Walmart has
Hisense 5.1-Channel 510W Soundbar w/ Wireless Subwoofer & 2 Rear Surround Speakers (R651) for
$89.
Shipping is free, otherwise free store pickup is available where stock permits.
Thanks to Deal Hunter
Navy-Wife for finding this deal.
About this item:
- 5.1 Surround Sound - 3 speakers built into the soundbar. Left and right front channel, center channel, plus two Tweeters, surround the listener in 3D audio for room-filling sound that delivers a true Cinema experience.
- Whether you're gaming, watching your favorite movie or show, or listening to that new track on repeat, Dolby Digital Plus and DTX Virtual:X enhances the entertainment you love across all your devices. It goes beyond ordinary listening by transporting you with the breakthrough spatial sound experience that draws you in deeper, so you hear and feel more.
- Wireless 6.5" Subwoofer - A wireless subwoofer delivers robust low-end frequencies that punctuate your favorite movies, music, and games, without any messy wires. You'll feel the "boom" while the two front- facing speakers project bright, clear high and mid-range frequencies. The wireless module requires a power cord to function the Subwoofer.
Top Comments
First, definitely not a rebadge of last year and definitely no Atmos, which honestly is no big deal IMO. DTS Virtual X is very similar in what it does in post-processing and creating a "sound bubble".
Secondly, the design is really nice on all the components, as would be expected. I do want to note that the soundbar itself is, by far, the lightest bar I've ever picked up. It almost felt like there was nothing in there. It's cloth covered (and so are the rear speakers) rather than the metal grilles from last year.
Thirdly, the speakers do hook up differently than last year's Atmos model. Those were wireless (and many of us had issues with hissing sounds when the volume was low or even when the main unit was off). These plug into the subwoofer like most of the past Vizio models. For me, I prefer having the sub in the back of the room by my listening position anyway. They give you an amazing amount of speaker cable for each.
I do want to note that there are eight speakers total. Three drivers in the bar along with two tweeters, the two surrounds and the sub. This does have Dolby Digital Plus, which is an enhanced, upgraded version of standard 5.1 Digital and what most streaming services use for their audio encoding (Atmos can be delivered via DDP), so combined with the DTS processing, this hopefully should do well with the 3D effects.
One thing this system does have that last year's didn't (at least to my recollection) is Hisense's Pure and Pro Surround settings. Pure delivers the 5.1 sound as originally intended from the source you're playing. Pro creates a "virtual" surround for those that want all the sounds coming out of the speakers at all times, like dialogue. I've always found those kinds of settings completely distracting. I want to hear true surround, not hearing someone speaking out of all five channels at once. That kind of defeats the whole purpose of surround, but some people mistakenly believe sound should be blaring out of their rear speakers at all times, so I guess this is good for them. I wouldn't suggest it myself.
I'll follow up once I've had a chance to listen. This is obviously a Walmart specific model for the holidays. There is zero info about it even on Hisense's website.
I have had a number of Atmos bars, both with and without up firing drivers, and I concur with another poster who said that they never got good results with them. My ceilings are the ideal height and, even after playing around with settings, none ever knocked my socks off. What they were always good for was the object-based audio. Sometimes sounds seemed to be coming from a totally different part of the room, but height effects? Not so much. I've always found that DTS Virtual X worked just as well for that. YMMV
Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!
199 Comments
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Summary-
As an audiophile who has (and have had) numerous systems ranging from bluetooth portable speakers, bookshelf speakers, soundbars, home theater-in-a-box, a proper home theater system, and a custom built discrete set for music listening only (price ranging from $100s to $10,000s), this soundbar is well worth $90. However, is it actually worth having? That's up to you and your use-case. Ultimately, if these speakers are meant for secondary usage (e.g., living room, kitchen, bedroom, basement, garage), I would have no qualms in recommending them; but for primary usage (e.g., movie room), I'd recommend spending some more money and buying a discrete set of speakers.
Details-
My use-case was to have better speakers for my toddler room's TV, since that TV is the cheapest of the cheap (ONN brand bought last Black Friday; there is a high probability that a child will destroy a TV either intentionally or accidentally over their lifetime) and has the crappiest built-in speakers I have ever heard. Now that my child is getting older, I wanted something with at least 3 channels to be able to hear dialogue clearer when we're watching some movies (e.g., Lion King, Moana). I wasn't going to build a discrete set, so this $90 set fit my needs on paper. My end-use case would have been to set this up with just the soundbar, and not set up the subwoofer nor the 2 rear speakers, because I know my toddler will destroy it at the moment (I'll set it up when my toddler gets older).
Thoughts on the speakers, in no particular order:
If my child turns out to be an audiophile like me, then I guess I'll upgrade in a decade or so. But until then, these speakers fit the bill and are great for my use-case.
I notice that soundbar is not turning on via TV remote while subwoofer works just fine. I have to turn off->on soundbar individually to make it work.
Anyone facing similar issue?
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
I notice that soundbar is not turning on via TV remote while subwoofer works just fine. I have to turn off->on soundbar individually to make it work.
Anyone facing similar issue?
Summary-
As an audiophile who has (and have had) numerous systems ranging from bluetooth portable speakers, bookshelf speakers, soundbars, home theater-in-a-box, a proper home theater system, and a custom built discrete set for music listening only (price ranging from $100s to $10,000s), this soundbar is well worth $90. However, is it actually worth having? That's up to you and your use-case. Ultimately, if these speakers are meant for secondary usage (e.g., living room, kitchen, bedroom, basement, garage), I would have no qualms in recommending them; but for primary usage (e.g., movie room), I'd recommend spending some more money and buying a discrete set of speakers.
Details-
My use-case was to have better speakers for my toddler room's TV, since that TV is the cheapest of the cheap (ONN brand bought last Black Friday; there is a high probability that a child will destroy a TV either intentionally or accidentally over their lifetime) and has the crappiest built-in speakers I have ever heard. Now that my child is getting older, I wanted something with at least 3 channels to be able to hear dialogue clearer when we're watching some movies (e.g., Lion King, Moana). I wasn't going to build a discrete set, so this $90 set fit my needs on paper. My end-use case would have been to set this up with just the soundbar, and not set up the subwoofer nor the 2 rear speakers, because I know my toddler will destroy it at the moment (I'll set it up when my toddler gets older).
Thoughts on the speakers, in no particular order:
If my child turns out to be an audiophile like me, then I guess I'll upgrade in a decade or so. But until then, these speakers fit the bill and are great for my use-case.
When listening to music it sounded "fine" vs my other setups. When listening to actual spoken shows....hell nah
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
A difference is that the Onn rear speakers are wireless and have their own powersupply, not connected to the wireless sub.
Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!