I got this soundbar in order to complete my home theater setup and ditch my TV’s wimpy integrated speakers. Good sound makes a difference to the movie watching experience and I was happy with the performance I got from the Vizio V51-H6. DESIGN The soundbar and satellite speakers have a nice industrial design with their U-shaped textured black plastic and cloth cover over the speakers. The cloth does collect dust over time but can be cleaned with a vacuum. The soundbar is not that tall, but it did block the IR receiver of my Samsung TV so make sure to check that your TV stand is tall enough. The soundbar connects to the subwoofer wirelessly which allows an easy installation of the sub and the satellite speakers. The only wires are those connecting the wireless sub to the satellite speakers. The remote is intuitive and has a little screen that helps to navigate the setting menu. The only indicator on the soundbar is an array of vertical LEDs which help show the volume level as well as the type of audio connection. CONNECTIVITY The soundbar has an HDMI ARC port, headphone jack, and optical TOSLINK connector on top of the ability to connect via bluetooth. HDMI ARC and TOSLINK support only Dolby Digital 5.1 (compressed surround sound) or 2.1 PCM (uncompressed stereo). This means that the best sound that you can get from the Vizio V51-H is compressed 5.1 surround sound (Dolby Digital). In order to get uncompressed surround, you need a soundbar with an eARC connection or an HDMI-in port. You can only send a stereo audio signal using the headphone jack and bluetooth. When sending a stereo signal to the soundbar, you have the option to turn on a virtualized surround sound mode which will utilize the satellite speakers, the subwoofer, and the center channel of the soundbar. In my experience, the virtualized surround is actually pretty good. I conducted a couple of tests playing Dolby Digital 5.1 and then playing 2.1 PCM virtualized surround sound, and there wasn’t a perceptible difference. I had no trouble getting Dolby Digital 5.1 from my TV using ARC when streaming from HBO Max or Netflix, but I did have trouble getting it from my 4k blu-ray drive. I couldn’t force my blu-ray drive to convert DTS-HD MA to Dolby Digital on the fly using HDMI ARC. I would recommend using the optical TOSLINK connector directly from the blu-ray drive to the soundbar if you want DD 5.1. SOUND QUALITY This soundbar is a definite improvement over any integrated TV speakers since it gets very loud without distortion and can fill a large room. Each channel can be separately adjusted to your liking. I personally boosted the center channel for clearer dialogue in movies. The sub is fairly small, but it’s adequate for my medium sized living room. This soundbar is not without its quirks. When watching a movie for example, the audio from the soundbar occasionally lags because it is resyncing with the wireless sub. It might happen once or twice in every movie, but this is to be expected from any wireless sound system. Overall, the sound quality is great even with its quirks. TLDR: This soundbar is a great budget 5.1 surround sound system if you are ok with listening to compressed 5.1 surround sound (Dolby Digital). If you want uncompressed 5.1 PCM, then I would suggest looking into the Vizio M51a-H6.

Pros: Sound range Sound quality Bass Bluetooth All black Cons: None I’ve tried a few sound bar systems in the $200 price range. I’ve tried both the previous Vizio 5.1 channel surround sound and a Samsung r40m sound bar. The previous Vizio had a lot of issues ranging from volume to connection issues, so I was very skeptical about this model but surprisingly I have not had any major issues, the only issue I’ve ran into was regarding the volume but I’m not sure if it was the sound bar or Hulu messing up. For instance, after commercials the volume would get very low on the sound bar but just changing the surround sound back and forth to the same setting fixed it. Overall I love how you can have the speakers either in the rear or have them in the front. I would love to see true wireless speakers in the future because I hate cords but for this price range they will do. I have this setup in my living room apartment.

I usually don't write reviews but I realized that I use reviews to make decisions all the time lol. So here we go! The price was definitely within my budget, and I used a $50 gift card to offset the cost. The ease of set up is great but requires patience! I have very little knowledge about sound systems so it took me probably 45mins to make sure my TV was connected properly through HDMI. Just note, if you have something already using the HDMI slot you will most likely have to swap it out like it did. Luckily my TV has two HDMI ports so I could still keep my Roku hooked up. I also searched YouTube to switch the sound output on my Insignia TV. Overall this was a very easy setup if you have no knowledge but you have 1hr worth of patience. Lastly, the sound quality is amazing!! Again, I'm new to this BUT it works so well in my living room and I can hear the effect throughout the apartment. I've also used the Bluetooth function to play music from my phone when the TV is off. The system is sleek and not too large which makes it great for apartment living. As you can see in the photos I used the suggested placements that were recommended None of the issues I read about previously have occurred. I'll update the review if that changes.

[Employee of bestbuy] Sound: The soundbar itself is good for the price, and the satellite speakers offer a decent surround experience. Even if you don’t have room to place them behind you, they add more to the soundstage when placed beside the soundbar. The sub is good, a bit loud for my apartment, but it’s able to be turned down. User experience: Decent EQ customization options, easy to update firmware, remote is pretty straight forward, and setup was simple. Pros: Good for the price, nice sound stage, easy setup, includes HDMI ARC for seamless integration with your TV Cons: The voice that plays to announce changes in settings is a bit… jarring. Bass is a little heavy on the sub out of the box. Settings are a bit hard to figure out at first. I recommend EQ: Direct and Surround On or Surround Front, depending on placement of satellite speakers.

Good soundbar for the price - but not $250. I was able to price match it a few times and get it down to about $150, and for that price I'm happy with it. At $250 I was originally upset I didn't just spend the extra couple bucks for the M series. Do you research before buying, people! I have it hooked up to my LG C2 and so far so good. At first I thought audio was cutting out, but that seems to have resolved. I do wish the surround speakers got a little louder when I am cranking up on the surround settings and they are maxed out and I still desire more, but they're good enough at the price point. I think this soundbar often goes on sale so I'd grab it during a sale, not a full price. I like the long wires on the speakers and how sleek everything looks. The subwoofer being wireless is a nice touch and is nice and responsive. The remote and all the settings are easily understood and you will master the system in less than 30 mins. The night mode is nice if you have others around you. Overall this will be a big improvement over your TV speakers at a low price.