Vizio 5.1 Soundbar SE Assessment: Fairly Good, Hilariously Low cost

It shouldn’t be this low-cost to completely benefit from the sound of John Wick as he breaks a real-life NBA participant’s neck with a ebook. But for round $200 (a penny much less if on sale), you may get a 5.1 soundbar system from Vizio that allows you to hear the delicate crack of his vertebrae as a mildly stabbed Keanu Reeves twists his leather-bound enemy simply so, within the intro to the franchise’s third installment.

This type of immersion used to value you a whole lot extra, if not 1000’s. Now, simply plug in a single HDMI cable to an eARC port of a chosen screen (or in my case, the 130-inch Hisense laser projector I am additionally testing) and you’ll be drawn additional into the motion than you presumably might with a single central soundbar.

So long as you’re pleased with just a few stray wires from the encompass audio system to the subwoofer, it’s as straightforward as setting this technique up, plugging it in, and having fun with your favourite content material with new immersion. Been on the fence about getting a soundbar since you’re saving up for a full-blown home theater? Begin right here and also you’ll purchase your self a very long time to improve.

You’re Surrounded

A slim, nondescript essential soundbar that’s 33 inches lengthy pairs with small wired encompass audio system and a wi-fi subwoofer to create this 5.1 system. The one aftermarket factor you would possibly want is a pair of stands for the rear audio system, except you propose to mount them to the wall (it has included mounting holes for this).

One profit that’s unique to those that have Vizio TVs is the short match system, which lets you pop this bar simply onto the underside of suitable late-model Vizio TVs. This makes this bar a very good selection if you’re additionally contemplating a TV like the newest Vizio 4K mannequin we simply reviewed (7/10, WIRED Recommends).

The primary draw back to this technique, and the explanation why it prices considerably lower than different choices I’ve examined that produce sound of this high quality, is these wires. They’re about 20 toes lengthy, which is lengthy sufficient to work in most common residing rooms or residences, however having to route cables is far more annoying than wi-fi programs.

When you get it arrange, it’s as straightforward as plugging in a single HDMI cable from the primary bar to your TV, at which period the magic of eARC takes over and you should use the bar to your coronary heart’s content material. So long as your TV is new sufficient to have ARC or eARC, you should use your TV distant (or in my case, a TV after which laser projector distant) to regulate the quantity of the soundbar with out having to the touch the Vizio distant that’s included.