Boston Acoustics Soundware XS Digital Cinema with Bluetooth and Dolby Digital Decoding Optimized 2.1 Virtual Surround (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

Over the the last 3 months or so I have been trying to figure out what kind of audio to pair with my new Vizio 55" TV. I looked at soundbars, 5.1 systems and even contemplated just buying better speakers for receiver. My goal was and is respectable sound, simple operation and as little clutter as possible. I was leaning toward a soundbar but could not find the one I wanted and was just waiting for the right one. Then the BA Soundware XS popped up on the radar. Largely based on the Amazon reviews I ordered it and I am very happy with the result. There are a couple caveats though.The first one is that you will have wires and cables to connect everything. I already had wiring in the wall so connecting the satellite speakers was fairly easy. All the Soundware connectors are simple and solid. I personally think that digital audio is the way to go and so I use an optical connection. I have my TV mounted on the wall and run the cables through the wall. I eyeballed the distances and figured a 10' optical cable would do it. What I can say is make sure you measure your distances carefully and account for the exact cable path between the connection point on your TV and the sub/amp unit. Draw it out on paper. Then go back and make sure that you got it right.The other piece that takes a cable is the remote sensor. You will have to mount that so that you have a clear line of sight and then run the cable to the back of the sub/amp unit. I'm not sure how long the cable is but I am going to say 10'. This is another thing to consider in your placement calculations.The sensor is fairly large and not so pretty so think about placement.Which brings me to my second caveat--the remote. Some reviewers have not been happy. I'm not sure what their issues were. I find that the supplied remote itself works very well. You have to get used to cycling through some things, like input selection, and using the color of the sensor lights to know where you have set it. But this is pretty simple since you don't really have a lot of choices.Like most people I want to use only one remote. I did have some problems getting the Soundware XS to learn my remote. The most confusing thing at the start was that the sensor flashed green instead of orange per the documentation. You do have the follow the directions exactly. After a few failed attempts I did learn how to program my TV remote into the XS. So it really does work and once you go through the exercise you should be in good shape. As a side note I use the green button on my TV remote to cycle the inputs. There is one more thing to add on this. I found that switching back and forth between the XS remote and the TV remote caused them to get out of synch. By this I mean that the TV volume could say 100 and sound would still be low. To fix this I set the TV remote to 0 and then used the XS remote to reduce the "true" volume until it was inaudible. Then when I used the TV remote to control the volume it tracked the on-screen volume level.The XS provides a lot of flexibility. It provides the digital optical connection, RCA analog inputs, a mini-jack input and blue tooth. I connected my Ipod via the mini-jack and was very pleased with the quality of the sound. I was much cleaner sound than I got from my old setup which was a Harman Kardon AVR20 hooked to an old Yamaha sub-woofer and two wall-mounted 3" satellite speakers.I can't say that I tested the XS against any thing else, but it is hard to think I could get better sound for the money. I have a mid-sized room with a very high ceiling. The XS has plenty of power. The wiring is actually minimal. The sub unit is pretty small and unobtrusive and the speakers are also small and look very sleek. So aesthetically I am pleased with the outcome.So thanks to all the other Amazon reviewers. I hope this one is helpful too.

***Update***The system fails to power on after 15 months of very light usage. The warranty says 5 years, however, only the satellite and woofer driver are covered by the 5 year warranty, the electronics are only under a 1 year warranty. The repair costs outweigh the cost that I paid new. This was my first experience with Boston speakers, and it will be my last. Have had Logitech 2.1 systems that were 1/2 the price, and driven very hard for 6+ years, and are still going strong. I'm very disappointed, since these were given as a gift, and will now be shopping for a replacement.Purchased this for a gift for my father for Christmas. Packaging was good, everything was nice and secure, and no damage upon arrival. Wiring everything up was a breeze. No extra cables were needed, came with an optical cable for digital out on the TV.As others have reported, the lights on the receiver unit are very bright. They only light up for a few seconds, but can be rather distracting. The sound is awesome coming from such a small package. Watched a couple movies, and listed to some songs as well, and it did very well.The only downside is the remote that comes with it. Very cheap feeling and tiny. Easy to misplace. Apparently you can program your regular remote to control the sound, but could not get that to work.Overall, for the price I paid, very happy and was proud to give it as a gift!

This is a five star product for sure. The materials are great. There are even cosmetic covers for the wall brackets that you hardly see behind the satellite speakers. It turns itself on and off with the TV, so that's good for kids. It will learn the TV remote, so that's one thing less to have to use. It plays Bluetooth music from your phone, and is easy enough to set up that your idiot brother-in-law cold do it. The speakers sound very nice. The 8" bass driver puts out reasonably tight bass and would never be mistaken for a muddy Bose bass response. It cost just $249 with 2-day delivery,It is designed to be an add-on sound system for a TV with nothing else, except that handy Bluetooth link. Judged as that, you get a whole lot of sound for a little price. If I were to critique it and judge it against what I really want, which would be totally unfair, I would ding it for the following:1. The LED lights are too, too bright. Every time you turn it on or change an input, 3 lights on the status bar come on for a few seconds to tell you what the new status is. They are annoyingly bright. I did what I always do in this situation. Color in the light with a black crayon until it looks just right. You could never tell it was done because the status bar is black.2. The sub is not wireless. This is something I actually wanted. The fewer wireless connections going on, the less things drop out. I took the time to put a media box outlet near the floor in the wall and ran the wires up to a hole in the wall I put behind the TV. Looks great. Other may not have the ability nor desire to do this and would be left with ugly wires doing from the TV to the floor.3. There is a hole in the mid-range that I can sense. The drivers make good sound, but I wish there was some equalization I could do to make it just how I think is perfect. There is a solution--an AV receiver. That is a different product and not what I wanted in my bedroom. There is a volume control for the sub on the back of it that is helpful.Judged for what is was meant to be, it really excels. It looks very high quality and the sound doesn't disappoint. It can get mush louder than your TV alone does. It integrates well and you don't even need the remote to operate it, if you choose to easily have it learn your TV remote. It is wired, and you may or may not like that. I have to give it a solid 5 stars for doing what it is designed to do very well. At $249 with 2 day shipping, it's an easy choice. I'm glad I got it.

Great product for the cost. Sound and fidelity of something that is much more expensive. Shipping was on time and no surprises

Great value and product exceeds expectations but new roommate is picky about loudness.