ZVOX 425 Speaker System

Some people would call it cheating. Others might be less pejorative and consider it a shortcut. Either way, setting a rectangular box on top of your TV, plugging in an analog stereo RCA cable, finding an outlet for a single AC power cord, and pressing the power button isn�t what God intended when he gave us home theater. No, a real man�s home theater demands a separate processor and amplifiers, multiple speakers, many long runs of speaker wire, and an inconvenient place to put a subwoofer. It should take real work to set the whole thing up and more than a sporting chance to wire something incorrectly.

So it makes me uneasy when read that the new ZVOX 425 is �the world�s first full range, wall mount single cabinet home theater with built in subwoofers� and that it �requires only one connecting cord.� But it recently moved into a new house in which temporarily making do with a much smaller home theater room than used to. It�s given me an appreciation for these single cabinet surround sound thingamabobs. Other than a full blown custom installed system, this singular sensation concept may be the only way to properly feng shui your home theater in a cramped room. (It�s my understanding that THX is working on a feng shui spec, but don�t quote me on that.)

The Basics
When it comes to room space, the new ZVOX 425 doesn�t demand much. The entire system consists of a basic rectangular box that�s about 3 feet in width, and half a foot (give or take an inch) in both height and depth.

A metal grille spans the entire front of the cabinet and extends approximately an inch off of each side. Just below the grille is a narrow black strip with the buttons for power on/off, volume, and PhaseCue up/down, as well as a 3.5 mm input jack. Inset along the back and bottom is a connection panel with two sets of stereo analog audio inputs, a stereo analog output, a master power button, and the socket for the power cord.

There�s also a knob for adjusting ZVOX�s S.A.N.E. (That�s Sudden Audio Noise Eliminator or, in layman�s terms, an audio compression circuit that�s primarily meant for use during late night movie watching.) In addition to the fact that the connections are easier to reach than those on most wall mountable systems, the silk screened labels are printed upside down which means they�ll be right side up when you lean over the top of the cabinet and look down at the jack panel.

Clear vinyl disc pads on the 425�s bottom keep it from scratching the top of the TV it�s sitting on or vibrating its way off said TV and onto the floor. (The MDF cabinet construction is nice, but it�s not going to survive that kind of drop test.) There are four grommets on the back in case you decide to opt for the optional wall bracket. ZVOX didn�t send a bracket along with the 425, so don�t have first hand experience with installing it on the wall. At 25 pounds, though, the 425 isn�t likely to pull the studs out of your wall if you choose to go that route.