Toshiba SBX4250 Sound Bar Speaker System Review

When you shop for sound bars like the Toshiba SBX4250, you've got a lot of products to consider. And you have to consider what your needs are. For most, you're looking for a replacement to those increasingly awful TV speakers. Others will want something that matches their aesthetics, say a truly flat product that's wall-mountable and wont stick out beyond your new super-thin flat panel. And some will want particular features.

Toshiba's SBX4250 is all about the latter. It's a sound bar that retails for well under $300 and has two HDMI inputs, two optical audio inputs, Bluetooth connectivity, analogue inputs in both RCA and 1/8-inch mini formats and a wireless subwoofer. Even the remote control is pretty decent.

When we opened up the packaging we realized that aesthetics weren't top on the list for Toshiba. This sound bar is pretty vanilla, with a pair of MTM-like speakers on the left and right of the three foot wide bar. The enclosure is plastic. At the center is a display that reacts to input and volume as well as bass, treble and subwoofer level adjustments from the remote control. the whole unit is just 3.6" tall so it will fit underneath just about any TV we've seen or reviewed.

The sub is vertical in orientations and wireless, which of course doesn't mean that you don't have to plug it in and give it power. They're working on wireless power but it isn't commercial just yet. They're...still...trying to figure out how to do it without reducing our lifespan by decades.

With Toshiba's sound bar I quickly came to the realization that there is a good fit for it, namely the person who doesn't have a modern television and wants or needs to feed all of his sources into something else. If, however, you've got a modern TV, well sending the optical output to any sound bar will eliminate the need for anything else. The exception, of course is if you've got your TV wall-mounted pans can't run additional cables to it.

Bluetooth worked well and I was able to connect my iPhone in about 30 seconds and begin streaming music to the sound bar. In streaming music I also experimented with the two SRS sound modes and, well actually they both sounded better than the default stereo. Mind you I wasn't looking for accuracy, just a more leasing tone. The default Stereo really sounds muddy and well, flat. Activating SRS Surround makes the tracks brighter but it also provides some additional dynamics that aren't present in the default mode. Plus the soundstage is considerably wider. SRS bass is the same way, but enhances more of the lower end of the spectrum with a bit more felt bass.

I listed to the life concert, James Taylor: One Man Band, in stereo, and "Country Road" was light years better but lacked that naturally bright tenor Taylor's voice exhibits on his albums and concerts. Movies, like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in the final scene where Harry takes on Voldemort, had some nice low frequency response, but the 6-1/2" sub sounded like it stopped somewhere around 50 Hz. The soundstage was also rather thin, but activating SRS once again helped that considerably, so it's great that it's included as a feature.

Overall, there's a lot to like about the features of the SBX4250, but its average sound quality will be a potential hangup for some. There are certainly other sound bars in this price range that compete better on just sound quality. If features are your thing, then we can recommend it as it competes well on that front.

Here's the question of the week: In a sound bar—aesthetics, sound quality, or features? What's the most important? Leave us a comment and let us know. And we want to keep bringing you reviews like this, so subscribe to our YouTube channel at youtube.com/audioholicslive. And Like us at Facebook.com/audioholics where we post tons of industry tidbits like new products and really anything that tickles our fancy.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.