OTHER TECH

PERFORMANCE The soundtrack explodes with musical fireworks, and not only did the Zvox playback have impressive dynamic range, natural tonal balance, and ample volume, but it gave me far more than a stereo sound field. The sound spread behind the Console and far out to the sides, even wrapping a bit so that the side effects seemed to come from slightly in front of the screen as well. As the camera careened around the dance floor, the sonic illusion kept pace.

I followed that up with A Mighty Wind, folk music's mockumentary answer to This Is Spinal Tap. I was surprised to hear some ambient sounds that I hadn't noticed during earlier viewings, especially during the outdoor interviews. During the model-train sequence in Mickey's basement, the train sounded like it was circling the TV.

Zvox suggests trying the system with the virtual surround processing offered in many DVD players. Engaging my Rotel player's surround setting wrapped the sound further to the sides and rear, but at the expense of some hollowness and thinness in front.

Finally I turned to music, including the new Mary Chapin Carpenter CD, Between Here and Gone. The stereo image amazed me, especially when she played piano. I also spun a live recording I made at a Chicago folk-music venue and was impressed by how well the Zvox reproduced the room ambience.

There's no remote, and since the volume control is on the rear panel, the Zvox sound system works best with a source component that has a volume control. (I soon tired of shuttling back and forth from my couch to the rear of the Zvox to adjust the volume when I used it with my DVD player.) If your bedroom TV has a variable line-level output, the Zvox is an excellent way to get better sound from it, short of installing a six- or seven-piece surround sound system.

With the Zvox 315 Sound Console, good simple sound is no longer an oxymoron. It's a bargain to boot.