Pros: Handsome looking; wireless subwoofer; programmable to TV remote; vastly improved audio from flat panel speakers.
Cons: A bit expensive, but hunt for bargains.
The Bottom Line: A good alternative to a complete home theater system if improvement to flat panel speakers is what you desire. Easy to set up and operate and great sound.
newtownbeans's Full Review: Boston Acoustics TVee Model Two TV Speakers
After purchasing a new flat panel 32” LCD TV, I wanted to improve the audio but did not wish to add a full home theater system. The solution was a soundbar and after careful research, I decided on the Boston Acoustics TVee Model 2.
A soundbar, also known as a television entertainment enhancement system by Boston Acoustics is basically a long, approx. 32”, enclosed speaker case which holds 2 center channel and 2 tweeter speakers and an amplifier. The TVee also comes with a wireless subwoofer that can be placed anywhere in the room without running additional wires.
The soundbar itself sits in front of your flat panel or can be mounted on a wall behind the TV. Besides the power cord, there is just one set of RCA cable wires, red & white, that connects to your TV. Setup was a breeze with the BA TVee and the unit can be programmed to read the volume controls, including vol. up/down, mute and power, from your TV remote or cable box remote so you do not need a separate remote for the soundbar. I was able to program my TIVO remote from the soundbar so it now reads the TIVO remote control buttons. The directions to program the remote were easy to follow and worked flawlessly. There are also buttons on the top of the soundbar to power on, adjustment volume and mute. Dimensions of the sound bar are approx. 3-3/4” x 31” x 4”. Weight is 8.25 lbs.
The rear panel of the soundbar has a power switch, a port for the power cable, a switch with 4 positions to sync with the wireless subwoofer and a trim level switch with 3 positions to fine tune the audio output. The rear panel of the subwoofer has a power switch, wireless ID switch with 4 positions to sync with the soundbar, a volume knob and a fuse bay. Dimensions of the subwoofer are approx. 9-1/2” x 11-1/2” x 11-1/2”. Weight is 11 lbs.
It is recommended to set up the TVee by turning off the speakers of the TV and using the volume control of the soundbar to control the audio. The sound bar can also be plugged into a cable box but it is recommended to connect it directly to a TV if you are using other components such as a DVD player etc. Another nice feature of the Boston Acoustics TVee is that the switches on the back of the soundbar and the bass unit can be left on because there is a built in automatic power standby which shuts down the amplifiers after about 15 minutes or less of inactivity.
The User’s Manual that comes with the unit is short and easy to understand and the graphics are well layed out. There is a phone number on the BA website for technical support from New Jersey and I found them very helpful and the call was answered rather quickly. Unfortunately there is no toll-free number to call.
I paid $285. for the Boston Acoustics TVee Model 2 from Amazon.com, but this was a special that was on their site for only a short time. The retail price is $399. and I suggest that you shop around on the internet for specials occasionally available from selected vendors. It is available in 2 colors…black & silver (mist). It appears that the black color is most popular and some of the websites are charging a premium for this color. The manufacturer’s warranty is 5 years on materials & workmanship in mechanical parts and 1 year on electrical components.
The Boston Acoustics TVee is not a home theater system and is designed to enhance the audio from a flat panel TV, which usually has low quality tinny sounding speakers. I found that this unit definitely improved the audio on my TV 100%. The sound is now much improved with crisper center sounds and much improved bass. After playing with the setting for a while I now have it set to produce optimum audio from the TV audio and from DVDs played through the TVee. It is a system that is easy to set up and avoids the placement of several speakers throughout the room as is necessary with home theater. I highly recommend the use of a sound bar, and particularly the Boston Acoustics, for anyone who wants to upgrade the audio output from a flat panel TV.
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