So how does this compare to the Sony 8500? It does Dolby Atmos but I am not impressed with it. I have the Sony 900H 75" TV on a short wall, and don't need a elaborate system for my kids room with the PS5... Will this handle 2.1 HDMI and does it do decent on Dolby Atmos or would I be better off with the Elevate? Thanks....
Honestly completely insane!!! Man if only more companies would do business like this. Another company is LG when it comes to smartphones. However they are going out of business.
For any wondering, this is Virtual ATMOS. It supports ATMOS content and tries to simulate sound above you without the up-firing speakers. I recall he said in the video it isn’t that great compared to true ATMOS, but the overall quality of the sound would make it less noticeable. I have the older VIZIO SMB3651-F6 (the version without up-firing speakers) and it sounds fantastic. Most of the specs are similar to this one, to be honest. Vizio made really good bars and then scaled them down for a few years to have different price points, but this bar seems to be getting back to the VIZIO sound bar roots of getting premium sound at a budget price. Awesome work by VIZIO for not gauging it’s customers.
I thought the same thing. I thought it was incredible. I was thoroughly surprised. I told all my friends about it. The only place I could find it was Costco. It sold $300 and then went on sale for $200. This is a GREAT buy. I’m a speaker snob too and this was good for a speaker snob like me.
Thanks for the review, I actually just bought this exact sound bar last week. Matched it up with the Vizio M-series 55" TV. Honestly stumbled on this purchase. These are my 2nd Vizio sound bar and TV, and I would highly recommend to anyone. Quality and price! Great reviews and thanks for the info.
This soundbar is incredible for the price. It’s perfect for a small room and is really immersive. First test was Man of Steel and I thoroughly enjoyed watching with this audio setup. Only thing is that sometimes when I power on with my directv remote it doesn’t transfer audio. But powering on with my tv remote it works as it should. Very small complaint but doesn’t affect the value of this soundbar IHMO.
"If you want to feel like you're sitting in a theatre in the comfort of your own home, this system absolutely pulls that off." That's all I needed to hear. Thank you DT!
I bought this. I have 17' ceilings. I think it sounds excellent for the price. I'm sure there are better units out there, but I wasn't willing to spend more than $500 (at that point, I'd rather put that money towards an actual component system).
Hi! I got this last week after buying it from Costco at $199. This soundbar is powerful enough to fill my living room (19x17.5x8) and it sounds amazing! I think anyone who is looking for quality sound and is on a budget would be absolutely satisfied with this.
Yes, I'm shocked how good it sounds and even for music...bought on sale for $199 so wasn't expecting much, but DANG! Surround is great, and as you said, perfect balance, dialog is clear and Sub has some punch for its small size. Has to be "best bang for the buck" winner!
@@sehajgupta3462 Well sorry if I got your hopes up but it's the Ma1x -J6. It's so similar to this model. On Amazon (us) but there's a global shipping fee.
Hey Christian, I've been looking everywhere but haven't seen any news on this soundbar for black frifay at costco. I will definitely keep my eyes opened then. Thanks! Cwhere di you hear abou this deal, just curious so i can stay in the know.
I have the 5.1.2 Atmos system and honestly for $300, I’m blown away by the sound quality every time I turn it on! It’s completely transformed my movie, TV, and gaming experience! My games sound AMAZING on it! I do wish it supported HDMI 2.1 but it’s not a deal breaker as I still get HDMI 2.0. And the Atmos affect is actually pretty good. The upfiring speakers do give a height affect. It’s crazy how much Vizio is just disrupting the soundbar market! I also tried the Samsung Q850T for $950 and yes, it was better, BUT nowhere near $650 better! Vizio is seriously punching above their price point! And yeah, the 6” sub absolutely delivers! I live in an upstairs apartment and have my sub set to -6 because any higher and the floor shakes thunderously lol
I bought this for around 150 on Black Friday at Best Buy I think. I watched your top 10 soundbars of 2020 list and I was shocked this wasnt on there. This thing is amazing!!!! Id say wait for a sale as this usually goes on sale for quite a bit more off of it.
The perpetual hangover looking dude is my favorite reviewer! His clips should be all slow motion shots of mixed drinks, dropping ice cubes, beer flows and the like.
I've had this soundbar for a year now. I've had 2 of them just die on me out of nowhere. I don't heavily use my TV by any means or do any insane movie watching theater experiences. I'm very thankful for Vizio replacing both of them. I did their advanced replacement program where they put a hold charge on your card until your old one gets back to them and the process was pretty easy. Just not very pleased that I've had 2 of them die on me out of nowhere. amazing sound though. I really got it for the 4K passthru HDMI eARC port. I also purchased the M series 2.1 for the same reason so I would only have 1 HDMI cord running to me TV
Hi ... love this review... bought this sound bar to pair with my m series vizio 70 inch. I LOVE IT.... FANTASTIC... I wont be going to the theater any time soon. Thanks again for the review.
Ok Caleb I finally did it. I just bought this on Amazon for $311.00. I can't believe I finally did it. I can't wait to get this set up. I'll post tomorrow about why I bought this sound bar.
I bought this at Sam's for $160 one day. They were out of the one we went to get and I got the last one of these they had. Was so happy after getting it installed and running. Great sounding system for the money honestly.
Can you do a review of the coming vizio M512A-H6? It's upgraded version with two more upfiring speakers. Guys pls like this post to increase visibility. Thanks!
@@TravionMusic I'm thinking because it would take away from the Vizio elevate because 3 or 4 hundred dollars cheaper. I'm thinking around the holidays so they can sell the crap out of it or some time in 2022.
@@TravionMusic I'm just going to buy the M 5.1 and call it a day. With the money I'll save I won't have a problem buying a better M series in a year or two.
We had so many issues with this sound bar, two of them actually. They wouldn't stay synced to the tv, it would default to stereo without a reset, changing sound profiles would cause the cutouts or static. After 2 of them, we got a samsung sound bar and no issues at all.
I'm having constant issues with my HDMI-ARC to my Vizio bar. I'm thinking dedicated home theater system or a $1k+ soundbar next. Sometimes a good deal isn't worth the headache...
Nice explanation of how sound waves break down from high to low frequency and fidelity. For true bounce off your ceiling sound, you may want 5.1.2 or 5.1.4. It is all about your budget. Vizio’s 5.1.2 bar is about $300. I have had one for months and it transformed my 4K Ultra Blu ray experience. Depending on your TV’s ability to pass through a Dolby Atmos signal, you may need that extra HDMI input VIZIO provides.
Love these soundbar reviews! Once the new 2021 soundbars come out, I'd love to see another review of the top soundbars of the year (specifically Dolby Atmos soundbars). Thanks Caleb!
Some tips- (1) My house is a single-story on a raised foundation. No matter where I placed the subwoofer, or how low I turned down it's volume, it was WAY too loud. My fix was placing it on the fireplace hearth where it doesn't resonate into the floor. If you're at all DISTRACTED by the bass, dial it down until you don't notice it anymore. Mine is set at just below the midway point. (2) Of the four EQ settings, I've settled on the one labeled DIRECT. I can leave it there for regular TV, streaming and Blu-rays. (3) If your TV's up against one wall, and your sofa is up against the opposite wall, the rear speakers are going to sound too loud. I initially had mine mounted on the wall with their volume turned all the way down. Putting them on the floor and turning the Center level up took care of that. (4) There's a weird thing that happens sometimes when you switch from watching a TV channel to go to a Roku Channel. It wants to stay on the sound feed from the cable box instead of the new streaming source. It's not a big deal- I just turn the TV off and turn it right back on again ( and then navigate to the Roku Channel that I originally wanted ). (5) I'm fairly certain that most of my issues are due to compatibility difficulties with my TV (TCL) offering only HDMI ARC and the Vizio is rocking the EArc. The CEC "standard" might not be as bulletproof as advertised. (6) If you have gotten too deep in the weeds of tweaking all the levels you can always do a FACTORY RESET. I've probably done it more than 10 times already. It just takes a few seconds. Walk over to the bar and push the Bluetooth and volume down button ( - ) simultaneously for five seconds. When the LEDs stop flashing it's back to the same way it was the first day you pulled it out of the box. (7) The volume level from each source (cable box, Roku, BlueRay etc) is separate from the others. So, for example, you might turn the volume ALL the way down for the end credits of a DVD movie. Then you watch something on cable at normal volume. The next time you pop in a movie there's no sound. You think something screwed up, but really the volume for THAT source is still at "0".
One drawback to the rear surround speakers is they're puny. If you already have some larger ones that you want to swap them out with, you can. All you need is some aftermarket male RCA phono plugs with + and - terminals for regular speaker wire. I did that with some PolkAudio R-30s, and it really made a big difference!
I hooked this up today and I thought the sub was really weak. I turned the sub all the way up and it hardly thumped. I own a 6 year old Vizio and it’s sub shakes the windows. Am I doing something wrong?
I am far from being an audiophile, and I am a late adopter of technology. I have to say I am very happy with this soundbar, and I definitiely can tell the difference between it and my cheap Logitech Z323 system I used before which cost me $50.
I just bought one of these and the sound is beautiful! The speakers are almost half he size of my previous Vizio system but they produce much better sound. The only complaint I have is the remote. It’s a bit of a pain in the butt to get accustomed to. Also if you have two inputs such as a TV receiver and a game system you can only have one of them on at a time. The “input search” function will default to whichever sound source is currently operating and ignore anything else. So as a result you have to turn off other sound sources in order for the sound bar to “sense” the correct input you want to listen to. My previous Vizio sound bar didn’t do this. You just selected an input source and it switched to it. No turning things on and off. Some may call this intuitive, I call it more work for less results. If there’s anyone who knows a way to turn off the “input search” function on this system let me know.
Great review. Thank you. I was at Costco today looking at sound bars. This one is $169!! Testing it left me thinking about it after the whole time I was shopping. Had to try it again. I’ll be buying it tomorrow.
I have the older version of this 36" Vizio 5.1 sound bar and sub. Everything you said holds true, it's quite surprising for the money. Besides the overall design it looks very similar, should be a good buy!
Yes, I have Dolby Atmos and DTS: X setup for last 6 years at home. I love it! I started out with a 5.1.2 Atmos setup then move to a full 7.2.4 Atmos/DTS: X set up at my new place.
@@DUNGSTA Yes, I know it's a 5.1 system but I answered Celeb's question. Did you even watch the video before you replied to my comment? He asked if anyone experienced Dolby Atmos at home and that's my answer.
I purchased this Visio sound bar and matched it up compatible Visio TV. It worked well for about 3 months then it stopped functioning. A little research determined that a complete malfunction is a common trait with this sound bar. There appears to be a manufacturing or design flaw with this product.
Got one for guest bedroom. It sounds so AMAZING for what it is/cost, got another for computer. Looking for an excuse to get a 3rd one. Tiny sub with inexpensive looking driver, but the DSP makes it go deep. Not a dumpy, boomy sounding sub you are used to for such a tiny thing.
Great review. I bought my Vizio 5.1 V51-H6 a couple years ago from Costco and we like it a lot. Do you have any tips or a video explaining the best EQ and Effect settings to get the best sound experience for movies and music?
I got the Vizio SB36512-F6 5.1.2 sound bar on sale at Sam Club for $279, regularly $450. It’s probably not the best one out there, but to me it sounds great compared to what I had.
hook up two of them i got e6 and ns and no sync issue's 2 subs sound great. use arc and optical but u have to use the soundbar to set the input's not the remote cause then the remote switches inputs on both devices
I went with the V series for a small room I use primarily for video games and minus the Atmos and HDMI-In, it's basically the same thing but $100 cheaper.
@@kidpoker9408 It may or may not, depending on how good the lossy audio is. The bigger issue is if the source video has only lossless audio, the soundbar cannot play it.
I bought this soundbar tonight because of your review. Thank you for helping me to make my decision. My Vizio SB3651-E6 crapped out and I was weary of buying another Vizio, but I thought I'd give them another shot to go with my Vizio OLED. Edit: Also would have loved to understand how it is doing Atmos without upward firing speakers and if you could hear the height in your tests.
This is a "virtualized" Atmos/DTS:X soundbar, which improves on pure virtualization techniques like DTS Virtual:X by using actual Atmos/DTS:X input in creating virtualized height effects. I believe Nakamichi uses some virtualization in all of its soundbars, but all their front & some of their surround speakers are slightly upfiring which helps them get great reviews (not to mention dual subs on all but their cheapest model); virtualization can't help that much on most other soundbars including Vizio. Virtualization works best in rooms that can't accommodate upfiring speakers (like with vaulted ceilings) where the owner doesn't want to pay for professionally installed ceiling or wall speakers usually used with Atmos AVRs.
I have the Vizio 5.1.2 atmos system , it’s ok the height speakers aren’t strong enough to bounce off the ceiling but atmos still sounds great especially though the surrounds
Hi Caleb, GREAT Review!!! I just got this soundbar and I just have a small question. I have a Hisense U8H tv and when I connect this soundbar to a TV in the audio settings of TV DIGITAL AUDIO OUT should I select "Pass Through" or leave on "Auto"? My findings include when I select leave on AUTO volume on the streaming services is low and when I select "info" on the soundbar remote it tell me that it is playing Dolby Digital or Dolby Atmos " DOLBY MAT" but when I select "Pass through" and listen to info on my soundbar it tells me Dolby digital plus or if I'm connecting a console and Dolby digital is selected it tells me Dolby Digital and sounds on Pass through are much louder and sounds Amazing. It seems to me to select Pass Through because when Auto is selected even when I am playing songs on youtube that are only 2 channels, Soundbar tells me Dolby Audio - Dolby MAT but when selecting Pass Through it tell me Linear PCM which seems to be correct because it is 2 channel stereo. Thank you for your help!!!!
When with the larger 8 series M series and it is better then my older Sony. It not touch while being crystal clear and sound good for even music which most don't. More expensive as $300 but well worth the price.
Just picked a brand new one for $80 yesterday. Dude buys storage lockers, Score! It sounds so much better than my 10 year old Sony 5.1 home theater system. So clear, don’t need subtitles anymore💯. Worth every dollar. Have a 82” Samsung qled, Ps5 running HDMI arc. Phenomenal setup for a casual sound lover.
Bought a Vizio 5.1 Soundbar with surround speakers and wireless subwoofer at Costco in December 2019 ON SALE for $149.95. The value is incredible. The 6" sub woofet is surprisin. The launch of the rocket in Apollo 13 will shake your walls. I had a much more expensive set up with Infinity Minuette speakers and a 10" subwoofer with exensive 5.1 amp and this little system comes very close. $149.95 vs. $1000? UNBEATABLE.
Great review. I like how you explained what you were looking for the system to do in the Mad Max scene you use as a reference. Can I ask where you got the TV stand and what is the model number?
How's the vizio quality compare to your Sonos set up. Mulluing adding a sonos Sub ($$$) to my beam and 2 Ones or just getting a system like this for my new room and leaving the beam in the living room, the price is certainly right!! thanks
@@NickIhn the Sonos kicks Vizio's butt. The Sonos was an 18month investment. Don't get me wrong Vizio is a great product. I was gifted a Sonos Beam and that is what started that journey.
I got this system, I was almost going to get the m512 but for my small living space it sounds fine. I'm thinking about a Vizio elevate sound bar or something similar in the future. But for now the M5.1 is pretty good.
I got one at the same price and place. ALOT of problems. They gave me a different one and so far, so good. BTW- Vizio Customer Service answers fairly quickly, but I could do a better job with half an hour's worth of instruction. Talked to 5 different techs and all of them were just going through the same checklists of common fixes for common complaints.
Hi Caleb, I’m considering this Vizio M-series the one your reviewing here and my question locating sub woofer on the hardwood floor or on my rug for best performance? 1 of 2 questions big thanks!!
I bought this back when it was $170 a month ago at Costco! Great price! I put it up in my bedroom cause the Optical Port clasp broke on my LG OLED55C6 TV broke and wanted to get a soundbar with HDMI ARC on it. So far perfect for that. Only had one time where I lost connection to the TV and nothing I would do could get it back. Turned it off for a while and when I came back it's working fine again (*knocks on wood). Sounded great out of the box. Only thing to get the HDMI ARC working with the TV was unplug the other HDMI cables going into it, then once I did it worked fine and plugged them back in. Something to think about if you run into the same issue.
Vizio always releases Soundbars that look really promising and get reviewed well, but over time as they are out, user reviews from actual users end up flooded with complaints of huge software glitches and problems. I really want to like this soundbar, but I'm quite worried that the usual software problems will flare up, like Vizio soundbars in the past have been plagued by.
I was really looking to upgrade my current setup to use this Vizio soundbar, but I decided better not after seeing a lot of complaits from users in the Costco webpage, same in Sams Club page.
@@kidpoker9408 incorrect. The issues are with horrible audio sync, and the bars or individual components turning off randomly while everything else is still on. And refusing to power back on until fully unplugged from power etc. Nothing to do with CEC.
@@duncan359 they have a million firmware updates, they never fix the problem tho. In fact, usually they just introduce new problems for the few users who did have properly working models
Costco had this on sale for $199 last month!!! Got on it immediately. Has its share of issues, mainly with HDMI ARC But the sound quality is solid and fills my living room. At $199 I can't believe the sound for the price.
@@FFnGV Unless you have fully functional eARC (not all TVs with eARC have it working properly), ANY external device that outputs lossless or uncompressed surround sound over HDMI -- uncompressed PCM 7.1, TrueHD, DTS-HD MA, DTS:X, or the TrueHD & MAT/PCM versions of Atmos -- should be connected directly to an HDMI in on your AVR or soundbar to avoid downgraded audio. This includes *ALL* Blu-ray (both regular & 4K) & HD DVD players, nearly all HDMI gaming consoles (from PS3 & Xbox 360 on), and those streaming boxes that may output MAT/PCM Atmos or lossless bitstreams (Apple TV 4K, 2019 & later Nvidia Shield, 2020 Roku Ultra). Regular ARC simply cannot handle lossless or uncompressed surround sound; the only codec it can handle beyond optical/coax is DD+ (including DD+ Atmos used by most streaming services).
I'm not sure why this video just popped up randomly on my feed....BUT ironically enough, I have owned this sound bar for a little over a year at the time of writing this. I really must say that for the price, this thing really is unbeatable. It has some amazing clarity on the vocals and the bass is very deep and grumbly at the same time. At higher volumes the sub clips pretty hard, and it's very noticeable. On my setup personally with a 75" TCL at volume 50 it would distort very badly. Although everything sounded like garbage at that high of a volume lol. Overall, it's a good buy for sure!
I’ve been really happy with this soundbar. Super impressed with Vizio including all the cables and ties and everything in the box being labeled. I prefer the ‘Dual’ effect mode, but haven’t yet found the setting that allows me to decrease the surround volume and push more through the center speaker bar. If I switch to surround ‘on’ or ‘front’ I lose the voice/dialogue coming to surround speakers. ??
Dialogue is not supposed to come out of the rear speakers in a surround format, that's what the center channel is for. The rear speakers are meant for ambient and directional sound, they only should play dialogue in stereo mode, not surround.
If ur on a budget they're the best imo got a m series soundbar for 88 bucks open box a couple years ago 😂 and a m558 qled TV for 400 for 500 bucks that setup was rivaling 1000 dollar samsung qleds
Huh. I didn't get the aux cables. The tray itself didn't even have an opening there like yours does. But I came from a full Denon 7.2 receiver. I couldn't use it after getting divorced and moving to an apartment. I hate to say it, but this actually sounds better to my ears. Maybe it's because my Denon was in a big open room. Maybe it's because my speakers weren't matched well. Either way, this sounds much better.
2a has 2 subwoofers so it would be the better one for sound. If you wanna spend less money the single subwoofer still sounds great, I am happy with mine
For $299, I think it is worth it. Vizio soundbar system is always cheaper than other major brand. Though, I really had bad experience with their TV last year and VIZIO TV used to be cheap but now they became mid level though...
It might continue to be listed as 'Sold Out'. The m51 was online only from Costco, and it almost immediately sold out. You might need to accept that there will be a delay and join the queue. I ordered mid-January and it took a bit over two weeks before it shipped, and another week to arrive.
Waiting on the new Klipsch Cinema 1200 soundbar. True 5.1.4 Atmos. 1200 Watts! Includes wireless, dedicated Atmos rears (and sub). Similar to the Sonos Arc in design I was considering but the Klipsch comes with dedicated real Atmos rears, which Sonos doesn't (only 5.1.2 - front) and Klipsch is way lower price. Klipsch also has HDMI INPUT switcher so you can use switcher out to TV "OR" eARC from TV, unlike Sonos. The Klipsch should also sound better and have much more power, though Sonos doesn't publish specs, ugh.
This would still secure its position in offering ways fully utilizing streaming subscriptions. It also helps us to save energy heading to movies under the Sun.
Just got this for $200 at Sam's club. No optical OR 3.5 included! But man, this thing really rocks! Don't waste money on a high dollar system! This is all you need! My room is 20×18, and it sounds phenomenal! I haven't even tried Dolby atmos yet( because of my older TV), only the surround sound. But thank God I didn't waste money on an expensive model.
Hi, I just got this too from samsclub. I was wondering what happened to optical or 3.5 cables. I thought it was probably vizio forgot, but good to hear that they are not part of the package. Don't need it either because I used the included HDMI Cable. I was wondering what EQ did you choose? I heard DIRECT is meant for true 5.1 without any mixing.
@abdullahahmad79 Hello! I called customer support and told me those cables were not included in this set. I swear I've watched more than one video that shows them included, but like you, I just used the arc hdmi after all. The settings I settled on so far are the basic "surround sound" mode. I can't try dolby atmos yet, being I have an older TV. Now I'm shopping for a TV to make this sound system shine. I'm not convinced totally yet on the vizio tvs yet, but do like the idea that they are supposed to seamlessly work together. So is the "direct" setting on the remote itself? I can't remember. I'm not home right now,so I can't look. How do you like the sound overall? I'm super satisfied so far.
@borg386 I personally like the soundbar, I think it sounds AMAZING! Before this sound bar I had 2017 Vizio SB3651-E6 that I just sold. In comparison I think it sounds much better! I was gonna buy a much more expensive Samsung soundbar but I am glad I got this instead. Direct mode is under the EQ button on the remote. Upon reading a few forums Direct plays the sound without any mixing but I also read people like MOVIE mode as well especially if they are streaming because it sounds a little louder and from my testing I agree. If you are playing movies on DVD or blurays the go with Direct and if streaming then Movie Mode is fine. But test it see what you like best.
So I had this soundbar loved the sound hated when commercials came on and sometimes when certain shows sang/played music it sounded weird. It was ruined in a house fire looking for something to replace it without the weird quirks.
It's surprising that Vizio hasn't fixed issues that have been reported over multiple years and is still selling the "defective" soundbars. I recently bought an M51a-H6 soundbar that has very inconsistent volume settings. Most of the time, it goes full volume (extremely loud) at volume level 2 (the full range being 0-100). Vizio send me a replacement soundbar, but this too has the same issue. From online forums, it seems this is an issue that has been reported as early as 2018 for other Vizio soundbars. This is not expected from a company that aims to be a big player in the soundbar market. Does anyone know about any solution to this issue?
Which soundbar should I do next? Seeing a lot of interest in Klipsch I think!
2021 higher end Samsung and LG Soundbars.
So how does this compare to the Sony 8500? It does Dolby Atmos but I am not impressed with it. I have the Sony 900H 75" TV on a short wall, and don't need a elaborate system for my kids room with the PS5... Will this handle 2.1 HDMI and does it do decent on Dolby Atmos or would I be better off with the Elevate? Thanks....
Klipsch Cinema 1200 please 👍
Best value soundbar is klipsch at the moment.
@@craighopkins4496 Which Klipsch product are you referring to?
I purchased the 5.1 v series and I was blown away by the system. Serious bang for the buck.
Honestly completely insane!!! Man if only more companies would do business like this. Another company is LG when it comes to smartphones. However they are going out of business.
For any wondering, this is Virtual ATMOS. It supports ATMOS content and tries to simulate sound above you without the up-firing speakers. I recall he said in the video it isn’t that great compared to true ATMOS, but the overall quality of the sound would make it less noticeable. I have the older VIZIO SMB3651-F6 (the version without up-firing speakers) and it sounds fantastic. Most of the specs are similar to this one, to be honest. Vizio made really good bars and then scaled them down for a few years to have different price points, but this bar seems to be getting back to the VIZIO sound bar roots of getting premium sound at a budget price. Awesome work by VIZIO for not gauging it’s customers.
thabk you. you just sold me the bar
For someone living in a 650 foot apartment this soundbar is fantastic... I love it !!
Well in the real world the VAST majority of people are not even getting ATMOS or DTS X signal anyways.
I thought the same thing. I thought it was incredible. I was thoroughly surprised. I told all my friends about it. The only place I could find it was Costco. It sold $300 and then went on sale for $200. This is a GREAT buy. I’m a speaker snob too and this was good for a speaker snob like me.
$200????
eBay had a special, 168$ for a refurbished and 2 year warranty. It was very worth it
@@donttrip2366 I will never buy another refurbished soundbar from ebay again. $200 new is a steal though.
@@Akhenatonio I’m fine with this purchase , free 2 year warranty included. Also I had the sound bar for 1month now nothing has gone wrong so far..
It's on sale at Costco now for $140.
Thanks for the review, I actually just bought this exact sound bar last week. Matched it up with the Vizio M-series 55" TV. Honestly stumbled on this purchase. These are my 2nd Vizio sound bar and TV, and I would highly recommend to anyone. Quality and price! Great reviews and thanks for the info.
This soundbar is incredible for the price. It’s perfect for a small room and is really immersive. First test was Man of Steel and I thoroughly enjoyed watching with this audio setup. Only thing is that sometimes when I power on with my directv remote it doesn’t transfer audio. But powering on with my tv remote it works as it should. Very small complaint but doesn’t affect the value of this soundbar IHMO.
"If you want to feel like you're sitting in a theatre in the comfort of your own home, this system absolutely pulls that off."
That's all I needed to hear. Thank you DT!
I just bought it 2 days ago .. I’m Disappointed wit the Subwoofer 🔊 my Vizio bar from 3 years ago was much more bassy
Just bought it today and the satellite speakers don’t work smh
@@xHeLLz did it get resolved or did it just break.
@@xHeLLz im actually thinking of going for sony sound bar sytem with earc.
@@SillyOmega i had to get a new system. this one is working better but still cuts out during loud moments for some reason
I bought this. I have 17' ceilings. I think it sounds excellent for the price. I'm sure there are better units out there, but I wasn't willing to spend more than $500 (at that point, I'd rather put that money towards an actual component system).
Hi! I got this last week after buying it from Costco at $199. This soundbar is powerful enough to fill my living room (19x17.5x8) and it sounds amazing! I think anyone who is looking for quality sound and is on a budget would be absolutely satisfied with this.
Same. Bought it a few months ago and it's pretty good
Agreed! Bought it second hand and now my living room of 5×7 rocks!
Yes, I'm shocked how good it sounds and even for music...bought on sale for $199 so wasn't expecting much, but DANG! Surround is great, and as you said, perfect balance, dialog is clear and Sub has some punch for its small size. Has to be "best bang for the buck" winner!
Missed the sale price, but am still happy I found it for $299.
Where did you find it for $199?
😭😭 500 bucks in Canada
@@hxshgodz9102 where did you find this in Canada?
@@sehajgupta3462 Well sorry if I got your hopes up but it's the Ma1x -J6. It's so similar to this model. On Amazon (us) but there's a global shipping fee.
To anyone reading, this setup will be less than $200 at Costco on Black Friday.... so... buy it.
Hey Christian, I've been looking everywhere but haven't seen any news on this soundbar for black frifay at costco. I will definitely keep my eyes opened then. Thanks! Cwhere di you hear abou this deal, just curious so i can stay in the know.
I got this thing today for my semi truck. It sounds amazing in this small space. Definitely worth the price
I have the 5.1.2 Atmos system and honestly for $300, I’m blown away by the sound quality every time I turn it on! It’s completely transformed my movie, TV, and gaming experience! My games sound AMAZING on it! I do wish it supported HDMI 2.1 but it’s not a deal breaker as I still get HDMI 2.0. And the Atmos affect is actually pretty good. The upfiring speakers do give a height affect. It’s crazy how much Vizio is just disrupting the soundbar market! I also tried the Samsung Q850T for $950 and yes, it was better, BUT nowhere near $650 better! Vizio is seriously punching above their price point! And yeah, the 6” sub absolutely delivers! I live in an upstairs apartment and have my sub set to -6 because any higher and the floor shakes thunderously lol
I guess you were talking about 5.1.2 and not this 5.1
@@questioneverything9350 correct
@@shawng4886 so get the $300 5.1 or $400+ 5.1.2?
I bought this for around 150 on Black Friday at Best Buy I think. I watched your top 10 soundbars of 2020 list and I was shocked this wasnt on there. This thing is amazing!!!! Id say wait for a sale as this usually goes on sale for quite a bit more off of it.
I was able to pick one up for 130 because the box was damaged its an amazing deal
Not 150$ new ever. 180$ on sale around a month after it came out
Maybe you got the V series
The perpetual hangover looking dude is my favorite reviewer! His clips should be all slow motion shots of mixed drinks, dropping ice cubes, beer flows and the like.
I've had this soundbar for a year now. I've had 2 of them just die on me out of nowhere. I don't heavily use my TV by any means or do any insane movie watching theater experiences. I'm very thankful for Vizio replacing both of them. I did their advanced replacement program where they put a hold charge on your card until your old one gets back to them and the process was pretty easy. Just not very pleased that I've had 2 of them die on me out of nowhere. amazing sound though. I really got it for the 4K passthru HDMI eARC port. I also purchased the M series 2.1 for the same reason so I would only have 1 HDMI cord running to me TV
Third one is the charm 😉👍
This is why i usaully avoid vizzio.
Hi ... love this review... bought this sound bar to pair with my m series vizio 70 inch. I LOVE IT.... FANTASTIC... I wont be going to the theater any time soon. Thanks again for the review.
Ok Caleb I finally did it. I just bought this on Amazon for $311.00. I can't believe I finally did it. I can't wait to get this set up. I'll post tomorrow about why I bought this sound bar.
Just ordered these based on your review, Caleb, thanks! Didn't want to pay a grand for a sound bar setup, but for $300, I'm onboard.
I bought this at Sam's for $160 one day. They were out of the one we went to get and I got the last one of these they had. Was so happy after getting it installed and running. Great sounding system for the money honestly.
This one actually sold out at the Sams AND Costco near me. So mad I missed out on this for my office.
And I have blue eyes...
@@DUNGSTA congrats
Perfect timing, I was looking to slap this onto my gaming PC
Can you do a review of the coming vizio M512A-H6? It's upgraded version with two more upfiring speakers. Guys pls like this post to increase visibility. Thanks!
Will definitely try to pull that one in!
Yeah. When is it releasing?
If it ever comes out. We’re almost half way through the year and it was supposed to be released in December 2020. It might be canceled tbh
@@TravionMusic I'm thinking because it would take away from the Vizio elevate because 3 or 4 hundred dollars cheaper. I'm thinking around the holidays so they can sell the crap out of it or some time in 2022.
@@TravionMusic I'm just going to buy the M 5.1 and call it a day. With the money I'll save I won't have a problem buying a better M series in a year or two.
I have a real atmos system, and I can tell you I would never want anything less now. It is an absolute MUST.
I bought it 4 years ago and I still love it. ❤❤❤
We had so many issues with this sound bar, two of them actually. They wouldn't stay synced to the tv, it would default to stereo without a reset, changing sound profiles would cause the cutouts or static. After 2 of them, we got a samsung sound bar and no issues at all.
I'm having constant issues with my HDMI-ARC to my Vizio bar. I'm thinking dedicated home theater system or a $1k+ soundbar next. Sometimes a good deal isn't worth the headache...
I just purchased mine and thought the same thing about the sound. It has no business sounding this good for that price.
Nice explanation of how sound waves break down from high to low frequency and fidelity.
For true bounce off your ceiling sound, you may want 5.1.2 or 5.1.4. It is all about your budget. Vizio’s 5.1.2 bar is about $300. I have had one for months and it transformed my 4K Ultra Blu ray experience. Depending on your TV’s ability to pass through a Dolby Atmos signal, you may need that extra HDMI input VIZIO provides.
Love these soundbar reviews! Once the new 2021 soundbars come out, I'd love to see another review of the top soundbars of the year (specifically Dolby Atmos soundbars). Thanks Caleb!
On it!
Some tips-
(1) My house is a single-story on a raised foundation. No matter where I placed the subwoofer, or how low I turned down it's volume, it was WAY too loud. My fix was placing it on the fireplace hearth where it doesn't resonate into the floor. If you're at all DISTRACTED by the bass, dial it down until you don't notice it anymore. Mine is set at just below the midway point.
(2) Of the four EQ settings, I've settled on the one labeled DIRECT. I can leave it there for regular TV, streaming and Blu-rays.
(3) If your TV's up against one wall, and your sofa is up against the opposite wall, the rear speakers are going to sound too loud. I initially had mine mounted on the wall with their volume turned all the way down. Putting them on the floor and turning the Center level up took care of that.
(4) There's a weird thing that happens sometimes when you switch from watching a TV channel to go to a Roku Channel. It wants to stay on the sound feed from the cable box instead of the new streaming source. It's not a big deal- I just turn the TV off and turn it right back on again ( and then navigate to the Roku Channel that I originally wanted ).
(5) I'm fairly certain that most of my issues are due to compatibility difficulties with my TV (TCL) offering only HDMI ARC and the Vizio is rocking the EArc. The CEC "standard" might not be as bulletproof as advertised.
(6) If you have gotten too deep in the weeds of tweaking all the levels you can always do a FACTORY RESET. I've probably done it more than 10 times already. It just takes a few seconds.
Walk over to the bar and push the Bluetooth and volume down button ( - ) simultaneously for five seconds. When the LEDs stop flashing it's back to the same way it was the first day you pulled it out of the box.
(7) The volume level from each source (cable box, Roku, BlueRay etc) is separate from the others. So, for example, you might turn the volume ALL the way down for the end credits of a DVD movie. Then you watch something on cable at normal volume. The next time you pop in a movie there's no sound. You think something screwed up, but really the volume for THAT source is still at "0".
One drawback to the rear surround speakers is they're puny. If you already have some larger ones that you want to swap them out with, you can. All you need is some aftermarket male RCA phono plugs with + and - terminals for regular speaker wire. I did that with some PolkAudio R-30s, and it really made a big difference!
I hooked this up today and I thought the sub was really weak. I turned the sub all the way up and it hardly thumped. I own a 6 year old Vizio and it’s sub shakes the windows. Am I doing something wrong?
I am far from being an audiophile, and I am a late adopter of technology. I have to say I am very happy with this soundbar, and I definitiely can tell the difference between it and my cheap Logitech Z323 system I used before which cost me $50.
I just bought one of these and the sound is beautiful! The speakers are almost half he size of my previous Vizio system but they produce much better sound. The only complaint I have is the remote. It’s a bit of a pain in the butt to get accustomed to. Also if you have two inputs such as a TV receiver and a game system you can only have one of them on at a time. The “input search” function will default to whichever sound source is currently operating and ignore anything else. So as a result you have to turn off other sound sources in order for the sound bar to “sense” the correct input you want to listen to. My previous Vizio sound bar didn’t do this. You just selected an input source and it switched to it. No turning things on and off. Some may call this intuitive, I call it more work for less results. If there’s anyone who knows a way to turn off the “input search” function on this system let me know.
Great review. Thank you. I was at Costco today looking at sound bars. This one is $169!! Testing it left me thinking about it after the whole time I was shopping. Had to try it again. I’ll be buying it tomorrow.
I have the older version of this 36" Vizio 5.1 sound bar and sub.
Everything you said holds true, it's quite surprising for the money.
Besides the overall design it looks very similar, should be a good buy!
I think Caleb saw my last comment on the Series X audio lag! I'll try out the 2.1 cable for eARC and report back
Try passtrough in TV settings for me this help and no lag.
Might be doing the same, didn’t think 2.1 from receiver to tv mattered
Vizio 5.1 was an interesting product and is doing so well still with its Mediatek chipset. Good review mate.
It arrives tomorrow!!! I’m replacing a Sony theater in a box from like 12 years ago!! Paired it with a Vizio 65” m series TV and Apple TV 4K!
Don’t forget to comment if you like it or how much you like it please. Enjoy!
@@juaniboa5543 Caleb was absolutely correct. Phenomenal sound. My own theater. Super clear sounds and good bass.
Nice job Caleb. Can't wait to see what's coming next from Vizio!
Yes, I have Dolby Atmos and DTS: X setup for last 6 years at home. I love it! I started out with a 5.1.2 Atmos setup then move to a full 7.2.4 Atmos/DTS: X set up at my new place.
So.
This is a 5.1
@@DUNGSTA Yes, I know it's a 5.1 system but I answered Celeb's question. Did you even watch the video before you replied to my comment? He asked if anyone experienced Dolby Atmos at home and that's my answer.
@@Akhenatonio So, that's my home system, you jealous?
I love the review I just purchased this and I can’t wait to install it and use it. Keep up the great work.
I purchased this Visio sound bar and matched it up compatible Visio TV. It worked well for about 3 months then it stopped functioning. A little research determined that a complete malfunction is a common trait with this sound bar. There appears to be a manufacturing or design flaw with this product.
I just bought this with a 3 year extended warranty from sams club for that reason
Got one for guest bedroom. It sounds so AMAZING for what it is/cost, got another for computer. Looking for an excuse to get a 3rd one. Tiny sub with inexpensive looking driver, but the DSP makes it go deep. Not a dumpy, boomy sounding sub you are used to for such a tiny thing.
Great review. I bought my Vizio 5.1 V51-H6 a couple years ago from Costco and we like it a lot. Do you have any tips or a video explaining the best EQ and Effect settings to get the best sound experience for movies and music?
I got the Vizio SB36512-F6 5.1.2 sound bar on sale at Sam Club for $279, regularly $450. It’s probably not the best one out there, but to me it sounds great compared to what I had.
I have the same it’s great! What sucks is the 5.1.4 is on sale now for 299 at Costco😑
@@Batman-eh9ww
Dang it.
hook up two of them i got e6 and ns and no sync issue's 2 subs sound great. use arc and optical but u have to use the soundbar to set the input's not the remote cause then the remote switches inputs on both devices
I went with the V series for a small room I use primarily for video games and minus the Atmos and HDMI-In, it's basically the same thing but $100 cheaper.
Without the HDMI in or eARC, it means no lossless audio formats like Dolby TrueHD, Atmos, DTS-HD, DTS:X.
@@acefr8816 i highly doubt with these budget bars that compressed vs un make a difference
@@kidpoker9408 It may or may not, depending on how good the lossy audio is. The bigger issue is if the source video has only lossless audio, the soundbar cannot play it.
Bought this Mseries setup to go with my Mseries 70". Awesome sound and easy peasy hookup.
I bought this soundbar tonight because of your review. Thank you for helping me to make my decision. My Vizio SB3651-E6 crapped out and I was weary of buying another Vizio, but I thought I'd give them another shot to go with my Vizio OLED.
Edit: Also would have loved to understand how it is doing Atmos without upward firing speakers and if you could hear the height in your tests.
This is a "virtualized" Atmos/DTS:X soundbar, which improves on pure virtualization techniques like DTS Virtual:X by using actual Atmos/DTS:X input in creating virtualized height effects. I believe Nakamichi uses some virtualization in all of its soundbars, but all their front & some of their surround speakers are slightly upfiring which helps them get great reviews (not to mention dual subs on all but their cheapest model); virtualization can't help that much on most other soundbars including Vizio. Virtualization works best in rooms that can't accommodate upfiring speakers (like with vaulted ceilings) where the owner doesn't want to pay for professionally installed ceiling or wall speakers usually used with Atmos AVRs.
Does it still work??
did you try unplugging the e6 and holding power button for 60 seconds
I have the Vizio 5.1.2 atmos system , it’s ok the height speakers aren’t strong enough to bounce off the ceiling but atmos still sounds great especially though the surrounds
through the surrounds no such thing
You need a 5.1.4 system to have atmos speakers in the rear surrounds.
these are the best reviews for products, as you review everything that one who loves tech would want to see
the sound bar game definitely has improved thank gosh cause most suck
Just bought one great sound !!!!! Thank you for the review!!!! Great video!!!
Be sure to review the Klipsch Cinema 800/1200 when they release soon!!
Hi Caleb, GREAT Review!!! I just got this soundbar and I just have a small question. I have a Hisense U8H tv and when I connect this soundbar to a TV in the audio settings of TV DIGITAL AUDIO OUT should I select "Pass Through" or leave on "Auto"? My findings include when I select leave on AUTO volume on the streaming services is low and when I select "info" on the soundbar remote it tell me that it is playing Dolby Digital or Dolby Atmos " DOLBY MAT" but when I select "Pass through" and listen to info on my soundbar it tells me Dolby digital plus or if I'm connecting a console and Dolby digital is selected it tells me Dolby Digital and sounds on Pass through are much louder and sounds Amazing. It seems to me to select Pass Through because when Auto is selected even when I am playing songs on youtube that are only 2 channels, Soundbar tells me Dolby Audio - Dolby MAT but when selecting Pass Through it tell me Linear PCM which seems to be correct because it is 2 channel stereo. Thank you for your help!!!!
When with the larger 8 series M series and it is better then my older Sony. It not touch while being crystal clear and sound good for even music which most don't. More expensive as $300 but well worth the price.
I know this is late but I just purchased this unit amazing sound quality.
I bought this instead of the Onn 5.1 ch 42" soundbar and sub but I got this one because it was over $100 cheaper. Its pretty damn good.
Onn, isn't that a Walmart brand?
@@noncustody it is but check out the reviews for it. Alot of people really enjoyed it
Just picked a brand new one for $80 yesterday. Dude buys storage lockers, Score! It sounds so much better than my 10 year old Sony 5.1 home theater system. So clear, don’t need subtitles anymore💯. Worth every dollar. Have a 82” Samsung qled, Ps5 running HDMI arc. Phenomenal setup for a casual sound lover.
How did you get it for $80?!?
I saw your review on time cuz I was going to get the bose single soundbar at best buy. But. Bizio is a better deal. Wow this system is great
Bought a Vizio 5.1 Soundbar with surround speakers and wireless subwoofer at Costco in December 2019 ON SALE for $149.95. The value is incredible. The 6" sub woofet is surprisin. The launch of the rocket in Apollo 13 will shake your walls. I had a much more expensive set up with Infinity Minuette speakers and a 10" subwoofer with exensive 5.1 amp and this little system comes very close. $149.95 vs. $1000? UNBEATABLE.
Great review. I like how you explained what you were looking for the system to do in the Mad Max scene you use as a reference.
Can I ask where you got the TV stand and what is the model number?
Just got this yesterday and this soundbar sounds really good. Makes movies so much exciting 👍🏽
Is your nightmode working I can't tell the difference when on and off just want to make sure mine is not defective.
I have never had a problem with a vizio soundbar. I have two in my house and a Sonos system. I am all about a theater in my own home.
How's the vizio quality compare to your Sonos set up. Mulluing adding a sonos Sub ($$$) to my beam and 2 Ones or just getting a system like this for my new room and leaving the beam in the living room, the price is certainly right!! thanks
@@NickIhn the Sonos kicks Vizio's butt. The Sonos was an 18month investment. Don't get me wrong Vizio is a great product. I was gifted a Sonos Beam and that is what started that journey.
That elac speaker in that back is very good. Glad he kept it 👍.
Truly amazing sound for its price, I didn't expect this output. I am using this since 2021 Nov 26.
I got this system, I was almost going to get the m512 but for my small living space it sounds fine. I'm thinking about a Vizio elevate sound bar or something similar in the future. But for now the M5.1 is pretty good.
I have this system and love it the best one I have found for the price, got it from sams on sale for $250
I got one at the same price and place. ALOT of problems. They gave me a different one and so far, so good. BTW- Vizio Customer Service answers fairly quickly, but I could do a better job with half an hour's worth of instruction. Talked to 5 different techs and all of them were just going through the same checklists of common fixes for common complaints.
Hi Caleb, I’m considering this Vizio M-series the one your reviewing here and my question locating sub woofer on the hardwood floor or on my rug for best performance? 1 of 2 questions big thanks!!
I bought this back when it was $170 a month ago at Costco! Great price! I put it up in my bedroom cause the Optical Port clasp broke on my LG OLED55C6 TV broke and wanted to get a soundbar with HDMI ARC on it. So far perfect for that. Only had one time where I lost connection to the TV and nothing I would do could get it back. Turned it off for a while and when I came back it's working fine again (*knocks on wood). Sounded great out of the box. Only thing to get the HDMI ARC working with the TV was unplug the other HDMI cables going into it, then once I did it worked fine and plugged them back in. Something to think about if you run into the same issue.
The one in costco for 169 is a different model without atmos and earc I think 🤔..this was available online recently for 200
@@mathewaju You're right, thought it was the same based on the look haha. I don't need Atmos in the bedroom.
@@mathewaju has e arc
Great review. What do you mean by “Flight” the soundbar? Does that mean putting one on each corner of the actual soundbar?
Great video. I have the lower level with out the two surround speakers but still it sounds amazing
May be a dumb question, but your TV doesn’t need to be a Vizio for this system to be compatible, right? I have a TCL tv with Roku. Just making sure
Thanks for explaining the XBOX part, that’s why I watch your reviews.
I have a xbox one x and I get audio lag when gaming. Did you have that problem and if so can it be fixed my tv is a vizio to
@@phantomdeath0078 might have to switch the EQ to Game
Great video, a quick question how would this sound bar compare to Definitive Technology Studio with an optical cable connection? Thank you in advance.
Thanks for another great vid. How do you compare this to the Samsung Q950T?
Vizio always releases Soundbars that look really promising and get reviewed well, but over time as they are out, user reviews from actual users end up flooded with complaints of huge software glitches and problems. I really want to like this soundbar, but I'm quite worried that the usual software problems will flare up, like Vizio soundbars in the past have been plagued by.
I was really looking to upgrade my current setup to use this Vizio soundbar, but I decided better not after seeing a lot of complaits from users in the Costco webpage, same in Sams Club page.
most of the complaints are their bar's turning off which has nothing to do with vizio its b/c they dont have CEC settings right on their tv.
@@kidpoker9408 incorrect. The issues are with horrible audio sync, and the bars or individual components turning off randomly while everything else is still on. And refusing to power back on until fully unplugged from power etc. Nothing to do with CEC.
vizio just had a firmware update for these a few months ago that fixed the sync issues
@@duncan359 they have a million firmware updates, they never fix the problem tho. In fact, usually they just introduce new problems for the few users who did have properly working models
Costco had this on sale for $199 last month!!! Got on it immediately.
Has its share of issues, mainly with HDMI ARC
But the sound quality is solid and fills my living room. At $199 I can't believe the sound for the price.
How does it process Atmo from TV without eArc?
Ah sorry misspelled. The soundbar does have eARC so it does output a downsampled atmos.
What problems have you had with ARC? I haven't experienced any with a 2016-era Samsung.
@@1djbecker I have a Sony X850C and for some reason not all inputs play through ARC.
@@FFnGV Unless you have fully functional eARC (not all TVs with eARC have it working properly), ANY external device that outputs lossless or uncompressed surround sound over HDMI -- uncompressed PCM 7.1, TrueHD, DTS-HD MA, DTS:X, or the TrueHD & MAT/PCM versions of Atmos -- should be connected directly to an HDMI in on your AVR or soundbar to avoid downgraded audio. This includes *ALL* Blu-ray (both regular & 4K) & HD DVD players, nearly all HDMI gaming consoles (from PS3 & Xbox 360 on), and those streaming boxes that may output MAT/PCM Atmos or lossless bitstreams (Apple TV 4K, 2019 & later Nvidia Shield, 2020 Roku Ultra). Regular ARC simply cannot handle lossless or uncompressed surround sound; the only codec it can handle beyond optical/coax is DD+ (including DD+ Atmos used by most streaming services).
I'm not sure why this video just popped up randomly on my feed....BUT ironically enough, I have owned this sound bar for a little over a year at the time of writing this. I really must say that for the price, this thing really is unbeatable. It has some amazing clarity on the vocals and the bass is very deep and grumbly at the same time. At higher volumes the sub clips pretty hard, and it's very noticeable. On my setup personally with a 75" TCL at volume 50 it would distort very badly. Although everything sounded like garbage at that high of a volume lol. Overall, it's a good buy for sure!
I’ve been really happy with this soundbar. Super impressed with Vizio including all the cables and ties and everything in the box being labeled.
I prefer the ‘Dual’ effect mode, but haven’t yet found the setting that allows me to decrease the surround volume and push more through the center speaker bar. If I switch to surround ‘on’ or ‘front’ I lose the voice/dialogue coming to surround speakers. ??
Dialogue is not supposed to come out of the rear speakers in a surround format, that's what the center channel is for. The rear speakers are meant for ambient and directional sound, they only should play dialogue in stereo mode, not surround.
I have the 5.1.2 system. Love it.
I just ordered mine online today, I can't wait to see how good it is.
you mean hear? xD
How good was it mate?
I watched your video about TV picture settings and loved it. Could you give some recommendations on sound settings for this system?
I am intrigued. Very surprised with how good Vizio has become.
If ur on a budget they're the best imo got a m series soundbar for 88 bucks open box a couple years ago 😂 and a m558 qled TV for 400 for 500 bucks that setup was rivaling 1000 dollar samsung qleds
Got this system on rebate at Sam’s Club today for $249.99. Totally worth the money.
I have Dolby Atmos on 7.1 Corsair headphones it's greatly appreciated.
Huh. I didn't get the aux cables. The tray itself didn't even have an opening there like yours does. But I came from a full Denon 7.2 receiver. I couldn't use it after getting divorced and moving to an apartment. I hate to say it, but this actually sounds better to my ears. Maybe it's because my Denon was in a big open room. Maybe it's because my speakers weren't matched well. Either way, this sounds much better.
This bar comes pretty very close to the elevate in terms of sound quality
Are you serious? How? It has no upward firing speakers?
@@CalvinTennesseeHe will never understand
Hi, Caleb, hopefully you get to read this comment, what would you say is better M51a-H6 or M512a-H6? thanks
Regards from Costa Rica
2a has 2 subwoofers so it would be the better one for sound. If you wanna spend less money the single subwoofer still sounds great, I am happy with mine
For $299, I think it is worth it. Vizio soundbar system is always cheaper than other major brand.
Though, I really had bad experience with their TV last year and
VIZIO TV used to be cheap but now they became mid level though...
Just bought this and sounds pretty good… I believe it will sound better if u have arc hdmi tv to connect wt ur soundbar..
Vizio M Series M51a-H6 vs Vizio M Series Elevate M512E-K6
If I can get the M Elevate for $65 more is that worth it then to get the elevate
Thanks for this video!! So much. Man
Sold out!!! I got the v51 which I found for $140 on woot. It is good but will upgrade once I find it in stock.
It might continue to be listed as 'Sold Out'. The m51 was online only from Costco, and it almost immediately sold out. You might need to accept that there will be a delay and join the queue.
I ordered mid-January and it took a bit over two weeks before it shipped, and another week to arrive.
Very little in-depth reviews on the Klipsch 1200, would like to hear your thoughts on this sound bar and an in-depth review. Is it worth the money? .
Dolby Atmos is better at home because theater volume is sometimes too loud
Waiting on the new Klipsch Cinema 1200 soundbar. True 5.1.4 Atmos. 1200 Watts! Includes wireless, dedicated Atmos rears (and sub). Similar to the Sonos Arc in design I was considering but the Klipsch comes with dedicated real Atmos rears, which Sonos doesn't (only 5.1.2 - front) and Klipsch is way lower price. Klipsch also has HDMI INPUT switcher so you can use switcher out to TV "OR" eARC from TV, unlike Sonos. The Klipsch should also sound better and have much more power, though Sonos doesn't publish specs, ugh.
Can't wait to get it!
This would still secure its position in offering ways fully utilizing streaming subscriptions. It also helps us to save energy heading to movies under the Sun.
@Digital Trends - How is this soundbar compared to the "Polk React System"? Thank you so much for your videos, love them all!
Thank you for the awesome review!
I couldn't find it on sale in Canada anywhere. ;_;
Just got this for $200 at Sam's club.
No optical OR 3.5 included!
But man, this thing really rocks!
Don't waste money on a high dollar system!
This is all you need!
My room is 20×18, and it sounds phenomenal!
I haven't even tried Dolby atmos yet( because of my older TV), only the surround sound.
But thank God I didn't waste money on an expensive model.
Hi, I just got this too from samsclub. I was wondering what happened to optical or 3.5 cables. I thought it was probably vizio forgot, but good to hear that they are not part of the package. Don't need it either because I used the included HDMI Cable. I was wondering what EQ did you choose? I heard DIRECT is meant for true 5.1 without any mixing.
@abdullahahmad79 Hello! I called customer support and told me those cables were not included in this set.
I swear I've watched more than one video that shows them included, but like you, I just used the arc hdmi after all.
The settings I settled on so far are the basic "surround sound" mode.
I can't try dolby atmos yet, being I have an older TV.
Now I'm shopping for a TV to make this sound system shine.
I'm not convinced totally yet on the vizio tvs yet, but do like the idea that they are supposed to seamlessly work together.
So is the "direct" setting on the remote itself?
I can't remember. I'm not home right now,so I can't look.
How do you like the sound overall?
I'm super satisfied so far.
@borg386 I personally like the soundbar, I think it sounds AMAZING! Before this sound bar I had 2017 Vizio SB3651-E6 that I just sold. In comparison I think it sounds much better! I was gonna buy a much more expensive Samsung soundbar but I am glad I got this instead. Direct mode is under the EQ button on the remote. Upon reading a few forums Direct plays the sound without any mixing but I also read people like MOVIE mode as well especially if they are streaming because it sounds a little louder and from my testing I agree. If you are playing movies on DVD or blurays the go with Direct and if streaming then Movie Mode is fine. But test it see what you like best.
@@abdullahahmad79 sounds good 👍 I'll give it try. Enjoy 😉
So I had this soundbar loved the sound hated when commercials came on and sometimes when certain shows sang/played music it sounded weird. It was ruined in a house fire looking for something to replace it without the weird quirks.
It's surprising that Vizio hasn't fixed issues that have been reported over multiple years and is still selling the "defective" soundbars.
I recently bought an M51a-H6 soundbar that has very inconsistent volume settings. Most of the time, it goes full volume (extremely loud) at volume level 2 (the full range being 0-100).
Vizio send me a replacement soundbar, but this too has the same issue. From online forums, it seems this is an issue that has been reported as early as 2018 for other Vizio soundbars.
This is not expected from a company that aims to be a big player in the soundbar market. Does anyone know about any solution to this issue?
Great review…
I have this soundbar and for the price it’s incredible.
How is it holding up? Do you have the M51ax-J6 model?