If you read Part 1: The TV you know that I decided to split the review up into three posts, Part 1: The TV, Part 2: The Blu-Ray™ Player, and Part 3: The Sound Bar.

This is Part 3 of the three post review on the HD Vizio package. Enjoy!

Part 3: Vizio High Definition Sound Bar Review

First, I just want you to be aware you are not going to be getting true surround sound with a sound bar, but rather an enhanced or widened stereo. Even though you are not getting true surround sound, the audio coming out of the Vizio Sound Bar makes a very big difference. Unlike the Vizio VSB210WS that comes with a wireless subwoofer, the Vizio VSB200 does NOT come with a subwoofer. However, it does come with a line output for a subwoofer, so I was able to connect my Logitech subwoofer to the Vizio Sound Bar, which made even more of a difference. A subwoofer is not needed, but while it gets full sound and great volume, you are not going to get that kind of bottom without a powered subwoofer.

The Vizio Sound Bar was easy to set up with minimal wires, a power cable plugged into the wall, optical cable from the Vizio Sound Bar to the Vizio Blu-Ray™ player and analog connectors (for now) to the Vizio LCD HDTV. I do wish it had another optical output for the TV, but the analog connectors will work for now.

The TruVolume feature on the Vizio Sound Bar acts as a limiter, limiting audio fluctuations when dialing from lower analog channels to the higher digital channels on your TV, which is probably my favorite feature the Vizio Sound Bar has to offer. So many times have I been surfing channels and the audio would be way to loud or way to soft. The TruVolume feature eliminates that fluctuation.

If you read Part 1 and Part 2 of the Vizio reviews, you would hear me complaining about the lack of buttons on the TV and Blu-Ray™ player. But, on the Vizio Sound Bar they do not disappoint! There are buttons that work all of the controls for the Vizio Sound Bar that the remote control works, which has already come in handy. Unfortunately, the Vizio Sound Bar remote control that I received is worse than the Vizio Blu-Ray™ remote control in that it is unresponsive…very unresponsive. Usability wise the remote control is great, the buttons are laid out nicely and it is easy to navigate, but it just doesn’t work as well as I hoped it would. The remote control is also a small in size, but if I lose it at least I have the manual controls on the top of the Vizio Sound Bar I can use!

Overall the Vizio Sound Bar does exactly what I wanted it to do, improve the quality of the audio from the TV and Blu-Ray™ player, add extra volume and bass, and has a built-in audio fluctuation limiter. What do you like about your sound bars or home theater equipment? Tell me in comments!

Vizio High Definition Sound Bar Specs and Features

Model VSB200
SRS TruSurround HD™
SRS TruVolume

FLAT PANEL SOUND BAR

Speaker bar frequency response: 60Hz to 20kHz
Integrated Class-D Amplifier at 20×2 channel with 0.01% THD
S/PDIF receiver for digital audio delivery
102db Dynamic range
Support for PCM input via TOSLINK input
High Power Efficiency with Low Power Consumption
Environmentally conscious

HIGH DEFINITION AUDIO PERFORMANCE

High-Performance 32-Bit 150MHz DSP Audio Engine
Impressive Sound Pressure Level measuring 98dB SPL max @ 1M
Advanced 24-Bit Linear PCM to PWM Engine with integrated thermal, over-current, over voltage, over current protection
Latest Virtualization & Volume Leveling Technology from SRS Labs
SRS TruSurround HD virtual surround
SRS TruVolume eliminates undesirable loud commercials and channel to channel variances

SYSTEM INSTALLATION

Two analog and 1 S/PDIF connectors
Flexible stand supporting both desktop and wall mount configurations
AC (100V-240V, 50-60Hz) Power Supply Connection to Speaker Bar
Line output to optional subwoofer, 2Vpp

REMOTE CONTROL

Master Volume Control
Input Select
Mute
SRS TruSurround HD signal processing on/off
SRS TruVolume On/Off
Power

AUDIO INPUTS

2 Stereo RCA Input
Input Sensitivity: 2Vrms (max)
1 S/PDIF Fiber Optic TOSLINK Input
Supported Sampling Frequencies: 32kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz
Support Linear PCM Bit Depths: 16-bit, 20-bit

AUDIO PROCESSING FEATURES

SRS TruSurround HD enables compelling Virtual Surround experience from mono, stereo or 2 channel matrix surround encoded content
SRS TruBass psychoacoustic bass enhancements enables amazing bass for a single bar
SRS FOCUS sound height alignment for precise sonic stage placement under panel
SRS Dialog Clarity delivers enhanced vocal intelligibility
SRS Definition delivers sparkling detail while bringing lost background information to life
SRS TruVolume eliminates undesirable increase in volume when commercials come on and channel to channel volume variances

SPEAKER BAR DIMENSIONS

Length: 39-5/8″
Depth 4.26” deep
Height: 4.67” with stand, 3.69” without stand

If you read Part 1: The TV you know that I decided to split the review up into three posts, Part 1: The TV, Part 2: The Blu-Ray™ Player, and Part 3: The Sound Bar.

This is Part 2 of the three post review of the HD Vizio package. Enjoy!

Vizio Blu-Ray™ High Definition Disc Player

This is my first ever Blu-Ray™player, so I was excited when I saw it was included in the Vizio HD package. It comes with an HDMI cable so it makes the setup process very easy. One HDMI cable from the Vizio Blu-Ray™ to the Vizio LCD HDTV and the power cord and that is it! The menu, just like the Vizio LCD HDTV, is very simple and easy to navigate. Blu-Ray™ and standard DVD movies load very fast which is nice and convenient.

The full HD 1080p Vizio Blu-Ray™ player combined with the Vizio 1080p LCD HDTV makes the picture quality of the Blu-Ray™ movies even more amazing. Since I have never owned another Blu-Ray™ player I have nothing to compare it to, so my standards on clarity are low. The Vizio Blu-Ray™ player met and exceeded my clarity expectations. The Vizio Blu-Ray™ player also up-converts playback on standard definition DVD’s making them a much more enjoyable experience.

One thing I don’t like is the remote control. There is nothing wrong with the Vizio Blu-Ray™ remote controls usability, it is very easy to navigate and locate buttons you are looking for. It just seems to be a bit unresponsive. You have to point it directly at the unit in order for it to register, which gets rather annoying.

Again, I noticed the lack of buttons on the Vizio Blu-Ray™ player. There is an open button and a power button. That’s it. Right now I’m ok with it, but if something happens to the remote…I don’t think I will be very happy.

Overall, I would say the Vizio Blu-Ray™ player is great for someone who has not owned a Blu-Ray™ player before. It met and exceeded all of my expectations, but will it meet yours? Let me know about your Blu-Ray™ player in comments!

Vizio Blu-Ray™ High Definition Disc Player Specs and Features

Model VBR110
Full HD 1080p playback
7.1  Digital Audio
7.2  HDMI Video/Audio Cable Included
7.3  Backwards Compatible – Plays Blu-rays™ and DVDs

General Specifications:

Unit Dimensions: 17.126” W x 2.409” H x 12.106” D
Box Dimensions: 20.472” W x 5.039” H x 15.945” D
Net Weight: 7.275 lbs.
Gross Weight: 10.8 lbs.
Power Input: 50HZ/60HZ
Voltage Range: 100V~240V
Power-On Consumption (AVG): <25W, <1W Standby
Remote: VIZIO Blu-ray™ Proprietary Remote
Power Cord: Length: 1.8M the power cable is detached
Signal Cable: HDMI 5ft

Compatibility:

Plays Blu-ray™ Discs (BD-Live* & Bonus View)
Plays DVDs, Audio CDs, MP3s and JPEGs**
Built-In Audio Decoding for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TruHD, DTS 2.0+Digital Out
Multi-Channel 7.1 Audio Output via HDMI
Playback and Enjoy Media via USB Input (JPEGs and MP3s)**

Outputs:

HDMI Version 1.3 with HD Audio Bitstream
Component (YCrCB) and Composite Video
Coaxial and Optical Digital Audio

*7.1 Digital Audio via HDMI only.
**Separate USB Memory Drive required. Requires Internet Connection.

One day I was at Target browsing the TV section for my next HDTV for my new apartment, and as I was leaving the Electronic section, something caught the corner of my eye. It was almost like seeing Santa fly by on his sled off into the night. I turned slowly to stare at what caught my eye and burst of light shot out at me and everything else around the end cap went dark. I even started floating slowly towards it, being sucked in by the beauty before me. It was almost Jesus-like.

Ok maybe I exaggerated a little bit, but it was damn sexy! Standing before me was a 37” Vizio 1080p LCD HDTV, Vizio 1080p Blu-Ray™ player and a set of two, 3’ Vizio HDMI cables. Whoa, what a package! (That’s what she said) and the price? $700! That’s not a bad deal if you ask me! Considering the Vizio Blu-Ray™ player alone is around $180 and the HDMI package was $60.

I checked out the specs of the Vizio LCD HDTV and Vizio Blu-Ray™ player for a couple minutes, then just to make sure I wasn’t seeing things I asked the person behind the counter if what I was seeing was in fact for real, and it wasn’t me being dehydrated in a desert witnessing a mirage of Mr.Pibb soda machines before me.  After she confirmed it was not a mirage, I was happy to take the HD Vizio package home with me.

Later that night I was feeling antsy. I had this awesome setup, but I wanted more sound. Go big or go home right? So I took a little trip to Walmart® to see what they had to offer my HD Vizio package. I’m not really into the home theater systems that have 200 different speakers that have to hook up to an equalizer and a 5 disc DVD player…besides I have a brand new Blu-Ray™ player! The Bose systems are always nice, but completely out of my price range. I knew immediately I was going to look for a sound bar, and as soon as I turned into the aisle, I saw what I was looking for. The matching Vizio Sound Bar for only $128, and it was the last one!

After writing half of the review I realized there was way to much text for one post. So I decided to post the review in three parts. Part 1: The TV, Part 2: The Blu-Ray™ Player, and Part 3: The Sound Bar.

Part 1: 37” Vizio 1080p LCD HDTV Review

The first thing I noticed about the Vizio LCD HDTV was how incredibly light it is. Weighting in at only 37lbs, it made it easy to transport it from the store to my apartment and up a flight of stairs with no problems. The setup was simple, and the number of wires going into and out of the Vizio LCD HDTV was minimal, so it did not look like a mess of wires behind the TV. A coax cable from the wall to the cable box, and one HDMI cable from the cable box to the TV, and I was ready to start auto programming. The setup wizard and menus were very easy to understand and navigate which is important. You don’t want people to get lost inside menus and sub-menus, it can lead to a very frustrating first experience with your TV. Once the auto programming was complete, I immediately jumped to the HD stations and I was blown away by the clarity of the picture, it was stunning! It was like I was on the set of Cake Boss making cakes with him! The combination of 1080p, 50,000:1 contrast ratio and 120Hz Smooth Motion make the picture quality coming out of the Vizio LCD HDTV amazing. The audio coming from the Vizio LCD HDTV is also nice and clear because of the SRS TruVolume™ and SRS TruSurround HD™, which again could have made a bad first impression if the audio had been muffled or scratchy.

On a negative note, on some of the standard channels there seems to be some kind of pixel flashing on very top of the LCD screen (not sure of the exact name or cause – I will update the post when I find out what the deal is). They go away when you zoom or change the aspect ratio. It can be a little annoying but not something to write home about, simply just an observation I made.

One thing I did notice is that there are no controls on the Vizio LCD HDTV other than the abnormally large power button on the right side. This rather worries me because what if something happens to the remote control? Obviously, I have the cable box remote, but if I didn’t have it, and my Vizio remote control got ran over by a car, how would I change the channels or adjust the volume? Of course, I could just buy another universal remote but that is a major inconvenience and expense that I don’t want to procure. I’ll keep searching for a hidden compartment that has more controls on the Vizio LCD HDTV that I might have missed.

The Vizio remote control that comes with Vizio LCD HDTV is straightforward and simple to use. I’m a big fan of remotes that have a sleep timer button on them so you don’t have to go searching through menus to find it, so I was pleased to see it was on there. Switching between the different inputs is also much simpler, instead of having one input button that controls them all, there is one button for each type of input. However, I don’t like the power button. It’s made of hard plastic and hangs off the front a little bit, and I’m afraid that it might get ripped off. Overall, the Vizio remote control is very simplistic, and simpler is always better when it comes to remote controls.

I also like that there is no inputs or outputs on either side of the Vizio LCD HDTV, other than the one USB port. Unlike the Hannspree LCD TV I reviewed earlier (here), this makes wire control much nicer and you don’t have wires sticking out of the side so it’s not as messy.

Overall, I have no complaints about the Vizio LCD HDTV. The picture/audio quality and the easy menu navigation make this HDTV worth the purchase. What do you love about your HDTV? Tell me in comments!

37” Sony Vizio LCD HDTV Tech Specs and Features

Model SV370XVT
MSRP: $849.99
Slim Design only 2.2” thin
120Hz Smooth Motion technology
50,000:1 Dynamic Contrast
SRS TruVolume™ and SRS TruSurround HD™

Specs

Size: 37″
Viewable: 37″ diagonal
Tuner: ATSC/Clear QAM
Tuner Native Panel Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
Signal Compatibility: 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i
Colors: 1.06 Billion
Computer Support: 1920 x 1080, 1360 x 768, 800 x 600, 640 x 480 via VGA/HDMI
Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 50,000:1
Brightness: 500 cd/m2 (typical)
Response Time: 5ms
Viewable Angle: 178/178 degrees (horizontal/vertical)
Pixel/Dot Pitch: 0.42675mm(H) x 0.42675mm(V)
SRS TruSurround HD™: No SRS
TruVolume™: Yes
SRS TruSurround XT™: Yes

Rear Inputs

HDMI with HDCP: 3
RF Connector for Internal Tuner: 1
Component YPbPr plus Stereo Audio: 1
S-Video: 1
Computer RGB: 1

Side Inputs

USB Ports: 1 (Multimedia and Service)

Outputs (Rear)

SPDIF Digital Optical: 1
Headphones: 1 (side)

Additional Features

Refresh Rate: 120Hz
Picture-in-Picture (PIP): Yes
Picture-outside-Picture (POP): Yes
Zero Bright Pixel Defect Guarantee: Yes
V-Chip: Yes
3D Comb Filter: Yes
3:2 or 2:2 Reverse Pull-down: Yes
ATSC with 8VSB & QAM demodulation: Yes
ATSC with MPEG-2 decoding: Yes
NTSC Video decoding via Video: Yes via RF or Composite
Video Progressive Scan Video: Yes, thru Component VGA or HDMI
Color Temperature: 5400K, 6300K and 9300K
Color Fine Tuning: Independent Red, Green and Blue
Speakers: Built-in 10W x 2 Speakers
Panel Lamp Life (typical): 50,000 Hours
Voltage Range: 100~240 Vac at 50/60 Hz
Power Consumption: 147 W <0.5W Standby
Universal Remote: VIZIO Remote Control

When you think of Full HD 1080p, you think of at least 32″ wide and larger. With the Hannspree HT09 LCD TV you get Full HD 1080p in only 28″. I received the Hannspree LCD Full HD TV from Tiger Direct a little over a week ago and I must say I have been nothing but impressed. For only $349.99 offering full HD 1080p at only 28″ has never been heard of.

Conservatively styled with it’s slender, gloss-black bezel with contrasting arced silver speaker section along the bottom, the Hannspree LCD Full HD TV offers a great combination of quality design, clear audio/video, easy to navigate menus and some awesome built-in features, all at an affordable price.

The Hannspree LCD Full HD TV comes packed with a 1920 x 1200 resolution,16:10 aspect ratio, 3000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and 3ms response time, making it a decent Full HD TV to play video games on, with minimal lag. It is also wall mountable, has a built in HD cable tuner and comes with a very easy to navigate menu system. The universal remote control comes equipped with a set of AA batteries and is everything you would expect a universal remote to be. It’s straight forward and easy to navigate, making it easy for even the “not so tech savvy” people to use. It also comes with a cleaning cloth that can be used to wipe the screen or the glossy-black outer trim, making messy windex and paper towels not necessary. It also makes a nice eye-glass cleaner if you need it!

The Hannspree HT09 also comes with a number of inputs, including: 2 HDMI Ports, PC input, Composite, Component, RF Input, and VGA (to use as a computer monitor). It also features a Headphone and Digital Optical Output, making it possible to hook up surround sound or computer speakers (currently I have my Logitech Z4’s hooked up to it). The 2 built-in 5-watt speakers can get exceptionally loud and are very clear sounding.

Picture Quality

I am especially pleased with the picture quality of the Hannspree HT09. It has really rich colors, the black is actually black and not an off gray as seen on some TVs. I connect my laptop to the Hannspree HT09 with an HDMI to DVI wire to use as a second monitor. DVI does not transmit audio, so I use my Logitech Z4’s connected to my laptop as my audio/surround sound. The picture quality from my laptop to the Hannspree HT09 is excellent, the colors are bright, vivid and very clear with almost no pixelation occurring.

Final Thoughts

In the end $349.99 for the Hannspree 28″ HT09 LCD 1080p Full HD TV keeps all of the promises it made on the packaging. It offers excellent 1920 x 1200 resolution, 3000:1 contrast ratio, 3ms response time and enough inputs to satisfy all your monitor/TV/gaming needs. At $349.99 the Hannspree HT09 is very affordable for just about anyone. It’s not quite big enough to be the shrining center piece of your living room, but I know it will be gracing the presence of my bedroom for years to come. I would recommend the Hannspree 28″ HT09 LCD HD TV to anyone who is looking to buy a new TV or second monitor.

I have only used my Astro A40 Audio System for Xbox 360 and PC, so that will be the focus of this review.

I can’t say for sure whether or not I’m a casual or competitive gamer… because I enjoy doing both. When I first got into competitive gaming I had no idea how much of a difference having a gaming headset would make.

It wasn’t until I tried out a friends Turtle Beach headset that I understood the reason to having a headset. Using a gaming headset, low or high-end brand, helps keep you focused on what’s going on in the game, boosts your awareness and almost makes it as if you are part of the game. It allows you to hear things that would normally get drowned out coming through normal TV or stereo speakers, delivering crisp highs and impacting lows. You can even hear from what direction sound are coming from.

That is what a gaming headset does… but what makes the Astro A40 Audio System so different from all the rest of the gaming headsets out there? Besides the high price of $250 the answer is quite clear… quality. I have used many different gaming headsets in my gaming career, and the quality of the sounds coming out of the Astro A40 Headset and MixAmp are as close as you can get without being in the game itself. The A40 Audio System combines voice communication with 5.1 Dolby Digital and Dolby Headphone surround sound, and provides Xbox and Xbox 360 users with combined voice and game sound (allowing you to control the volume of both the game and voice outputs).

Don’t worry PC gamers you weren’t left out, you can benefit by offloading surround decoding and voice communication duties to the A40 system. Combined with other A40 MixAmps, it provides a private, hands-free, full-duplex voice communication channel, much higher-quality than VoIP systems, with zero network lag.

Another awesome feature that makes the A40 Audio System top of its class is that t-he A40 MixAmp™ is daisy-chainable out of the box, and comes complete with everything you need to connect the built-in voice communication feature of multiple MixAmps™. Teams get the competitive edge by selectable/mutable Xbox Live communication while maintaining a dedicated, private chat channel when daisy-chained.

The Astro A40 Audio System Headset features removable speaker tags, user-configurable boom that attaches to either side of the headset, or removes completely for solo gaming and music sessions making the Astro A40 Headset customizable to your liking.

Another nice feature is that the A40 Audio System comes with a 1 year warranty. It comes in handy if you get a faulty wire, or something of the sort. I have dealt with Astro Gaming regarding my warranty a couple times and the customer service has always been great and they are willing to do whatever it takes to get your A40’s back to working properly.

The Downside

How can such a great product have any downsides? Well I already mentioned the price of $250. That is not something the average gamer would want to spend on a headset.

What comes with great quality? Many wires! It’s no joke, the Astro A40 Audio System does require a lot of wires. Wires from the back of the MixAmp to the USB port on the back of your Xbox or PC (for power), an optical cable going from the back of the MixAmp to your Xbox (or you can choose to use the included audio cables, the optical cable is not included but should be used for best quality). Out of the front is a quick-disconnect cable that connects your MixAmp to your headset, and a MixAmp Cable (that is also compatible with portable audio players) that connects from your MixAmp to your Xbox controller for voice communication. Those were just the wires to make the A40 Audio System functional, not including the wires to and from your Xbox, Xbox controller or PC. So you can see that your wires will tend to become pretty tangled up and can cause quite the inconveniences.

For me at first the Astro A40 Headset was somewhat hard to get use too. It was comfortable at first, but after a while of wearing them it started to make my ears a little sore, which got a little frustrating. After about two weeks of using them extensively the sore ears eventually passed and I could wear them all the time… even for just listening to music on my iPhone.

This headset is extremely useful for FPS games and competitive multi-player games. However, if you are spending most of your time playing UNO on Xbox LIVE, these are extreme overkill.

Final Thoughts

If you are a casual gamer looking to step it up to the next level in gaming, the Astro A40 Audio System may be out of your price range. But if you are looking for a reliable audio system that never disappoints on quality, can afford the $250, and won’t mind your wires getting tangled, their really should be no other option. The Astro A40 Audio System will give you a greater advantage over your opponents and can be customized to your gaming needs. I would recommend the Astro A40 Audio System to whoever is looking to improve their gaming career.

For a full list of features, specs and ordering information go to www.astrogaming.com