We've currently tested 23 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.
The 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.
If you want a more affordable alternative, check out the Vizio Elevate SE SL512X-0806. This 5.1.2 soundbar is essentially a pared-down version of the Vizio Elevate that retains the rotating height speakers but sacrifices an HDMI In port and passthrough capabilities. Like its more expensive sibling, it's compatible with key formats like Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, and DTS:X, and it boasts a balanced sound out of the box, with a solid surrounds performance and great center channel clarity. Its discrete sub doesn't provide quite as much low-end rumble as the Elevate, but there's still plenty of punch on tap, with a balanced mid and treble range to boot.
While its soundstage isn't the widest of all the bars we've tested, it still sounds more expansive than the budget Vizio SV510X-0806 listed below. Both these bars have a similar suite of sound enhancement features that let you adjust bass and treble levels but lack a room correction feature. If space in your living room is at a premium, the SE SL512X-0806 is tough to beat, as the bar, sub, and satellites all have a more compact design than the other bars in this article. All in all, it's a great choice if you value solid sound reproduction in a small package and don't care about HDMI 2.1 or passthrough capabilities.
If you're on an even tighter budget, consider the Vizio SV10X-0806. This 5.1 setup is a more affordable alternative to the Vizio Elevate SE SL512X-0806, 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, and it can even play Atmos content. Its sub also brings out lots of thump and rumble in the bass during action-packed scenes.
Like the Elevate SE, however, this soundbar doesn't have an optical or HDMI In port, though its soundstage is narrower, so sound effects seem to only stretch to the width of the bar. As with a cheaper option, the build quality doesn't feel quite as sturdy either. That said, this bar may be of better value if price is your primary concern. After all, it has the same sound enhancement features as more expensive 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.
If you're looking for an affordable bar with an optical port, consider the Vizio V Series V51-H6. This connection supports Dolby Digital and DTS, although it can't play Dolby Atmos content.
If 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.
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.
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.
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:
We've updated this article to add the Vizio Elevate SE SL512X-0806 as our mid-range pick, replacing the Vizio M512a-H6, which is proving hard to find in stock. Otherwise, we've made only minor changes to the rest of the article.
We've replaced the Vizio M Series M512a-H6 with the Vizio SV510X-0806 as the SV510X-0806 has Dolby Atmos support.
Aug 19, 2024: We've looked over this article to ensure all our picks remain in stock and accurate, but we've made no changes to the text.
May 17, 2024: We've checked our picks for availability and product accuracy, but there hasn't been a change in our recommendations.
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.
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.
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Update: The JBL Authentics 300 replaces the Sonos Era 300 as the top pick since it has better sound quality. The Sonos Era 300 moves to the ‘Best Upper Mid-Range’ pick. The Sonos Move 2 is now an alternative to the Sonos Roam, and the JBL Authentics 200 is a Notable Mention.
What do you think of these changes? Let us know