VIZIO - 5.1.2-Channel M-Series Premium Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X - Dark Charcoal
Model: M512a-H6
SKU: 6446231
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Customers admire the 5.1.2-Channel M-Series Premium Sound Bar's exceptional sound quality, encompassing Dolby Atmos support and impressive bass. Many found setup and ease of use to be straightforward, while also praising the value for the price. However, some users experienced difficulties with the remote control and connectivity, and a few reported challenges with eARC functionality.
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I originally purchased the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) for $400 as I was excited to try it after reading such raving reviews about how awesome it sounded. Long story short it was a beautiful soundbar with underwhelming sound…and it requires internet connection and is always on which I don’t like. I quickly returned it. In to the Vizio..I wasn’t super excited as I had no experience with Vizio and considered it a budget brand which normally isn’t great but not bad. Boy was I wrong about this. You’re getting superior quality sound, the build quality is great, the setup is easy, the customization settings are a huge plus whether I’m watching YouTube,Blu Ray movies on my PS5 or TV shows I can customize it to my needs. The sound is GREAT and increasing the dialogue in Media was my biggest want as it’s always so quiet while action sequences are explosive and I hated that problem at night. This Soundbar remedies that, and then some. The Bass is booming and can be adjusted it sounds so good. The little side speakers that you can place behind you or next to the main soundbar sound great and add depth. Sound has overall height (that can be adjusted too) depth, clarity, and quality. I would have been much happier spending $400 for this over the Sonos Beam. Luckily it’s not just better, but it’s far cheaper which puts a big smile on my face as I’m not just saving money, but buying a superior sound system for my living room. I knew I was keeping this one immediately and the raving reviews are on point with this sound bar. I even tried it at BestBuy in person in their soundbar demo section and liked the sound over any of the other units they had on display. Absolutely recommend. I’m no sound engineer but I can’t imagine spending hundreds more will get you that much better sound. This exceeded my expectations and I am thrilled to use it daily. Highly recommend.
Posted by JordanA
The sound bar itself is pretty good, but it came without a remote, power cables, and audio cables for the rear speakers (My rating only considers my experience with the product and not my grievances with best buy). Granted I did buy it open box, but it was open box excellent and excellent condition is expected to include all original parts. The surround sound is solid, so is the bass. The best you can get in a sub $500 soundbar. The atmos experience is a bit lacking due to no up-firing drivers in the rear speakers but is still a nice experience and definitely deserves the atmos tag. There is only one thing that really needs to be said: for the price this soundbar is the best option available if you care about surround sound and atmos.
Posted by ArmanK
So far, I have almost exclusively used this system for video/theater. It replaces an older Vizio 5.1 soundbar (SB4051-C0). Unfortunately, I don't have any high end Atmos soundbars to compare this to. I purchased an LG SP9YA before this, but the app and wifi setup was a nightmare for me (it was necessary for full control), so I returned it before I got a real feel for it. With that said, I would find it hard to believe that any Atmos soundbar can truly mimic height/side affects anywhere near as well as overhead and side speakers can by just bouncing sound off of the ceiling and walls. And with the shape of the room I'm using this in, side-firing speakers wouldn't be useful anyway. What this soundbar does do is make the soundstage much more vertical in front. This makes for a much more believable surround experience overall. It has a balanced sound, is very adjustable, and is simple to set up. It is also light enough to mount underneath my wall-mounted television (this required a kit that accommodates bottom-mount soundbars). That was important to me because I swivel this TV to watch from different areas of this room. You just need to make sure that you mount it in such a way as to not block the upward-firing speakers. Overall, this is just an excellent sounding system. There aren't many (any?) other true 5.1.2 soundbars in the price range. At its price, you will definitely get your money's worth. The ultimate question, and the one I wrestled with (I gave an open-box Elevate and a couple of other options serious consideration) is whether spending twice as much....or more...is worth it from an Atmos, size, and power standpoint. I'm in a condo, so the Vizio is more than enough. If you need a system for a house with a larger room, it might be worth going with something else.
Posted by James