Not an all-time low, but back down to Black Friday pricing on this soundbar system, rated "Best Lower Mid-Range Soundbar" by Rtings.
About this item:
America's #1 Sound Bar* - VIZIO has been filling homes with truly immersive audio for over 10 years, and our sound bars just keep getting better. We are proud to provide our customers with top-tier audio products that bring movies, shows, podcasts, music, and more to life like never before. (*#1 Sound Bar Brand in 1H 2022 Source: The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service, U.S., based on units, Jan. - June 2022 combined.)
11 High-Performance Speakers - With separate tweeters and woofers, deliver fuller, clearer and more powerful sound.
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X - Cinematic, life-like 3D surround sound around and above you.
2 Upfiring Speakers - Reflect accurate overhead sound off the ceiling for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content.
Separate Tweeters and Woofers - True 2-way speaker design delivers pristine clarity and a wider audio range.
Dynamic and Accurate Sound - The 103dB sound pressure level and 45Hz – 20kHz frequency range deliver high-performance sound.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TV6GJF7/
24 Comments
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
But then I bought this vizio from Amazon and it does sound better to me. Better bass and overall sound
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank DavidD6012
The subwoofer, although small has a surprisingly great amount of room filling capabilities. The bar has a few modes: Movie, Music, Direct. Game. I found Direct/Music to be the cleanest sounding. I tried Movie, but it veils dialogue. In Titanic, the actors did not seem like they were right there on the screen but behind a curtain. The dialogue enhancement feature can be beneficial, but it also distorts the dialogue and changes it tonally, making it too sharp. I simply bumped up the center channel. Virtual X, that simulates Atmos sound but putting normal surround content into the upfiring speakers, is lame. It accentuates the sound so much that it is a perceived drop in quality. Imagine low quality speakers getting added to the mix, you want Virtual X turned off at all times.
The soundstage is a little wider than the bar itself. It has good tricks to make it seem like a wider sound. However, I added Active Bookshelf speakers into the mix via my TV's optical port positioned 6" away from each side of the bar. Using the Bookshelves does increase the sound width, so that proves that the bar gives the impression that is it 1-6" longer than itself but not wider.
Update the firmware. Firmware fixed a lot of power cycle issues. My unit still buzzes from each of the L/R front speakers, but is not audible unless you put your ear to it. I purchased 2 years of additional warranty at Amazon for $50. Would I recommend it? Definitely, for $350, you can definitely see it as a cheaper Q990C. People have commented on holly/tinny vocals in dialogue on the Q990C, which I experienced with the Philips and the Vizio is way better, but cannot attest to the Q990C's bar midrange performance. I can only attest to the frequency response on RTINGS comparing this Vizio to the Q990C, and the Vizio is better in the 200-400hz range and has less spike drops in the subwoofer range. These are the areas that make sound more full (not to be confused with room filling which is more about the number of drivers hitting you at once combined with volume and no distortion).
Lastly, get a long extension cord, and plug the subwoofer into it. Listen to subwoofer heavy content and experiment with its position in the room. My room is a rectangle, and there seems to be a weird null in a specific area in the middle of the room and the subwoofer seems like its off. Positioning is everywhere. This applies to all subwoofers, not just the one in this package.
Each EQ mode remembers the settings below, minus the Dual Surround option.
Recommended settings: Subwoofer - 3/4 of max or a little under. Bass (in the bar) - 3/4 of max or a little more. Surround level - 3/4 of max if you sit around 12 feet away from the bar. Experiment with a game. Center -3/4 of max or a little under. Treble - a little under 3/4 of max.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
The scores on M51a-H6 beat M512a-H6 in every categories. However, RTings concluded that M512a-H6 is better
The M51 does annoyingly drop its signal between source inputs (gaming and then immediately switching to Android box) sometimes, but I think it's great otherwise.
Honestly I think the V51-H6 @ $150 is more than enough for most people but any of these should be an appreciable improvement over TV speakers
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.