JVC TH-BS7E

Although JVC is better known in the image sector, its audio catalogue is also quite substantial. This TH-BS7E sound bar is one such product and we're pleased to be able to bring you our review here.

Hardware: supplied as a kit

First surprise on receiving the package: it's shape. It makes you wonder if they haven't sent you only the subwoofer and the rest has been lost in the mail. In fact no, the JVC sound bar is delivered as a kit that you have to assemble to give it its long slim shape.

Although the assembly is perfectly simple, the installation does beg a few questions. Obviously made to be fixed onto the wall, the BS7E design does suffer from some inconsistencies. Although it is very slim itself, the cable is very thick and white. You almost want to use a duct to mask it! The same goes for the wall fixture system (see inset).

In terms of connectivity, we were disappointed. No HDMI, which is already a handicap, but three optical ins and one analogue is very lite indeed.

What an excellent idea to include the ultra thin amp however. With an external power supply and a quite unusual design, it doesn't take up much space and is easily tucked away. The remote isn't very big either and is easy to use.

Audio: not very clean

The design of this sound bar did call into question how good the sound quality would be and these doubts were confirmed when we had a listen.

The audio isn't great. The subwoofer is too muddy with too much return and the bar has the annoying tendency to create a tube-like sound, as if coming through a megaphone. Dialogues are nevertheless more intelligible than what you get with TV speakers.

As for spatialisation, you'll have to forget about it. This bar doesn't generate correct spatialised sound. Whether in cinema or music mode, you systematically get the problems associated with software spatialisation: the extremities of the spectrum have no power and a rather doubtful reverb is added which gives a larger feel. It clearly doesn't give correct spatialisation.

Although this JVC bar seemed promising, it is in fact quite a disappointment. It is very difficult to find any real plus points, either on the audio or installation side.