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Zvox AccuVoice AV855 review
The Zvox AccuVoice AV855 is not my favorite soundbar, but it does something unique for the hard-of-hearing that will make it the ideal buy for some people. Just about every other soundbar has a dialog mode that can help boost that part of a movie or show, but none does it quite to the extent of Zvox.
It’s not the first soundbar I’ve come across for this purpose. The smaller Zvox AV157 that the company put out last year worked to achieve similar results, though the AV855 is better in every way (unless you want a smaller soundbar). Of course, it’s pricier, too.
As a regular soundbar, the Zvox AccuVoice AV855 checks most of the boxes, incorporating things like HDMI ARC (missing from that AV157 I reviewed last year), but comes a little short for those that don’t care about its voice-boosting “AccuVoice” feature. There’s no Bluetooth or WiFi Streaming, the spatial audio feature isn’t all that impressive, and, most importantly, the audio can sound a bit boxy.
But if you have trouble hearing dialog in your desired media, this soundbar may be the most extreme or robust solution out there. It may not be the best soundbar overall, but it’s tough to beat for vocal intelligibility.
On the aesthetics side of things, the Zvox AccuVoice AV855 is fairly utilitarian looking. Basically, it’s a black, rectangular box with minimal curves, notable mostly for the durable metal housing it’s in. That’s okay in my eyes, because this is a soundbar with a purpose (which I’ll get to in a bit).
Its height is a bit lower than some soundbars, measuring at just under two inches, making it slot under a TV a little easier than some other models I’ve tested.
What is somewhat exciting about its design is the fact that, along with its four front-facing drivers (two for the center channel), it has two upward-facing ones for adding height to spatial audio — though this comes with a major catch that we’ll return to in just a moment. There also are bass ports on each side to help improve the low-end response.
Another thing I appreciate on the AccuVoice AV855 is the fact that it has an LED display hidden behind the grill, so that every time I make any kind of adjustment, it will actually display whatever level it’s at or adjustment that’s been made. This is something that’s often missing on soundbars that are double the price.
The port selection here is pretty good. Having HDMI ARC is typical — though was missing from the smaller AV157 I reviewed last year — but it also has optical, line-in, line-out, and USB connections. There’s no wireless or Bluetooth connectivity, unfortunately, so it doesn’t quite double for listening to music off any source other than your TV.
Interestingly enough, there are no controls on the soundbar itself. All the manipulation comes via the remote (so don’t lose it). Thankfully, the remote enables you to adjust the AccuVoice for dialog boosting, the PhaseCue for spatial audio, bass, treble, and volume, along with things like changing input and muting.
Since the AV855’s focus is mainly on providing a robust dialog mode for those that have trouble hearing speech in media (or just want it clearer), the feature list outside of that is a bit muted. There’s no Bluetooth or Wi-Fi streaming, as I mentioned, and it can’t be paired with other speakers.
It does, however, come with spatial audio. Now, it doesn’t support Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, so the results are notably less pronounced than I was expecting. Audio just sounds a little bigger when using this feature, which is called ‘PhaseCue’, but not as distinct as when I’m using full-fat Atmos. At least it has three levels to select from, though.
The star of the show is Zvox’s dialog booster. It’s not like Zvox is the only company offering this, but the way the company implements it is much more aggressive than you’ll find elsewhere.
Most dialog modes just do a minor boost to the mid-range where voices typically sit. AccuVoice does that, but boosts it significantly more than any other dialog mode I’ve used. Dialog modes on other soundbars typically have three levels. The AV855 has 10. But there’s more to it, as this soundbar also attenuates or reduces the high and low frequencies at the same time, and in more and more extreme fashion as you go up the levels.
Now, if you don’t have any issues with hearing (let’s exclude Christopher Nolan movies), then the AccuVoice mode gets increasingly unpleasant to listen to, with the sound increasingly resembling listening through an old phone with its boxy-all-sharp-mids results. But this feature, at least at its most extreme settings, is not for you.
Those that do have hearing issues will find it incredibly helpful, as it does a fairly good job at isolating voices. In this respect, AccuVoice does its job well – and it’s far cheaper than the Sonos Arc Ultra and its AI-aided dialog-boosting modes, which are also designed with the hard of hearing in mind.
The overall sound of the Zvox AccuVoice AV855 seems influenced by the AccuVoice feature, and always has a little bit of boxiness to it. It’s not something that really gets in the way when I watch a TV show (and I feel most people won’t notice), but is more noticeable when watching movies that typically have more audio elements, like a more filled out soundtrack. Music is similarly affected.
The low-end is actually fairly pronounced — something I was quite surprised by considering soundbars typically lack in this category when not paired with a subwoofer. It doesn’t go as low as a system with a sub, but it still had some rumble.
Ultimately, it does what it’s designed for very well, but what it’s designed for just isn’t what everyone necessarily needs. I’d happily recommend this to people who find they need speech made clearer to follow movies and shows, and it does offer the added benefits of better bass and directionality than the built-in speakers of most TVs.
Zvox AccuVoice AV855 soundbar review: price and release date
- How much does it cost? $369.99 (about £290 / AU$570)
- When is it available? Available now
- Where can you get it? Available in the US
At $369.99 (about £290 / AU$570), the Zvox AccuVoice AV855 is among the more expensive of the best cheap soundbars out there. The Zvox AVV157 I mentioned before was initially released at $249 / £159 / AU$458 but is now about $200. It certainly comes with more limitations, such as worse sound and no HDMI ARC, but it’s quite a bit cheaper.
When it comes to other cheap soundbars, the Majority Naga 60 can be bought five times over for the price of the AV855. And it sounds a bit better, too. However, it doesn’t touch the power of the dialog mode of this soundbar.
If you really need that dialog boosting mode, then the price is a relative drop in the bucket. The Zvox AccuVoice AV855 is only available in the US at the time of writing.
Zvox AccuVoice AV855 soundbar review: specs
|
Dimensions |
33.7 x 5 x 1.85 inches / 856 x 127 x 47 mm (soundbar) |
|
Speaker channels |
3.1.2 |
|
Connections |
HDMI ARC, optical digital audio, USB, Line-in (Aux), Line-out |
|
Dolby Atmos / DTS:X |
No |
|
Sub included |
Built-in |
|
Rear speakers included |
No |
|
Other features |
AccuVoice, PhaseCue, Output leveling |
Should I buy the Zvox AccuVoice AV855 soundbar?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Features |
The dedicated dialog modes are the star, and upfiring speakers are nice, but it lacks of a lot of other mod cons. |
3 / 5 |
|
Sound quality |
The AccuVoice feature works wonders for intelligibility, but the soundbar itself can be a bit boxy. |
4 / 5 |
|
Design |
The design is good if utilitarian, but the built-in display is very welcome. |
4 / 5 |
|
Value |
The price might seem high for a cheap soundbar, but it’s worth it for the AccuVoice feature if it’s what you need. |
4 / 5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Zvox AccuVoice AV855 soundbar: also consider
How I tested the Zvox AccuVoice AV855 soundbar
- Used regularly for a week
- Tested with all sorts of media
- Tested the different modes
I used the Zvox AccuVoice AV855 soundbar regularly for a week, streaming all sorts of media from movies to shows and music.
I pressed every button on the remote to check out the different modes as well as EQ settings. I also spent some time with the AccuVoice and PhaseCue features.
I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and so have been able to use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.
Read the full article here
