit can be operated with a Universal Remote as well. But since I don't have a Universal Remote, I will have to add another remote to the growing collection on the coffee table.
Hooking up the Bose Solo was simple once I located the corresponding jack on the back of the TV. There are only two connections to make - 1) the power cord, and 2) either the analog (red and white jacks) or optical digital audio cable. The optical digital cable is recommended for best sound quality, so I wanted to use that - but had no previous experience with this type of cable. The ends of the optical digital cables have protective plastic shields which must be removed before installation, and they are fairly small. It took me some time to find the optical digital cable jack on the back of my TV. I was finally able to locate it when I turned off some of the lights in the room, and then I saw the red light coming from the optical jack! The connections on the back of the Bose Solo are well labeled and easy to find.
Once the TV and the Bose Solo were connected, I turned on the new box and heard some kind of distorted sound echo. A quick trip to the troubleshooting FAQ in the operating guide informed me that the TV sound should either be disabled or the volume turned all the way down. Once I disabled the TV sound, the sound coming from the Bose Solo took over.
My personal testing included turning the Bose up to full volume. The sound filled the room and in fact could be heard quite nicely from other rooms, too. I put in my go to BluRay, "The Battle of Britan" - no distortion, no vibration, no hum. (The lack of vibration is even more impressive when you consider this rather large TV is balanced on the speaker itself!) I also listened to music from classical to metal and everything sounded beautiful! I then went back and forth between the sound from the Bose Solo and the sound from the Sony Bravia only - the Bose definitely has a richer sound with more bass; the TV now sounds a bit tinny by comparison. The TV volume can be cranked up higher, but the higher it goes the more distortion and vibration come through - the Bose certainly cranks up high enough to fill a room (and possibly the entire house) and there is no distortion. Although the Bose instructions explicitly state that the TV volume should be OFF, I also experimented with the Bose Solo and bringing up the TV volume to just under the point where echo kicks in, and thought that sounded great, too!
The bottom line is that while the Bose Solo won't take the place of Surround Sound, it greatly improves the experience of watching TV and movies with a richer sound quality than the TV alone and no distortion or vibration. Since it's a single box that fits under the TV base, it doesn't take up additional space on the shelf or floor. It's very easy to install - add the power cable to the wall and the audio cable to the TV, and you're done!
Highly recommended!
380 of 400 people found the following review helpful.
By Amazon Customer
I purchased the Bose Solo three weeks ago and could not be happier. As described, it makes the dialogue easier to hear. I am replacing my Sony surround sound system with the Solo. The surround sound system involved wires running under the carpet and loud noises during movies that would completely drown out the dailogue. Setting it up was very easy. My 46" Sony Bravia TV sits nicely and solidly on top of the Solo. The TV weighs 40 lbs. so the weight is also just right. This is a much cleaner look than the multiple speakers the surround sound system used. That being said, I purchased this for the sound, and I am very pleased with that. It actually does make the spoken word easier to hear. I am in my sixties, and just beginning to lose the ability to hear all the words on television. I was tired of missing every fifth word or so and the "clear voice" feature on my Sony television did not remedy that. With the Bose Solo, after I got used to it, about three days, I can now hear almost every single word that is spoken and never have to adjust the volume up or down depending on background noise in the show. It does seem to me like the Solo makes those adjustments automatically.
Hookup was a breeze. Place the unit where you want your TV to sit, plug in the power cord, connect the optical digital audio cable to the back of your television and the back of the Solo unit. For those unfamiliar, there is a slight resistance when you push the end of the cable into the hole, just push until it clicks into place and don't forget to remove the plastic caps on the ends of the cable prior to insertion. Place the TV on top of the unit and adjust the TV speaker settings to OFF. Program your remote control for the Bose system, there did not seem to be any codes listed in the instruction booklet, so I called comcast and got the code and programmed the Xfinity remote. If you use Comcast, and your remote is newer, with a red power button, the code you would want is 31229 or 31933.The small remote that came with the Solo is very nice, but I don't need it. The Solo unit now turns on and off with my television , and the volume up/down and mute buttons on the Xfinity remote control the Solo. If you have a different provider, call them. They keep a list of codes and will walk you through programming your remote if you need that.
Any peripheral you connect to your TV, like a DVD or Blu Ray, cable box, Kindle Fire HD, computer etc. will all play very nicely through your Bose Solo. The TV acts as the switching center and whatever you are watching on the screen will play automatically from the Solo. You don't need to change anything manually.
So anyway, yes, this is not a cheap sound bar, but it does seem to be a quality product that is very helpful if you have trouble hearing the dialogue. Also, I noticed the sound fills my large living room, with 18 foot ceilings, with no problem. I would not want anything louder than this. This review is of course my own opinion and I am not biased for or against Bose as this is the first product of theirs I have owned. Hope you find it helpful.
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