Zvox 430 HSD (photos)

The Zvox 430 HSD is bigger and more expensive than most sound bars, but it delivers impressively large sound for movies.

Matthew Moskovciak

Covering home audio and video, Matthew Moskovciak helps CNET readers find the best sights and sounds for their home theaters. E-mail Matthew or follow him on Twitter @cnetmoskovciak.

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Matthew Moskovciak

March 14, 2011 9:58 a.m. PT

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Zvox 430 HSD

The market for affordable sound bars has exploded over the last two years, but Zvox has been in the game since 2004. The Zvox 430 HSD is one of the more conventional-looking sound bars in the company's line, although it's bigger and boxier than what you'll find made by mainstream competitors. The upside is that this bulk allows the 430 HSD to deliver big sound for movies, which is what you're paying for with its relatively high $450 price tag.

In all, we think Zvox's uniquely designed Z-Base units are a better choice for most buyers, but if their pedestal design won't work in your home theater and you want the Zvox sound, the 430 HSD is a solid alternative.

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Design

While we're big fans of the Zvox Z-Base's pedestal design, the 430 HSD has a more traditional sound-bar look, intended to sit in front of your HDTV or be mounted on a wall. It features an MDF cabinet with a black matte finish, and the speaker grille covers nearly the entire front panel.

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Connectivity

Around the back of the 430 HSD, you'll notice three audio inputs: optical, coaxial, and analog. It's easy to assume that you can connect three separate devices directly to the 430 HSD, but it's not quite that simple.

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'Mixing' inputs

Instead of traditional input switching, the 430 HSD has all three inputs "live" all the time. That's not a problem if you diligently turn off each of your devices when you're not using it, but with always-on DVRs the design is more problematic, since you'll be mixing TV audio when you're trying to watch a DVD. The alternative is to connect all your devices to your HDTV, then connect your HDTV's audio output to the 430 HSD. For most basic home theaters, that arrangement should work fine; just remember to turn off your TV's speakers in the TV's setup menu.

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Front panel minijack input

The other way to connect a device to the 430 HSD is the minijack input on the front panel, which is especially useful for making a quick connection to an iPod or other digital audio player. As soon as you connect a minijack cable, the 430 HSD mutes all other inputs, which is better than keeping all of the inputs live, but it means you can't leave a cable permanently connected to the port. We'd still prefer true input switching.

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Remote

The included remote gets the job done, but it could use improvement. There are only 11 buttons total, but they are bunched together and similarly sized. While we longed for some button rockers and even a basic red button for power, the 430 HSD is simple enough that the uninspired remote is only a minor setback.