Bottom line

Overall, the Playbar has been one of the most welcome additions to my listening room in a long time. You know why? Because it always works. I turn my TV on and the sound comes on and it sounds good. I use the remote from my TV or Blu-ray player just as I would if there were no soundbar in the system. It's the first soundbar I've tested-in fact, the first home theater audio product I've tested-that I'd feel comfortable installing on my Mom's TV. And I love being able to pick up my Samsung Galaxy S III, touch the screen a couple of times, and tap into an effectively limitless supply of music.

I can't say the Playbar's sound quality is a revelation, but it's at least competitve with most of the active soundbars in ite price range. It gets extra points because it works without a sub. And it gets more extra points because it doesn't require fussy setup.

To sum up simply what I've taken 2,000+ words to say: There's no easier soundbar to live with than the Playbar. It really is the iPod of soundbars: a product so friendly that it makes everything else in its category seem somewhat less than fully thought-out.