Paradigm Shift SoundScape Soundbar(Black)

Update 12/17/2015Amazing sound but had to return it for repair. Some movie content with sub-bass started rattling or vibrating some components inside at higher volume, even at 60%. I don't know if sound engineers or mixers are starting to have their interns mix soundtracks for movies and tv shows or they're getting sloppy but ----. This is disappointing because at first they send me a woofer to replace as I though the issue is with the woofer. That was not the case, I replaced the woofer and the rattling or vibrating sound was still there coming from inside of the unit. I say there is definitely some inconsitancy with the production of this soundbar and I am hopefull that they will fix the unit I sent back as it's still in warranty. It was fine for the first Few months but then the issue happened. I guess some content has more sub-bass than other and it does take a toll on the unit. It's in fortunate thatfor this money the unit didn't last that long and on top of that I have to now wait a few weeks for it to be repaired. With that said, the sound on this thing is very very very good, so I'm hopeful they will fix it soon. I didn't audition any other expensive soundbar so I can't say that others are worse or better but still, I think we're at a point where you can't really trust most online reviews anymore, even ones from so "legit" places. Yea but I guess we all know that, riigggghhht! :)--------------Oh thanks Apple for removing optical out on ATV4, I completely didn't get the memo that we should be upgrading our TVs and other devices every year, so that we are all on the same upgrade treadmill.--------------Spectacular sound with movies and music after a break-in period of about 10+ hours. Be patient for the first day or two. Once the components adjust to your environment you will notice an immediate change in the sound and be blown away. Your ears will just know once you hear it, opening up after the break-in period. Mechanical components of this high quality take some time to settle in with temperature, humidity and atmospheric conditions.Easy operation, auto dimming display, Bluetooth, two optical ins, program it to respond to most IR remotes.The product design has a gorgeous metallic quality that feels very solid (not bulky) yet rich and very refined.Sound for movies is clear, thick, powerful and defined. Sometimes so realistic that you may think the characters and the action is taking place right inside your room. There is a specific quality to the sound that's hard to explain. The sound stage isn't very large but that's the physics of a sound bar. However the clarity and 3D dimensional quality of the sounds is amazing. For music it sounds better (more detailed) than my focal pro cms 40 studio monitors. This soundscape has theater sound for movies, with impactful explosions, crispy sound effects and extremely low rumbles that are very defined with clear dialog which is concise and centered. The built-in sub is pure awesomeness going down to 30hz din. You can add another sub instead if you want via the included wireless transmitter but even without it it blows away anything else out there. The sound is very lively and fun yet very flat clearly illustrating an audio quality the way the artists intended. It doesn't sound wimpy but at the same time it doesn't sound overpowering and boomy (or cheap) but it can be very kicking when you want all the while preserving the hi-fidelity sound quality. Even at low volume the dialog can be clearly heard from my other room.Keep surround ON for movie mode. For music mode turn surround OFF to hear a more dynamic image. Keep the loudness setting to OFF for music but turn it ON for movies if you want a slightly wider soundstage with more omph for sound effects, soundtrack and a thicker deeper dialog voices enhancing the theater effect. For caual tv watching or late at night I would keep loudness setting to off.I tried to add a subwoofer however I didn't like missing out on the 30-80hz frequencies reproduced by this soundbar so I went back to using just the soundbar without a sub. Perhaps I need to try it with a better subwoofer. For now I don't feel I need a sub as the Paradigm Soundscape seems to be doing just fine without one.The Paradigm Soundscape is able to handle any music genre amazingly well without you having to fiddle with eq. It's almost as if it knows what type of music it is playing and it is magically reproducing the track just in a perfectly clear and open way for your ears to hear it.The sounds coming out of this are absolutely spectacular.

In all respect for the Wirecutter review, they missed a few very important issues with this soundbar.First, the sound quality is very good. If sound is the only thing that matters to you, then you probably will be happy with this product. However, I was not satisfied and returned it for the following reasons: 1) The sound bar is very large and heavy. There is good reason why the company doesn't provide all of the parts to hang it on the wall because it probably will tear your wall down. I would never feel comfortable hanging something this large and heavy on my wall no matter what type of anchors you used. 2) You cannot power this soundbar through other remotes. I have a tivo and there is no code for using paradigm products so you are relegated to using two remotes - one for your tv/tivo and the other just for the sound bar. I contacted the company and asked for a remote code (usually a 3 to 5 digit number so that other remotes can power the device), and their reply was just to use the soundbar's remote to power the tv and tivo if you can believe that. I spent hours trying to make this a possibility, but the software design is too complex to make this a realistic option. This suggestion shows that the company doesn't understand that you don't want to be forced into using the soundbar remote - you want the sound to be integrated into your existing setup. Finally, the price simply can't be justified. I can afford just about any price point, but the higher price along with inconvenience just isn't worth it to me.Bottom line, I wouldn't buy or own this unless sound is the only thing that is important to you. If you don't mind the hassle of using several remotes and the potential damage from hanging something so heavy on your wall, and have a very fat wallet, this is a good option. For my money, however, I purchased a Vizio soundbar (which included satellite speakers) at Costco for $249 and the sound was just about a good as this one, in fact, better, because of the additional satellite speakers. And, guess what, it worked so I didn't have to use the soundbar remote and integrated nicely with tivo without any issue. The setup was 5 minutes, instead of several hours, in which I could not get Paradigm to work properly with my tv and tivo.