Pioneer SP-SB23W 2.1ch Soundbar System

This speaker bar has many positives, but a few crucial negatives. I won't get into the Bluetooth decoding issues here, as they've been highly detailed and also remedied at this point. However, I mention them because they are indicative of what feels like a rushed product, particularly in terms of the wireless components and overall delivery. I have always owned Pioneer home and car audio products and expected the same high quality from this speaker bar, but my expectations were sadly not met. First, I want to mention that the speaker bar actually sounds fantastic when it works. At mid-level volumes, the speaker bar fills the room with clear, crisp sound, including rich, smooth bass that can really deliver when necessary. However, at low volumes, the subwoofer drops its connection and does not come back (irrefutably indicated by the change in color of the light on the back of the subwoofer), regardless of audio source. The bar features three audio settings (Music, Movie, and Dialogue, where Music and Movie utilize both the bar and subwoofer, and Dialogue uses only the bar), and losing the subwoofer effectively puts everything in Dialogue mode--hardly the correct setting for music or movies. If you want well rounded sound at low volumes, such as later in the evening, this is not the setup for the job. I have tried moving the subwoofer around the room and eliminating every other wireless device in the area, but nothing has fixed this issue.* It is nice that the bar offers a remote control, but the provided remote feels cheap in your hands. It is small and offers no distinction between buttons to help find your way in the dark. The only solution is memorizing the button layout, which is not particularly intuitive or unique. Try picking up this remote after holding any other remote on your coffee table, and you'll be sure Pioneer put very little effort into this remote at all. To help make my point, the stock remotes included with my Pioneer car stereos make this remote look like a joke. The front display is concise, which happily does not distract from the television, but does not provide enough information. Sound modes are distinguished by color codes, which take some getting used to but work well enough. However, there is no indicator of master volume or subwoofer volume, which leaves me guessing whether or not the subwoofer is currently functioning. Even if the subwoofer were not constantly dropping out, some indicators would be useful in gauging levels, especially during power up so as not to start off at an unfortunate volume. The manual provides incorrect information on multiple counts, from issues as simple as the color of lights to expect when syncing the bar to the subwoofer, to larger issues such as how to program another remote to replace the makeshift remote provided by Pioneer. Time and time again, it feels like this product is simply not ready as a whole. And finally, when the unit is powered on, there are a few seconds of a blinking light while the unit powers up, concluded by an audible 'pop' when the unit is ready. This happens every time. I reiterate that the sound is fantastic when it works, and that makes it very difficult for me to conclude this is simply not a product ready for distribution. I'm expecting great things out of next year's model and will likely look into it when it comes out, but in the meantime the unit currently in my living room is being exchanged for not working properly. If the subwoofer connection isn't better in the replacement, I will return it for a refund. I spent more than the competition's price tag on this speaker bar because I expected it to go above and beyond the competition. It did not, and I sincerely hope that something better comes from Pioneer soon. *UPDATE - November 29, 2013: I have received a replacement unit from Amazon (which was wonderfully painless, by the way), and it is exhibiting the same subwoofer issues as the first. After further diagnosis, it seems the subwoofer intentionally turns off in both Music and Movie modes when there is not a significant amount of bass being fed to it. This can be caused by listening at low volumes or by simply listening to something with a quiet bass line for a few minutes. Think of a movie you enjoy--it probably doesn't have a booming subwoofer track for the entire movie, right? This will cause the subwoofer to turn off and unbalance the sound, even if you're not listening particularly quietly. Once the movie calls for it again, the sub will kick back on after about a second of loud enough bass, which can be borderline startling. Likewise, dynamic songs can cause the subwoofer to turn off and on in this manner as well. Some listeners may not be particularly bothered by this, but I'm finding it very difficult to ignore. Ultimately, I would not recommend this product to a friend.