Great addition to a home audio system.- Horrendous remote control and iPhone control
931771
January 2017
This is a great unit.  I already have an Encore in my home office and I was so pleased with its performance I decided to add the Tuner to my audio system in the house. In addition to listening to Sirius and many internet radio stations around the world,

 I had a problem with the remote and after their assistance we confirmed that the remote was likely defective.  The nice people at Grace Digital sent a replacement the next day..  Could not ask for better customer service <big smile>.

I am only giving four stars at this moment because the iPhone app only allows selection of the first 10 tuner presets; it has 99.  When the app gets upgraded, which Grace Digital said they are planning to do, I will upgrade the rating to 5-stars.

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Feb 2018
I previously gave this a 4-star review with the expectation that the iPhone app would be upgraded.  It never happened, and repeated emails to the CEO about this have not been answered.  The tuner has a 99 station memory, and yes - you can use the remote control you would have to use a cheat-sheet to track that many stations.  A fully functional, and promised iPhone app, would make this much more practical.

Also, the design and implementation of the remote control is logic is not good. To store or select a station from memory locations 10-99you must first press a button labeled "-/--".  We do not have to do this with out television remote controls.
2009835
Works generally well for both Bluetooth with an iPhone 6s and FM, at least with strong stations. But the volume control is terribly designed - impossible to change the volume incrementally. This is made worse by the volume resetting to some incredibly loud level every time the speaker is turned off and back on.
964288
This is a great sound system. I got it free with the purchase of my bravia.  The wireless back speakers are amazing.  The speaker setup was not easy.  I watched dark knight immediately after the using the easy equalizer.  The sound overwhelmed the dialogue and it ruined the first half of the movie until i manually changed it.  So i would not recommend doing auto setup.  I have used several systems before..pioneer, bose, and samsung.. and this stands out because it plays blu-ray and plays an ipod.  A lot of people complain about how you have to manually control the ipod.  Playing with the ipod rather than scrolling slowly on a tv is simpler as everyone knows how to use an ipod.  Sound quality is astounding. It's just frustrating that sony uses 6ohms for their base instead of standard 8ohms (so adding klipsch or other speakers is out of the question) but i guess thats how proprietary systems work.  The system has BD-LIVE so it has been updating itself here and there.  Blu-rays take on average 30-45 seconds to load, which is around standard timing for this new technology.  Player has bravia sync which is easy and completely reliable. Controlling your tv and sound with one remote is now possible without the use of a logitech harmony remote.  Overall, I'm glad i got it for free.  I definitely wouldn't pay the retail 700 dollars for it, but I believe the 500 is a good deal.  IF you have any questions...feel free to ask away.
3758970
I love the sound of these, but I have an iPhone 7 and the controls don't work :(
4402010
Fantastic sound, very easy to set up. Took off one star because it doesn't integrate with remote controls used to control all equipment. While the remote that comes with this unit is small and easy to use, it's an annoyance and it's expected that all devices can be controlled with one device.
1653385
I got this for Christmas along with a Logitech Harmony 520 Universal Remote (5 STAR must have!!!).  I had my iPod hooked up to my receiver with a simple y-cable (available anywhere) but if you do that a lot it becomes quite a pain to have to get up out of the chair to skip tracks, etc (I know lazy so-and-so!).

I was all set to return it as I couldn't hear it unless I plugged the cable directly into the iPod and bypassed the unit altogether which seemed like a waste! That is until I read the reviews here about adjusting the Kensington unit's volume by using the supplied remote controls volume up button without the iPod docked- WOW that did it!!  Only comment is that you need to point the remote at the dock (with the iPod undocked) for about 30 seconds to ensure the volume is at max.  Seems like a long time but works great when you then dock your iPod!!  As mentioned in other reviews 4 out of 5 stars only because the only way you would figure this trick out is by reading the other customer reviews here!!
1585479
I love the rich, deep sound of the unit considering the size and price, but the remote drives me mad. It works when it wants to. I get that I can program my other remotes to control the unit, but that is just for volume. You cannot program sound/equalizer settings that only the dedicated remote can control. Maybe I just need to contact Boston Acoustics for a replacement remote. Other than that, the sound is amazing.
708142
I need to qualify this by saying I have only had it for ~1 month so I can't comment about it's longetivity.  That said, I love this system.  The sound is great.  I use it to listen to the radio and music in our living/dining/kitchen area and it easily fills that space (no to mention the rest of our relatively small house) with great quality sound.  The remote works well from my kitchen (distance to unit of ~ 12ft).  It reads all my cds even the strangely formated mix-cds from friends.  It also read my iTouch (3rd gen) perfectly until my 3yr old decided to pull it off w/o pulling it up first.  Thankfully my iPod didn't break but sadly the connector on the top of this unit only works now when you hold the ipod back w/ your finger.  But that problem is my fault (boy do kids love iPods).  Once I fix the connecter it will be perfect again.  The audio in jack works great as well and it has much better sound than my computer or tv speakers.  Hope that helps.  If you have any Q's I'll respond as quick as I can.  Cheers!
3327047
I was looking for a surround system for the living room remodel I'm doing and this guy fit the bill nicely.  I love the gadget that lets you automatically set up the sound system settings for your particular room.  In fact, because I have an odd shaped room with 12' ceilings, it was a big selling point for me.

I didn't use the center speaker.  It sounded fairly impressive for what it was but I upgraded with a Klipsch Reference Series center speaker.  Also be aware that the electronics that Yamaha chose to use for the "on/off" function causes problems with the DirecTv remote control... and probably with others as well.  Yamaha uses a simple toggle on/off instead of discrete on and off functions.  This means that you can't program a DirecTv remote to control the on/off function... at least without jumping through hoops.  There is a bit of a work around which allows me to control the receiver from DTV remote but it does involve pushing a few more buttons to turn the thing on and off.
91997
I got this device to use with my ihome after upgrading to the iPhone 5S. The reception and sound is really impressive - I was still getting crystal clear reception even from way down the hall in the next room. But I gave it 3 starts because for some reason the volume on my ihome really does not agree with this thing. Normally the audio knob on my stereo is perfect, but as soon as I plug in this bluetooth receiver, there's an enormous lag when I try to adjust the volume through the device. The volume doesn't change for about 5 seconds, and then all of a sudden it's way too loud or way too soft, and then another 5 seconds to fix it. It really detracts from the usefulness of casually enjoying my music. I can adjust the volume from my iPhone, but only as much as iTunes allows the music to go up - I almost always need to adjust it on my ihome as well. Bottom line - I could cope with this issue and find a walk-around that's tolerable, but I didn't really want to. I also have the August MR240B bluetooth adapter, and it doesn't create the volume issue, so I'm not sure what the deal is.
2026342
I love the fact that this receiver has optical audio out. It makes connecting to my sony surround sound easy and sounds great. My only issue with this device (and it may be an apple issue) is that while playing audio from my iPhone 5, if i turn off the screen i get a few seconds of audio interruption. Other than that this device is 100% worth the price
1366311
Let's start off by saying this thing has a lot of power. Lots of bass, plenty of everything else. The controls are nice whether it be the remote, or the nice lcd display that looks nice sitting on the desk. The speakers seem to be pretty well-made, with the newer shipments allowing you to detach the speaker wires completely, and use your own length/brand speaker cable. This is a huge plus.

However, I own an Audigy 2 ZS (has Dolby Digital 5.1/EX and DTS/DTS-ES/96-24 already) and in order to get the full surround sound working (via DVD or game) you need to disable the decoder in the sound card. This is very pesky! You need to get yourself a 3.5mm mono to female RCA adapted (3.99 at Radio Shack). Then use an RCA cable to hook up the speakers (controls are on back of control unit) to get the surround sound. Then, you need to adjust a few settings, one of them being "use digital output only" and set the control panel to stereo speakers (otherwise only center is being outputted through speakers and not surround sound). You can also use the 6 channel direct hookup and get great sound, but I don't believe it's the exact same as 5.1 or DTS. If you want your nice control module to display DOLBY DIGITAL or DTS logos, you need to use the hookup with that special adapter / RCA cable.

Once this is working, the system is powerful, clean, good-looking, and easy to use. I do recommend it, except for the lack of clear instructions with the unit. They need more information in there.

One more thing. This can be used as a home theatre system directly from a DVD player or XBOX, but please people, it's not the same as a full blown system. Yes it has the power, yes it has the features, but why would you ever want to watch a plasma or lcd tv with a high-end brand dvd player, and listen to Logitech speakers? They are a name in computers, let's leave it at that.

Does this mean I still love the speakers for my PC? Yes. They are worth every penny for your system. But, save your money, and get a different starter brand for a full blown non-pc home theatre. There are ONKYO systems out there for not much more money, and the quality is far better (even their speakers I'm sure).

I wanted to clarify these things after reading reviews and test results that were all over the place.

Another plus was the item shipped so quickly, I could not believe it. I'm sure if you order on a Wednesday, you'll have it by the weekend. It also dropped 10.00 in price a few days after I purchased it, and Amazon is refunding me the 10 dollars. Where else would you want to buy besides Amazon? (oh and Newegg :)
1221394
I agree with other posters here that setting this up could have been much simpler. Yet, once I figured it out it worked like a charm. I use this for my desktop computer to play on my living room stereo across the house and it works seemlessly. I use the remote app that you can get for the iPhone 2.0 and it make it even more fun as I can change songs straight my iPhone without having to go to my computer.
1043218
The sound is excellent, but don't lose the remote.  Just about everything is dependent upon it with no easy way to control the unit form the front panel.

Some things are impossible without the remote (like setting the time).  BTW, when the unit is off the time displays but it is not backlit so you can not see it in the dark.

Also, the unit will play mp3 format ONLY through the music port and will not play MP3 from a cd.
4502559
I bought this for my husband to listen to music through his iPhone 6 at the office.  The sound is great, but unfortunately the constant interruptions of alerts, texts, phone calls, etc. made for a frustrating listening experience.  So we're returning the speaker and he will just return to listening to music through his computer.  To be clear, nothing against the sound and the functionality of the speaker -- it just wasn't the right fit.  The great bass sound reverberated through the walls, making listening at a slightly louder than average volume disruptive to colleagues in neighboring offices.  Changing the equalizer on the iPhone to reduce the bass output resulted in less than desirable sound quality (there is no way to adjust the bass level on the speaker itself).  One tip: if you will use this for listening through your phone, be sure to turn down your ringer volume ALL THE WAY to avoid being startled when an alert (text, phone call) comes through the speaker!  This is a terrific product for use at home or elsewhere where it wouldn't be a nuisance to others.
2384104
This thing is so advanced, I'm not sure I know what I'm doing, so I may have missed something that this review gets wrong.
First: the good: I love all the connections on the back. I really like how it looks. It's easy to set up and works nicely with my harmony one remote. The auto room adjustment feature is simple to use and works well.
The bad: Some complaints I have are: I feel like you don't have enough control over the sound. It has like 20 pre-set modes (which Sony calls "sound fields" (concert, 2-speaker stereo, studio, movie, etc.) and they are probably adequate, but sometimes I want to tweak the sound a little. The only equalizers are treble and bass on each speaker. There is no control for the subwoofer independently. My outgoing receiver had that and I used it a lot. Now I have to manually turn the subwoofer up and down. There's no overall equalizer, either. Having said all that, it sounds really good on my relatively cheap speakers. I have found myself defaulting to the PLII modes.
When trying to use the Apple Airplay, the music halted and jerked a lot. Same with playing over Bluetooth from my droid phone. The DNLA worked smoothly, though. I'm not sure what the cause of the halting is. It may be outside the receiver.
I was disappointed that the only music services available are Pandora and radio stations that stream over the internet. Spotify only works if you have premium service and you have to connect using your phone.
Overall: The main reason I bought it was sound quality when watching movies and listening to music I already own, and secondarily to listen to Pandora. I'm very happy with those functions (with the exception of my sense that I'm not in complete control). I also wanted to allow my family to connect with their phones, but that feature doesn't work very well for me because of the halting.
3995619
the iPhone app is great.....especially when my kids have the sound turned up too loud.  With the app i can control the volume from anywhere in the house....and if they are not listening  i can turn off the TV by turning off the receiver.