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Vizio soundbars are very common and popular with people just getting into home theater.
The company is mostly known for its Televisions but they have shown they can consistently produce good quality soundbars as well.
However, they still don’t sell as many units as competitors and are kind of a dark horse option you don’t see touted as much as brands like JBL, Sonos, and Bose.
So let’s get more in-depth, Does Vizio actually make a good soundbar?
Vizio is a good brand for soundbars because they offer high-quality soundbars at a very affordable price. They offer the best budget soundbar on the market, the Vizio V series (affiliate link).
Which is a 5.1 soundbar that sells for an incredibly reasonable price. For someone looking to make their first soundbar purchase Vizio is a great option.
In this blog post, I will explain further why Vizio makes good soundbars by looking at the sound quality their equipment produces as well as the price and affordability of a Vizio soundbar.
I will also look further into their competitors and the soundbars they make.
Sound Quality
Vizio delivers a premium sound quality experience as its most high-end soundbars such as the Vizio Elevate (affiliate link) are compatible with audio formats such as DTS:X and Dolby Atmos.
Vizio says the Elevate has 18 speakers built into the soundbar, however, which is way above industry standard, it is marketed as a 5.1.4 soundbar.
The V series is an excellent budget soundbar that will give you decent surround sound if paired with rear speakers for an incredibly affordable price.
The soundbar is 3 channels, the biggest benefit coming from a dedicated center channel which will give you enhanced dialogue clarity when watching TV shows or movies, You can also pair this soundbar with dedicated rear speakers and a subwoofer.
I highly recommend this soundbar for people who are not that knowledgeable about audio or surround sound.
You will notice a huge difference and come to the conclusion that soundbars are much better TV speakers.
The M series will come with a slight increase in price compared to the V series but is compatible with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, the V series does not have these features.
Price
This is where Vizio really shines. Unlike any other brand Vizio has been able to produce very high-quality soundbars at a low price.
Their Vizio V series is always priced below major competitors and is a great entry-level soundbar if you do not want to spend a ton of money.
In a market dominated by big brands such as JBL, Sonos, and Bose Vizio has shown a willingness to undercut them in price and still provide a high-quality product.
They do not charge a premium to buy their soundbars like those competitors do.
The M series and the Vizio Elevate come in at a lower cost than their main competitors as well.
Competitors
Vizio has many competitors within the soundbar space, some include Sonos, JBL, and Bose. All make decent soundbars but I will dive into comparisons below, mostly focusing on price and sound quality.
Sonos
Sonos offers high-quality soundbars but loses to Vizio in regards to its higher-end and lower-end products.
The Vizio Elevate and Vizio V series are better bang for your buck and match up well performance-wise to the Sonos Ray and Sonos Arc.
However, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 (affiliate link) is a better overall soundbar than the Vizio M series.
So if you are going for a mid-range Dolby Atmos-compatible soundbar then the Beam Gen 2 is a better option I think.
If you want more high-end rear speakers with your soundbar then Sonos also wins in that regard.
The rear speakers that come with Vizio products are very small and don’t provide the best sound experience.
Meanwhile, with Sonos, you can buy any rear speaker they have available, they have a couple of great options such as the Sonos ones (affiliate link) and the Sonos era 300s.
However you do not need rear speakers with every soundbar, I wrote an article discussing this in further detail.
In regards to the Sonos Arc and Elevate, I picked the Elevate purely on price and bang for your buck.
Both are very well-made soundbars but the Elevate costs a lot less if you bundle the soundbar with rear speakers and a sub, if you were to do a bundle with the Arc it would cost you at least $1,500.
I do think both products are close in terms of sound quality though. I wrote an article further explaining the sound quality of Sonos products if you want to read it.
Although Sonos is not Hi-Fi they make very good products.
JBL
JBL offers high-quality soundbars but at a very premium price, not unlike the other competitors I’ve listed. JBL’s lowest-priced soundbar would be the JBL Bar 2.0 all-in-one, I never recommend soundbars with less than 5 channels so I would avoid this one.
JBL offers numerous soundbar models, including the JBL Bar 300, JBL Bar 500, Bar 700, and Bar 1000.
JBL offers good soundbars but a criticism of them is that they don’t offer a full surround sound experience for those on a budget.
If you want external rear speakers with a JBL soundbar then you will have to purchase the Bar 700 (affiliate link) which can be quite expensive.
On par with the cost of the Vizio Elevate accept a tad more.
I wrote a separate article talking more about JBL and why their products are so popular if you want to read further.
Bose
I don’t recommend Bose, their soundbars are very expensive and don’t produce high-quality audio in my opinion.
I actually wrote an entire article about Bose and their overpriced soundbars.
Because of this I won’t waste your time comparing the models, go with the other brands.
As audiophiles say “No highs, no lows, it must be Bose”.
Conclusion
Overall I would recommend buying the Vizio V series 5.1 soundbar (affiliate link) if you have never bought a soundbar before.
I would also recommend the Vizio Elevate if you are looking for a great Dolby Atmos experience and a more complete soundstage from a soundbar.
If you are not comfortable paying the price of the Elevate then consider moving away from Vizio and buying the Sonos Beam Gen 2.
JBL also offers a competitive mid range soundbar with the Bar 500.
