I have an older Vizio sound bar with Dolby Atmos, and something I found out, was the rear channel wiring was making the surround portion of the setup pretty weak. I found this issue on accident, when one of my cats chewed the cable that came with them… After replacing one cable with a monster cable, that Channel came to life in a big way! I quickly ordered a cable for the other side as the imbalance was extremely obvious. This might be something to try with the elevate as it is very much a game changer in my opinion.
@@ThereIsOnlyWar42 If you buy it now, Best Buy will credit you the discounted price on black Friday. I bought mine last week at $1000 then when it went on sale over the weekend, they credited me the $300 difference.
I found your channel just couple weeks ago, I love how you explain and my knowledge in sound system has grown since I watch your video. Sadly one of your top review that i like the nakamichi shockwafe pro does not sell in Malaysia. I hope your channel can grow bigger.
Instead of setting the speakers to the upward position set them to the “wide” setting to give the small surround speakers more of a kick. Use the set up button for this.
Dolby Atmos is a key selling point in the Vizio elevate 5.1.4. Along with a mediatek chipset and the adaptive height speakers, it seems quite impressive...
Thanks for the review. I picked this up the other day and I love it. Question : did you max out the height volume when testing atmos content? When I turned the height and surround channels all the way up it made a big difference. I was curious if you did that in your testing.
That’s a shame. And lost opportunity. RUclips allows for content creators and viewers to interact- a nice 2-way street. Having the creator go 1-way only is a turn off, especially when asking for likes and referrals.
Hope you got the 2200 deal. That was a hell of a deal. Should look really friggen cool on the wall too. Just set up all your cables and do your cable management first. Piece of advice...this soundbar won't pass through Dolby vision yet. But we do have an incoming firmware update thats been released..just waiting for it to come over the air. My tvs earc has trouble with lpcm content like apple tv so id like to hook that up directly, but not until Dolby vision is sorted. I have an LG oled
@@Cblan1224 I got the 55" OLED and Elevate for around $1600 total, which isn't far from the price for just the OLED from LG or Sony. Vizio's software definitely needs more attention via firmware fixes, but that price was far too tempting. I was an early adopter of OLED and have a B6, but I thought I'd give the underdog a chance this time after owning only Panasonic plasmas then an LG OLED for the past several years. First Vizio and first soundbar for me. It also addresses my audio crisis. I'm not buying another Marantz AVR and watch it get outdated within months and not be able to passthrough tech I want to utilize. Elevate can pass most of the current stuff and I can use a 2.1 splitter with my headset (Drop PC38x) if I want to use the bleeding edge 2.1 stuff later that is still bugged at the moment.
@@Mr.BananaManYT It's working well now, and I rewired things so I have no problems with 120 Hz. Updates also seem to have corrected most problems with recognizing Atmos support with streaming services and the Elevate speakers rotate and output Atmos when available. The key firmware update for the OLED that fixed most problems dropped very recently. It was left broken for around a year, which was quite irritating.
Nice review! I was hoping to see a review like this over the weekend and then had it in my cart at Best Buy and it sold out last night before I went to check out. Now it’s sold out and I’m hoping to see stock with that $700 sale price again this month
Just a quick question, do you have any delay of sound after you play something on tv? Like for me first 3 4 seconds of the video won't have any sounds after that the sound comes on.
@@Eashan0007 this is an issue the soundbar has with PCM audio. Whenever the source has a silence that is more than 1 second it will interpret it as no signal and it will turn off and resume 3 seconds later. This doesn't happen with dolby content. Try switching your source to dolby if you can. For things like the Nintendo Switch or RUclips there's no work arround. We will have to wait for Vizio to make a fix.
I have the VIZIO S4251w-B4 that I’ve had for years now, and it’s been a great sound bar. That said, it has a very similar remote with the display on it. This display faded over a short period of time and is completely useless after very little use. Just something to be aware about, although I will still probably buy this one as soon as I can find it for around 700 or so. Haven’t really looked yet...
Any chance at reviewing the new m-series 2.1 soundbar from Vizio?? I've been scouring the internet but there's not a ton of information short of regular customer reviews. The reason I ask is I recently purchased the Vizio 2.1 m21d-h8 m-series all-in-one soundbar and plan on giving it to my parents as a Christmas gift. Just about everything I've read suggests that it's a fantastic soundbar with some people suggesting it's about the best sound you can get for the price. I managed to grab a great black friday deal on it so I doubt there's any chance I'll regret my purchase, but I'd like to know what a true audiophile thinks of the sound quality.
I'm changing out my from my LG SKC9/SK9Y soundbar, well I'm keeping the LG for my bedroom. My biggest complaint for the LG was the subwoofer, it just didn't have the adjustment levels to make it really pop, but it wasn't underpowering at all, I just didn't have the ability to make it louder. Do you have any thoughts comparing this sound bar to the LG I have?
Hi Johan, I just purchased the Elevate and have it connected to my TCL Series 6 TV. All is (mostly) good with it. But A question I have for you wasn't addressed in your video. I have a Sonos Play Bar in my office and love having the ability to stream music from within the Sonos app from sources such as Pandora and a few others. How do I best accomplish streaming Pandora on the Video Elevate? Thoughts?
Just order the 65” Vizio OLED and this soundbar from Best Buy over the weekend. They had big discounts on both. $599 for the soundbar! Black Friday they should match or beat that again. Thanks or the review. I’ve been using the LG SJ9 with satellite speakers for years pretty much have hated the experience. They were potentially a great system but buggy software and crappy wi-fi hardware caused constant issues. And I had two full system in two rooms. Garage sale!
Jonah, thank you for your videos. If you had the cash and could choose between this Visio or a Sonos Arc with subwoofer and Sonos One’s which would you choose? Also with the Sonos, do you have any concerns about it being fully app driven? In other words, if Visio went out of business tomorrow, the soundbar can be set up and fully configured with the remote and used for years. Sonos would become almost worthless once the app is dropped from the app store or was not updated for new operating systems. It could be used in it’s last configuration but the EQ levels and any changes would not be possible … thoughts?
It is very loud. I had to turn the volume down to about half or 2/3. The subwoofer as well. Even at half volume, it is still quite loud, and was shaking my entire room. Albeit it's a smaller room at 12'x12'. It still has a lot of punch to it though at lower levels. I haven't fully tested it yet to it's fullest potential, but so far, it's really good.
FINALLY. someone who’s reviewed both the elevate AND the q950t (both units I’m deciding between. Two questions- Which one seems more future proof? Overall for the cost of each which would you buy? Assuming you could get the sale on the elevate and the q950t is around $1500.
I really enjoy the Elevate and if you can get it on sale, it’s a very good deal. The Samsung sounds amazing, but has its fair share of issues. It’s better than it was when it was released though. More future proof is a difficult call. I think both systems will last quite a long time. Maybe the Samsung a little less because of the cloth material. The Vizio is a newer system as well.
do you have a link or advice where to get test files to add to my Plex server as well? I'd like to test my vizio bar as well and can't seem to get it to actually auto rotate or play back atmos for that matter.
I have my choices down to the shockwave 9.2.4 and this Vizio elevate. The only thing I'm afraid of with that Nakamichi is the balance of it's speakers. I know it has booming sound but i dont know about the dialogue in movies. If the lows drown out the dialogue then I don't want it. How is the speaker balance with the Elevate?
Nice, I got my eye on a Vizio 5.1 2018 system, it's in my price range but it's import from US to my country and here we don't have Vizio support, the only thing stopping me it's the wireless sub, I will prefer a wired one
I had that system for a few days and I enjoyed it a lot but I ended up returning it. The sub of this soundbar is really impressive for its size but it's tiny. Therefore it may be a bit weak on higher volumes. If this is your first system I'd say go ahead with it, because it's a nice upgrade from the TV speakers. But if you a bit picky like me I would suggest looking something better like the SB36512.
Have you notice 3 seconds audio cut off? With PCM audio there's an annoying bug that cut off audio for 3 seconds whenever the source gets a silence that is longer than a second. This bug makes you hear wierd sound pauses when you are playing on the Nintendo Switch, watching videos on RUclips or playing music on the Spotify app (things that uses PCM audio) . I still haven't found a solution for this. If you have one, please share it with us.
I know its expensive but what are the chances you do a review of the SENNHEISER AMBEO SOUNDBAR ?great reviews by the way.....so far the SONOS and the Q950T have my eye open....also would like to see a review of the BOSE 700....thx....cheers all
Got the Elevate during the latest sale at Best Buy but I'm probably going to return it. It's kind of hard to live with popping noises in the speakers anytime we pause a program or advance in the program
@@itswhatever31 The popping for me occurs playing content from my Sony Android powered tv. The TV has earc and I think it has to do with the handoff from the TV to the sound bar. The popping doesn't happen when I play content through a Google TV connected to the soundbar. I'm still kicking around whether I'm going to return it. I probably will because it's too limiting.
Yes you are right about the app. Its laggy and funky at times. But i am having another issue I don't know if you can help. Everytime i play something on tv, there is a brief delay before the sound starts coming from the soundbar. Like there is no sound for first 3 4 seconds of the video that i am playing then it will come on. Did you face anything like this or know how to fix it? Thank you.
Excellent video! One thing I don’t understand is women. Another thing I don’t understand is the surround speakers being wired to the subwoofer; where do you place them? Do they have crazy-long cords? Or are you meant to place the sub behind your listening position then mount the surrounds to the back wall? I’m not sold on “pseudo-Atmos”, with speakers angled up toward the ceiling to reflect down to the listener. It seems like a nice trick for those of us (me) without in-ceiling speakers. I think it would make more sense to lop-off the soundbar’s end speakers and mount them directly ON (not IN) the ceiling. I’m developing a new approach to surround sound that may take a good deal more time, and the assistance of a sizeable manufacturer to develop some aspects, possibly a new format to function properly, but if I can pull it off, it’d be a serious game-changer! Of course, as my luck seems to run, someone else with the connections and resources will have my idea in stores before I get it up and running. If only I had a couple $ billion... Great video! Take care dude!
I don’t have the elevate but their 5.1.2 atmos home theater and the app is buggy and does jump around like that. I may sell it tho. I don’t know why but when atmos is enabled for gaming like gears 5 on Xbox it gets so muddled...character volumes and effects are vibrant and crisp but things right in front of me happening or shooting sounds like it’s in the distance and I can barely hear. Something with atmos is odd on my bar
what do you think about BOSE 700 (just soundbar)? Tryed it out yet ? does it match sonos arc or is it better or worse.. wherer does it stack as a soundbar alone
I had an issue with the app....2x, the 3rd time i went to set it up...before starting i used the remote and went to "reset all", and the sounder, app, setup all worked flawlessly. So, for anyone who gets this bar out of the box, my recomendation is to just click reset all before initial set up, and i believe all will work fine...hope this helps
Jonah. I have the Vizio Oled, amazing tv by the way. I didn’t get the sound bar because I have a open floor plain and don’t let the back speakers are wired. I’m not sure how your set up is can you tell me your opinion on the subject. Thanks
I'm able to hide the wires in my setup. If the wires are an issue, then maybe consider a different soundbar where the rear speakers are wireless. You will pay a higher price for this though.
I feel ya. Just didn’t want the speaker right behind the Couch. I was hoping Vizio came out with them Wireless when they first announced it. I would pay extra for that. Something to stew on. I’m not a fan on the Sonos.
Like I was saying I do have the Vizio Oled and it’s wall mounted, that does look sweet the way they set up how to mounted it to the TV. I saw in Vizio promotion video the stands. I couldn’t find them. That might help with my set up in my Earlier message to you. Thanks for the Video’s! You did a great job 👏
Get the JBL 9.1. They have wireless rears and the whole system sounds fantastic. Picked up 2 for $799 each when they were on sale this past week. Originally priced at $999, this coming black friday at best buy they'll be back on sale for $799. Keep an eye out.
@@haloelvin I was looking at JBL system also. I got a little bit of time before I make a decision. Unless a Crazier deal happens. But with my open floor plain I need a sound bar. Both of my old tv and new Vizio it hard hear the Dialect sometimes when people are around.. thanks for the info
Great review. Question: For content that is in Dolby Atmos .. can you force the system to play it in Dolby Digital 5.1 in order to get the wider sound stage?
Jonah, I got this soundbar for $699 and it does sound really impressive but I'm still not sure if I've made the right decision. Do you think this soundbar competes with traditional home theaters? Even though the soundbar is very large I sometimes feel that it's sound stage is a bit narrow and I don't love how it sounds with music. Do you think that the Klipsch Reference Theater Pack 5.1 would be a better option? I figured that these speaker paired up with a decent receiver would cost about the same as the Elevate and I'm not sure how much I'm loosing by choosing the Vizio. Do you think the Vizio is on the same level? Or the Klipsch is far better?
I just bought this at the Best Buy store on Ebay. It said that it should be delivered by the 9th. I went to check it out at the actual store. The bar is much bigger than what I thought. The satellite speakers are bigger too. I have the Vizio 5.1.2. Have had it since Dec. of 2018. Great soundbar but this one sounded more clear and the bass was nice. I wish I could play with the controls with the demo at the store. Looks like a big step up from the 5.1.2. Can't wait. Thank you for the review. I've watched it like 5 times. ✌
Do the speakers that turn adjust to where you sit? Do they just turn all the way in one direction until it stops or will it adjust depending on where the rear channels are in the room?
They adjust all the way up. That’s why I’d say it’s more ideal for smaller or medium sized rooms. They would need a steeper angle if you’re sitting much further back. That would be a cool feature for them to add though!
So I'm confused about the hdmi 2.1. There's a big debacle on best buy website because a Vizio rep said something along lines of it's 2.0 18 gbps. Is it 2.1 or did Vizio rep misinterpret? Do you need to buy "premium" hdmi cable to get the full atmos sound if you have Earc on tv (One with ethernet or whatever) or does included hdmi cable suffice?
Basically make sure your tv and soundbar are both eARC compatible, and make sure you get an HDMI 2.1 cable so that way you get all the features it has to offer
They should have made it just a little bit wider and instead of putting the Atmos drivers on the ends have the main drivers at the end and the rotating section in between the left and right and center channels, that way the widest part of the sound stage is always at the edges of the bar when the Atmos drivers rotate.
Hey Jonah, I've seen mixed things about this soundbar supporting multichannel LPCM sound (particularly from current gen consoles), wondering if you can confirm if it does or not.
@@nickschaffer5672 I tested it with the Nintendo Switch which it only outputs LPCM and it doesn't work. It won't matter if you connect it to the TV or to the bar it self it does not work. The only thing that works is stereo pcm and it has issues. Whenever the Switch hits a silence the audio will cut off for 3 seconds. It's super annoying.
What sources of Dolby Atmos are there is there any Dolby Atmos content over the internet? How much Dolby Atmos Content really available & do I have to replace my TV if it only has HDMI arc & not HDMI eARC? I refuse to purchase any Digital content on DISK. -Big waste of money.
Great review. I have the 5.1.2 system and it sounds amazing. Can’t really say how it compares to the system you’re reviewing. And no, you’re not alone when it comes to the app. It does the same for my system too and it’s very annoying.
Hi my name is Steven I’m in the market for the best soundbar I can get. I’m looking into the Nakamichi 9.2.4, the Samsung Q950T, JBL 9.1 and now the Vizio Elevate. Now I want something that’s great for movies but also that’s gonna sound amazing with music. Which of these do you recommend or is there something that I might have missed? Thanks in advance
Those are some great options! I haven’t tested all of these together yet, but I will be in my big soundbar comparison video coming a week or so before Black Friday. I would hold off until then because the prices on all of these systems are likely to drop anywhere between 10%-30%.
How did you get it to rotate for destiny 2 did you have it on Atmos or dtsx I'm trying to get the speakers to rotate when I play on the Xbox but it ignores RUclips videos and games and only rotates for doubly Atmos demos.
When you have “Elevate” set to auto, they will rotate when the soundbar detects Dolby Atmos or DTS:X content. Destiny 2 may not support Dolby Atmos, RUclips definitely doesn’t support it.
@@JonahMatthes thanks that helps out a lot I have been able to get Atmos working but dtsx it's still saying that the Vizio h1 OLED TV won't take it but when I plug it directly into the sound system the Xbox recognizes it still working with the Vizio h1 to see what I can do to get the full features out of it might need an update.
Saw it for a grand I fell in love atmos rock's hopefully I will get it for cheaper I don't come around a thousand dollars so easy but I'm a home theater freak your awesome dude lucky wish I had this in my house I've gotten scammed with other soundbars just recently one 3.1.2 and another sucky Samsung so called 5.1 system was another 3.1 I took them back the very next day hopefully this banger will be the last soundbar I'll ever buy can't believe it has both dts x and atmos wow great review bro.
Where does one get Dolby Atmos or THX content. Does any content provider streame (Broadcast)Dolby Atmos or THX content. Do you think RUclips will ever do anything but stereo?
Yeah, you can find test files on their sites and some others, just google it, you should be able to find them. Netflix, Amazon, and other do have Dolby Atmos content but it’s not Dolby TrueHD, is like Dolby Digital Plus (compressed Atmos).
I bought this system as well. Very impressed. Love the audio quality for rhe price. Does the tv you use for your testing the sound bars have an eARC port or just ARC? This makes a huge difference in audio quality. My tv just has ARC and although im pleased with the audio quality, i can tell my Elevate isnt unleashing its full potential through the high channels.
The TV I use for audio testing is actually an old Plasma without ARC haha . I use it for testing audio quality and what not because the room has flat ceilings. I just connect my Nvidia Shield TV Pro to the HDMI input. But I’ve tested the difference between ARC and eARC, there’s a massive difference!
Great review! Quick question. What settings do you recommend for the movies eq? I know what I like for music but not sure what is the best setting for movies. Many thanks!
I feel that direct mode is the best mode for all content since it uses the channels that has signal and it doesn't add any sounds effects to the audio. Movie mode sound very good for movies but for music it adds echos and artifacts on all the speakers making it sound a bit artificial. For now I'm using direct mode with the sub on - 5 (it sounds too booming for my room) and I have the elevate setting on wide to have the widest sound stage (I don't care too much about atmos since I barely notice it.). Which one are you using?
@@luisarsuaga7637 thanks for the info! I use movie eq for tv and let the sub woofer in +1 and bass and treble in +2. For height I use the max but as u said, there is no much difference. I also feel that letting the speakers in the lower position gives a wider feel. Mostly for music. For movies is the same. But overall, I love this sound bar.
Hmmm, that’s a tough one. The Elevate’s soundbar is much better, but the Nakamichi Shockwafe Elite has 2 subs which will likely overpower the Elevate’s one subwoofer. The Nakamichi’s surrounds are better too. I guess it depends on your room layout and preferences really. Both are great systems.
Sounds like Vizio. I had a Vizio soundbar a few years ago...had to replace it. Gave them another shot and upgraded to their 46514 Atmos soundbar.....had to replace it (which I’m still using now). Didn’t learn my lesson and purchased a 65” P Quantum X. When that failed, I didn’t replace it. Luckily it was still within Sam’s Club’s return window, so I got my money back and will quietly part ways with this brand. Vizio offers a tremendous bang for your buck, but unfortunately their products are not reliable and certainly not worth the hassle of the back and forth.
At $999 I was a little hesitant to get this but as soon as I saw this on sale for 700 bucks I jumped on it. I don't think there is anything else out there with a better value than this. There are firmware issues I am facing with occasional desync and settings not getting set but again I can live with them for something I only spent $700 on.
@@robertrobinson8922 keep in mind that the returned item now becomes an open box item for BB creating reduced revenue and extra losses in both time and money for the retailer.
I'm considering buying this soundbar system, along with some speaker stand for those rear speakers. Most stands offer a feedthrough hole for cable management, but I'm not sure how big this needs to be to fit the two-prong connectors. Does anyone know the dimensions of the rear speaker connectors?
read that tech journalists that get them free from vizio have an NDA until Nov. 9th (perhaps until the next firmware goes out and fixes the passthrough issues?). rtings.com (who purchases their equipment from retail stores) currently have this "in the lab" so review should be soon. but yes this is the first non-reddit/forum review i've seen.
Lol my cat is doing the same thing. "Must....check out....new.....electronics....that are in my territory..." Before I set it up he was napping on the box I had a seamless setup with smartcast mobile and have been using it with different devices for a while. I disagree with your thing about the remote...these speakers need a bit of tuning and I exclusively use the app which has much more information. This product exceeded.my expectations also
In all honesty, I'm really interested in this system - but when I saw a wire coming from the woofer into the speakers which are intended to sit in the corners of a room, it was an immediate no buy from me. Not wireless when you need wires stretching an entire wall!
The elevate also has 7 more drivers than the Arc. Plus, it comes with the sub and rear satellite speakers, whereas the sonos doesn't. I can fully and honestly say that this soundbar competes with the ones that are $1300+. I had to turn it down to half volume because it started to make my ears hurt, and even at half volume, it was still quite loud.
I have an older Vizio sound bar with Dolby Atmos, and something I found out, was the rear channel wiring was making the surround portion of the setup pretty weak. I found this issue on accident, when one of my cats chewed the cable that came with them… After replacing one cable with a monster cable, that Channel came to life in a big way! I quickly ordered a cable for the other side as the imbalance was extremely obvious.
This might be something to try with the elevate as it is very much a game changer in my opinion.
Link to the monster cable pls?
I was about to pull the trigger on this system at $699 but I wanted to see a review before I bought it. Thank you so much for the review!
I think it will return to $699 for Black Friday. But prices back to normal at Best Buy now.
I was about to pull the trigger as well but price jumped back to normal...gotta wait until black Friday now :(
@@ThereIsOnlyWar42 If you buy it now, Best Buy will credit you the discounted price on black Friday. I bought mine last week at $1000 then when it went on sale over the weekend, they credited me the $300 difference.
@@timothyevo It's now on sale for $699 at BB.....
finally a review of this Sounbar! Keep it Up!
I found your channel just couple weeks ago, I love how you explain and my knowledge in sound system has grown since I watch your video. Sadly one of your top review that i like the nakamichi shockwafe pro does not sell in Malaysia. I hope your channel can grow bigger.
I brought the shockwafe and love it just wish it had an app. Awesome unit.
Instead of setting the speakers to the upward position set them to the “wide” setting to give the small surround speakers more of a kick. Use the set up button for this.
Dolby Atmos is a key selling point in the Vizio elevate 5.1.4. Along with a mediatek chipset and the adaptive height speakers, it seems quite impressive...
How does this compare to JBL Bar 9.1? Also, do you think JBL's subwoofer is better than Sonos'?
Thanks for the review. I picked this up the other day and I love it. Question : did you max out the height volume when testing atmos content? When I turned the height and surround channels all the way up it made a big difference. I was curious if you did that in your testing.
That’s a shame. And lost opportunity. RUclips allows for content creators and viewers to interact- a nice 2-way street. Having the creator go 1-way only is a turn off, especially when asking for likes and referrals.
Thanks for this review, I grabbed the Vizio OLED and Elevate and can’t wait to get them hooked up!
Hope you got the 2200 deal. That was a hell of a deal. Should look really friggen cool on the wall too. Just set up all your cables and do your cable management first. Piece of advice...this soundbar won't pass through Dolby vision yet. But we do have an incoming firmware update thats been released..just waiting for it to come over the air. My tvs earc has trouble with lpcm content like apple tv so id like to hook that up directly, but not until Dolby vision is sorted. I have an LG oled
I got it too! I'm in love. Now all I need is the new Xbox and my life will be complete. We'll, my entertainment center at least.
@@Cblan1224 I got the 55" OLED and Elevate for around $1600 total, which isn't far from the price for just the OLED from LG or Sony. Vizio's software definitely needs more attention via firmware fixes, but that price was far too tempting. I was an early adopter of OLED and have a B6, but I thought I'd give the underdog a chance this time after owning only Panasonic plasmas then an LG OLED for the past several years. First Vizio and first soundbar for me. It also addresses my audio crisis. I'm not buying another Marantz AVR and watch it get outdated within months and not be able to passthrough tech I want to utilize. Elevate can pass most of the current stuff and I can use a 2.1 splitter with my headset (Drop PC38x) if I want to use the bleeding edge 2.1 stuff later that is still bugged at the moment.
@@AKSBSU how is the setup now? And do you think the tv and soundbar are still worth it now?
@@Mr.BananaManYT It's working well now, and I rewired things so I have no problems with 120 Hz. Updates also seem to have corrected most problems with recognizing Atmos support with streaming services and the Elevate speakers rotate and output Atmos when available. The key firmware update for the OLED that fixed most problems dropped very recently. It was left broken for around a year, which was quite irritating.
Nice review! I was hoping to see a review like this over the weekend and then had it in my cart at Best Buy and it sold out last night before I went to check out. Now it’s sold out and I’m hoping to see stock with that $700 sale price again this month
you saw it for 700? that's incredible. I haven't seen it below 980.
It's on sale for the same price right now. It's for Prime Day sale tho.
I’ve had Vizio Elevate for 7 months now and absolutely love it. I even recommended it to a few friends and family during the prime day sale
Your favorite reviewer for sound bars on youtube! Hoping for a klipsch cinema 600 review in the future.
Definitely was not fun connecting to WiFi. Agree completely and good luck to customer service for all the inbound calls on that!
Why didnt you connect it with bluetooth?
@@Khan-70 You need wifi to connect to the app for updates and what not.
I've been using this soundbar since day 1 of release and I love it. Definitely need to change some of the settings to get the best sound out of it.
Just a quick question, do you have any delay of sound after you play something on tv? Like for me first 3 4 seconds of the video won't have any sounds after that the sound comes on.
@@Eashan0007
The only time I've ever had a 1-3 second delay is when I'm switching inputs or EQ modes. Otherwise it has worked flawlessly.
@@Eashan0007 this is an issue the soundbar has with PCM audio. Whenever the source has a silence that is more than 1 second it will interpret it as no signal and it will turn off and resume 3 seconds later. This doesn't happen with dolby content. Try switching your source to dolby if you can. For things like the Nintendo Switch or RUclips there's no work arround. We will have to wait for Vizio to make a fix.
What do you recommend for settings
Put the vizio 36/42514-G6 on your test comparison if you can find it. It's also a 5.1.4 system before this came out. It has amazing sound!
Good Review! I had the same unreliability issues with my outgoing Vizio soundbar which is why I decided with the Sonos Arc setup.
Had this for 2 years with no issues
With 4k TV’s becoming more popular.. does it have 4k hdmi pass through?
Rotating speakers blow my mind. Would love to have this mediatek powered device for my parties. Its so good in audio quality.
The rotating speakers actually work since I initially thought it was just a gimmick. The mediatek chipset is a good support platform for the device
I was actually surprised to find out that this was powered by mediatek.
I have the VIZIO S4251w-B4 that I’ve had for years now, and it’s been a great sound bar. That said, it has a very similar remote with the display on it. This display faded over a short period of time and is completely useless after very little use. Just something to be aware about, although I will still probably buy this one as soon as I can find it for around 700 or so. Haven’t really looked yet...
In your opinion which set up is better Vizio Elevate or the Sonos Arc, sub, 2 SL?
Oh definitely the Sonos Arc, Sub, and 2 One SLs. It’s a much more expensive system but it’s definitely better.
@@JonahMatthes thank you so much
@@JonahMatthes The problem with the Arc is only one input and no DTS support at all.
Your review is what had me make my final decision. black friday deal was too good
How much was it?
Any chance at reviewing the new m-series 2.1 soundbar from Vizio?? I've been scouring the internet but there's not a ton of information short of regular customer reviews.
The reason I ask is I recently purchased the Vizio 2.1 m21d-h8 m-series all-in-one soundbar and plan on giving it to my parents as a Christmas gift. Just about everything I've read suggests that it's a fantastic soundbar with some people suggesting it's about the best sound you can get for the price. I managed to grab a great black friday deal on it so I doubt there's any chance I'll regret my purchase, but I'd like to know what a true audiophile thinks of the sound quality.
I'm changing out my from my LG SKC9/SK9Y soundbar, well I'm keeping the LG for my bedroom. My biggest complaint for the LG was the subwoofer, it just didn't have the adjustment levels to make it really pop, but it wasn't underpowering at all, I just didn't have the ability to make it louder. Do you have any thoughts comparing this sound bar to the LG I have?
Hi, could you make a video of the nakamichi vs the sonos? Thanks
I returned 2 because the rear speakers made a crackle noise on both. Went with JBL bar 9.1
How is that JBL 9.1 with dialogue in movies? I heard it's bass and lows drains out the dialogue
Yes, how do you like the jbl bar
@@BennyBlawnk it’s not bad actually. Just remember to calibrate it.
@@kjcl90 I really like it so far.
Hi Johan, I just purchased the Elevate and have it connected to my TCL Series 6 TV. All is (mostly) good with it. But A question I have for you wasn't addressed in your video. I have a Sonos Play Bar in my office and love having the ability to stream music from within the Sonos app from sources such as Pandora and a few others. How do I best accomplish streaming Pandora on the Video Elevate? Thoughts?
Just order the 65” Vizio OLED and this soundbar from Best Buy over the weekend. They had big discounts on both. $599 for the soundbar! Black Friday they should match or beat that again. Thanks or the review. I’ve been using the LG SJ9 with satellite speakers for years pretty much have hated the experience. They were potentially a great system but buggy software and crappy wi-fi hardware caused constant issues. And I had two full system in two rooms. Garage sale!
Jonah, thank you for your videos. If you had the cash and could choose between this Visio or a Sonos Arc with subwoofer and Sonos One’s which would you choose? Also with the Sonos, do you have any concerns about it being fully app driven? In other words, if Visio went out of business tomorrow, the soundbar can be set up and fully configured with the remote and used for years. Sonos would become almost worthless once the app is dropped from the app store or was not updated for new operating systems. It could be used in it’s last configuration but the EQ levels and any changes would not be possible … thoughts?
Impressive sound bar and rendering too is flawless. How do you rate the yamaha yas 408 sound bar and wx 021 surround speakers, your take on it.
Pls compare Vizio elevate, Sonos Arc, Hw-950T and LG SN11RG plus the Sony.
How loud are the "high volume levels"? It makes a big diference if it just 90db or if it is 120db.
It is very loud. I had to turn the volume down to about half or 2/3. The subwoofer as well. Even at half volume, it is still quite loud, and was shaking my entire room. Albeit it's a smaller room at 12'x12'. It still has a lot of punch to it though at lower levels. I haven't fully tested it yet to it's fullest potential, but so far, it's really good.
FINALLY. someone who’s reviewed both the elevate AND the q950t (both units I’m deciding between.
Two questions-
Which one seems more future proof?
Overall for the cost of each which would you buy? Assuming you could get the sale on the elevate and the q950t is around $1500.
I really enjoy the Elevate and if you can get it on sale, it’s a very good deal. The Samsung sounds amazing, but has its fair share of issues. It’s better than it was when it was released though. More future proof is a difficult call. I think both systems will last quite a long time. Maybe the Samsung a little less because of the cloth material. The Vizio is a newer system as well.
do you have a link or advice where to get test files to add to my Plex server as well? I'd like to test my vizio bar as well and can't seem to get it to actually auto rotate or play back atmos for that matter.
I have my choices down to the shockwave 9.2.4 and this Vizio elevate. The only thing I'm afraid of with that Nakamichi is the balance of it's speakers. I know it has booming sound but i dont know about the dialogue in movies. If the lows drown out the dialogue then I don't want it. How is the speaker balance with the Elevate?
Can you compare it with sony htst5000. I am really confused between elevate and sony htst5000 just because that doesn't have rear surround speakers
Nice, I got my eye on a Vizio 5.1 2018 system, it's in my price range but it's import from US to my country and here we don't have Vizio support, the only thing stopping me it's the wireless sub, I will prefer a wired one
I had that system for a few days and I enjoyed it a lot but I ended up returning it. The sub of this soundbar is really impressive for its size but it's tiny. Therefore it may be a bit weak on higher volumes. If this is your first system I'd say go ahead with it, because it's a nice upgrade from the TV speakers. But if you a bit picky like me I would suggest looking something better like the SB36512.
Have you notice 3 seconds audio cut off? With PCM audio there's an annoying bug that cut off audio for 3 seconds whenever the source gets a silence that is longer than a second. This bug makes you hear wierd sound pauses when you are playing on the Nintendo Switch, watching videos on RUclips or playing music on the Spotify app (things that uses PCM audio) . I still haven't found a solution for this. If you have one, please share it with us.
I know its expensive but what are the chances you do a review of the SENNHEISER AMBEO SOUNDBAR ?great reviews by the way.....so far the SONOS and the Q950T have my eye open....also would like to see a review of the BOSE 700....thx....cheers all
Got the Elevate during the latest sale at Best Buy but I'm probably going to return it. It's kind of hard to live with popping noises in the speakers anytime we pause a program or advance in the program
Wow really? I'm teetering back & forth about buying one, did you end up returning it?
@@itswhatever31
The popping for me occurs playing content from my Sony Android powered tv. The TV has earc and I think it has to do with the handoff from the TV to the sound bar.
The popping doesn't happen when I play content through a Google TV connected to the soundbar.
I'm still kicking around whether I'm going to return it. I probably will because it's too limiting.
Got it for $700 too. Great sound bar at that price. I have no issue other than the initial wifi connection.
That app sucks, and the soundbar wouldn't shut off until I unplugged it and it stopped that nonsense. Sounds incredible now, though.
Does the speakers connect wirelessly with the subwo?
Yes you are right about the app. Its laggy and funky at times. But i am having another issue I don't know if you can help. Everytime i play something on tv, there is a brief delay before the sound starts coming from the soundbar. Like there is no sound for first 3 4 seconds of the video that i am playing then it will come on. Did you face anything like this or know how to fix it?
Thank you.
Does that LG tv even have eARC? 1080p??
Excellent video! One thing I don’t understand is women. Another thing I don’t understand is the surround speakers being wired to the subwoofer; where do you place them? Do they have crazy-long cords? Or are you meant to place the sub behind your listening position then mount the surrounds to the back wall? I’m not sold on “pseudo-Atmos”, with speakers angled up toward the ceiling to reflect down to the listener. It seems like a nice trick for those of us (me) without in-ceiling speakers. I think it would make more sense to lop-off the soundbar’s end speakers and mount them directly ON (not IN) the ceiling.
I’m developing a new approach to surround sound that may take a good deal more time, and the assistance of a sizeable manufacturer to develop some aspects, possibly a new format to function properly, but if I can pull it off, it’d be a serious game-changer! Of course, as my luck seems to run, someone else with the connections and resources will have my idea in stores before I get it up and running. If only I had a couple $ billion...
Great video! Take care dude!
Wait why does my soundbar also need to connect to wifi? Just for the update? Can I disconnect it afterwards and it still work?
About time they did a back lit remote ... that makes the $1000 price tag possible.
What aren’t my speakers rotating when watching Atmos movies on shield with a LG C1?
I don’t have the elevate but their 5.1.2 atmos home theater and the app is buggy and does jump around like that. I may sell it tho. I don’t know why but when atmos is enabled for gaming like gears 5 on Xbox it gets so muddled...character volumes and effects are vibrant and crisp but things right in front of me happening or shooting sounds like it’s in the distance and I can barely hear. Something with atmos is odd on my bar
Waiting for your JBL 9.1 review.
Do you have .flac audio files? Works like a charm for me.
what do you think about BOSE 700 (just soundbar)?
Tryed it out yet ? does it match sonos arc or is it better or worse.. wherer does it stack as a soundbar alone
Can you compare the JBL sb400 this is what I have and its the best sound bar I ever heard but im not sure how they compare 🤔
I had an issue with the app....2x, the 3rd time i went to set it up...before starting i used the remote and went to "reset all", and the sounder, app, setup all worked flawlessly. So, for anyone who gets this bar out of the box, my recomendation is to just click reset all before initial set up, and i believe all will work fine...hope this helps
Jonah. I have the Vizio Oled, amazing tv by the way. I didn’t get the sound bar because I have a open floor plain and don’t let the back speakers are wired. I’m not sure how your set up is can you tell me your opinion on the subject. Thanks
I'm able to hide the wires in my setup. If the wires are an issue, then maybe consider a different soundbar where the rear speakers are wireless. You will pay a higher price for this though.
I feel ya. Just didn’t want the speaker right behind the Couch. I was hoping Vizio came out with them Wireless when they first announced it. I would pay extra for that. Something to stew on. I’m not a fan on the Sonos.
Like I was saying I do have the Vizio Oled and it’s wall mounted, that does look sweet the way they set up how to mounted it to the TV. I saw in Vizio promotion video the stands. I couldn’t find them. That might help with my set up in my Earlier message to you. Thanks for the Video’s! You did a great job 👏
Get the JBL 9.1. They have wireless rears and the whole system sounds fantastic. Picked up 2 for $799 each when they were on sale this past week. Originally priced at $999, this coming black friday at best buy they'll be back on sale for $799. Keep an eye out.
@@haloelvin
I was looking at JBL system also. I got a little bit of time before I make a decision. Unless a Crazier deal happens. But with my open floor plain I need a sound bar. Both of my old tv and new Vizio it hard hear the Dialect sometimes when people are around.. thanks for the info
Does it have 4K pass through tho
Great review. Question:
For content that is in Dolby Atmos .. can you force the system to play it in Dolby Digital 5.1 in order to get the wider sound stage?
Yes! Simply set the elevate mode to wide and it will change the output to 5.1.
I'm guessing no, but does this support HDMI 2.1? The LG OLED doesn't support DTS so how do you connect it?
The soundbar has 2 hdmi inputs. Connect your device to those ports to get DTS audio. This is an issue of the CX models. The older models support DTS.
Hello can you make a video of klipsch cinema 1200 watts vs slipsch 54 sound 1000 watts thank you
IS pass through on this 4k?
Jonah, I got this soundbar for $699 and it does sound really impressive but I'm still not sure if I've made the right decision. Do you think this soundbar competes with traditional home theaters? Even though the soundbar is very large I sometimes feel that it's sound stage is a bit narrow and I don't love how it sounds with music. Do you think that the Klipsch Reference Theater Pack 5.1 would be a better option? I figured that these speaker paired up with a decent receiver would cost about the same as the Elevate and I'm not sure how much I'm loosing by choosing the Vizio. Do you think the Vizio is on the same level? Or the Klipsch is far better?
I just bought this at the Best Buy store on Ebay. It said that it should be delivered by the 9th. I went to check it out at the actual store. The bar is much bigger than what I thought. The satellite speakers are bigger too. I have the Vizio 5.1.2. Have had it since Dec. of 2018. Great soundbar but this one sounded more clear and the bass was nice. I wish I could play with the controls with the demo at the store. Looks like a big step up from the 5.1.2. Can't wait. Thank you for the review. I've watched it like 5 times. ✌
Thinking of buying this for my dad. How do you like it?
@@dean2663 I haven't searched for a new sound bar ever since. I'm happy with this one.
@@TheHugginMonkey625 Good to know. Thanks!
What is your cat's opinion on the soundbar?
Do the speakers that turn adjust to where you sit? Do they just turn all the way in one direction until it stops or will it adjust depending on where the rear channels are in the room?
They adjust all the way up. That’s why I’d say it’s more ideal for smaller or medium sized rooms. They would need a steeper angle if you’re sitting much further back. That would be a cool feature for them to add though!
Is it better than the JBL with the detachable speakers
We’ll find out when I do my comparison video!
@@JonahMatthes so it is better or not than the jbl 9.1 in terms of power and base?
So I'm confused about the hdmi 2.1. There's a big debacle on best buy website because a Vizio rep said something along lines of it's 2.0 18 gbps. Is it 2.1 or did Vizio rep misinterpret? Do you need to buy "premium" hdmi cable to get the full atmos sound if you have Earc on tv (One with ethernet or whatever) or does included hdmi cable suffice?
Basically make sure your tv and soundbar are both eARC compatible, and make sure you get an HDMI 2.1 cable so that way you get all the features it has to offer
Very good video!
I'm waiting for the video comparison! (I really hope will be sonos,ambeo etc)
They should have made it just a little bit wider and instead of putting the Atmos drivers on the ends have the main drivers at the end and the rotating section in between the left and right and center channels, that way the widest part of the sound stage is always at the edges of the bar when the Atmos drivers rotate.
Hey Jonah, I've seen mixed things about this soundbar supporting multichannel LPCM sound (particularly from current gen consoles), wondering if you can confirm if it does or not.
specifically not working via earc (but does work via direct input).
@@nickschaffer5672 I tested it with the Nintendo Switch which it only outputs LPCM and it doesn't work. It won't matter if you connect it to the TV or to the bar it self it does not work. The only thing that works is stereo pcm and it has issues. Whenever the Switch hits a silence the audio will cut off for 3 seconds. It's super annoying.
What sources of Dolby Atmos are there is there any Dolby Atmos content over the internet? How much Dolby Atmos Content really available & do I have to replace my TV if it only has HDMI arc & not HDMI eARC? I refuse to purchase any Digital content on DISK. -Big waste of money.
How does this compare to the Sonos Arc?
Better than the Arc
Great review. I have the 5.1.2 system and it sounds amazing. Can’t really say how it compares to the system you’re reviewing. And no, you’re not alone when it comes to the app. It does the same for my system too and it’s very annoying.
Same here. The app is trash. Needs to be updated. You'd think it would be easy and fast for Vizio.
@@TheHugginMonkey625 Exactly
Appears to be a best in class product. Csn you plz share when can we expect in India n its price in INR !
Are you willing to sell for a decent price? I really want one but it’s just too expensive
Please compare this one and jbl 9.1
I would like to see this compared with the JBL 9.1, especially a head-to-head with the Subwoofer performance.
I’ll be covering this in the big comparison video too!
Which is better? These are the two im comparing. Same price point right now at 700
Can it be mounted directly on the wall?
Yes, it comes with wall brackets and screws in the box. This is my second one, the first one “ The launch items usually are” was defective.
Great review buddy! Threw you a like.
Hi my name is Steven
I’m in the market for the best soundbar I can get. I’m looking into the Nakamichi 9.2.4, the Samsung Q950T, JBL 9.1 and now the Vizio Elevate. Now I want something that’s great for movies but also that’s gonna sound amazing with music. Which of these do you recommend or is there something that I might have missed? Thanks in advance
Those are some great options! I haven’t tested all of these together yet, but I will be in my big soundbar comparison video coming a week or so before Black Friday. I would hold off until then because the prices on all of these systems are likely to drop anywhere between 10%-30%.
How did you get it to rotate for destiny 2 did you have it on Atmos or dtsx I'm trying to get the speakers to rotate when I play on the Xbox but it ignores RUclips videos and games and only rotates for doubly Atmos demos.
When you have “Elevate” set to auto, they will rotate when the soundbar detects Dolby Atmos or DTS:X content. Destiny 2 may not support Dolby Atmos, RUclips definitely doesn’t support it.
@@JonahMatthes thanks that helps out a lot I have been able to get Atmos working but dtsx it's still saying that the Vizio h1 OLED TV won't take it but when I plug it directly into the sound system the Xbox recognizes it still working with the Vizio h1 to see what I can do to get the full features out of it might need an update.
Most of the streaming apps support Dolby Atmos already, so that’s probably ur best bet for it
Saw it for a grand I fell in love atmos rock's hopefully I will get it for cheaper I don't come around a thousand dollars so easy but I'm a home theater freak your awesome dude lucky wish I had this in my house I've gotten scammed with other soundbars just recently one 3.1.2 and another sucky Samsung so called 5.1 system was another 3.1 I took them back the very next day hopefully this banger will be the last soundbar I'll ever buy can't believe it has both dts x and atmos wow great review bro.
Vizio 5.1 had the same problems. It seems to be common with them. Good sounds but software and pairing is just fair.
Wish I could get this in Canada.
Where does one get Dolby Atmos or THX content. Does any content provider streame (Broadcast)Dolby Atmos or THX content. Do you think RUclips will ever do anything but stereo?
You can get samples on their sites
Yeah, you can find test files on their sites and some others, just google it, you should be able to find them. Netflix, Amazon, and other do have Dolby Atmos content but it’s not Dolby TrueHD, is like Dolby Digital Plus (compressed Atmos).
@@tiagoj8020 I mean where do I get Movies and content played on TV
Disney＋
Straight Blast?
I bought this system as well. Very impressed. Love the audio quality for rhe price. Does the tv you use for your testing the sound bars have an eARC port or just ARC? This makes a huge difference in audio quality. My tv just has ARC and although im pleased with the audio quality, i can tell my Elevate isnt unleashing its full potential through the high channels.
The TV I use for audio testing is actually an old Plasma without ARC haha . I use it for testing audio quality and what not because the room has flat ceilings. I just connect my Nvidia Shield TV Pro to the HDMI input. But I’ve tested the difference between ARC and eARC, there’s a massive difference!
Connect your device directly to the soundbar then pass through it to TV. I found the Atmos works best this way, but you get 60Hz video.
Great review! Quick question. What settings do you recommend for the movies eq? I know what I like for music but not sure what is the best setting for movies. Many thanks!
I feel that direct mode is the best mode for all content since it uses the channels that has signal and it doesn't add any sounds effects to the audio. Movie mode sound very good for movies but for music it adds echos and artifacts on all the speakers making it sound a bit artificial. For now I'm using direct mode with the sub on - 5 (it sounds too booming for my room) and I have the elevate setting on wide to have the widest sound stage (I don't care too much about atmos since I barely notice it.). Which one are you using?
@@luisarsuaga7637 thanks for the info! I use movie eq for tv and let the sub woofer in +1 and bass and treble in +2. For height I use the max but as u said, there is no much difference. I also feel that letting the speakers in the lower position gives a wider feel. Mostly for music. For movies is the same. But overall, I love this sound bar.
Anyone know how to get this shipped into Uk
is there any perfect sound-bar to buy?
Nakamichi dragon
Would you rather have Vizio elevate or nakamichi 7.2.4? Thanks
Hmmm, that’s a tough one. The Elevate’s soundbar is much better, but the Nakamichi Shockwafe Elite has 2 subs which will likely overpower the Elevate’s one subwoofer. The Nakamichi’s surrounds are better too. I guess it depends on your room layout and preferences really. Both are great systems.
I own it, have had to replace two so far. Sound cuts out and right speaker did not rotate.
Sorry to hear that. I hope this isn’t the case for many.
Sounds like Vizio. I had a Vizio soundbar a few years ago...had to replace it. Gave them another shot and upgraded to their 46514 Atmos soundbar.....had to replace it (which I’m still using now). Didn’t learn my lesson and purchased a 65” P Quantum X. When that failed, I didn’t replace it. Luckily it was still within Sam’s Club’s return window, so I got my money back and will quietly part ways with this brand. Vizio offers a tremendous bang for your buck, but unfortunately their products are not reliable and certainly not worth the hassle of the back and forth.
Nice job!
At $999 I was a little hesitant to get this but as soon as I saw this on sale for 700 bucks I jumped on it. I don't think there is anything else out there with a better value than this. There are firmware issues I am facing with occasional desync and settings not getting set but again I can live with them for something I only spent $700 on.
From where you buy for 700 ??
@@baaz2266 Best buy but I see that it's back to $1000 now .. Maybe they will put it back on sale during black friday/cyber monday
@@robertrobinson8922 woah. I thought 700 was a steal but 450 is just insane value for this.
I bought for $1.000 just the open box...............
@@robertrobinson8922 keep in mind that the returned item now becomes an open box item for BB creating reduced revenue and extra losses in both time and money for the retailer.
I'm considering buying this soundbar system, along with some speaker stand for those rear speakers. Most stands offer a feedthrough hole for cable management, but I'm not sure how big this needs to be to fit the two-prong connectors. Does anyone know the dimensions of the rear speaker connectors?
I’m surprised no one chose to review this... crazy
read that tech journalists that get them free from vizio have an NDA until Nov. 9th (perhaps until the next firmware goes out and fixes the passthrough issues?). rtings.com (who purchases their equipment from retail stores) currently have this "in the lab" so review should be soon. but yes this is the first non-reddit/forum review i've seen.
Lol my cat is doing the same thing. "Must....check out....new.....electronics....that are in my territory..."
Before I set it up he was napping on the box
I had a seamless setup with smartcast mobile and have been using it with different devices for a while.
I disagree with your thing about the remote...these speakers need a bit of tuning and I exclusively use the app which has much more information.
This product exceeded.my expectations also
Well done
THANK YOU for saying "revert to" and not "revert back". THANK YOU. And THANK YOU again.
In all honesty, I'm really interested in this system - but when I saw a wire coming from the woofer into the speakers which are intended to sit in the corners of a room, it was an immediate no buy from me. Not wireless when you need wires stretching an entire wall!
10:12 sonos arc is 800$ while the Vizio Elevate is 999$
The elevate also has 7 more drivers than the Arc. Plus, it comes with the sub and rear satellite speakers, whereas the sonos doesn't. I can fully and honestly say that this soundbar competes with the ones that are $1300+. I had to turn it down to half volume because it started to make my ears hurt, and even at half volume, it was still quite loud.
FIRST!! including the "like"