Customer Ratings & Reviews

I bought this item for my dad for fathers day. I purchased an open box one in excellent condition. It shipped in just the product box, and the box was beaten up and half opened when it arrived. I was nervous so I opened it to inspect it. Despite the rough shape of the box, the soundbar was practically brand new. Everything was still in the original plastic and unopened. I decided to plug it in at my place to make sure it worked and would be of good quality for my dad. Long story short...I ended up keeping it and buying another one to give to my dad. This thing is really great. It looks very nice and having the separate sub is very cool. I live in an apartment and the bass of the TV usually gets my older neighbor knocking on the wall even with the TV at low volumes. The sound bar throws the sound out into the room and away from the wall, which means we can listen to the TV at higher volumes without disturbing him (which keeps us from being disturbed while watching TV at 7pm). Having the wireless sub is awesome because I was able to place it away from the shared wall so we can watch movies without the explosions/music resulting in a pounding sound from the other side of the wall. The sub also has a separate volume control, which allows us to dial in the best sound and volume for any situation. Bluetooth connectivity works great too, no issues so far. I'm extremely happy, and I know my dad will love his when the second one I ordered arrives in time for Father's day.

Excellent sound and features. Does everything I want. Only gripe is sub clicks on and off at low volumes. Kind of annoying. But the bluetooth, rca, and optical in is awesome. Remote gives to options to change audio source. Grabbed on sale.

Bought this surround sound for my new house to boost my entertainment experience in the livingroom and was blown away. I have owned Samsung and LG sound bars and woofers before but this little system gave them a run for their money. It was only $120 but goes toe to toe with the $300 systems. Definitely recommended this to anyone looking to make their normal sounding movie watching experience into an awesome night of movies at home.

I installed this soundbar and subwoofer on our second TV and am very impressed with how good it sounds for the price. Most big flat screens look great but are lacking in quality audio, so adding an audio component is always a good idea. Our main TV has a fancy (and pricey!) surround sound system. The Insignia Soundbar provides an excellent audio experience for a fraction of the cost! Installation was simple and straightforward. There is a detailed manual as well as a three page quick setup guide. You can hang the sound bar on the wall, or put it on the stand in front of the TV -- which is what I did. It has clean lines and looks elegant. It also has controls on one end for on/off, volume, and input -- in case the remote isn't handy. It pairs easily with Apple devices to stream audio via Bluetooth, which makes our old stereo system just about obsolete. Currently, I use it more for music than for TV! It has three sound presets: Standard, Theater, and News. Anyone who has a problem understanding dialog on movies will love the News setting. It emphasizes the speech frequencies and make dialog clearer. Although minor, I did have a problem with the remote. There are separate, but very long buttons for the volume Up and Down, which makes you want to use them like a rocker switch. I find myself pushing on the lower part of the Up button to turn down the volume, but instead raising it. I catch my mistake, but only after blasting the volume! Finally, I think the unit is well-sized. The bar fits nicely in front of a large flat screen TV and the subwoofer produces excellent bass with a smaller-than-expected footprint. Also, it can be placed anywhere in the room that is near an outlet, since it connects to the soundbar wirelessly through Bluetooth.

Connect to my cell phone perfect, the only down fall is this will only work for the room ya in. As soon as I move my phone a room away it stops

After spending an entire movie-marathon weekend using this sound bar, I was impressed. Pros: The sound bar itself has sleek ends with a matte look in the center; it compliments any TV set-up. Both, voices and effects are crystal-clear. The remote control is simple and self-explanatory to use. RCA cables (red and white cables for speakers) are included. It is capable of connecting and memorizing up to 8 devices using Bluetooth. Bluetooth set-up is quick and easy. Sub-woofer has it’s own volume adjustment control, separate from the sound bar itself. Cons: The sound bar doesn’t have a volume level display, so you have to go based on sound as to how loud you want it. Optical cable not included (produces best audio, but only necessary if your TV has an optical audio output). I set this up in an open living room and the sound boomed throughout. My only peeve of it was that I can’t see what the volume level is with a number, but that’s a minor inconvenience that I’m willing to overlook for what is otherwise a great product.

I plugged this little guy in and it took about five minutes to get it running, that includes getting my phone synched to the bluetooth function to play some music as well. There are buttons on the sound bar incase you lose the remote but set up was so easy I haven't even touched the sound bar since I plugged it in. Who would have thought that I could fade out the current sound bars with wires and a subwoofer with more wires? This cute little soundbar comes with a subwoofer that is round and subtle enough to tuck away by your bed. The sound is crisp and the bass is really powerful so I turned it down a bit but I am excited to watch an awards show and turn up the bass again. Did I mention since the subwoofer is wireless you don't have to put it by your tv like most sound bars? So ours is tucked away by the bed so we can feel the bass in action movies and the sound bar will probably be mounted by the end of the week. Enjoy the pictures, I really like the small remote that came with the system because it's super user friendly. I thought for sure i'd spend time figuring out how to sync the sound bar to the subwoofer but they already come linked so that you can start watching your favorite shows or movies. The company was also nice enough to include in the packaging a hanging guide for the sound bar, that is genius. As it is I have trouble hanging picture frames on one nail.

What a great sound from this soundbar. I have a LG TV and are working great together. Now the movies and tv shows are more interesting.

Let me start out by saying that everyone needs a soundbar in their lives. It creates a better experience with movies and music alike. And what better way to start out with them than this Insignia Stereo Soundbar plus Subwoofer. After opening the packaging, the set up was very straightforward and laid out in the easy-to-follow instructions. Took two minutes, so long as you have the right connections (I'd recommend buying an optical audio cord to make setup easier, as this soundbar does not come with one). It comes with an RCA audio cable, headphone adapter, remote (with basic functions), and power cord. Upon first using the product, I decided to test it's musical aspirations first. For the most part, it performed well; any alternative, electronic or indie style music sounds great, with all the highs and lows showing up, and the little sub filling the room with its boom, thoroughly enhancing the sound. On the flip side, rock, hip hop, rap, punk, and classical style music did not do the soundbar justice. For rock, hip hop, and classical genres, the bar couldn't handle all that was happening, often drowning out parts of the band/person/orchestra. As I listen to all of these genres of music, it could be a little disappointing if you were in the same boat, having great sound for certain songs and very average sound for others. So take into account your musical tastes when looking at this soundbar. Now, moving on to the bread and butter of soundbars: movies. Everyone wants a better sounding home theater experience, and while this soundbar provides that, it swings and misses on certain styles, once again. While drama movies such as Nightcrawler performed well, with the soundbar having ability to get low-to-no sound without static but also packing a punch when a car engine turns on. The sound was also good for children's movies, such as Toy Story 3, with many little sounds being able to be picked up, just not filling the room with immersion, mind you. However, as you might expect, the soundbar falls short with action/adventure movies, as well as musicals. Most of the action movies just got too drowned out by certain sounds, like in Star Wars: A New Hope, blaster fire would be the only thing one could hear at certain parts. And when I watched Across the Universe, certain songs weren't up to par with their sound levels, either. Lastly, while the remote does have three different sound profiles in Theater, News, and Standard, you'll probably never use anyone other than Standard. Theater tries to mimic a full surround sound system, falling too short to make any impact, and News is solely built to hear voices above all else. The Bluetooth connected well, and never had any drops in signal while using the soundbar. So, to wrap things up, this is a decent soundbar. It can do a lot of things well, with the subwoofer being the biggest surprise. It also leaves a lot to be desired on other things, most notably rock music and action movies. Make sure to take your tastes into account before purchasing.

This is a great basic sound bar. The included remote allows you to change sound fields (which make a small difference, nothing major), input, volume and subwoofer volume. When I took it out of the box and powered it on, setup was very easy and the subwoofer connected with no issues. Also included in the box is a template for wall mounting, which I have not done yet but will. The sound is slightly Tinny, but overall very good. Bass is not overwhelming, but fills in the sound nicely. Bluetooth paired with my iPad very quickly and has good sound.

I received this sound bar from Best Buy via UPS on Monday and was delighted to take this product for a test drive. It was a fairly heavy box so they were not kidding when they talked about its weight. So I got the box in the door and started to unpack the contents. I found a soundbar, subwoofer, remote and some audio cables. Subwoofer had AC plug and Soundbar had a AC brick. Connecting to my Dynex 16" LED TV was very easy using the RCA style jacks. I have my Insignia DVD Player connected through Component Cables for progressive scan, and I have my Roku connected through HDMI. All I did was connect the cable to the headphone jack that is located on the side of the TV and I got audio from all of my devices without having to flip the button. I was very impressed by how much more fun it was to use a TV of that size. While this probably was designed for larger size televisions, I was happy to find how compatible it was with my TV. Lots of options there. I do not have the ability to test in a larger room so can't vouch for that. But in my bedroom in my double wide mobile home the sound is just perfect for my needs. Some quirks I'd like to point out and this is not neccesarily a deal breaker. For some odd reason, the Dynex TV Remotes volume buttons can control the soundbar. Not overly annoying but I wonder what other brand of remotes have the ability to control the sound bar as well. Can lead to a conflict if you have a potential same in house brand that Best Buy has and the remote IR signal fights over the TV and soundbar control. Second, the AC Power adapter for the soundbar is not your standard plug. You will need an area that has ample space for larger style power adapters. The subwoofer, however is your standard size plug that you plug into the wall everyday. Finally, the remote control is unclear on how to change the battery. Maybe I just don't get it but I tried and tried last night to get that darn thing open to see how the battery is changed out and never managed to get the thing open. Its not a big deal right now but eventually I'll need to figure out the diagram that is printed on the remote. Appears to be a standard watch battery that is found in computers. Overall, this made my mini home theater experience in my room a more enjoyable for one, just remember the quirks I've said and know that you don't have to have a big TV to enjoy nice sound. Very pleased with this product and the brand Insignia for putting out good quality products that don't break the budget.

I ordered this soundbar expecting to be disappointed with its overall quality. After all, for a $100 Black Friday deal, there's no WAY this thing could deliver decent sound, right? But after unpacking the box and plugging the soundbar into my TV, I was actually shocked. There was a clear improvement over my TV speakers and the subwoofer delivered a noticeable punch. After two full days of use here's what I like and don't like. Good: - Very easy to set up. Just plug the soundbar and subwoofer into electrical outlets, connect an optical cable (not included) to your TV and soundbar, and you're basically good to go. The subwoofer connects wirelessly with no additional setup needed. A blue light will stay illuminated on the subwoofer to indicate that it is connected to the soundbar. - The soundbar and subwoofer provide better sound quality than any built-in TV speakers. Sure, there are much better soundbars on the market, and this thing pales in comparison to a true 5.1 or 7.1 surround system. But if you're simply looking to fill a small apartment or living room with nice sound, this does the job. This system will add more volume and bass compared to just your TV speakers. - The soundbar and subwoofer can get very loud without much distortion. I turned the volume on both as high as they would go and my apartment was basically shaking. - You can control the bass/volume of the subwoofer from the remote. This is nice as some other/cheaper subwoofers can only be adjusted via a knob on the back of the subwoofer. - The built-in Bluetooth capability is a huge benefit. Range is more than adequate and I am able to connect my iPhone from across my apartment. Bad: - The lack of HDMI is unfortunate. Maybe HDMI ports are reserved for more premium soundbars, but with HDMI so ubiquitous these days, it's a glaring omission. Without HDMI-CEC, you are essentially forced to use the included remote to change the volume and input. - There is no screen on the soundbar to indicate the current volume level, input, etc. There's only a red light to indicate the system is off and a blue light when it's on. The blue light flashes as you adjust the volume, but there's no way of knowing how much louder or softer you can go. It's a little too basic for my tastes. - It seems as though there are only six or seven volume levels, leaving almost no room for adjustment or variation. It's hard to find that "just right" volume. Just one press of the "volume up" or "volume down" buttons seems to make a rather dramatic difference in volume. There really should be at least two or three more volume levels. - The remote control is very flimsy and uses one of those odd round batteries. I'm worried that if I leave it on the couch and accidentally sit on it, it might crack in half. - The blue light on the back of the subwoofer continues to flash even when the soundbar is powered off. If you use this system in a bedroom, you'll probably notice the flashing blue light at night. Overall: For a $99.99 Black Friday sale, this is one heck of a value. If you're in the market for a decent, no-frills soundbar and can grab one of these for that price, don't hesitate. However, things become a bit more convoluted at this system's normal price of $199.99. For another $100 or so, you could likely get a soundbar with HDMI ports, a built-in screen, two or three times the wattage, more customization options, etc. Regardless of the price you pay, the simplicity and above-average sound quality of this system make it a great value -- as long as you're aware of the few quirks and drawbacks.

Don't be fooled by the subwoofer only having 30 watts. It's very efficient and I'm impressed how much it shakes the floor. I listened to the Bose soundbar which sounded great. Let's face it, you need a subwoofer to feel explosions and other low bass sounds. I love that it's small enough to fit inside my tv stand. I'm sure you can spend more and get better quality sound. For a budget system, you can't go wrong with this Insignia soundbar. The sound is a HUGE improvement over the tv speakers. The volume control is not smooth like spinning a knob. More like "steps" with a big increase between each of 7 or 8 steps ? It's not a big deal to me at all but some others may complain. I recently bought an RCA universal remote. Insignia is included on the list of compatible soundbars, and I had no trouble setting up my remote to control my soundbar. For anyone on a budget shopping for a soundbar, I highly recommend this system !

This sound bar produces great sound and is one of the cheaper options available. I tested some of the $200+ models and they did not perform as well as this one did. It's great for movies, the sub woofer gives a solid grumble in those action scenes. And it's also got some oomph when playing music via Bluetooth or whatever. Not as good as a multi-speaker sound system obviously but for the price, it's great.

So i received this on on Monday the 16th November, i have put it through its paces for the last couple of days as a gamer, movie watcher and regular TV watcher and over all I'm impressed! This comes in a big box so be aware of that if you order for shipping, its big, once out of the box the packaging is subtle, shows a realistic image of the unit on the box and all the information about the system. Firstly, this is well packaged, nothing is getting damaged in shipping with this, its packed well and very secure. Once removed from the box you will find the remote, audio cables, headphone to audio cable, the power adapter, the soundbar and the sub. Set up is simple, literally plug the soundbar in, plug the sub in and they're already paired, pull the tab out of the remote and that's it, you are ready to go. 10 out of 10 for simplicity for sure. On my first fire up of this system it was with my games console, it was a first person shooter and the sound was really good, i was instantly impressed, voices came through the bar really clear, sound effects gave a great sense of left and right stereo sound and the sub sounded great, a nice humming bass that you will feel in your floor with little need to amp things up. Next up was a racing game and again the sound was excellent, noises from the engine sounded fantastic, the sound of other cars sounded great, and the thudding bass as you collided with anything was very good. For a gamer you really cannot go wrong with this at all. I watched a couple of action movies on this also, with lots of gunfire and explosions, and it was really great to watch with this setup, in fact my daughter asked me to turn it down a little as she could feel the sub on the floor in her bedroom. Gunshots zipped from left to right and right to left, explosions boomed and sounded fantastic, nothing was drowning out and i experienced no distortion either. this was fantastic to watch movies on. The only negative was the DSP, other than standard it sounds bad, but keep it in standard and its great. Similar story when watching TV shows, clear crisp vocals, good sounding music and great sounding action scenes, again the DSP needs to stay on standard or you will get a poor experience from the 2 other modes being news and theater. The unit itself is low profile and sleek, its a matte finish and looks quite good. It blends in well on my entertainment center and the big bonus is no bright LED indicator that always on, you do have lights but they are not obnoxious as you see on some bars. The sub has nice rounded edges and look good for what it is, its not really heavy and is simple to move around and will certainly fit in behind a sofa if that's where you wanted to use it. The remote is the worst part of the whole setup, while its functional, its also cheap, like toy plastic cheap, it has no weight, it feels like if you stood on it you would squash it, and it can lag a little from the time you press a button to the action happening, like a second behind, not a nightmare but something to get used to when using. The lack of HDMI can hurt this unit somewhat but not for me as i use an optical out for my system and it worked fine for me, but be aware no HDMI Positives: Great sub, no distortion and a nice kind of bass. Sleek low profile soundbar. Great stereo sound with left to right easily distinguishable. Literally bang for your buck, at the time of writing this is $99 in store and you really cannot go wrong. Cons: No HDMI DSP is horrible, dont even bother changing from standard. Cheap remote with slight delay with actions. Would i recommend this? You betcha! its millions times better than TV speakers and out of the budget soundbars I've used this is the cream of the crop by far, for a gamer this is a must buy, it will improve your experience ten fold, for the movie watcher its great and adds to the immersion, and for the TV watcher its clear and aggressive when needed. If you are on the lookout for a low cost sound solution to your TV experience then you really cannot go wrong with this, leave the DSP on standard and be careful not to stand on the remote, its great!

I was real skeptical about this sound bar at the beginning, but loved it as soon as I've got to know it a little better. It came in a real big box, nicely packaged. Items included: Sound Bar itself, power supply for the sound bar, RCA audio cable, short RCA-to-3.5mm jack audio cable, subwoofer, remote control, manual, quick start guide, wall mount template for the bar. Setting it up was real easy, just plug in the power and an audio cables! Optical Cable (aka Toslink) is a recommended way of connecting it to the TV - needs to be purchased separately. First thing I've tried - was connecting my iPad to the Sound Bar via the Bluetooth. Pairing process went smooth and I've got music playing in seconds. We (myself and my wife) compared the sound bar to our Bose SoundDock 10 (listening to the same sound tracks) and noticed that Sound Bar provided a deeper bass than SoundDock, however Sound Bar lacked "crispiness" compare to Bose. It wasn't too drastic, but there was a noticeable difference. Second test was what that Insignia Sound Bar is made for - TV! Got it hooked up to our Sony Bravia 65" 4K TV with the optical cable and played a few songs off the recent NBC "The Voice" show flipping between TV internal speakers and Insignia SoundBar. Wow, what a difference! I was under impression that TV had a good sound... Nope! Sound Bar easily outperformed the TV! TV speakers are bouncing sound off the wall and Sound Bar is facing you directly, so clarity improvement is easily noticeable. Subwoofer definitely helps too, we could actually hear the bass now! Sound Bar has 3 DSP (Sound Processing) modes - "Standard", "Theater" and "News" - and they really do make a difference. "Standard" mode is perfect for the movies and shows, "News" - greatly improves human voice clarity. We did not find the use for the "Theater" mode yet. Conclusion: While it's not the best speaker out on the market, Insignia Sound Bar is definitely worth it's price. If your looking into enhancing your TV sound quality - this product would be a real good fit and will perform well in the living room or a bedroom. It is not a surround sound system though. Some extra details: Wireless Subwoofer is a nice idea - you can position it anywhere in the same room, it only needs a power outlet and connects to the Sound Bar wirelessly. Subwoofer has 5" speaker facing the floor. Sound Bar has the following ports: power, RCA stereo input, Toslink optical input (designed for PCM stream only). There is a little 4-pin plug on the back as well marked "Factory Use Only" - I suspect it's an USB port for possible service/firmware upgrade. Other: Subwoofer has a real bright blue LED at the back panel that keeps flashing all the time Sound Bar is Off (and it's steady On when the Sound Bar is On) - it could be distracting, especially in the bedroom. I would recommend getting a universal remote control so you don't have to deal with multiple remotes for watching TV. If you have carpet - get a ceramic floor tile from home depot and place the subwoofer on it - you'll get better bass!

pros: - well thought packaging. package arrived severely beaten on the sides. good thing the sub placed in the middle; no physical damage on the units. I HATE DELIVERIES!! but there was no pick up option when I purchased online (on sale of course :)) - not cheap looking nice sound, great bass from sub - easy set up cons: - long soundbar; waste space (no biggie) - no on/off switch on the sub; blinking blue light kind of annoying whe sytem is off. - (knock on wood) if the sub no longer works, get ready to use the soundbar itself with NO BASS! WHATSOEVER bought few insignia products; satisfied so far. pretty good quality for off brand electronic products. Note: not worth msrp (sorry insignia :)) all n all happy with the purchase. keep it up insignia!

The soundbar sounds amazing with the subwoofer. I wouldn't necessarily say it's s the best but for an affordable price it has the floor trembling. The downfall would be that if you lose the remote it will be hard to control the bass levels. Overall this product is cool for movie nights and music.

Overall it is a good soundbar with subwoofer Pro: 1) Easy setup (optical cable or Bluetooth) 2) Great sound (loud and clear) 3) Great bass (shake the whole floor) Cons: 1) There is no volume/bass display so I cannot tell how much is the volume nor the bass. 2) Sometimes the sound gets cut off for a second, then back on. I am using optical and connect directly to the TV. 3) The wireless subwoofer has a flashing blue light at the back. It is quite annoying in the dark. I will recommend to get this soundbar when it is on sale.

* Packaging Unlike many sound bars, the box is actually a rectangular cuboid. The packaging is secure and quite nice. Everything is wrapped in standard plastic and the larger items in a foam padding. The package itself was surprisingly light considering its size. Expect this to arrive in great shape if you are having this shipped. * Setup Setup was really easy. Just plug all the included cables in the holes that fit and you’re pretty much done. The subwoofer paired automatically and the included RCA cables will get most people running in no time. A RCA to 3.5mm phono adapter adds the ability to plug in your phone or tablet directly to the RCA inputs, which is a handy addition. No optical cable was provided even though this unit features it, so that's a negative in my book. * Build Quality The main devices (bar and subwoofer) are not regular cuboid shapes, but rather both are tapered and the soundbar is chamfered on the front ends. For the sound bar, the exterior is a matte plastic with glossy plastic ends and a rubberish material over the buttons found on the left side. The speaker grill is covered in standard cloth, and is removable (see pictures in the video). The stereo speakers are acoustically suspended and seem to be made of paper with foam surrounds and shiny plastic dust covers. They measure in at 5.75” x 1.25” in size and are rectangular in shape. In the middle is a multi-function LED and IR receiver eye. The subwoofer is also made of plastic of the matte texture variety. The back of the device has an amplifier section made of steel with no adjustments to be made, just an LED light and pair button in case it gets disconnected from the soundbar. A 120v power cord is the only protruding item. On the bottom can be found a 6.5” ported subwoofer. While 6.5” is on the small size for a subwoofer, the driver appears to be made from quality materials. A rubber surround and relatively tough cone material are used, which is good considering there is no protection for the driver. There are four feet on the bottom which provide separation from the floor and allow the subwoofer’s port to breath. The feet here are similar in texture to the soundbar only thicker, helping to isolate the subwoofer and prevent unwanted vibrations. Removing the driver reveals a decently sized magnet and room for excursion. Inside the cabinet a short board of MDF appears to be bracing the enclosure. This design touch may be to prevent plastic rattling common to plastic enclosure subwoofers. The sub unit weighs in at 8lb 2.5oz, and I’d say subjectively that more than half that weight is the driver itself. * Sound The soundbar itself is rated at a total power output of 15W a channel and the subwoofer at 30W. As far as estimates go, I’d say they are pretty close to reality. 60W total power @ 1%THD doesn’t sound like a lot, but it does the job and can get loud enough to start to become uncomfortable. I was easily able to hit 90dB at 8ft distance with minimal distortion. Don’t let the numbers fool you, this soundbar can get loud enough for smaller spaces. On the remote there are 3 equalizer settings (DSP). The 'Standard' setting, while implying a flat curve, appears to be V shaped as the bass seems over exaggerated. Theater adds a bit of reverb and attempts to create a 3 dimensional soundstage which it accomplishes to a varying degree. The sound in this mode tends to sound like it’s in a tunnel, so personally I’m not a fan. News flattens out the bass and pushes the mids up. I don’t watch a lot of news, but it does emphasize dialog at the expense of other sounds so it might be the way to go for some usage scenarios. For movies and TV the soundbar does admirably, producing clear vocals and adding quite a bit more depth to the sound than built in TV speakers. It compared favorably to my trusty old HTIB setup for dialog and normal TV/Movie viewing. The subwoofer does get a bit boomy at higher volumes, but generally does a good job considering its size. Again placement is the key. Putting it in a corner significantly increased the perceived output, and placing it near the front of the room caused it to blend naturally with the sound. * Inputs The soundbar supports both RCA audio and optical audio. While it supports digital audio through optical connection, it seems a token feature at best. It’s limited to uncompressed PCM 2 channel audio (making it an obvious setup issue born out by the 2 different reminder stickers on the soundbar and no less than 6 reminders in the manual). That said, you may still want to opt to use the RCA inputs for 2 reasons: there is no optical cable in the box, and many TVs can vary the volume of the RCA outputs using the TV volume (for example the Vizio M502b1) which may be more convenient. In back to back comparisons, the Optical input sounded ‘brighter’, but that might just be my TV and the soundbar’s DACs differing. The device supports A2DP bluetooth audio, and the fidelity is of decent quality. I had one or two dropouts when the device was not line of site, but generally it kept a good connection up to the designated 10m distance. Pairing is easy, as the device shows up as ‘NS-SB515 Soundbar’ (heaven help you if you have two of these soundbars). The device ‘remembers’ 8 paired devices and connects to the last previously connected device in range. Connections must be forcibly disconnected to be able to switch devices. If your iPad was the last device connected, and you switch to bluetooth it will connect to it automatically, even though it is sitting on the shelf charging and you really wanted to use your phone. The solution is to get the iPad and disconnect or turn off bluetooth. So much for wireless convenience. * Remote and other thoughts The remote is a credit card style with buttons nearly as thick as the remote itself. The larger buttons aren’t stabilized very well and thus don’t pick up every press consistently. Their overall thickness makes it more awkward than most. The use of a CR2025 button cell is startling. While thinner, they are more expensive, harder to come by, and put out much less power than standard AAA batteries. This bears out in usage, as the remote is hit or miss from 9’, which is a byproduct of the poor IR transmitter and button activation. Call me picky, but the remote has about 7 too many buttons on it and adds yet another IR remote to the living room stack. Subwoofer volume is separately adjustable, and each DSP and input is available at one button press. While this is nice, the primary functionality of the remote will be to turn on/off and change the overall volume. Since this device has only an RGB indicator LED the remote must have these extra buttons to make everything ‘directly’ accessible. Not sure if it’s on Optical Audio input? “Press the button just to make sure”. Is the sub all the way up? “Don’t know push the up button 10 times just to make sure.” The volume keys are conveniently placed on the left side and thus easily used by a right hander. However, oftentimes I would find the sound bar missing my button presses or conversely detecting one press as two and step the volume up 2 steps. If you integrate this into your entertainment center and you don’t already have a universal remote, you’ll most likely want to invest in one to simplify things. On the positive side, ambient power usage is really quite under control. My power meter read a pretty steady 4 watts idle on the soundbar and less than a half a watt on the subwoofer while idle. This means leaving this on all the time is an option (again, I’m trying to outsource remote control to the TV). The LED is multi-function using all three of its primary colors. Solid red indicates the device is in standby mode. Press the power button, and it turns green for exactly 10 seconds before turning off. Press any function button or source button other than bluetooth and the led will flicker red indicating it is receiving the command. Press the bluetooth button the LED will flash blue until it connects and then it turns solid. Everything here is basic, but functional. That is until my unit developed an issue with its LED. About 36 hours after initially plugging it in, with most of its time on standby, the red LED ceased to function and the green LED stuck in an on state regaradless if the unit is on or off. At this point the LED ceased to function as an indicator, and became more of an annoyance. I contacted Insignia support and was promised an answer within 48 hours. I did hear back in about 8 hours with a very polite reply. One advantage of the Insignia brand is that since they are exclusive to Best Buy their warranty service is handled through Best Buy’s geek squad, so you have real human beings to work with. Again, I don’t want to be too harsh here, because bad units exist in every level of manufacturing, and hopefully my review unit was the exception, not the rule. * Conclusion At this MSRP I feel as though Insignia doesn’t have much to offer. On a sale around half that MSRP, it might be worth it for a secondary TV room, dorm, or smaller living room. It will beat built-in speakers on most flat panels any day, offering quite a bit more bass and depth, and great flexibility in installation and placement. For normal TV listening this is definitely an upgrade but for the price other manufacturers offer more all around and the potential inconveniences of the design prevent this from getting my recommendation.