Pioneer SP-SB03 Andrew Jones Speaker Base TV Audio System

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Review

Hints and tips on using the SP-SB03 speaker base (revised 4/17/15)
This is a very solid product, with excellent sound. It interfaces nicely with my Panasonic plasma TV. I note that some reviewers have had trouble with the remote control provisions. You can program the base unit to respond to an alternate remote control. For instance, I programmed my unit's power function to respond to my TV's power button on the remote. Then, when I turn the TV on, the speaker base comes on without any other remotes involved. I also programmed the volume up/down on the base to respond to the TV volume up/down buttons, and turned the TV speakers off. (The base also still responds to the included remote.) Doing it this way, you can pretty much ignore the speaker base remote, and control it from the TV remote.

To program the Mute button, you would never know it from the manual, but in step 4, instead of pushing a button on the front panel, you can push a button on the remote, the Bluetooth light will flash, and you can proceed per the instructions. Great...
Nicely done
I upgraded to this from an older zvox 555. I like it a lot.

Dynamic range is great. Voices and sounds are natural. I use a harmony universal remote, and have no trouble controlling everything. I use this strictly for watching TV and movies, and really like it. No soundbase will compete with a 5.1 speaker system in terms of surround and deepest base, but this unit gives me 95% of what I want, and allows me to not fight with my spouse about wires running everywhere.

Compared with the zvox, the display is more spartan. You know what mode you are in (bluetooth, movie, expanded movie, etc), and can control the base and overall volume, but there are no visual confirmations of the actual level of the latter two. You need to do it by ear. I find that voices are super clear with this unit, so do not miss the Zvox accuvoice mode.

It is also significantly taller than the zvox, but not displeasingly so.

For the price, this is a bargain.

Two...
Great Sound - Great Value
Just received this unit this week to replace my older ZVOX 550 sound base. I had upgraded my TV from an older Vizio 42" LCD TV to a new JVC EM65FTR 65" that has a digital tosli nk output and the ZVOX only had analog inputs. After reading the online reviews I thought I would give the Pioneer SP-SB03 Soundbase a try.

This base was just a few inches wider and about an inch taller than the older ZVOX 550. Set-up was very easy and I had sound working in under 5 minutes. I have spent several hours watching movies, live TV, and listening to music through a Roku 3 and the built-in Bluetooth. Of the different listening modes - I prefer the Movie mode with the EXP (expansion) turned on. It did require me to fine tune the subwoofer adjustment so the bass would not be too heavy.

Overall I have found the sound to be much better than the older ZVOX 550 (especially music) and dialogue in all my program content is much clearer.

I would have given this unit a 5...

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Pioneer SP-SB23W Andrew Jones Soundbar System

One of the best sounding bar with minor inconveniences
At current price, this sound bar is one of the best sounding bar in the $250 - $400 range. The sound is full, rich, well balanced and a pleasure to listen to. I haven't A/B compared with brands like Klipsch, B&W, Yamaha or Onkyo sound bars but in comparison with other electronics manufacturers' brands such as Sony, Samsung, LG, Panasonic or Sharp's sound bars in similar price range, Pioneer trumps them all in sonic quality. It doesn't matter what feature the sound bar claims to have (like 3D sound processing, multi-channel virtual surround, sound enhancing processing gimmicks) unless the speaker actually has good drivers to begin with. Listening to music with this sound bar was the closest thing to listening to a regular pair of speaker - wide, balanced and full. The small subwoofer that comes with the sound bar delivers clean and powerful bass without distorting or muddying mid/high tones. If you are shopping to get the best sound as the top priority, this should do the job. If...

Perfect soundbar for music and movies
After searching for the better part of 6 months, I had pretty much come to trying to decide between the Sony HT-CT660, Samsung HW-F750, or wait for the Pioneer SP-SB23W. After carefully considering the Samsung because of its ease of connectivity with my Samsung UN46ES7500 LED and the Sony for it's multiple HDMI inputs through which I could run all of my components (3d bluray, xbox 360, cable, etc) without having to go through the TV first, I finally decided to take a chance with the Pioneer and the technical abilities of Andrew Jones.

While it would have been nice to have unimpeded sound going straight through the soundbar and pass-through video to the TV, the ability of a soundbar to create true surround sound is more gimmicky to me than anything else. While the wireless connectivity of the Samsung to my TV would have been visually appealing, what truly matters in the end is the way the speaker/soundbar itself sounds. Having tested many soundbars and going back and...

Decent performance, Bluetooth problems with the originally shipped units, poor customer support
Below is my original review. I have upgraded my rating to 3 stars after receiving my replacement unit. I give the soundbar itself 4 stars, but still feel I have to knock off a star due to the embarrassing problems with the originally shipped units, difficulty contacting customer support, and Pioneer's delay in acknowledging the problem. The tone I got from Pioneer and fanboys of the product seemed to be annoyance that I discovered a serious flaw that required a recall.

Anyway, with the updated Bluetooth, the soundbar sounds very good using optical, stereo audio, and Bluetooth. Bluetooth pairing is easy, but the unit can only pair to one device at a time. To pair with a different device you must unpair it from the device itself. You can't just clear the Bluetooth pair from the soundbar because is will automatically repair with the original device. Also, when using Bluetooth, when a new song starts, the first second of sound is sometimes clipped. I have not had this problem...

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Pioneer SP-SB03 Andrew Jones Speaker Base TV Audio System

Great Sound - Great Value
Just received this unit this week to replace my older ZVOX 550 sound base. I had upgraded my TV from an older Vizio 42" LCD TV to a new JVC EM65FTR 65" that has a digital tosli nk output and the ZVOX only had analog inputs. After reading the online reviews I thought I would give the Pioneer SP-SB03 Soundbase a try.

This base was just a few inches wider and about an inch taller than the older ZVOX 550. Set-up was very easy and I had sound working in under 5 minutes. I have spent several hours watching movies, live TV, and listening to music through a Roku 3 and the built-in Bluetooth. Of the different listening modes - I prefer the Movie mode with the EXP (expansion) turned on. It did require me to fine tune the subwoofer adjustment so the bass would not be too heavy.

Overall I have found the sound to be much better than the older ZVOX 550 (especially music) and dialogue in all my program content is much clearer.

I would have given this unit a 5...

Nicely done
I upgraded to this from an older zvox 555. I like it a lot.

Dynamic range is great. Voices and sounds are natural. I use a harmony universal remote, and have no trouble controlling everything. I use this strictly for watching TV and movies, and really like it. No soundbase will compete with a 5.1 speaker system in terms of surround and deepest base, but this unit gives me 95% of what I want, and allows me to not fight with my spouse about wires running everywhere.

Compared with the zvox, the display is more spartan. You know what mode you are in (bluetooth, movie, expanded movie, etc), and can control the base and overall volume, but there are no visual confirmations of the actual level of the latter two. You need to do it by ear. I find that voices are super clear with this unit, so do not miss the Zvox accuvoice mode.

It is also significantly taller than the zvox, but not displeasingly so.

For the price, this is a bargain.

Two...

Hints and tips on using the SP-SB03 speaker base (revised 4/17/15)
This is a very solid product, with excellent sound. It interfaces nicely with my Panasonic plasma TV. I note that some reviewers have had trouble with the remote control provisions. You can program the base unit to respond to an alternate remote control. For instance, I programmed my unit's power function to respond to my TV's power button on the remote. Then, when I turn the TV on, the speaker base comes on without any other remotes involved. I also programmed the volume up/down on the base to respond to the TV volume up/down buttons, and turned the TV speakers off. (The base also still responds to the included remote.) Doing it this way, you can pretty much ignore the speaker base remote, and control it from the TV remote.

To program the Mute button, you would never know it from the manual, but in step 4, instead of pushing a button on the front panel, you can push a button on the remote, the Bluetooth light will flash, and you can proceed per the instructions. Great...

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