Customer Ratings & Reviews

This was my first Home Theatre setup after upgrading my basement and I did not want to spend much. I was looking to buy the Vizio 5.1 setup but that was not in stock and this one popped up and was on sale for a great price. The setup was easy (even for a beginner like me) and I hooked up Apple TV as input and used the HDMI ARC port to pass through video to my projector. All in all, the setup worked perfectly for my needs. Now to the quality: I am not an audiophile and this system sounds awesome. The Bass is just enough for me and I can feel the rumbling and sound coming from all around me while watching 6 Underground. Voice was clear and music was crisp too. As for Dolby Atmos, I am yet to check it out fully. Hoping that works well too even though I have nothing to compare it to. Verdict: An awesome all round speaker system in the budget price range.

I want a home theatre but I live in an apartment and I want my neighbors to like me. My options are limited. I had a lovely 2.1 Sound bar that did the job for music and TV but was lacking when it came to movies and video games. Many companies are pushing virtual or simulated surround sound but the reviews were mixed at best. Here comes Vizio with a sub $500 5.1.2 soundbar with actual rear and height speakers. No sonic trickery. I waited until it was on sale($350ish) and pulled the trigger. To be blunt, I find the software buggy and the sound stage is lacking. What's wrong with the software? I have not been able to get it to reliably accept an Atmos signal from Xbox Series X. Yes, I updated the firmware and tried turning it off and on again several dozen times. The series X is my primary device so this is a problem for me. It seems to be okay with my Sony 4K Blu-ray player though. Other issues include: it doesn't always turn off when the TV turns off and it turns on randomly. You mentioned an issue with the sound stage? The soundbar does not project the front left and right channels far enough away from the TV. It sounds like the front and center channels are all coming from the TV itself. I think the issue is that the soundbar is not physically wide enough. To be fair, that may be more of a physics problem than a Vizio problem. If you can look past those two gripes this is a great unit. The sound quality is very nice. Music, movies, video games, you name it and it does a good job. Vizio put a small screen in the remote to help you navigate the inputs and settings. The fact that it has physical rear speakers is just so great. They do need to plug into the subwoofer via one rca cable each. So its not truly wireless but I have the rears behind my couch so its not an issue. The rears are on the quiet side. You will want them no more than a few feet behind you. After playing both streaming and physical Atmos content--it's a little gimmicky. Streaming services are notorious for compressing audio streams. If you mostly stream I would not expect much. If you are a wierdo like me and buy 4K blu-rays that is a different story. The Atmos effects are much more noticeable but will not knock your socks off. Given this price point, you need to level-set your expectations. The fact that this has dedicated heights at all is amazing! Show me another soundbar, at this price, that includes physical rears and heights. Go ahead I will wait... To wrap up: trying to replicate a proper 5.1.2 setup with the limitations of a soundbar is a tall order. There are more expensive options that do it better. But they would have cost 2 or 3x what I paid. Maybe in a few years, I will have a bigger budget and the options will have improved.

First, let me state I'm not an audiophile & I've never spent more than $450 for a SB. The only issues I have with this is that the SR speakers have to plug directly into the SW, the SB only has 2 HDMI ports, the remote is crap & in order to update you have to download software to a USB & connect it to the SB. The sound is incredible, the dialog is clear & bass is strong. I "like" to look at complaints on this or the manufacture website & I haven't had any of the issues mentioned. If it helps I'm coming from a Polk Magnifi SR which gave me a couple of problems, ie, some popping on the surrounds & the dialog wasn't alway clear, which was weird because you can "customize the voice levels" & that was it's big selling point. I thought it was just me, but from time to time my wife would ask "what they say" & I'd respond "I don't know" I bought this in either 2018 or 2017. I'd say it was very loud, but it wasn't always satisfying & heard popping & crackling a few times from the SR (not in the last 6 months & probably not more than 10 times) but it lasted like 30 seconds & disappears. It has 4 HDMI ports, remote is nice & the SR don't have to connect to the SW. Other than the popping, I haven't had any of the issues people complained about. The only reason I upgraded is for the Atmos & to take advantage of eARC, which the Polk doesn't have (& the price was right) I forgot what my first SB was, but it was a Samsung, didn't have SR speakers & lasted only a year before I upgraded. It wasn't bad, I just wanted SR

This soundbar is incredible value for its price. It outputs incredible sound and it can get very loud! It's just as good as any more expensive soundbar. I haven't checked all the features, and likely if you're a power user of soundbars (which why would you be, it's a soundbar?) then maybe you need something more expensive. But for me, I like to watch movies, and watching them on this soundbar with Dolby Atmos enabled is incredible performance. My lone criticism is the remote. You can't tell the level of a setting, be it the volume, the amount of treble, bass, etc. You have look at the lights on the bar to know for sure.

Bought this to replace a smaller soundbar as my new apartment was larger. The installation is easy and the sound is great. The soundbar is much louder and has a clear sound. The sub is a bit loud even with the sub level lowered although I love bass so not a huge problem for me. My main issues are the eARC connection and controls. The remote itself is easy to use although a bit confusing at first as you need to look at the remote and the soundbar constantly to known what setting you're on. It would have been much better if there was a simple display on the TV. Aside from basic buttons (volume, mute and on/off) it is complicated to change anything else with a universal remote. So you basically need to always have yet another remote to change different modes or make slight changes. Regarding eARC I'm not completely sure if it is the TV, the soundbar or a combination of both. The TV is a Sony X900 so it does have known eARC problems. However at times the soundbar does not recognize any input at all and it needs to be hard reset. Sometimes the remote isn't enough to lower the volume and you need to physically press the volume on the soundbar itself to get it to respond. Need to switch between eARC and ARC a few times a month to get it to respond. Sometimes the volume get weird and the difference between 0 and 1 is huge and eARC needs to be toggled on and off. Again not sure if it is a soundbar issue or a TV issue. I still recommend it although keep in mind that it might not be plug and play.

Got it on sale. I upgraded from the previous Vizio sound at 5.1 system and this is definitely an upgrade and worth it. In comparison the sounds are a lot higher and clearer with more clarity and detail. The bass as welll has more oomph and clarity with sharpness. The dolby atmos works pretty well. This is just an intro dolby atmos starter but you won’t find anything better or slightly better for this price or double it. If you’re on the fence between this or the 5.1 system choose this. It’s much better .

The VIZIO 5.1.2-Channel M-Series Premium Sound Bar is an excellent option for those looking to upgrade their TV audio. This sound bar delivers high-quality sound and a deep, immersive audio experience, making it a great choice for movie and music lovers. One of the standout features of the VIZIO 5.1.2-Channel M-Series Premium Sound Bar is its advanced sound technology. The bar is equipped with Dolby Atmos, which provides a multi-dimensional sound experience that brings movies and music to life. The audio is clear and well-defined, making it easy to hear every detail in your favorite shows and movies. Another great feature of the VIZIO 5.1.2-Channel M-Series Premium Sound Bar is its compact design. Despite its powerful sound capabilities, the bar is small and lightweight, making it easy to integrate into any living room setup. It also includes a compact subwoofer, which provides deep and rich bass, without taking up too much floor space. The VIZIO 5.1.2-Channel M-Series Premium Sound Bar is also easy to use. It connects to your TV via HDMI or Bluetooth, and the accompanying app provides a range of customization options, including equalizer settings and sound modes. The bar is also compatible with voice control systems like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, making it easy to control your audio with voice commands. Overall, the VIZIO 5.1.2-Channel M-Series Premium Sound Bar is an excellent option for anyone looking to enhance their TV audio. Its advanced sound technology, compact design, and ease of use make it a top choice for movie and music lovers looking to upgrade their home theater setup.

Sound is awesome, setup is a breeze. Strongly advise to use Hdmi Arc/EArc for input for best sound and ease of use. Great for any size bedrooms and apartments. Larger rooms without vaulted ceilings work well. Only negative is the fact the rear surround speakers have to be wired to the subwoofer which limits subwoofer placement. Overall its worth the cost and super satisfying.

I recently bought the 2018 model of the SB line of Vizio's 5.1.2 bars. I returned it after a month because of the software issues. I bought this open box. It was in excellent condition. The build of this bar is night and day better than its predecessor. This is metal where the buttons are actually palpable. The old one is cloth and the buttons are, literally, drawn on. The design on this one is much better as well, more modern, better colors, and sleeker curves. The subwoofer is the same 6" size. This thing really packs a punch for how small it is. Although, many other brands list their subs at "8, 10, 12" but the driver behind that giant 12" dome is only 5" lol. So, this is a true 6" driver and it really hits low frequencies impressively for its size. It also is punchy with that kick drum bass when necessary. This subwoofer is tighter in tuning than its predecessor but the impact is about the same in a large room with deep explosions on movies and whatnot. The sub is also really small and leaves a tiny footprint in your room as not to invade the look of your furniture. The surround is slightly more immersive on this than the old model. The only thing the SB 5.1.2 model had better was more defined atmos from the upfiring speaker and it got about 10% louder in max volume. However, this one gets plenty loud. Even with low volume sources, it's plenty loud enough. It is really good for a room and it is decent for a huge living area. It would be a good choice for a regular family living room in a track house. This one has no wifi, but it has a special "aux va" port for virtual assistants. I just plugged a $10 chromecast audio in there and my Google Assistant plays through it and powers it on, it works. This has a backlit remote, the old one did not. This remote also has all the settings in 4 separate category buttons, so it's really easy to navigate where the old one was one long list. Overall, the sound is insanely good for the cost. I prefer this system to my $1000 LG 7.1.2, honestly. I just don't see spending more than $500, ever, for a soundbar as it will never replace a true system. But, for people with space confinements, this one is ideal in every way. You may get a hair better performance out of a system that's 2 or 3 times the cost, but it will still be a soundbar at the end of the day. Good luck

I hesitated to buy based on some of the negative comments left by others. However upon buying I was incredibly amazed at how simple it was to install and use. Basically all you do is plug-in the cords as instructed and place the speakers where desired. The remote gives you multiple options to customize the sound bar to your desires. I have a medium sized room and this provides more volume than I would want to use at its maximum level. I believe this would be a sound bar that would more than satisfy 90% of the purchasers except for an extreme audiophile with deep pockets. Highly recommend. I encountered no problems with install or working a week later as some others have commented. All the necessary cords are included with very generous cord lengths. Visio gives you everything you need to get this sound bar easily and quickly connected.

The sound system is an absolute game changer. Let me get the negatives out of the way first: the system does not offer enough variety when it comes to equalizer settings I would much prefer to have multiple options similar to a receiver this one offers only movie and one or two others. The remote has a very small LCD screen at the top I wish it was bigger and brighter. The system also doesn't allow you to add additional speakers. Having said that the system truly delivers robust sound crystal clear it's awesome to feel the rumble from the subwoofer which is very powerful. It offers Bluetooth options so you can connect your phone to the system to listen to music

I upgraded my Vizio S4251w-B4 5.1 Soundbar that I bought in 2014 with this one. I knew I couldn’t go wrong with Vizio since my soundbar is still going strong after all these years. Happy with my purchase. Great difference in sound with the same quality materials. I love the DTX and Dolby Atmos sound difference. Thank you Vizio for making quality products affordable.

If you want Dolby Atmos, but your budget really wont allow you to fulfill your wildest dreams, you absolutely can NOT go wrong with this set. Vizio has been killing it in their budget audio space. The soundbar provides big, balanced, and clear mids and highs. The subwoofer gives punchy booming lows, and the satellites give an awesome stereo effect that has definitely fooled me into thinking things were actually in my living room or right outside the window. The Atmos effect IS noticeable. Using the correct content and ensuring you're using eARC, you can definitely get the "flyover" effect on certain scenes. It really depends on your setup. Its not a MINDBLOWING or life altering effect. But it is noticeable, and will make you say "huh, that's pretty cool!" when you hear it. At this price, I cant ask for much more. When NOT watching atmos content, this setup will still fill your room with sound, and that's what I love about it. Live sports sounds like you can be in the stadium, and high volumes don't have any noticeable distortion. I watched Dune 2 on this with my dad and we both had a great time. The subwoofer has no business being this good when its INCLUDED in the box. Yes Im looking at you Sony and Sonos. Including a subwoofer that is actually good is POSSIBLE. Anyway. Highly recommend for those on a strict budget! But even if you're not on a budget, you will be hard-pressed to find better audio for this price!

I'm going to echo some of the earlier reviews. First the positives - Sounds pretty amazing compared to others in its price range and even some that are a little more expensive. Compared it to Samsung Q850A and LG SN7R. It sounds better than both. Surround sound is excellent and has a very wide soundstage. It fills the room and sounds a lot wider than it looks. Bass is great for TV and movies. Surprising bass from such a small subwoofer. Dialogue is very clear. There is a separate "Dialogue" control that lets you increase or decrease the frequencies that most dialogue use. Not sure if it's doing it with a set frequency or AI that analyzes the source but it works well. The remote has a lot of settings but they let you tweak the sound quite a bit. The negatives - Initially, lots and lots of connectivity issues. I had to uninstall and reinstall it at least 20 times before I got it working properly. My TV would go back and forth detecting it as either ARC or eARC at random. Sometimes the volume level would be so low that I'd have to turn up the volume setting on the bar to 50 (goes from 0 to 100) just to get a comfortable sound level for basic TV. When it's working right, a setting of 12 or 14 is perfect for regular TV and for a movie where I want to feel like I'm in a theater, 22 does the job and by 30 the neighbors can hear it. But when it's having problems, I have to turn it up to 50 just to watch TV. BTW, this is with the EQ set to Movie. The other settings are significantly lower in volume and require higher volume settings to achieve the same sound levels as in Movie mode. CEC sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. And other times it sort of works but the volume level numbers don't show up on the TV. To get everything to finally work properly I had to disconnect all my streaming devices, factory reset the soundbar and my TV, then reinstall the devices one at a time. This finally got it working....for now. It has only been one day but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. There is no on-screen menu and the only way to know what settings are active or what the levels are is to memorize some LEDs that are just simple dots on the front of the soundbar and don't really tell you anything. No wifi or phone app. For a $500 soundbar that's pretty sad. Although I guess that just means there's less that can go wrong. But without wifi you have to use a USB drive to update the firmware. Very old school. Earlier I mentioned that the bass is good for TV and movies. Here I'll point out that it's not that great for music. Music that's bass-heavy, especially some hip hop, will cause the soundport on the sub to buzz or rattle very loudly. It's OK for other types of music that aren't that bass-heavy though although it will still distort and compress when turned up loud. The speaker wires for the rear surrounds are RCA cables. I would have preferred regular two-wire speaker cables. That's the standard used for speakers and my house is already wired with regular speaker wire all throughout the house. Not a huge deal as there are adapters to go from RCA to regular wire, and it's also easy enough to just make your own. Bottom line, we all buy these soundbars for the sound, so if you don't have any of the connectivity problems I and some other reviewers have had, it's definitely worth it for the sound, especially for TV and movies. If you're more of an audiophile and want it primarily for music than for TV/movies, I'd look elsewhere, but the sound it produces for tv/movie watching is excellent.

Bought this Soundbar as it was highly recommended by many online, and even RTINGs had good things to say about it (great resource for home entertainment reviews and information) Bought it on saale, and added Geek Squad protection for piece of mind. Installation is super simple, Bass packs a punch and rumbles the whole living room, eARC and ATMOS support is a great addition. The surround speakers connect to the wireless sub, so a good placement is hiding the sub behind the couch, and wiring the surrounds to that on either side of the couch. Going through the menus and such is a little finicky, as the only display you have is on the remote, and the soundbar speaking back to you Highly recommended!

All the reviews that said this was the best soundbar under $500 are absolutely correct. Nothing beat a home theater system, but not wanting all the mess of setting up separate speakers with a receiver was not my idea of fun anymore. I was hoping this soundbar would come close enough for me to not mind...and it sure does. That little subwoofer put out very nice deep lows and rumbles while the rear speakers are clear and loud. I could have spent a $1000 more but for what I paid on sale, I'm very happy with this soundbar. I absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a quality device for your TV audio needs.

Good build quality. The soundbar itself is pretty big in size. Best if you can put it on a stand. This is not something that i would mount on a wall. Plenty of connectivity options but wireless connectivity is limited to Bluetooth only. My one big gripe with this soundbar is that it lost Chromecast capability. My 2 year old Vizio SB36512-F6 has chromecast which is great so I miss this greatly in this sounbar. The overall system is pretty good with some great sound output. The thump from bass is superb. The surround speakers add to the overall immersive sound experience. If you want the most cost-effective way to get true Dolby Atmos playback, nothing beats the Vizio M512a-H6.

Bought this open-box but would but for full price if I had too. Sound is amazing! Gets loud for just a large room with plenty of thump from the sub. The sub does not draw focus from dialogues. No connection issues and seamless setup. The only issue I have had is connecting it to my Google Nest but that isn't something important for me to knock a star off.

The sound quality is great when playing surround and Dolby audio content. It doesn’t lag to find the audio source when I switch from one form of content to another, switch from cable to streaming services, or to a video game console. The two rear speakers produce decent sound and the sub isn’t too heavy. The EQ setting are easy to figure out and change as needed. This is my second Vizio sound-bar. The first one still sounds great after nearly five years of use but I decided to upgrade. For the price, I am very happy with the purchase and agree with all the other positive reviews noted.

Good for a sound bar... I love high definition sound and while I prefer a full compliment of speakers, a large sub and as many HDMI ports on a A/V receiver as possible, the focus on this purchase was to compliment my parent's TV and their needs. Their greatest need was volume and some surround sound features. Vizio speakers consistently receive good ratings online, I like rtings and cnet for ratings. I went for this set for best bang for the buck. I originally connected the sound from the tv fiber out to the bar and it sounded good, but required using the Vizio remote to control the volume. After swapping to HDMI and leveraging ARC, we were able to control volume via any controller which is what I wanted for my parents. The sub is not large, it adds to the the sound profile but doesn't really deliver deep base. I do like that the connection to the sub is wireless from the sound bar. The satelite speakers are wired into the sub. This kit comes with every connector you could need, fiber optic, hdmi, aux to L/R, etc. There are mounts for the main bar and surround speakers but they are virtually flush mounted with 0 relief. The main bar does have cutouts along the bottom to accommodate for cable management while mounting the bar. All in all, I am pleased. If bass is your thing, you'd do well to get a set with a larger sub.