ZVOX Soundbar Setup & Troubleshooting Guide

ZVOX is a company that specializes in soundbars and other audio products for people with hearing loss. Their products are known for their AccuVoice technology, which uses patented hearing aid technology to lift voices out of background noise, making dialogue clear and easy to understand.

In this article, we will discuss how to set up a ZVOX soundbar how to set up ZVOX soundbars, and also how to troubleshoot certain problems associated with soundbars.

How to Setup ZVOX Soundbar: Step-By-Step Guide

For the purpose of this article, we will be focusing on their legacy models; the SoundBase 555 and the SoundBase580. Both devices have the same design, as such, their setups are the same as well.

Step #1 Properly Position the Soundbar

Ideally, you want your soundbar to be placed on a stable flat surface. All components should be safe and secure. Everything should be facing front, up, and wall mount if you don’t have a proper TV stand – a proper TV Stand is recommended.

Step #2 Connect the Power Cord

Connect the AC Power cord to the back of your soundbar. Leave the power switch in the “Opp” position, then insert the AC Plug into an AC power socket. ZVOX soundbars use an IEC 60320 C7 power cord with the cable ending having a United States Power Type A cord. You want to take note of this in case you need to get an adapter for your European socket to make it work.

Step #3 Connect the Audio Cables

ZVOX’s legacy soundbars only have an optical audio input, a phone jack audio out, a minijack analog audio out, and a coaxial digital audio output. The audio connection you choose will depend on what’s supported by your TV – most TVs have an optical audio output, so you may go with that. 

Step #4 Turn on the Power

Now that everything is plugged in, it’s time to turn on the power and give your device a test. Meanwhile, you don’t necessarily need to do the cable management right away. You’ll want to confirm that your device is working with your chosen input source before proceeding.

Step #5 Select the Correct Input

Depending on the input type you’re using to connect with your TV, you’ll want to change the soundbar to that specific input. You can do this with either your soundbar remote or the input button on the front of the soundbar. Here’s the display code for the different audio input types on ZVOX soundbars.

• Optical digital input – d ln 1
• Coaxial digital input – d ln 2
• Input 1 (rear panel) – ln 1
• Input 2 (rear pane) – ln 2
• Input 3 (front panel) – ln 3

If you’re using other soundbar models with Bluetooth features (the SB380, SB400 SB500, and SB700), then you should expect another code “blue” for Bluetooth. At any rate, unless you have a serious issue, ZVOX soundbars are usually plug-and-play, there’s not much difficulty setting them up.

ZVOX Soundbar Troubleshooting Guide

If you just recently got your device, then chances are that it’s working in perfect condition. However, if you’re not able to get it operating correctly, you can try these few troubleshooting procedures depending on what you notice as the fault of your soundbar. This also works perfectly if you’ve had your soundbar for a while.

• No Sound/Audio Failure

If your ZVOX soundbar powers on but doesn’t produce any sound, you may want to first check the volume settings. Try increasing the volume with either the remote or the soundbar itself. In most cases, your device should start being audible again. 

However, if that doesn’t work, you’ll need to check the audio connections. Consider tweaking the cable to see if it starts working when you take it to a particular position. If your device supports Bluetooth connection, you may want to try that and check if the speaker is audible. If it is, you may proceed to change the audio cable connecting to your TV.

• Soundbar not Turning On

This is a fairly easy problem to fix; if you’re sure that you didn’t experience a power surge, then it should be a walk in the park. First, you want to make sure you’re using the correct power cable (an IEC 60320 C7 power cord), then plug on a socket that you can confirm is working. If this doesn’t do the job, you may need to contact a technician to take the device apart and check the power on the motherboard.

• Poor System Performance

Usually, this can be in the form of hearing breaking/weird sounds, or the device simply not being in sync with the TV’s video. To correct any of these, the first thing you want to try is reset or update the device’s firmware.

If your problem is specifically audio and video syncing, you’ll need to try reducing the quality of streaming you’re on, and if your TV has an audio sync feature, you may want to explore that as well.