We've currently tested 21 Vizio soundbars. The brand makes a wide variety of soundbars with a good price-to-performance ratio. Their products often don't look or feel as premium as models from competing brands; however, you still usually get a good amount of features, like sound customization options, different wireless playback options, and even Atmos support. While their soundbars tend to sound well-balanced, some models handle stereo dynamics better than others. That said, they still tend to provide good value for the price.
Updates
- 12/16/2022 Vizio V Series V51x-J6 updated
- 11/11/2022 Vizio M Series M215aw-K6 reviewed
- 10/20/2022 Vizio V Series V214x-K6 reviewed
- 09/27/2022 Vizio M Series M213ad-K8 reviewed
- 09/27/2022 Vizio M Series Elevate M512E-K6 reviewed
Best Vizio Soundbars
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Best Vizio Soundbar
Mixed Usage7.9Dialogue/TV Shows8.2Music7.8Movies7.8Channels5.1.4The best Vizio sound bar we've tested is the Vizio Elevate. This premium 5.1.4 setup is designed with an immersive sound in mind. It supports many audio formats commonly found on both streaming platforms and Blu-rays, like Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos, and its unique design is meant to make the most of their all-around sound. Its two discrete satellites beam sound effects throughout your living room while the bar's rotating sides bring even more height and width to the soundstage.
This soundbar reproduces dialogue with great clarity thanks to its discrete central channel. It even has a dedicated subwoofer to bring all the thump and rumble in action-packed movie scenes. There are some sound enhancement features to help you adjust its sound to your liking, though it lacks room correction like some of the more premium bars on the market. As a result, its sound can vary from room to room, but you can always use its bass and treble adjustments to get the best possible sound.
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Best Mid-Range Vizio Soundbar
Mixed Usage7.8Dialogue/TV Shows8.0Music7.8Movies7.7Channels5.1.2If you want a more affordable alternative, check out the Vizio M Series M512a-H6. Despite the price difference, this 5.1.2 setup still has dedicated satellite speakers for an improved surround sound performance. When you watch Dolby Atmos or Dolby Digital content, for example, sound effects seem to stretch to the space around your couch, making it feel like you've been dropped into the middle of the action. It's a great performance for the price, but it isn't quite as immersive as what you get with the Vizio Elevate. That's because, unlike the Elevate, it lacks rotating sides and has no up-firing drivers on its satellites to enhance the sound.
Still, you may find that the value of this soundbar is worth it. It's also a great choice for music and TV shows, and its dedicated subwoofer brings a deep and extended low-bass for genres like EDM and hip-hop, as well as action scenes in your favorite films. You'll find a similar selection of sound enhancement features as the Elevate, with bass and treble adjustments that let you control the bar's sound. It's a great mid-range pick that can please lots of different listeners.
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Best Budget Vizio Soundbar
Mixed Usage7.4Dialogue/TV Shows8.0Music7.6Movies6.8Channels5.1If you're on an even tighter budget, consider the Vizio V Series V51-H6. This 5.1 setup is a more affordable alternative to the Vizio M Series M512a-H6, and for the price, it still offers a standout performance with everything from music to movies to TV shows. It's one of the few soundbars in this price range with dedicated satellite speakers for improved surround sound. Its sub also brings out lots of thump and rumble in the bass during action-packed scenes.
Compared to the M Series, however, this soundbar doesn't support Dolby Atmos content, which is more and more common on streaming platforms and Blu-rays alike. This bar may be of better value if you don't watch much Atmos content in the first place, though. After all, it has many of the same sound enhancement features as the M Series models, like bass and treble adjustments to customize its sound. It gets loud, too, so it can fill larger, more open rooms in your home with sound. For the price, it's a solid pick.
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Best Vizio Soundbar Without Speakers
Mixed Usage7.0Dialogue/TV Shows7.7Music7.4Movies6.3Channels2.1If you don't have space in your living room for satellite speakers, check out the Vizio V Series V21-H8 instead. This simple, budget-friendly pick is designed to take up less space in your setup. It's a 2.1 bar, meaning that it's ideal for stereo content, which includes most music and TV shows. It also comes with a dedicated subwoofer, so you get lots of thump and punch in your favorite tunes. It reproduces dialogue pretty clearly, and instruments in your music are accurate in the mix. Its default sound is bass-heavy, but bass and treble adjustments are on hand to customize its performance if you prefer a more neutral sound.
This bar also supports 5.1 surround sound formats like Dolby Digital and DTS, commonly found on many streaming platforms and Blu-ray discs. Since it's a 2.1 setup, it has to downmix this content into stereo to play it. That means it doesn't sound as clear or real as our top picks with dedicated satellite speakers. Sound effects seem like they're coming from a speaker placed in front of you, and the action doesn't expand around you. If you want a better surround sound performance, it's worth upgrading to a setup with rear speakers like the Vizio V Series V51-H6, but if you want a simple bar to enhance vocal-centric TV shows, the V21-H8 remains a good choice.
Compared To Other Brands
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Generally good value for the price.
Vizio is well-known for delivering the latest technology at a reasonable price, and their soundbars are no exception. The brand makes some of the best 5.1 soundbars we've tested, especially for the price. -
Good low-bass performance.
Vizio's soundbars have a lot of thump and rumble in the low bass. They bring an impressive low-frequency extension, making them ideal for listening to action-packed movies as well as bass-centric music genres. This is true even with more budget-friendly models, which makes them stand out from other soundbar manufacturers. -
Voice assistant support available.
While even Vizio's most premium models don't come with integrated voice assistant support, you can still control them with your voice using a third-party device. If you own a Google Home or an Amazon Echo, you can plug them into Vizio's soundbars through the included AUX VA In port to use the voice assistants.
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Build quality not quite on par with more premium brands.
Although this won't come as much of a surprise given the pricing of most Vizio soundbars, it's still worth noting that even their pricier options don't look as well-built as competing models from other brands. On the upside, Vizio's cheaper models feel better built than what some budget brands provide. -
Inconsistent stereo dynamics performance.
While some of Vizio's soundbars can get plenty loud without much compression, other models tend to compress at higher volumes or simply don't get very loud. There doesn't seem to be a correlation between price and performance with stereo dynamics, either. This inconsistency isn't ideal since it makes it hard to know whether or not you can expect good dynamics from future releases. -
Satellites have to be wired to the subwoofer.
Generally speaking, the Vizio soundbars with satellites have a slightly inconvenient design quirk. Since the satellites have to be wired to the subwoofer to work, you're limited in where you place them in your room. Plus, all the extra wires can easily get tangled, which can be annoying, especially since other manufacturers have wireless satellites as an alternative.
Vizio vs Samsung
You can find budget-friendly and more premium soundbar models from both Samsung and Vizio. Samsung's offerings shine in the premium category, and generally, their products offer more sound enhancement features like graphic EQs so you can customize their sound. Meanwhile, some of the best Vizio soundbars are available in the budget category, as their cheaper models have impressive low-frequency extensions to bring more bass to the mix.
Vizio vs LG
LG is another popular soundbar brand with a wide array of soundbars available at both budget-friendly and premium price points. Compared to Vizio, LG bars tend to be better built, even at wallet-friendly price points, with more wireless connectivity options and integrated voice assistant support. However, their budget models generally don't reproduce as much low-bass as Vizio's.
Vizio makes a ton of different soundbars at various price points. In general, they provide pretty good value for the price, especially if you find an older model on sale. Other popular brands like LG or Samsung follow a tight yearly release schedule, discontinuing prior years' models not long after the new ones come out.
However, Vizio is a bit more like Sony because their soundbars tend to stay on the market longer. It's not uncommon to see two- or three-year-old models still available for purchase. It makes it possible to find some really good deals, especially on models that are soon to be discontinued. While their products look and feel cheaper than competing models from other brands, it's a minor sacrifice for the solid performance you generally get in exchange.
Lineup
Vizio's naming strategy hasn't changed much since they launched their first soundbar, the VSB210WS, in 2009. They use a combination of letters and numbers to designate the soundbar's size and the number of channels. They also add a letter at the end to indicate the release year, starting with the letter 'A' in 2012. 'B' covers both 2013 and 2014, while 'C' is used for 2015, 'D' for 2016, and so forth up to 'K' for 2022.
For example:
- The SB36512-F6 is a 36-inch soundbar with 5.1.2 channels released in 2018.
- The SB3820-C6 is a 38-inch soundbar with 2.0 channels released in 2015.
- The M Series M215aw-K6 is a 2.1 soundbar released in 2022.
Recent Updates
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May 17, 2024: We've checked our picks for availability and product accuracy, but there hasn't been a change in our recommendations.
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Feb 20, 2024: No new Vizio soundbars have been tested since our last update. We've ensured our picks are the best for each category.
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Oct 24, 2023: Confirmed product picks. Minor text changes for clarity.
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Jun 27, 2023: No new products tested. Minor text updates for clarity.
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Feb 28, 2023: Confirmed the accuracy of picks. Minor updates to the text for clarity.
Conclusion
Vizio is best known for their competitively-priced TVs, and their soundbar division follows suit. They have a wide range of soundbar models at various price points to satisfy all kinds of users. Most of their products provide very good value for the price, and their soundbars are no exception. It's possible to find surprisingly fully-featured models at a relatively low price point, especially when there's a sale. However, their products usually don't look or feel very high-end. If you're not picky about build quality, Vizio soundbars are worth considering.