Vizio Sb3821-c6 38-inch 21 Channel Sound Bar With Wireless Subwoofer Review

Nosotros've currently tested 16 Vizio soundbars. The brand makes a wide multifariousness of soundbars with a proficient price-to-performance ratio. Their products often don't look or feel every bit premium every bit models from competing brands; nevertheless, you still normally get a proficient corporeality of features, like audio 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 nonetheless tend to provide proficient value for the price. Below, you'll detect the all-time Vizio soundbars we've tested.

Updates

• 03/04/2022 Vizio Elevate updated
• 02/04/2022 Vizio SB2020n-J6 reviewed
• 12/15/2021 Vizio V Series V21-H8 updated
• 11/18/2021 Vizio V Series V51-H6 updated
• 08/04/2021 Vizio Thou Series M512a-H6 reviewed

Best Vizio Soundbars

1. Best Vizio Soundbar

   The best Vizio sound bar nosotros've tested is the Vizio Elevate. This 5.1.4 setup offers a unique design with sides that automatically rotate upwards when you lot watch Dolby Atmos or DTS:10 content, which helps create a broad, focused soundstage to immerse you in your sound. It's impressively well-built, with a slightly bass-heavy default audio profile that adds actress thump and dial to your mix. Dialogue in your favorite movies reproduces clearly, and yous can feel the action in intense scenes and exciting movie scores. When you listen to surround sound content, the two satellites help create a more immersive listening experience. For example, cars in a chase scene seem to race past you from an accurate, pinpoint location that makes it feel like you lot're in the center of the action.

   Unfortunately, this soundbar doesn't come with as many sound enhancement features as other premium models on the marketplace. There's no room correction characteristic, so it sounds different depending on the room you utilise information technology in, and there's no graphic EQ, which is disappointing if you want more control over its sound contour. That said, its bass and treble adjustments are still suitable for creating a more neutral audio if you prefer.

   See our review

2. All-time Vizio Soundbar Nether $500

   If you lot're looking for a soundbar for nether $500, check out the Vizio Chiliad Serial M512a-H6. Though information technology doesn't offer rotating sides similar the Vizio Drag, this v.1.2 setup is a more affordable culling with a very versatile operation overall. Right out-of-the-box, it offers a neutral sound contour that reproduces dialogue in your favorite movies clearly and with particular. Thanks to its defended subwoofer, it has an extended, punchy bass reproduction, and so you lot really feel the rumble in action-packed scenes, and it likewise gets pretty loud. There are bass and treble adjustments, every bit well as some EQ presets to customize its audio. It comes with ii satellite speakers to help create an immersive listening feel with surround audio.

   Even so, this soundbar merely has two up-firing speakers compared to the Elevate'due south four, and its performance with Dolby Atmos content isn't quite as impressive. In that location'southward no room correction feature, either, and you can only stream audio to the bar wirelessly over Bluetooth, which is a fleck limiting compared to the Elevate. That said, if you're on a budget, it'south still a solid choice.

   Run into our review

3. Best Budget Vizio Soundbar

   If you're on an even tighter budget, consider the Vizio V Serial V51-H6. This 5.i setup comes with a dedicated subwoofer and two satellite speakers. Its default sound profile is very neutral and balanced, especially in the mid-range, so voices in movies and TV shows are clear and authentic in the mix. There'due south a bear on of extra smash in the bass range, also, then you experience the excitement in action-packed scenes. It has a similar choice of sound enhancement features when compared to other Vizio models; you can choose between bass and treble adjustments besides as EQ presets if you want to change up its sound.

   All the same, this upkeep-friendly model lacks a lot of more premium features. There's no support for Dolby Atmos or DTS:X content, which is pretty disappointing for movie lovers. While its soundstage performance is decent overall, it doesn't seem equally wide as the soundstage for the Vizio Drag or the Vizio M Serial M512a-H6. Equally a upshot, you don't feel as immersed in your favorite movies. That said, it's still a decent choice for surroundings sound, and this soundbar ranks among the all-time budget soundbars we've tested.

   See our review

4. Best 2.1 Vizio Soundbar

   The all-time Vizio sound bar with a 2.1 setup that we've tested is the Vizio V Series V21-H8. Compared to a 5.1 setup, a 2.ane soundbar only has two channels: left and right stereo. As a result, this soundbar is ideal for listening to stereo content like music and TV shows. Out-of-the-box, it has a bass-heavy sound profile that accentuates the thump and dial in your audio, making information technology platonic for listening to bass-heavy genres like EDM. If you lot prefer a more than neutral sound, you can e'er fix its bass adjustment feature accordingly. Vocals and atomic number 82 instruments however clearly and accurately reproduce, thanks to the neutral, balanced mid-range. Like other Vizio models, y'all can also notice EQ presets and a treble adjustment feature to help customize its sound even further.

   Since this bar lacks a detached center channel, voices aren't every bit accurately localized within the soundstage. There aren't any surround channels, either, and so the bar has to downmix this content into stereo to play information technology. Unfortunately, the result isn't quite as immersive-sounding as 5.1 setups with discrete surrounds like the Vizio Elevate and the Vizio V Series V51-H6. There'due south no Atmos support, either. If you're only looking for a bar to heighten your listening experience with stereo content like music and Tv set shows, it's still a solid option.

   Run across our review

Compared to other brands

• By and large good value for the price. Vizio is well-known for delivering the latest technology at a reasonable price, and their soundbars are no exception. The brand makes some of the all-time 5.1 soundbars we've tested, especially for the price.
• Balanced sound signature. All of the Vizio soundbars we've tested sound well-counterbalanced. Their 5.1 models produce a very good amount of thump and rumble without drowning out voices or sound effects in the higher frequencies. Their 2.0 models sound brighter since they lack bass, but they still produce a adequately neutral and even response in the mid and treble ranges for a reasonably well-balanced audio profile overall.

• Build quality non quite on par with more premium brands. Although this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise given the pricing of most Vizio soundbars, it'south withal worth noting that even their pricier options don't look too-built as competing models from other brands. On the upside, Vizio's cheaper models do feel better built than what some budget brands provide.
• Inconsistent stereo dynamics operation. While some of Vizio's soundbars tin get enough loud without much pinch, other models tend to shrink at higher volumes or but don't become very loud at all. There doesn't seem to be a correlation betwixt price and performance with stereo dynamics, either. This inconsistency isn't platonic since it makes it hard to know whether or non you tin can expect good dynamics from future releases.

Vizio makes a ton of different soundbars at various price points. In general, they provide pretty good value for the cost, peculiarly if you find an older model on sale. Other popular brands like LG or Samsung tend to follow a pretty tight yearly release schedule, discontinuing prior years' models not long subsequently the new ones come out. However, Vizio is a bit more like Sony in that their soundbars tend to stay on the marketplace for longer. It'southward non uncommon to come across models that are two or even three years old that are still bachelor for purchase. It makes information technology possible to find some really practiced deals, especially on models that are soon to be discontinued. While their products tend to look and experience cheaper than competing models from other brands, it's a pretty minor sacrifice for the solid performance you more often than not go far exchange.

Lineup

Vizio's naming strategy hasn't changed much since they launched their first soundbar, the VSB210WS, in 2009. They employ a combination of letters and numbers to designate the soundbar's size and number of channels. They besides add a letter at the cease to indicate the release year, starting with the alphabetic character 'A' in 2012. 'B' covers both 2013 and 2014, while 'C' is used for 2015, 'D' for 2016, and then forth upwardly to 'J' for 2021.

For case:

• The SB36512-F6 is a 36 inch soundbar with 5.one.two channels, released in 2018.
• The SB3820-C6 is a 38 inch soundbar with ii.0 channels, released in 2015.
• The SB2020n-G6 is a twenty inch soundbar with 2.0 channels, released in 2019.

Recent Updates

1. Mar 10, 2022: No changes in picks afterwards verifying their accuracy and availability. Pocket-size updates to the text for clarity.

2. Dec 10, 2021: Replaced the Vizio K Series M51a-H6 with the Vizio Chiliad Series M512a-H6 as 'All-time Nether $500'.

3. Aug 12, 2021: Added the Vizio V Series V21-H8 as 'Best 2.1'. Small updates to the text for accuracy.

4. Apr 14, 2021: Replaced the Vizio SB36512-F6 with the Vizio Elevate as 'All-time'. Added the Vizio M Serial M51a-H6 as 'Best Under $500'. Replaced the Vizio SB2020n-G6 with the Vizio V Series V51-H6 as 'Best Budget'.

Conclusion

Vizio is best-known for their competitively-priced TVs, and their soundbar division follows suit. They take a broad range of different soundbar models at various toll points to satisfy all different kinds of users. About of their products provide very good value for the price, and their soundbars are no exception. Information technology's possible to find surprisingly fully-featured models at a relatively low cost point, especially when there'south a sale. Withal, their products usually don't look or feel very high-terminate. That said, if you're non picky nearly build quality, then Vizio soundbars are worth considering.

Test results

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Source: https://www.rtings.com/soundbar/reviews/vizio

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