Review by Dougo for JVC TH-BA1 Soundbar System with Wireless Subwoofer
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You should know that a soundbar is not replacement for a home theater system. You are not going to the full impact bass and big room filling sound with a soundbar. What are you going to get? Convenience, simplicity and, if you set your expectations right, pleasing sound.

The JVC TH-BA1 delivers high value performance. It’s an attractive, well built unit which provides sound that will probably put your TV audio to shame (it did mine – a Panasonic Viera plasma). The wireless subwoofer is a little muddy and undefined but does not overpower or boom. The unit has no variable crossover control but the factory setting sounds very balanced. You just plug it into a wall power outlet and follow the extremely simple pairing instructions and you are up in less than a minute.

The 2 surround settings are very subtle and natural sounding, avoiding that fake effect of many units. There are 2 optical inputs, so if you are not using HDMI this could come in handy for game consoles, disc players or DVRs. The small remote has the basic controls, plus the ability to control the relative loundness of the the center and surround channels, and the subwoofer. For you Tivo owners, the JVC codes work and you can control volume with your Tivo remote.

I choose this JVC unit over the Polk and Boston Acoustic offerings. I’d be curious to hear those units, but am very satisfied with the JVC. I recommend the TH-BA1 to anyone who wants to upgrade their TV sound without the expense and hassle of a full blown home theater system.

Review by Greg Moon for JVC TH-BA1 Soundbar System with Wireless Subwoofer
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I recently took the HD TV plunge in our small living room and quickly decided we needed something to compliment the great picture. The soundbar is located directly in front of the TV; connected with digital cable from the U-Verse box and the Blu-Ray player, and then an analog connection from our media center PC via the TV. Setup went smoothly and the wireless subwoofer connected instantly from across the room. I’ve found that I have to reduce the subwoofer output when my wife is in the room because she keeps asking if someone is at the door or pulling in the driveway. The only problem I had was with the analog connection. At first I thought that it wasn’t working and called customer support. They helped me figure out that the “center” volume had to be cranked up along with the TV volume since I have the the analog audio out going from TV to soundbar for playing stuff from the PC. This setup is more than enough in a small, open living room to benefit from HD/Blu-ray effects and it does a good job when I play from my music collection on the PC.

Review by Grandmom for JVC TH-BA1 Soundbar System with Wireless Subwoofer
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Ordered this system to replace the Polk Audio Instant Home Theater, which I sent back after one day(see my review). This JVC sounds oh so much better (although I wasn’t unhappy with the Polk’s sound), was so easy to set up, has more functionality, and is significantly less expensive. There are controls on the remote for adjusting center, surround, and subwoofer; input selections; surround modes. The volume level is shown on the unit’s display – a feature the Polk lacked.

The only issues:

1. There is a slight buzzing noise upon power up. This occurs on my unit even if no input cables are attached. I usually play at a volume high enough to cover the distraction.

2. Customer support was pathetic. The guy tried to tell me I had to run a cable from each source (DVR, DVD) to the speaker rather than using one cable from TV to speaker. Bull. I’m listening to beautiful sound right now with one cable from TV to speaker. He spent most of his time trying to sell me several variations of extended warranties.

Haven’t decided if I will ask Amazon to exchange systems. I am definitely impressed enough to want to give this system a permanent home.