Boston Acoustics TVee Model Two (black/onyx)
Manufacturer: Boston Acoustics Inc. Part number: BSA TVEEM2B
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- If you're not looking for the virtual surround effects found on more elaborate (and expensive) single-speaker audio systems, the affordable Boston Acoustics TVee Model Two sounds swell, looks good, and includes a cool wireless subwoofer.
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CNET editors' review
Boston Acoustics TVee Model Two (black/onyx) price range: $199.99 - $349.99
- Reviewed by: Steve Guttenberg
- Edited by: John P. Falcone
- Reviewed on: 11/27/2007
- Released on: 09/15/2007
The good: Stereo TV soundbar with wireless 6-inch subwoofer; four 2.5-inch midrange drivers; two 0.5-inch tweeters; super easy setup.
The bad: Only one input; limited dynamic oomph; while spacious, sound makes no claims to "virtual surround" status; only designed to replace your TV speakers, not take the place of a full surround system.
The bottom line: If you're not looking for the virtual surround effects found on more elaborate (and expensive) single-speaker audio systems, the affordable Boston Acoustics TVee Model Two sounds swell, looks good, and includes a cool wireless subwoofer.
It may be blasphemy in the home-theater world, but the fact is that the large majority of people will never get a surround speaker system. And even those who have a decent stereo system usually won't connect it to their video equipment. That leaves most people listening to all of their video-based devices (DVD players, cable/satellite boxes, game consoles, and the like) through the TV's speakers--which are rarely notable for their high fidelity, loudness, or dynamic range. It's no surprise, then, that a cottage industry has sprung up for dedicated TV speakers. Following in the successful footsteps of a trio of Zvox models is the Boston Acoustics TVee Model Two ($400).
Boston, of course, is no stranger to high-end sound, but the Model Two isn't designed as a home theater in a box or an iPod speaker or virtual surround speaker system. No, the TVee Model Two's mission is to simply produce better TV sound. And thanks to the system's wireless subwoofer, it sounds bigger and weightier than we thought it would. Yes, you still have to plug the wireless sub into an AC wall outlet, but that's the extent of its wiring requirements. The soundbar hooks up to your cable box or directly to your TV's audio outputs. The TVee's prime directive is simplicity and it succeeds on that front.
As stated, the Model Two is a two-part system--speaker "soundbar" and a small wireless subwoofer. The product is available in two colors: midnight with onyx grille (otherwise known as gray/black) and mist with silver grille (iPod-style white/silver). Boston also offers six additional optional color grilles to "customize" the look of your TVee. The slender soundbar is one of the more unobtrusive single-speaker sound systems we've seen. It's 31 inches wide, 3.75 inches high, and 4 inches deep, so it will look great partnered with most flat-panel displays.
The review sample's grey plastic cabinet feels sturdy, and the backside's keyhole slots facilitate wall mounting. The front top edge of the speaker has Power, Mute, and volume Up/Down buttons; a small green LED flashes as you raise or lower the volume (though there's no visual indication of the volume level). The speaker doesn't come with a remote control, but it can be programmed to work with your TV or cable box's remote, as well as any standard universal remote control. Don't worry, programming the device to work with another remote is a snap to set up and took us under 5 minutes. We used a Samsung TV's remote to control the TVee Model Two's volume.
When we removed the grille, we spotted four 2.5-inch midrange drivers and two 0.5-inch tweeters spaced at the ends of the speaker. The subwoofer has a down-firing 6-inch woofer and the total system power is specified at 100 watts.
Your connectivity options are limited to a pair of analog RCA stereo inputs on the backside of the speaker, keeping in line with the idea that this is strictly an external TV speaker. You can connect a single device--such as a cable box--to the single audio input, or--if your TV has multiple audio inputs and a line level output, you can connect the Boston's input to the TV's audio output, so it will substitute for the television's internal speakers no matter which attached device you're watching. Otherwise, you'll need a switcher of some sort, such as an AV receiver.
The TVee Model Two subwoofer is also pretty compact--just 9.5 inches high and 11.5 wide and deep. Maybe it was the molded grey plastic shape, but we think it looks like an overturned waste-paper basket. Still, it's unobtrusive enough, and the fact that it's wireless means it can be tucked away in a corner of the room--only an AC power source is needed. You can fine-tune the speaker/sub bass balance with the sub's volume control.
Boston claims that the TVee Model Two is a stereo speaker, but we found that it sounded as spacious as many "virtual" surround speaker systems we've tested here at CNET. Sound was projected a few feet out from the left and right ends of the speaker, and forward of it, as well. But the source is still 2-channel stereo, so don't expect any elaborate surround effects.
Our DVDs' sound was detailed and the little subwoofer surprised us with its power. Boston claims the wireless sub can be placed "anywhere throughout the room." However while we experimented with placements, we found the speaker/subwoofer blend was best when the sub was within 6 feet of the speaker. We also spent a little time adjusting the sub's volume control. Set too high, the sub sounded boomy; set too low, the speaker sounded lightweight and ineffective. Our setup with the subwoofer in the 1 o'clock position sounded best.
With that squared away, we popped on The Fifth Element DVD, and by the time Bruce Willis was zooming around in his flying taxi, we were totally immersed in the film--which says a lot about the TVee's sound. Being critics, we had to pay attention to the sound and noticed the dialogue sometimes sounded slightly sibilant. It also suffered too low of a level compared with the music and sound effects. Moving on to action flicks, the TVee's power limitations were even more obvious. Turning the volume down helped restore the sound quality, which leads us to believe that the TVee Model Two will probably work best in smaller rooms--bedrooms, dorms, or midsize rec rooms.
It was certainly obvious that the TVee was branded as such when we tried out some music with the unit. Rock and roll is definitely not its forte. Sure, it'll do fine turned down to background level, but you won't want to have it as the center of attention when playing music.
We didn't have the opportunity to do a direct comparison with any of the single-speaker competitors in the TVee's price class--most notably, the Zvox 325 ($350, no subwoofer), the Yamaha Air Surround YAS-70 ($500, with wired sub), and the Soundmatters MainstageHD ($400, faux surround capability, but no sub). While we'd have preferred the Boston TVee to offer some more robust connectivity and better dynamic range, though, it's safe to say that it delivers on its promise of offering a far better alternative to your TV speakers. Toss in the wireless subwoofer and dead-simple setup and operation, and you've got a successful TV sound system.
User reviews
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Good addition
by eric_l on November 6, 2007
Pros: Easy to set up
Cons: Not much too say about this
Summary: I was in the market for a step up for the sound provided by my TV (Samsung HT-5054)speakers. The BA Tvee looks great and sounds good with movies and ...
Summary: I was in the market for a step up for the sound provided by my TV (Samsung HT-5054)speakers. The BA Tvee looks great and sounds good with movies and music. The wireless subwoofer was placed about 10' away from the unit with no interferace. This unit was very easy to set-up. My only issue is that when I use the unit at low levels it seems to shut down until I move the TV volume up. I will contact BA to discuss this as there is nothing in the manaul. Over all I am very happy with this unit and would take it over my first choice the Bose CineMate speakers.
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Bad remote comands
by mpaasux on January 23, 2008
Pros: E-Z programing with original remote
Cons: Wont program volume with DTV remote's.
Summary: Ez to program with original tv remotes But if your using DTV remote look for other sound systems. Spent 2HR trying to make the TVee understand the Direct tv remote ...
Summary: Ez to program with original tv remotes But if your using DTV remote look for other sound systems. Spent 2HR trying to make the TVee understand the Direct tv remote but no luck using volume up/down. it will program with original remote but wont respond to universal remote. Unit also wont work if remote is more then 7' from sound bar. $100 mabe but $300+ just save your time and Money and get a hardwire system that has better sound quality & Speekers .
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Wireless Subwoofer is nice but lack of remote is a showstopper!
by joleary on November 30, 2007
Pros: Easy hookup with L-R audio to TV
Cons: Home Theater Master MX-600 remote did not learn to control this device
Summary: Product comes without a remote and the IR learning remote MX-600 from Universal could not learn to control the TVee speaker so I returned it.
Summary: Product comes without a remote and the IR learning remote MX-600 from Universal could not learn to control the TVee speaker so I returned it.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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It's all how you use it
by tweektukus on October 16, 2009
Pros: I use it in front of my computer in a small (8x12) studio and It sounds great. Bar fits right under monitor, sub hides well. Blows away computer speaker 2.1 systems.
Cons: None if you use this system as a computer/ I pod monitor speaker in a small room.
Summary: I think this product is freaking awesome, but it is being marketed poorly. I can't imagine this would please anyone looking for a surround sound system for their home ...
Summary: I think this product is freaking awesome, but it is being marketed poorly. I can't imagine this would please anyone looking for a surround sound system for their home theater room, but put it in front of your Mac or PC in your bedroom and you become one of the few lucky ones. The attemp to create a surround theater/TV system has yielded a soundfield with very clear and pronounced mids. What this is meaning for me is that this system sounds phenominal for music playback. Before you scoff or laugh, set one of these up in a small space and put on some music.
Shame if the fate of this product is that it go down in history as a mediocre surround sound system instead of one of the best computer speakers ever made for the price. (That's if you grab it for $200) -
Great product to replace TV speakers.
by johnlh on January 9, 2009
Pros: Syncing to your existing remote for sound & mute is easy and found no where else. Works with Direct TV remotes and you can output from Direct receiver. Wireless subwoofer and soundbar work great from 20 feet in my bedroom. But it!
Cons: RCA cable that was in box very short. Manual shows how to use colored light on soundbar to sync with your remote. Manual calls one color orange which is red. One other color is not as described. Still easy to set up.
Summary: Does exactly what I want, which is not surround sound, but improved audio over my Samsung 46" flat panel. Syncing to your existing remote (must use infrared and not RF) ...
Summary: Does exactly what I want, which is not surround sound, but improved audio over my Samsung 46" flat panel. Syncing to your existing remote (must use infrared and not RF) a must for me. Looks great. Works with Direct TV remotes regardless of what some post indicate. I use my remote and sub woofer from 20 feet away with no problem. I use the output off my Direct Receiver to connect to the Soundbar and also use the output on my Direct Receiver for my wireless headphone. I have only had this unit 3 days as of 9 Jan 09 so still experimenting. Cost $299 at Crutchfield with free shipping. Two days later the price has jumped to $399 nearly every where I look including Amazon and most are on backorder so must be popular. Do to the way I wired this up when I use my Blue Ray player I must turn off my Direct Receiver or I hear sound from both the TV Channel and the Blue Ray sound. This is no problem but I think there is a way to get around this by taking the audio output off my TV rather than the Direct Receiver. Soundbar has one RCA audio input, up-down volume controls. mute button, light on top to tell you what mode you are in. on/off switch on back. You can leave soundbar on all the time as after 5 minutes of no signal it goes into sleep mode. SubWoofer has an adustable volume control and connect to any 120v outlet. It is wireless and can be placed almost anywhere. Set the wireless frequency switch on the sub woofer to the same setting as on the soundbar. There is a Trim Switch on back of the soundbar which changes the sound output of your soundbar. I still am not sure exactly what it does but just set it to what sounds best to you. At $299 I give this 5 stars. At the new price of $399 I give it 4 stars only because of price. Still would have purchased it. Buy it! from someone who offers free shipping and who will accept returns. They are in short supply as of Jan 9, 09. Appear to be well made and slinder enough to keep your wife happy. Especially with no wires running to the sub woofer and no extra remote required. There is no remote that comes with this unit.
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Nice speakers, but poor amplifier implementation.
by feetwet on January 6, 2009
Pros: The Boston speakers all produce sound very rich sounds. Good for video games or music. Easy setup.
Cons: The poor implementation of using a L-R RCA inputs unfortunately prevents these speakers from realizing their potential. Watching movies on this set is very problematic. As there is no center channel voices are badly muted.
Summary: I would not recommend these speakers if you like to watch movies. I have switched to a Yamaha YAS-70 soundbar at the same price and found its sound FAR SUPERIOR ...
Summary: I would not recommend these speakers if you like to watch movies. I have switched to a Yamaha YAS-70 soundbar at the same price and found its sound FAR SUPERIOR for watching movies.
Hopefully Boston will accept a better sound input in the future like HDMI or optical toslink and process the center channel separately from the music and sound effects. -
Great little stereo system
by OedipusTex on December 14, 2008
Pros: Very nice sound
Well built
Easy to program from remoteCons: No cons at all - I'm very happy with the product
Summary: After reading some of the other reviews, especially the complaints about using a remote control, I was a little skeptical about having ordered this sound system. When I received it, ...
Summary: After reading some of the other reviews, especially the complaints about using a remote control, I was a little skeptical about having ordered this sound system. When I received it, it worked like a charm right out of the box. It only took a couple of minutes to ?teach? the system to recognize the signals from my TV?s remote control and it works from anywhere in the fairly large room. The sound is admirable, especially from such a compact system. I highly recommend it for someone who wants to greatly enhance the sound of the tiny little speakers that are in so many new televisions.
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for the added sound to the flat panel tvs
by bluegrass40 on November 30, 2008
Pros: the slimness, and sound quality
Cons: pain in the rear to "learn" the remote
Summary: We bought this today at circuit city, 279.99 on sale. all we were lookin g for is added sound to our new 42" flat screen b/c the sound ...
Summary: We bought this today at circuit city, 279.99 on sale. all we were lookin g for is added sound to our new 42" flat screen b/c the sound was nil. We were not looking for a surround system. This is exactly what we found in the boston, it is a slim almost rubberized? bar speaker and a wireless 6-6.5 inch sub box. The set up was simple,m but the learning mode was difficult for "an easy 3 step" process. maybe is is an lg thing. But the over all sound is 4 times better that the lg sopeakers and the glory is....no additional receiver and seperate remotes and turning on one then the other.... it work off the tv controller for the sound. We turned off the tv speakers and the sound bar and sub are now the primarys. Again, this is to add more and fuller sound to the tv, not for cranking music videos or the surround 5.1 thing. I hope this helps out
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Excellent choice to upgrade TV sound
by drawdc on October 31, 2008
Pros: Good sound quality
Easy set up
Compact designCons: Not surround sound (doesn't claim to be)
RCA only audio inputSummary: I added this unit to my new 42 inch Toshiba LCD in the master bedroom. I didn't want or need full surround sound but I do not like the ...
Summary: I added this unit to my new 42 inch Toshiba LCD in the master bedroom. I didn't want or need full surround sound but I do not like the speakers on any tv I have heard. This system sounds great and you can really tell the difference the wireless woofer makes. We listen to a fair amount of music through the satellite system and this sounds great even with the high ceilings in the room. My dish network remote comtrols the sound bar perfectly from almost anywhere in the room. The only problem I have is I can't disable the tv speakers, but that's a problem with the Toshiba. If you want better sound the simple way, this is a great choice.
I just added a Blu-Ray player to the set up. WOW! The sound is fantastic. I have a full surround sound system in the den with a Denon receiver and Klipsch speakers and I can't imagine why you would want anything more than this sound bar in a bedroom or any smaller room. It was exactly what I expected.
Updated on Nov 21, 2008 -
Good Sound for the price.
by APanar on September 9, 2008
Pros: Easy set up, great sound without having to run a bunch of wires.
Cons: Background music sometimes overpowers voice and it's hard to understand. Sometimes not all the time.
Summary: When I first hooked this speaker system up it had an echo during some TV commericals. Very annoyaning to say the least. After playing around with the TVs audio controls ...
Summary: When I first hooked this speaker system up it had an echo during some TV commericals. Very annoyaning to say the least. After playing around with the TVs audio controls for a week I was able to stop the echo. I swtiched from Stereo to Mono and that solved the problem. It didn't provide that good stereo separation anyhow and didn't matter. My TV manual said that stereo was only available during anolog broadcasts, so since I only view digial broadcasts it didn't matter. I was going to return the unit if I couldn't fix the problem.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Boston Acoustics Inc.
- Part number: BSA TVEEM2B
- Description: Boston Acoustics offers the TVee Model Two Soundbar and Wireless Bass Speaker. This remarkable sound system is designed from the ground up to be exceedingly easy to set up and use. Tvee Model Two consists of a slim, single "soundbar" that can be placed above or below a television, or it can be easily mounted on the wall. The matching wireless bass speaker can be placed anywhere in the room to deliver added dynamic bass response.
General
- Product Type Speaker system
- Dimensions (WxDxH) / Weight Details Speaker : 31 in x 4 in x 3.7 in / 8.6 lbs, Subwoofer : 11.5 in x 11.5 in x 11.5 in / 11 lbs
- Enclosure Color Midnight
- Grille Color Onyx
Speaker System
- System Components 1 speaker, Subwoofer
- Speaker Type Active
- Nominal Output Power (Total) 100 Watt
- Audio Amplifier Integrated
- Connectivity Technology Wired
- Controls Mute, Volume, Subwoofer volume control
Speaker System Details
- Speakers Included 1 x Speaker - 2-way - Wired, Subwoofer - Wireless
- Driver Details Speaker : 4 x Mid/woofer driver - 2.5 in, Speaker : 2 x Tweeter driver - 0.5 in
- Driver Details Subwoofer : 1 x Subwoofer driver - 6"
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Audio line-in ( RCA phono x 2 )
Product series
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Boston Acoustics TVee Model Two (black/onyx)
Manufacturer: Boston Acoustics Inc.
Specs: speaker system, Midnight, Active
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Boston Acoustics TVee Model Two (mist/silver)
Manufacturer: Boston Acoustics Inc.
Specs: speaker system, Mist, Active
Manufacturer info
- Boston Acoustics Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Boston Acoustics Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.bostonacoustics.com/
- Address:
300 Jubilee Dr.
Peabody, MA 01960 - Phone: 978-538-5000
- Email: support@bostonacoustics.com
- Fax: 978-538-5199
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