08 Apr
Blog

Vizio V-Series 4K HDR TV Review (V655-H19)

VIZIO V-Series 65-inch 4K UHD LED HDR Smart TV

"Vizio's cheapest TV line leaves a lot to be desired."

  • Very low prices

  • Low entry delay for games

  • Minimal bloom

  • Chromecast, AirPlay 2

  • Bad screen uniformity

  • Overwhelming HDR brightness

The V series is the cheapest TV series from Vizio. The 65-inch model costs less than $ 500 and the 70-inch model costs significantly less than $ 700. That sounds very promising – but what quality can you expect at this price point, and is the V-Series competitive with options like TCL and Hisense?

Details on the Vizio V series

While we tested the 65-inch model V655-H19, our test also applies to the screen sizes available in the series.

Screen size Model no RRP
40 inches V405-H19 $ 229
43 in V435-H11 $ 279
50 inches V505-H19 $ 299
55 inches V555-H11 $ 389
58 inches V585-H11 $ 399
65 inches V655-H19 $ 469
70 inches V705-H13 $ 649
75 in V755-H4 $ 779

Out of the box

Streaming the Vizo V seriesDan Baker / Digital Trends

Vizo V-Series StandDan Baker / Digital Trends

Setup of the Vizo V seriesDan Baker / Digital Trends

Side view of the Vizo V seriesDan Baker / Digital Trends

As you'd expect from a TV in this price range, setup is pretty straightforward: screwing in the TV's plastic feet and removing any protective film is all that is required for a stand mount.

The TV itself looks … OK. The V-series bezels are a bit chunkier than we're used to, but that's not surprising in this base price range. In fact, "fundamental" is a word that appears frequently in this review.

Entrances

Vizo V-Series audio connectorsDan Baker / Digital Trends

Vizo V series HDMI connectorsDan Baker / Digital Trends

The back of the V-Series has composite video inputs, an antenna input, analog and optical audio outputs and an Ethernet connection. On the digital side (and also on the side of the device) there are three HDMI inputs and one USB input. Note that these HDMI ports are 2.0b and do not support most HDMI 2.1 functions. At first we didn't think this TV supported eARC as nothing was mentioned in the datasheet, but it turns out that an HDMI port supports eARC (more on that later) and is clearly labeled as such.

To install

Setup of the Vizo V seriesDan Baker / Digital Trends

Setting up the V-Series takes a while – around 10 minutes. Thankfully, it's mostly automated, so you can hit the road to have more coffee and just let the TV do its thing. After that, you will need to agree to some terms and conditions related to the Sponsored Content information that you see at the top of the SmartCast home screen. There you land at the end of the setup.

Picture settings

Vizo V series - living pictureDan Baker / Digital Trends

Vizo V series - calibrated picture modeDan Baker / Digital Trends

The V-Series is delivered with the image mode on Vivid, which we have switched to calibrated, as this initially gives us the most accurate image. In the Calibrated Image preset, the backlight setting is already set to 100, but most of the other options are set to 50 and can be adjusted to your liking. While the TV has local full array dimming, it is a fairly limited system with only 12 zones so certainly not very advanced. The background lighting is activated in the advanced picture settings. This indicates that the local dimming control is activated by default.

Motion smoothing

The only control available for motion smoothing is the movie mode – there is no other motion menu we could find. Granted, the V series is a basic TV, but it would be nice to have at least some control over the motion settings. It is possible that if you select a different image mode, such as Sports, the motion smoothing will automatically adjust to that content, but the lack of other controls left us wanting.

Audio

Vizo V Series Virtual X Surround SoundDan Baker / Digital Trends

As mentioned earlier, there is no external label on the back of the TV for eARC support. However, we noticed that there is an option to toggle eARC on or off in the Audio menu. We recommend an inexpensive soundbar for the V-Series as the built-in audio isn't very good.

It's also worth noting that the V-Series comes with DTS: Virtual X surround sound enabled, which we turned off as it seemed to give the sound a slurred quality.

picture quality

Vizo V series screenDan Baker / Digital Trends

Vizo V series screenDan Baker / Digital Trends

Vizo V series screenDan Baker / Digital Trends

After running multiple test patterns and switching between standard dynamic range (SDR) and high dynamic range (HDR), there didn't seem to be much difference between the two formats. The V series supports Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG, but the device is not bright enough to improve the picture quality. According to Vizio, the maximum screen is 400 nits.

As for the overall image quality, this isn't particularly special. Bright highlights tend to be a bit washed out, and the color seemed a bit aggressive too. This is forgivable on a budget option and the word "basic" applies again. However, if you're looking for a standout imaging experience, switching to the Vizio M-Series is better with around $ 220 more for the 65-inch model and a more modest upgrade of around $ 90 for the 55-inch model Choice.

We should also note that the screen had some vignetting in the corners and strange bright spots on the sides. Maybe this is an "onscreen lottery", maybe it's a quality control thing, or maybe it's a transit issue. If we had bought this TV we would surely be looking for an exchange if we decided to keep it.

Play

Person playing video game on Vizo V-Series TVDan Baker / Digital Trends

Vizo V series gamesDan Baker / Digital Trends

Vizo V series gamesDan Baker / Digital Trends

Vizo V series gamesDan Baker / Digital Trends

Vizio touts the V-Series with a pro gaming engine, but it looks like the only real options are the game's low latency (which toggles the TV to the lowest input delay settings) and the game's HDR . And even though our Xbox Series X was automatically recognized, the picture mode was switched to light instead of game, which we had to select manually. You can also toggle the backlight control (the dimming function for the entire array), presumably to reduce the delay.

But when it comes to game features, that's all. Even with HDR games, the V series isn't bright enough for HDR games to make a noticeable difference.

Our opinion

When it comes down to it, the V-Series is designed to be ready to use right out of the box by people who just want a big screen and don't care about the specifics. The perfect use case would be to put it in the garage, man cave, or game room – somewhere where you just want a big screen for the occasional movie or game and something you don't have to worry about or think about. If you want lots of screen real estate at a low price – and that's it – the V-Series is well worth checking out.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes, the Vizio M series would be a better buy for image quality. However, the V series manages to displace the comparable TCL 4 series.

How long it will take?

With Vizio's latest SmartCast system and televisions recording long-term performance, the V-Series should last for years.

guarantee

Vizio offers a one-year guarantee on its TV products. For more information, see the Vizio warranty page.

Should you buy it?

Except for those looking for the most screen for the least amount of money, no. Again, we recommend taking a look at the much more powerful Vizio M series.

Editor's recommendations




08 Mar
Blog

Vizio M-Series 5.1 soundbar review (M51a-H6)

Vizio M-Series 5.1 Soundbar (M51a-H6)

"The Vizio M-Series 5.1 is a knockout figure."

  • Support for eARC, Dolby Atmos, DTS: X.

  • Impressive subwoofer

  • Seamless surround effects

  • Comprehensive control

  • Excellent fidelity

  • One HDMI input

  • Less suitable for larger rooms

After recently reviewing the Vizio Elevate soundbar, which produced outstanding Dolby Atmos surround sound (at a high price), I was excited to see the cheaper M-Series 5.1 (M51a-H6) soundbar from Vizio. With virtual Dolby Atmos and DTS: X on board and a compact profile, the $ 300 soundbar system has all the prerequisites for incredible value. But even when I knew all of this, I was surprised. Let's take a look at it.

Out of the box

At first glance, the M-Series 5.1 might look a little… boring. But that’s what it’s all about. The soundbar isn't drawing attention to itself, and I think that's a good thing – you should be able to hear the equipment without visual interference. Vizio did a great job creating an attractive system that would disappear in your room. It's compact, slides right under most Vizio TVs, and has a sleek, charcoal-gray finish.

vizio m series 51 soundbar review m51a h6 5 1Dan Baker / Digital Trends

vizio m series 51 soundbar review m51a h6 5 1Dan Baker / Digital Trends

vizio m series 51 soundbar review m51a h6 5 1Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The system has a 36-inch wide soundbar with six drivers – three mid-range speakers and three tweeters in a configuration for left, center and right – as well as two surround speakers, each with a mid-range speaker and a subwoofer with a robust 6-inch driver Bottom.

The back of the soundbar is pretty simple. There is a power connector and an AUX input connector that can be used for a smart speaker if you want the smart speaker to control the system or to be heard through the surround sound system. There are also two HDMI ports, one for connecting a single device and another that supports eARC for Dolby Atmos and DTS: X surround signals – that's a pretty impressive take at the price.

Everything you need comes in an incredibly well organized box

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The back of the surround speakers has a single cinch connector that connects the speakers to the subwoofer, as well as a screw hole that allows the speakers to be mounted using the mounting brackets provided.

If you're familiar with Vizio soundbars, you know that everything you need comes in one incredibly well-organized box. There are two power cords (one short and one long if your subwoofer is farther from an electrical outlet), two extremely long surround sound speaker cords, an HDMI cord, a remote control, batteries, an optical cord, and some analog cords, and the the above hardware for mounting the speakers.

Setup options

There are two different setup scenarios for the M-Series 5.1. One is the more conventional configuration, with the soundbar in the front, the surround speakers behind you, and the subwoofer in the back with the surround speakers (which wirelessly receive the surround signal and power the surround speakers).

The setup is plug-and-play and fully automated.

The other setup option (which works well for people who may not have that much space) is to have the surround speakers flank the soundbar at the front and the subwoofer also faces the front of the room. Vizio claims that the M-Series 5.1 can achieve some impressive surround sound effects even with this setup.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The setup is plug-and-play and fully automated. After you've plugged the soundbar and subwoofer into an electrical outlet and turned on the system, the two components will automatically connect and you're good to go. If you are using the M-Series 5.1 in a huge, cavernous room, problems can arise if the subwoofer is too far from the soundbar and loses some of its signal, which results in a small popping noise. However, since this system is not intended for larger spaces, I don't see this as a problem for most people

Similar to the Vizio Elevate, the M-Series 5.1 system has a comprehensive set of controls, all of which are managed using the supplied remote control. The remote control allows you to manage the independent balance of the surround speakers, the overall level of the surround speakers, the subwoofer level, the bass and treble levels, and a variety of preset EQ options. This type of control is important so that you can choose the sound of the system to work well with different speaker / subwoofer placement and room feature scenarios. With a little tweaking, I was able to use the system exactly where I wanted it.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Sound quality

But how does it sound? In short, the Vizio M-Series 5.1 sounds great. In this price range, no business sounds as good as it does – even to Vizio, which is known for bringing out some pretty high quality soundbars.

The M-Series 5.1 has created a convincing sound circle.

The system doesn't achieve quite as good Dolby Atmos effects as a high-fire speaker system (like the Vizio Elevate), but the fidelity is impressive and the surround effects are seamless and cohesive.

The surround effects in the intro to Mad Max: Fury Road (one of my favorite Atmos surround test tracks) swirl around you. If there are holes in the presentation, you'll notice them straight away. The M-Series 5.1 has created a convincing sound circle, whereby the mix between the surround speakers and the soundbar sounds excellent.

The virtual Dolby Atmos effects have certainly increased the perceived height of the overall presentation and also improved the depth. I just didn't feel like there were objects directly overhead like I did with the Vizio Elevate. When the first chase takes place on Fury Road, a dune buggy flies overhead and, on suitable Dolby Atmos systems, it sounds like the vehicle is approaching you from behind and flying right over you. With the M-Series 5.1 soundbar, the dune buggy seemed to come through me and not over me.

I find this track to be a good stress test as well, as the narrator's soft, gritty voice pushes the boundaries of most soundbars, which often rely heavily on the subwoofer at mid-bass frequencies. I've often found that it looks like most of the voice is coming from the subwoofer, but in my testing I haven't drawn undue attention to the subwoofer. It seemed like the voice was anchored in the soundbar, the bass was just ubiquitous – really impressive.

If you want your living room to feel more like a theater, the M-Series 5.1 is for you. Unlike other soundbars I've tested, the highs here aren't too sharp, the dialogue is never muffled, and the midrange is clear and well-defined. And while soundbars aren't known for being that "musical", I ran a couple of tracks through the M-Series 5.1 and they produced the same sharp fidelity that they did for movies. There wasn't much instrumental separation and the soundstage isn't particularly deep – after all, the M-Series 5.1 isn't an audiophile product to compete with a dedicated music system – but the bass is rich. Instrumental textures are very good and the system provided a comfortable, room-filling experience.

Our opinion

People go to budget-friendly sound bars with managed expectations. For most, it's usually fine as long as it sounds better than the TV's built-in speakers. But the Vizio M-Series X defies those expectations and as such I think listeners will be blown away the first time they listen. For the price, the Vizio M-Series 5.1 is a knockout.

Is there a better alternative?

No. Vizio also offers the SB36512-F6 soundbar, which has two Atmos channels, for the same price. I don't like the design that much though, and I think the M-Series 5.1's fidelity is a bit better. The M-Series also supports 5.1 eARC for higher quality audio, while the SB366512-F6 offers standard ARC.

How long it will take

The Vizio M-Series 5.1 appears to be well built and should last as long as you need to start the upgrade.

warranty

Vizio warrants its soundbars for one year when purchased from an authorized dealer. You can find more warranty information here.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The M-Series 5.1 soundbar is tremendous value and offers an extremely entertaining cinema experience.

Editor's recommendations




28 Feb
Blog

Vizio P-Series Quantum 4K HDR TV Review (P65Q9-H1)

Vizio 65 "Class P-Series (P65Q9-H1)

"One of the best values ​​in high-performance television."

  • Excellent HDR brightness for the price

  • Fixed black levels at an angle

  • Excellent color coverage

  • HDMI 2.1 connectors

  • Feature loaded

  • Possible local dimming error

  • Game console synchronization error

  • Bad contrast out of angle

After looking at the Vizio P-Series Quantum X (PQX for short), I wondered if people really needed all of the bells and whistles that Vizio's premium set had to offer. For a few hundred dollars less, I was hoping the rundown Quantum of the Vizio P-Series (PQ9 for short) would be "all killer, no filler." What do you lose if you lose the "X"? Let's find out.

Details on the Vizio P-Series Quantum 4K HDR TV

While we tested the 65-inch model, our test also applies to the 75-inch model.

Screen size Model number RRP
65 inches P65Q9-H1 $ 1,200
75 in P75Q9-H1 $ 1,700

Out of the box

The box comes with the standard Vizio remote control (no voice), batteries and two easy-to-install metal feet and four screws. Similar to the Quantum X, the back of the PQ9 is fairly straightforward and includes a power connector and speakers, as well as inputs that are shaped in an “L” pattern on one side. Inputs include analog and optical audio, four HDMI ports (with eARC on port 1), composite video, and USB. While only the third and fourth HDMI inputs are labeled as 4K 120 Hz supportive, Vizio has assured us that all four HDMI inputs are HDMI 2.1.

Similar to the PQX, the PQ9 is an attractive television. There are practically no bezels at the top and the sides and just a thin metal strip at the bottom. The Vizio logo is on the right side of the lower edge and on the left is an inconspicuous power indicator. Because the PQ9 has a local full array dimming backlight system, the TV does not have a particularly deep profile.

The PQ9 sits just high enough above an entertainment stand that one of Vizio's soundbars (we used the M-Series 5.1 soundbar) can slide right underneath, making for one of the most understated soundbar arrangements I've ever seen.

When I have to complain about the design of the TV, there is no cable management to speak of. If there is a soundbar, you probably won't see any dangling cables, but with nothing blocking your view, the cables were clearly visible.

Basic settings

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Maintaining the picture settings is a little less annoying than with other TV brands. The picture settings for apps and HDMI inputs must be specified separately. In addition, there are individual settings for SDR, HDR and Dolby Vision content that must be processed for apps and HDMI inputs.

In my experience, the easiest way is to open the YouTube app on the TV, play SDR content, then navigate to the picture settings menu and select the preset for calibrated pictures. Further down the image settings menu, navigate to advanced settings and then to motion controls. If you don't want the “soap opera effect”, reduce the jerking and blurring from two to zero.

Next, go to a YouTube video in HDR (there are tons of them) and repeat the process if necessary by selecting “HDR Calibrated” and lowering those same motion settings if necessary. In my experience, however, selecting “Calibrated” for HDR causes the PQ9 to make a similar setting for HDR.

For Dolby Vision, I recommend going to a Dolby Vision title from Netflix or Disney +, then selecting Dolby Vision Bright, selecting Warm for the color temperature, and then turning off motion smoothing.

Repeat the above three processes for an HDMI input and you should be set.

Color performance

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

After making the above settings, I measured the PQ9's white balance which gives a good indication of color accuracy at a glance. Since white is made up of red, green, and blue colors, I can tell if those colors are made in balance. In my tests, I noticed that the PQ9 leaned a little too much towards red – an attribute that I noted was present in the PQX. It took much less time and tweaking to match the PQ9, however, and the bright whites had less redshift than the PQX. Maybe that's because the PQ9 doesn't get that bright, but I still call it an advantage.

On the whole, the colors look rich, vibrant, and pleasant, and I haven't done anything repulsive that the average viewer would recognize. My tests have confirmed that the Vizio is not perfectly color accurate, but it is close enough for most people. In addition, the PQ9 generates a very large color palette with different brightness levels, which leads to a very satisfactory display of HDR content.

We measured around 1,100 nits in HDR mode.

brightness

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

After some testing, I found that the PQ9 hit almost 550 nits in SDR mode – which gives a bright picture, but you won't get a lot of bright highlight detail in SDR. While for bright room scenarios you could get brighter by maximizing the backlighting, it could result in a washed out image in darker rooms.

In HDR mode, we measured around 1,100 nits and thus missed the promised 1,200 a bit – but the PQ9 easily achieved 1,200 nits in standard and vivid mode. For both HDR and SDR, this TV is more than bright enough for most viewing situations. Not as bright as the PQX and its bold 3,000 nit peak brightness, but we'll discuss whether I missed that extra punch later in this review .

Backlight

It's true that the PQ9 creates a halo or bloom effect when you have bright objects against a really dark, black background, and that black areas tend to be a little grayed out – we could see the screen lit up when subtitles There were bolts over the black mailbox. However, the fact is that almost all LED-backlit TVs do, and I think Vizio did an admirable job of solving the problem.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Looking at it head-on from direct center wasn't a big problem, but once off-center you could see things cloud over. Again, this is typical of VA type LCD panels, but here it seemed particularly severe compared to some of the other TVs we tested this year. To be fair, these competing TVs were more expensive and didn't get as bright. I think we're looking at a compromise situation where you'll have to spend a lot more to get similar brightness with better backlight control. (It's worth noting that we kept the backlighting on medium for Active Full Array for SDR, HDR, and Dolby Vision as this gave the best results.)

Now to a problem that both I and Vizio found rather annoying: On my test device, the backlight seemed to be slow to respond in some test clips that trace a small white box around a black screen. When I take out Netflix content and go back to the title screen, I can see it darken and then lighten again when I figure out what to do. I call it local dimming delay.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

While testing the actual content to see if the issues were just limited to logos and test screens or not, we found that the backlight was slow to respond, which is problematic in dark rooms where our eyes are more sensitive to displacement Brightness.

The screen evenness on my PQ9 example wasn't particularly good.

It is known that local dimming delays occur. I've seen it on a number of televisions. However, that delay seemed extreme by comparison, even with other TVs in Vizio's cast. It looks like a bug, but Vizio and I had a hard time tracking it down. Vizio has informed me that there are no widespread reports of this type of problem. As such, it is very likely that the problem is limited to the test pattern I have, but if I do, others could too.

uniformity

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The screen evenness on my PQ9 example wasn't particularly good. I could see vertical bands pretty clearly in images with wide areas of color, and there was some heavy vignetting in the corners where the brightness decreases a bit. Again, that dirty screen effect and vignetting will vary from panel to panel, so your mileage may vary.

Move

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The motion handling of the PQ9 for 24 fps movie content looks great. When the set's film mode is activated, there is no serious judder, although we could see a judder with 30 fps content. (This jerking can be removed by smoothing motion, but you get back the "soap opera effect" which in most cases makes things look generally worse.)

If there's an abundance of fine details to be tracked, you may see some glimmer in these objects, which we've seen on many televisions this year. There is something about high brightness coupled with fine details that seems difficult for current processors.

On the positive side, I didn't see any excessive moire patterns in tight geometric patterns on the PQ9, which suggests that the processor is indeed doing a pretty good job

Play

There were many problems enabling 4K 120Hz with HDR and variable refresh rate (VRR), all of which were suitable for next-gen gaming consoles, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. This has been a problem with many televisions this year.

The gameplay was excellent, with extremely low entry lag and great HDR graphics.

Connecting an Xbox Series X is designed to be an automated process in which the console detects the capabilities of the TV and automatically applies the correct video settings. Unfortunately, there is a bug that requires you to quickly adjust the settings so that everything communicates well with each other.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

To make the adjustment, go to Image Settings and scroll to the bottom of the menu where you will find "Input Settings". By default, the TV is set to Auto, but HDMI 2.1 must be turned on for Xbox Series X to function properly. After that, I also had to restart the TV so the Xbox Series X could get the correct information from the PQ9. It took some work, but we finally got there. Vizio is hoping to fix this bug soon and if it does then this review will be updated accordingly.

The gameplay highlighted the slowness of the backlighting issues mentioned above, especially with regards to the menus for the games. Other than that – which we know could be a bug with this example – the gameplay was excellent, with extremely low input lag and great HDR graphics that really brought the games to life.

Our opinion

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

I started by wondering if the PQ9, being a cheaper TV than the PQX, is the smarter buy. Based on my experience, I cannot make a definitive call.

To make sure the PQ9 has enough brightness for stunning HDR images and doesn't have the excessive redshift that I saw in the PQX. But the local dimming delay is distracting and I did everything I could to eliminate the problem – reset, restart, various settings – but the PQ9 was just an odd feat for us. However, if that lag is just a bug, the PQ9 is an excellent option and probably the smarter buy compared to the admittedly impressive PQX. It would also be one of the best values ​​in high end television that you can buy today.

Is there a better alternative?

No. With its superior brightness and black levels, the Vizio PQ9 is in a class of its own. The comparable Q70T from Samsung is nowhere near as well equipped or exciting to look at. TCL's 8 series is very well matched in terms of price and performance, but it's free and hard to buy right now. LG's Nano90 is very competitive to sell, but this TV is also on its way out as new 2021 models ship to retail stores. For a $ 1,200 65-inch TV with its specs and performance, the Vizio P-Series Quantum can't be touched.

How long it will take?

Given Vizio's track record of overall build quality and HDMI 2.1 features and the PQ9's advanced processor, the TV can last for several years before it may (want to) be replaced.

warranty

Vizio grants a one-year guarantee on its TV products. For more information, see the Vizio warranty page.

You should buy it

Yes, but only if you have the option to return it should you run into the local dimming problem that I experienced with my test device. At this point, I am encouraged by a low response rate on the PQ9, and the fact is that this TV is tremendous performance for the price.

Editor's recommendations




16 Feb
Blog

Vizio Elevate: A Smart Soundbar that Pivots for Atmos Audio

"When the rain is realistic enough to grab an umbrella, the Elevate delivers immersive audio at its best."

  • Easy setup, clear diagram with connections

  • Wonderfully unique design

  • Deep control over audio output levels

  • Exceptionally clear dialogue

  • Space-dependent effects

  • Expensive

If you want to tune the audio in your home to match the high quality picture you've invested in – and I think you should, it's one of the best ways to upgrade your movie night – there isn't one more convenient way than a Dolby Atmos soundbar system. The picture quality of your set is amazing, isn't it? Why isn't the sound impressive right away?

Vizio believes that a soundbar can also be a statement. The new 48-inch Elevate soundbar features speaker housings that rotate to shoot at the ceiling or directly at you. Sounds great right? The problem with these systems is that they tend to compromise or make sacrifices. According to Vizio, the Elevate soundbar doesn't compromise – and the $ 1,000 price tag would suggest it does. But does it live up to the hype? We'll find out in a moment.

What's in the box: Unpack the Vizio Elevate

Along with the speakers themselves – carefully packed in a rather elaborate chair-shaped box – comes an accessory box, and I love what Vizio did here: not only does this box contain everything you need to set it up, it's also very clear labeled and partially color-coded. The scope of delivery includes two different power cables, one for the sub and one for the soundbar. However, you can use the longer cable depending on what you want.

Riley Young / Digital Trends

The scope of delivery also includes the remote control (batteries included), a digital optical cable, an HDMI cable, brackets and hardware, as well as two analog audio cables. One audio cable can be used for a smart speaker and the other for pretty much any other device you might want to connect to the soundbar.

The rod itself is slim and cylindrical, with a satin silver finish and clean lines. What is really interesting is the cutout at the bottom that was specially designed for this soundbar to sit right on top of the Vizio H1 OLED TV. Remove it and the pair gently nestle against each other. If you don't have a Vizio TV, leave the cutout attached.

The surround speakers are nice and compact so they don't take up too much space in your room. The Atmos driver is triggered on the top of each surround speaker, while a neat little non-slip silicone pad is attached to the bottom. On the back of the speaker there is a screw hole for wall mounting and color-coded RCA speaker connections.

The subwoofer is slightly larger than most soundbars, and deliberately: The volume of the case is supposed to support a huge 8-inch driver that looks very robust. The back of the sub has a nicely flared exit port at the top that helps prevent airborne noise if the Elevate is really throbbing. Below are a few places where you can connect your surround speakers.

Between the soundbar, the surrounds and the subwoofer, the Elevate system includes 18 drivers that are operated with enough watts of power so that the system can reach 107 decibels. The subwoofer hits a frequency of 30Hz, which is deep enough in the bass range to rattle pictures off the wall, but just before the deepest bass you would get from a high-end subwoofer – in other words, you will feel the bass.

links

Riley Young / Digital Trends

Under the soundbar itself you will find your optical digital connection on the left and two aux connections on the right – interestingly one of them is marked for an intelligent loudspeaker. There are two HDMI inputs that allow you to connect two devices directly to the soundbar, and a third HDMI port for an e-ARC connection. The first two send a signal to your TV, while the e-ARC connection accepts downstream audio from the TV.

Set up

Setting up the system is really a breeze. Take your subwoofer and place it in the back of the room near an electrical outlet so you can plug it in. It is important where you place your subwoofer in your room as your surround speakers need to be connected directly to the subwoofer. That's right, the surround signal goes first to the subwoofer, where an amplifier controls these surround speakers. Sure, they have really long wires so you have some flexibility in placement for all of these components, but by and large the front and back of the room is determined by this connection.

The soundbar itself can be placed in front of the television, on the bracket of your Vizio OLED television or on the wall bracket with the brackets provided. When it comes to connections, you can simply run an HDMI cable from your TV to the Vizio Elevate through the ARC or eARC port on each device – and that's really all you have to do to get sound.

Synchronization is practically automatic: turn it on and you're good to go. Unfortunately, while setting up the soundbar system itself is a breeze, making sure you're getting Dolby Atmos is a little more complicated.

Riley Young / Digital Trends

If you have a really new TV – 2018 or newer – you will likely be fine. Most new TVs support Atmos passthrough. This means you can connect devices to the TV (or use the built-in streaming apps) and stream Dolby Atmos to the soundbar. If your TV is a little older, it probably doesn't support Atmos passthrough. You would therefore like to connect devices directly to one of the two HDMI ports in the soundbar.

Then it gets a little more complicated.

First, make sure the game console, disc player, or streaming device you own supports Atmos. A quick look through the manual or the product website should confirm this. Additionally, you need to make sure that the streaming app you are using – Netflix or Disney + or whatever – is actually streaming Dolby Atmos on that particular device as this is inconsistent: Netflix may be able to stream Atmos on Xbox One X to the Example, but not on a specific streaming stick. So check the chain – all of the different components you use must support Atmos.

The same applies to DTS: X, every source and every device in the chain must be checked twice.

versatility

One of the things that annoys me the most about soundbars in general, but Dolby Atmos soundbars in particular, is that I don't get control of the individual layers I need. That changes with the Vizio Elevate soundbar, which gives you control over everything: left, right, center, surround level, surround balance, Atmos height channel effects, subwoofer level, bass, treble – whatever you call it. Why is that important? For example, let's say I can't put the surround speakers exactly where they should be (which, by the way, is right in the left and right corners of your seating area). With individual level adjustments, you can optimize your setup to achieve really good Atmos height and surround effects, regardless of where these speakers are located.

Riley Young / Digital Trends

One of the other things that bother me about soundbars is that they usually rely on color-coded LED systems to let you know important things, such as: B. which input you have set or which EQ mode you have selected. Vizios Elevate does that too, of course, but at least they've made it easy to understand: a table on the back of the remote shows you which color means what.

There's also an indicator just above the remote that tells you pretty much everything you need to know and which is activated when you manage all of your various settings in the soundbar. In other words, this bar doesn't give you any onscreen interface – but between the diagram on the remote and that little screen, you really have all the information you need. In addition, there is a voice that tells you which input you are set to when switching.

performance

The Dolby Atmos version of the Elevate soundbar is unique. Sure, the surround speakers are traditional, with some drivers pointing into the room and others pointing towards the ceiling. The soundbar itself is different: the speakers at either end of the front tube rotate between Atmos mode and standard audio. When the sound picks up a Dolby Atmos signal, these speakers roll up and emit sound from the ceiling – this is how you get a 5.1.4 Atmos experience. (Why four? Two speakers in the front and two in the surround speakers, all facing the ceiling.)

If you don't hear Atmos content, the speakers will shut down. When this happens, the Elevate changes the mapping of the various woofers and tweeters in the sound system, giving you better fidelity and a wider soundstage, at least that's the promise. That also means this soundbar could sound great for music.

Riley Young / Digital Trends

But let's face it, the Elevate is here to produce amazing movie soundtracks and mind-blowing Atmos effects, and my word, does it ever do that? This soundbar just sounds very, very good. The Atmos effects vary depending on the type of ceiling, but the range is clearly sufficient. You can goose them to get more out of them, resulting in a truly amazing experience: helicopters that really fly over your head, or rain that is realistic enough to make you reach for an umbrella.

With the Elevate you have the feeling that action is taking place above you, but beyond that the transition from the soundbar to the surround speakers to the Atmos effects is extremely smooth – I don't hear any holes in the sphere of sound, it's all very cohesive . What does that mean? It's very simple: when you're enjoying a movie, don't think about the soundbar, just get lost in the movie. The fidelity of this soundbar comes into its own here too, with very clear dialogue that isn't overly accentuated, which was previously an issue.

There is nothing boxy about this system. It has a very open sound that is also extremely dynamic. So when things get explosive they are really explosive, and when things are more sensitive and quieter, you hear the whole nuance. The tweeters Vizio recorded here are really cute: they don't yell at you, they don't get overly hissing – it's just a really fun sound signature down the line.

Our opinion

Has Vizio kept its promise of an uncompromising soundbar? I say this: I think it has done better than anyone so far. I am very impressed with the musicality of this soundbar and that is usually one of the biggest problems. The control is immense, which means audiophiles can tune it to sound exactly how they want. It's also a very smooth, cohesive sound with great fidelity – another hallmark of a great soundbar.

Is there a better alternative?

When you consider the Elevate, you're probably not looking for something as simple as the Bose Solo 5 TV sound system. They hope for the best, the crème de la crème, and there are certainly competitors out there. The Sonos Arc, for example, is another Swiss Army Knife that also brings Dolby Atmos and A.I. Controls – as well as a brand name that will impress your friends. However, connectivity is limited with just a single HDMI port. Further up the thinned line of high-end speaker systems is the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Stage, which has a beautiful design and deep and resonant bass. It's also twice as expensive.

How long it will take?

The specification wars are ending, Dolby Atmos and DTS: X have won, and you are unlikely to see any new unsupported formats. Vizio is known for its high quality products, and this soundbar is likely to last you for the next decade.

warranty

Vizio offers a standard 1 year warranty on the Elevate soundbar. Please refer to the Vizio warranty page for more information.

Should you buy it?

Yes absolutely. The Vizio combines a new design with audiophile controls and simply outstanding sound and is the ultimate compliment for your high-end television.

Editor's recommendations




09 Feb
Blog

Vizio OLED 4K HDR TV Review (OLED65-H1) | OLED for Everyone

Vizio OLED 4K HDR TV test (OLED65-H1): OLED for everyone

"Vizios H1 OLED is a great TV at a great price."

  • Perfect black levels

  • Excellent out-of-box color

  • Ideal for playing

  • Sleek, sleek design

  • Difficult cable management

  • Low risk of burn-in

It's been over a year since Vizio unveiled the OLED65-H1 TV at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show – and the longest we've ever waited for a TV to be checked. And while it took a long time, we still think it's a tough competitor that brought OLED TVs to the lowest prices we've ever seen. Was it worth the wait?

Details about the 4K HDR television from Vizio OLED (65-H1)

While we tested the 65-inch model OLED65-H1, our test also applies to the 55-inch model.

Screen size Model no RRP
55 inches OLED55-H1 1000 dollars
65 inches OLED65-H1 $ 1500

Out of the box

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The package contains a remote control (not a voice remote control), batteries for the remote control and several parts for the TV stand. While there was a product information brochure for the TV itself, we couldn't find any instructions on how to assemble the stand. Perhaps that was an oversight for our test device, but luckily we were able to sort the assembly without too much trouble.

Physically setting up the Vizio OLED65-H1 is a two-person job. And to be honest, this is a bit of a fearful proposition, as evidenced by the huge stickers on the front warning you of where to (and where not) to hold the H1 while handling it. It boils down to having a really expensive, somewhat flexible OLED screen that needs to be laid flat to assemble properly. That can be tricky to say the least. You can feel the screen flex a little in your hands when you hold it and move it. Hence, one has to be incredibly careful with assembly and placement. Ideally, as already mentioned, it would be a two-person job.

Ports and cable management

Vizio OLED 4K HDR TVDan Baker / Digital Trends

Vizio OLED 4K HDR TVDan Baker / Digital Trends

Vizio OLED 4K HDR TVDan Baker / Digital Trends

Vizio OLED 4K HDR TVDan Baker / Digital Trends

The Vizio OLED65-H1 has three downward facing HDMI ports (one is an eARC and the other two are labeled 4K 120 Hz). There are also some ports on the side (composite, HDMI and USB) for easier access. Vizio has gone to great lengths to keep the back of the H1 clean and tidy by using various access panels and channels to manage the cables, including the power connector. The channels route the cables to the center of the device and down through the stand to keep it looking neat and organized. This makes for a neat job, but it also cuts the cable length in half, which can make hooking up your components a problem.

A note about these HDMI connections: While only two are labeled as 4K 120Hz, Vizio assures that they are all HDMI 2.1 connections, which in addition to a 4K resolution of up to 120Hz also have a variable refresh rate (VRR) and support an automatic low latency mode (ALLM). At the time the television was evaluated, this did not appear to be the case. However, since then Vizio has released a firmware update that addressed the issues it encountered while testing the TV with a Sony PlayStation 5 (see below).

The curved stand on the OLED65-H1 looks great, although the idea of ​​putting most of the weight on the little foot sticking out from the center and back doesn't exactly instill confidence. And while the plastic access covers look great after being pressed in, they are difficult to snap into place and are used to shorten the cables, as mentioned above.

Black levels

Vizio OLED 4K HDR TVDan Baker / Digital Trends

Vizio OLED 4K HDR TVDan Baker / Digital Trends

The black levels of the Vizio OLED65-H1 are impressive – after all, it is an OLED television. So when you turn the pixels off, you get real black perfection. But that's not the whole story of a good image – you also need good gradients that result in dark grays, shadow detail, and dissolves. And here the H1 struggles a little. You may actually have trouble seeing dark pictures unless you have a very dark room. It doesn't go smoothly out of the black so there is a lack of shadow detail, which makes viewing really dark scenes in any location other than a completely dark room a challenge.

Other than that, the black uniformity is perfect and sets the TV for excellent contrast. The gray uniformity was also nearly perfect.

brightness

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The interesting thing about the H1 is that with the ready-to-use calibrated picture presetting, the television did not get very bright – only about 400 nits at its peak for HDR and about 300 for SDR. That's not much of a difference between HDR and SDR. However, after resetting the TV and changing some settings, the performance was significantly better and was as expected: closer to 400 nits in SDR and almost 650 in HDR with a 10 percent window for the measurement.

Color accuracy

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Adjustments in brightness can often have a negative impact on color accuracy. However, the OLED65-H1's ready-to-use color is fantastic in calibrated image mode.

Motion handling

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

While the OLED65-H1 handles colors well, it could do better when it comes to handling movement. It has a bit of an issue with motion blur, and we noticed a stutter in the content at 24 Franes per second (fps). Admittedly, this was with the motion and jerk compensation settings turned off. However, when these settings are enabled, even at the lowest level, they will introduce the “soap opera effect”. In our opinion, this is not worth compromising on.

Image processing

Image processing is an area where Vizio still has little room to grow. It's just not as pristine as LG or Sony OLED TVs are. Vizio's processing has come a long way this year, but the H1 hasn't cleaned up low-resolution, shallow bit-depth content as flawlessly as some competing OLEDs. The H1 looks amazing with high definition content, but you may notice a bit more streaks in wide color ranges when streaming content from Hulu, YouTube, or other sources that is limited to 720p or otherwise heavily compressed than you might do with other OLED TVs.

Burn-in potential

Vizio OLED 4K HDR TVDan Baker / Digital Trends

Vizio OLED 4K HDR TVDan Baker / Digital Trends

It wouldn't be an OLED TV review if we didn't talk about the burn-in potential. While burn-in is nowhere near as much of an issue as it has been in the past, there are risks involved in running an OLED TV really hard. So, if you're the type of person who plays the same video game eight hours a day, or watches the same cable news channel every day / all day, you may have an issue with graphic banners or chyrons burning into your screen. Even so, the OLED65-H1 does a lot to combat burn-in. If you rest on a static screen for more than 30 seconds, the H1 will go dark. It also features pixel shift technology and a brightness limiter to prevent burn-in.

Audio quality

We initially had a bad experience with the H1's sound quality, but restarting the TV improved the audio performance significantly. However, we believe that such a great TV deserves a soundbar for a sound experience that matches the picture quality. Thankfully, Vizio makes some of the most affordable, high-performance soundbars on the market. In our experience, the Vizio Elevate soundbar in particular is an excellent choice.

Play

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

When we plugged in our PlayStation 5, we expected a fairly automated experience. And while the H1 automatically recognized the console and labeled the entrance, the image quality didn't look too good. After looking at this, we realized we weren't getting HDR, which the PS5 does by default. After tinkering with the settings on the H1, we managed to brick the entire TV. Although we could go into the PS5 settings and manually toggle a few things to produce 4K HDR at up to 120Hz, the experience wasn't what we expected at all. It turned out that some bugs needed to be fixed. Since our initial testing, Vizio has released a firmware update that has resolved any issues we encountered. We can confirm that the H1 OLED is an excellent choice for a gaming TV.

Our opinion

The wait for the Vizio H1 OLED is definitely worth it. Kudos to Vizio for reducing the image quality of OLED to an affordable price. While Vizio has cheap competition later this year in the form of the expected LG A-Series OLED, Vizio cut OLED below $ 1,000 first, and we're grateful for that. It took a while to wait for some firmware patches, but in the end the Vizio H1 OLED turned out to be a fantastic TV.

Is there a better alternative?

The LG CX OLED is an inexpensive competitor of the H1 OLED from Vizio, but costs more. For the extra cash, you get a little bit more sophisticated image processing, but we think the image on the Vizio H1 OLED is so good that most people would love to save money while getting great image quality.

How long it will take?

Given Vizio's track record and the inclusion of HDMI 2.1 One inputs through the H1 OLED, this TV should last for many years.

warranty

Vizio grants a one-year guarantee on its TV products. Please refer to the Vizio warranty page for more information.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The Vizio H1 OLED is an excellent value because of its premium OLED image quality and relatively easily accessible price.

Editor's recommendations




03 Feb
Blog

Vizio P Series Quantum X (P85QX-H1) Review: Bright Idea

vizio p series quantum x p85qx h1 review quantumx 2

Vizio 65-inch Quantum X 4K P-Series HDR Smart TV

"But with great strength comes great responsibility."

  • Incredibly bright TV

  • Fixed black levels

  • Incredible price-performance ratio

  • Good for playing

  • Red tone with ready-to-use image settings

  • The calibrated dark mode hides the shadow details

When it comes to televisions, bigger is often better. But how about brightness? We dive into the Quantum X 85-inch Vizio P-Series TV (P85QX-H1) to find out.

Out of the box

For this review, we tested the 85-inch model because … why not? Vizio was kind enough to send the huge $ 2,500 TV with it, and we thought it would be a good time to see what Vizio's best look at its largest size looked like.

The large size of the TV made it a little more difficult to set up than usual as Vizio suggests placing the TV on a large surface when installing the TV feet. Fortunately, we had a table just big enough and the TV comes with a large piece of protective cardboard that can be used to isolate the TV screen from the surface in use.

The feet themselves are made of matte black metal and are relatively easy to install. We recommend inserting both screws into the appropriate holes for each foot before tightening. This will avoid potential problems with correctly aligning the holes.

In the box with the television, the feet and the screws, there is also a power cord, batteries and the remote control from Vizio, which, by the way, is not a voice remote control. Google is required to use a smart assistant with the TV. Amazon Alexa or Apple device or speakers.

The aesthetic design of the TV is quite elegant, with very thin bezels and pleasantly textured edges. The back of the TV is made of plastic, which isn't what you'd expect from a flagship TV, but Vizio doesn't charge the same amount of money as its competitors.

Our only real design problem is a lack of cable management.

Entrances

Vizio includes full specification HDMI 2.1 inputs in the P-Series Quantum X with a bandwidth of 48Gbps – at least that's true now that Vizio has released an update for the TV series. At the time of evaluation, we were struggling to get all HDMI 2.1 features to work when testing with a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Please see below for more information on the TV's gaming capabilities.

First picture adjustments

The P85QX-H1 is absolutely huge at 85 inches. But what is the picture like, apart from the impressive size? The P85QX-H1 is definitely bright – up to 3000 nits. The lighter the whites got, the more a red hue crept in. While the problem can be fixed in the white balance settings, the correction took much longer than expected. Once this was corrected, the color coverage and accuracy were measured very well. We are only concerned that some of the value will go out the window when a professional calibrator has to be called in to bring the image closer to accuracy.

Calibrated dark mode vs. calibrated mode

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When it came to calibrated HDR content in calibrated dark mode, a lot of the dark scenes we saw were just black. Turning the local dimming setting to medium didn't help much either – it just wasn't good for dark scenes. According to Vizio, this is not normal, but we did not see any fixes to the settings during our test period.

However, when entering Calibrated (instead of Calibrated Dark Mode) the details were enlarged significantly and showed all the nuances we should see rather than just the black stripe of nothing we saw in Calibrated Dark Mode. Although the details were now visible, the color still had to be corrected and calibrated.

Black levels and brightness

The black levels of the PQX are very good with the right settings. You get a good amount of shadow detail and blooming is kept to a minimum for most of the time. The brightness is very intense. The P85QX-H1 is pretty good at doing HDR effects, and it's pretty dazzling, even though some of the white clouds we previewed were tinted pink with no color correction. However, the computing power of the P85QX-H1 is spot on.

The black levels of the PQX are very good with the right settings.

Backlight

Backlighting became an occasional problem. We found that the backlighting algorithm / TV execution was a bit slow to meet the requirements of the content and as a result we noticed slight brightness shifts on the screen that shouldn't be there. Granted, it's more obvious because the P85QX-H1 is just so big, but it's a visible problem that we couldn't ignore.

Uniformity, movement and processing of the screen

The screen evenness of the obtained P85QX-H1 was solid. As for movement, we saw stuttering on challenging scenes like an evening flight through New York City – the buildings stutter as they move from top to bottom. The good news is that we didn't see any moiré, which is a common occurrence when viewing this test clip – another sign of excellent workmanship.

This processing can also be identified by the lack of color stripes, even at lower resolution and low bit depth content. During some pans, however, while the movement was smooth, there were light flashes in bright areas that we occasionally found annoying.

Audio

The audio quality of the P85QX-H1 isn't bad – but it's not great either. It has a decent low end, which avoids the thin sound of many TVs. And while the speakers are near the bottom and the back, the presence of the sound is such that it doesn't sound like the sound is coming from behind the TV or from below. Adding one of Vizio's sound bars would be a great addition and would equate the sound with the grandeur of the TV.

Play

The input delay of the P85QX-H1 is good at around 13.5 to 14 milliseconds at 4K 60 frames per second with HDR switched on. Unfortunately, like so many other TVs this year, the P85QX-H1 did not achieve 4K 120Hz with 4: 4: 4 chroma at the time of testing. Fortunately, Vizio has since fixed this problem with a firmware update so that owners of Sony PS5 and Xbox Series X can now take full advantage of their video settings. The Vizio gaming engine can now communicate very well with these consoles and these settings are automatically set correctly for you.

The P85QX-H1 is great but needs a bit of help to get there

Our opinion

We have mixed feelings about the P-Series Quantum X. In a minute it'll kick the ass and look absolutely gorgeous, but in the next minute it's going to do something that scares us off in a way that's hard to articulate. A TV of this caliber shouldn't need as many color corrections right away. Once corrected, it does some amazing things – the brightness reveals colors that we've never seen before.

The most important thing about this is that the P85QX-H1 is great but needs a bit of help to get there. It does take some tweaking (and possibly some cable management options), but once those are fixed it can take you into brilliant new visual territory.

Is there a better alternative?

Comparing the Vizio P-Series Quantum X to other televisions is made difficult by the fact that, although Vizio launched its new line of TVs in late 2020, the company refers to it as the 2021 TV line for all of 2021. In In this case, we will update this section as soon as competing 2021 models are released.

Compared to 2020 TVs currently available, the Vizio is extremely competitive in the price-performance category. This is one of the boldest, brightest TVs you can buy anywhere compared to the Samsung Q90T, and it costs $ 800 less than the Samsung at the 65-inch size. At 85 inches, the PQX costs around $ 1,000 less than a Samsung Q90T of comparable size.

How long it will take?

Since the Quantum X of the P-series is equipped with HDMI 2.1 connections and appears to be well built, the television should last several years despite quality control.

warranty

Vizio grants a one-year guarantee on its TV products. Please refer to the Vizio warranty page for more information.

Should you buy it?

We will say yes with the caveat that we strongly recommend that the TV be professionally calibrated. Without calibration, the TV appears to display an obvious shade of red that cannot be removed using the basic settings or guesswork in the two-point white balance setting section. Unfortunately, the cost of a professional calibration takes away some of the PQX's value, but it remains a lower cost, high-performance TV option compared to Samsung, LG, and Sony TVs.

Editor's recommendations




26 Nov
Blog

Vizio V-Series 2.1 Soundbar Review: Your TV’s New BFF

Vizio V-Series V21-H8 2.1 Soundbar

Vizio V-series 2.1-channel soundbar

"The V-Series 2.1 is a fun and affordable home theater upgrade for your TV."

  • Attractively priced

  • Comes with everything

  • Lots of EQ adjustments

  • Very good sound quality

  • HDMI ARC

  • No Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, or Chromecast

  • There is no definition in the middle

  • No HDMI input

If you look at our previous Vizio soundbar reviews you will find one common thread: Value. Whether it's a 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos model, a 2.1 system, or something in between, Vizio continues to deliver soundbars that are way above their price.

The company's newest 2.1 system, the $ 180 system V-Series 2.1-Channel Soundbar (V21-H8) is no exception.

What can you expect from this extremely affordable TV speaker? Let's take a look.

What's in the box?

Vizio V-Series V21-H8 2.1 SoundbarSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Vizio's reputation for value extends beyond the physical capabilities of its products. Literally everything you need to set up the V21 can be found in the box. In addition to the soundbar and the wireless subwoofer, you receive four connection cables: an HDMI cable and an optical cable for digital sound. There is a double analog miniplug cable for connecting a music source based on a headphone jack (or smart speaker), a stereo RCA patch cord for connecting other analog devices and even a set of wall brackets.

A quick start guide, a complete operating manual, a remote control and a paper template for wall mounts complete the picture. You'll need to dispose of the styrofoam bumpers if they can't be recycled locally, but the box shouldn't be a problem.

design

Vizio adorned its soundbars on both ends with silver-colored caps. It added an air of sophistication to the speakers, but it also attracted attention. I think soundbars should be as discreet as possible – unless they're trying to be conversation pieces – and Vizio's cute new, all-matte black design language is a big step in the right direction.

Instead of end caps, the soundbar's fabric grille wraps around the edges, creating seamless front corners that remind me of the Sonos Beam. A set of four discrete physical buttons sit on the textured plastic surface. On the back you will find a variety of connections: HDMI ARC, optical, USB (for hard disk-based music), an additional analog input and a dedicated analog input for smart speakers.

For less than $ 200, the V21 gives any TV a huge improvement in sound quality.

At 36 inches wide and 2.25 inches high, it's perfect for TV screen sizes of 48 inches or larger. It's short enough that it probably doesn't obscure the bottom of the screen unless your TV has very small legs.

One major change is the subwoofer. Vizio used to include a sleek wireless subwoofer that could fit under a couch, but the V21 comes with a more traditional down-firing cube. While not quite as versatile in terms of placement, it's nonetheless one of the smallest subs you can find.

Setup and connections

Vizio V-Series V21-H8 2.1 Soundbar connections "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn8.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/vizio-v-series-v21 -soundbar-00015-640x640.jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAASimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Vizio V-Series V21-H8 2.1 Soundbar connections "class =" m-Karussell - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn9.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/vizio-v-series-v21 -soundbar-00014-640x640.jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAASimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Setting up the V21 is a breeze. Connect the soundbar to your TV using a digital or analog cable, connect the soundbar and sub to the power supply, and you're done. We were surprised that the V21's predecessor, the horribly named SB3621n-G8, didn't come with HDMI ARC as a connection option, but the V21 addresses that loophole.

Not that it's actually needed – HDMI ARC is most useful for sound bars that support advanced audio formats like DTS: X and Dolby Atmos that can't be transmitted over optical connections. The V21 doesn't support them, so there is no advantage in using HDMI from an audio point of view.

HDMI ARC allows your TV to remotely control the volume and mute of the V21. However, this can also be achieved through an optical connection if you train the soundbar to recognize the remote IR signals from your TV.

My advice: use the optical connection. Why ditch a valuable HDMI port on your TV when there's no real benefit to it and the V21 doesn't have an HDMI input to compensate for the port your TV needs?

The V21 has a USB port for playing back songs from a hard drive or a USB memory stick. Only WAV and MP3 files are recognized.

If you want to listen to music from a non-TV source, Bluetooth is your best bet. Pairing your phone with the soundbar is as easy as switching the input to Bluetooth and looking for the V21 in the list of available Bluetooth devices. A Wi-Fi connection offers higher audio quality. However, if you just want to cater to a party with a Spotify playlist, Bluetooth is more than enough.

Unfortunately, Bluetooth stability is a hit and miss. Over the course of several days, I had some sessions that were perfectly solid while others suffered from frequent dropouts. Breaking and then re-establishing the Bluetooth connection was sometimes fixed, but not every time.

user friendliness

Vizio V-Series V21-H8 2.1 soundbar with remote controlSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Vizio sent us the V21-H8 model for review. The included remote control is well designed, feels comfortable, and has nice, clicking buttons. However, it is not illuminated and there is no built-in screen so you can easily see the various modes and levels displayed.

Oddly enough, the V21-H8R – which Vizio lists on its website for the same price as the H8 – comes with the updated display remote. If you have a choice Get the H8R.

When you get the H8, you'll need to learn to decipher morse code like LED dots on the left side of the soundbar that give you visual feedback after each click. With the exception of the volume level, which is pretty intuitive, many other indicators need a legend to decipher. Some time spent with the manual goes a long way in avoiding frustration, especially with deeper settings like DTS Virtual: X.

To be fair, Vizio has gone out of its way to demystify some of the LED meanings: a helpful voice will indicate which input or EQ mode you've just switched to and let you know when you've successfully enabled Bluetooth pairing to have. It could become a nuisance over time. Fortunately, a long press of the mute button will disable it.

Start your favorite movie and you'll instantly hear what your TV's built-in speakers have kept away from you.

The V21 has a dedicated port for connecting a smart speaker like an Amazon Echo Dot (or you can pair it via Bluetooth). Either way, the V21 will automatically lower the volume of your movie, TV show, or music so you can hear Alexa (or Google Assistant) respond to your voice commands. If the answer is 10 seconds or less, the background audio will be cut off. However, if your assistant continues to speak, the V21 will completely mute the show or movie until the response is finished. Not only is this a handy feature to solve the problem of not being able to hear your assistant, but it's also a super easy way to stream music services to the soundbar without having to use your phone.

Sound quality

Vizio V-Series V21-H8 2.1 SoundbarSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

For its price, the V21 sounds amazing. You get excellent stereo isolation, and that tiny 5-inch wireless subwoofer adds a surprising amount of low-end boom that makes the whole system feel like a movie theater.

Start your favorite Marvel, DC or Star Wars movie and you'll instantly hear what your TV's built-in speakers were keeping away from you.

As you'd expect, it can't possibly compete with more expensive soundbars – there's a definite lack of detail in the mid-range, for example – but for less than $ 200 the V21 will give any TV a huge boost in sound quality, and that's exactly what The point.

Do you like it loud There is more than enough electricity to wake everyone in your house when you roll like this.

The DTS Virtual: X feature doesn't live up to its billing for creating overhead sounds like you get from special high-height speakers, but it does significantly add to the sense of breadth and depth. I recommend leaving it on for any listening where you can sit in front and in the middle.

What I really appreciate about Vizio's approach to the soundbars – even the cheapest ones – is that you have tremendous control over things like bass, treble, and even the subwoofer level. I've tried $ 1,000 worth of soundbars that don't let you tweak the EQ.

Speaking of EQ, the EQ presets (movie, music, dialogue, and game) are great shortcuts for customizing the V21's sound signature. However, you will have to deal again with the deep male voice heralding the mode changes. Dialog mode is particularly impressive as there is no center channel – the usual context for speech enhancement.

Do you like it loud There is more than enough electricity to wake everyone in your house when you roll like this.

Listening to music on the V21 is fun too, but this is where you'll likely notice the limitations of the soundbar. Despite the fact that the left and right front channels do a good job of separating stereo, music still feels cooped up. Vocals and higher frequencies are impressively clear, but there is a vaguely hollow feeling that I attribute to the same mid-range weakness described above.

Don't let that stop you: for better music playback, you'll want to spend more than double the price on a soundbar like the Bose Smart Soundbar 300 that doesn't come with a subwoofer.

Our opinion

Vizio is doing it again. The V-Series V21 Soundbar is a fantastic and affordable sound upgrade for any TV.

Is there a better alternative?

For a 2-channel soundbar with a wireless sub, the V21 is in a class of its own, especially when you consider the price. But I wouldn't be sure if I didn't point out that you can buy this for just $ 70 more Step-up Vizio V-Series V51, which adds a center channel and two surround speakers for a full 5.1 sound system.

How long it will take?

The Vizio V-Series V21 comes with a one year warranty, but I suspect it will have many, many years of use. Loudspeakers are some of the most reliable technology products, and Vizio has a reputation for making products that will last.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The price alone makes the V21 a breeze, but its sound quality and added features will ensure you will make a ton of money.

Editor's recommendations




18 Jul
Blog

Vizio V Series 5.1 Soundbar Review: Putting The “V” In Value

Vizio V series soundbar

Vizio V Series 5.1 soundbar

"Vizio's V-5.1 5.1 soundbar is a cost-effective way to add good surround sound."

  • Easy setup

  • Immersive surround sound

  • Warm music playback

  • The middle channel is a weak link

  • Some lackluster "features"

For more than a decade, Vizio's stance on sound bars has consistently been about delivering tons of value without breaking the bank. If you were on the market to improve the sound of your TV without making a large investment, Vizio was often the best place to look.

Well, although we all live in the wrong world of 2020, at least one thing hasn't changed. Vizio's new $ 250 V-Series 5.1 soundbar system is an affordable surround sound setup – even if a few too many cost-saving measures have been taken this time.

Out of the box

I will always be amazed at how easy it is for Vizio to set up a soundbar. I was in no hurry to plug it in for testing, but if I raced a watch I would bet I could go from unpacking to listening to music in 10 minutes.

Vizio V series soundbarNick Woodard / Digital Trends

The system includes the bar itself, a pair of surround sound speakers, and a wireless subwoofer. Admittedly, there is not a ton here that could slow you down. But it's really just a matter of connecting your bar and your subwoofer to the power supply, making a physical connection between the bar and your display, laying the supplied speaker cable from the surround sound speakers to the subwoofer and turning everything on.

From there, the bar automatically searches for a content-generating entry. Be ready to act quickly and connect your phone via Bluetooth or stream something on your TV as the Vizio voice prompt is out of date after the first announcements that it is looking for an entry.

Apart from this little annoyance, that's all. No WiFi can be configured with this bar – which we'll discuss in more detail later – and there are no other setup frames that you can jump through. It's probably as close to plug and play as a soundbar system.

design

According to Vizio, this year's budgetary system was treated rather inconspicuously, which may be an understatement. The bar itself does not differ significantly from the latest sound bars that were on my media stand: With a length of 36 inches, it is only two inches shorter than the Sony HT-G700 that stood before it.

Vizio V-series soundbar remote controlNick Woodard / DigitalTrends

However, the rear speakers and subwoofer are small. The sub-cabinet houses a 5-inch woofer, and the speakers are slightly outshone by some older Vizio-Rears that I dug up for comparison. The size, frankly, worried me that Vizio might have become too compact (are we making ants home theater?) And sacrificed the sound. But as we will see shortly, the system grabs a punch for its size.

There are three drivers in the bar, one each for the front left, middle and right channel in a 5.1 system. Go to the back of the soundbar and you will encounter multiple connections. There's a retro 3.5mm stereo audio input (the good old red and white inputs) as well as an optical connector, an HDMI ARC connector, a 3.5mm AUX input and a USB connector Vizio says he only supports WAV and MP3 formats.

Would I have liked to see Vizio drop the old school stereo audio inputs in exchange for another HDMI port? Yes. Is this a pretty solid lineup of connections for the price, regardless of that? Also yes. Just keep in mind that certain connections limit your sound format options. The stereo inputs naturally only produce two-channel sound. You can receive surround sound through the digital optical link, but you will miss the DTS Virtual: X format that the V-Series is equipped with.

Vizio's standard soundbar remote control is also updated to be a bit rounder and gentler than its more brick-like older relative. The new remote control also appears to be more functional. With the buttons for EQ, Setup, Level and Effect you can play with the sound settings. I've never been a big fan of these old Vizio remotes, and it seems like Vizio is moving in the right direction with something that reminds me of my Nvidia Shield clicker.

properties

There are some legitimate features built into this bar, but some things that are "technical" are strangely cloaked by Vizio Marketing to be far more important than they really are.

Vizio V series soundbarNick Woodard / Digital Trends

You can stream music – and only Bluetooth. And that's good. The connection was solid and the sound was good. Despite all the advances in Bluetooth technology, Wi-Fi is still the king when it comes to streaming audio, and bars like the Yamaha YAS-209 have proven that it is possible to have this type of function in a budget bar.

The V-Series bar has a useful function called Front Surround Mode for setups where it is not possible to mount surround speakers in the back of the room. This workaround is to attach the rear speakers on either side of the soundbar, move the subwoofer to the front of the room, and then access Front Surround mode using your remote control. According to Vizio, the bar will use DTS Virtual: X to create virtual surround sound in this configuration. The result is acceptable, but there is a reason why speakers in the back of the room are called "ideal setup".

Then there are things like dual stereo mode – an example of a function we have termed “technical” – that sends the same audio to all five speakers. This feature works to be clear, I'm just not sure when this is needed or wanted. Watching movies is generally best in normal surround, where dialogs and actions take place in the front left, center, and right, and the back provides background noise. And listening to music is literally designed for left and right stereo sound. Although the dual stereo mode is functional, there is no ideal time to use it.

Vizio also advertises its soundbar as "Voice Assistant Ready" due to its aux port and Bluetooth connection. This is total marketing: If this soundbar is considered "Voice Assistant Ready" according to this standard, this also applies to every modern loudspeaker, receiver or even television with the same two connection options. Yes, you can connect an Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant device to the soundbar and it sends audio through the system. In fact, "voice assistant should be ready" to have a Wi-Fi connection and offer direct control through these smart devices. With this terminology, Vizio disguises its otherwise standard connections so that they are not.

To be fair to Vizio, there is a feature that allows the voice assistant in the bar to be active, even if the soundbar plays audio from another input, and the bar automatically mutes other sources so that the assistant can be heard. The same applies if you have a phone that is connected via Bluetooth. Unfortunately, you can accidentally transmit TikTok videos through your movie audio.

Audio quality

A few hundred words ago I teased how in love I was with products as small as the Vizio-Sub and the rear speakers that produce such a significant sound – and that's a lot of truth. For a solid week I've been throwing different content on it – from all kinds of music to various Netflix documentaries and TV shows, as well as the occasional Marvel movie and a Hamilton watch (or two) – and I can say that for sure people Those who buy this bar will be completely satisfied with this type and quality of surround sound.

Vizio V-series soundbar surround speakersNick Woodard / Digital Trends

It contains all the basic elements that make for a good surround setup. The front stage effectively captures action scenes, the rear speakers provide adequate immersion, and the sub, although it is only designed for 50 Hz, rumbled enough to elicit a random bark from my previously deeply sleeping dog. I was also pleasantly surprised by listening to the music, as the Vizio bar produced a generally warm sound that was balanced enough to have fun.

Overall, it's the sound you should expect from a $ 250 package. But this bar is certainly not without its quirks. In my experience, the apparently lackluster center channel is the most important among them. When viewing vocal dominant content like Netflix’s comedy series The Degenerates or the Down to Earth documentaries, this wasn’t a big problem. However, when switching to action sequences in Guardians of the Galaxy or the busier areas of Hamilton, the dialogue couldn't keep up with all the other events in the scene.

You can turn up both the center channel and the dialog using the Vizio remote control, which is helpful to a certain extent. However, it is clear that some content simply outperforms the center compared to the rest of the sound produced by the system. Also, I wasn't a big fan of the various EQ presets – including the movie and music options that you can switch between with the remote – as they seemed to bloat the sound. Essentially, these EQ settings turned up all frequencies, making the action a little more booming but much less sophisticated. Listening in direct mode was preferable to me.

DTS Virtual: X is also available in this soundbar. DTS Virtual: X is essentially the less popular alternative to Dolby Atmos and is said to be able to add virtualized 3D sound to any audio sent through the soundbar. It should also work with almost any speaker configuration, and although I had a more immersive experience when I turned it on, my partner could not notice it without pointing it out. This result makes sense because with everything that virtual technologies promise in terms of audio, you can only achieve so much with three front-firing drivers.

In addition to changing the levels of the dialog and center, you can also adjust the bass, treble, subwoofer, surround level and surround balance. Although this sound may have its flaws, it was a smart move by Vizio to make the bar's audio so customizable that it pleases the palate of most people.

Our opinion

Vizio's new 5.1 soundbar system may not be the best way to add surround sound to your setup – which is a traditional home theater, by the way – but it is once again one of the most enjoyable. With the decent characteristics and good sound it throws into the mix, the V-Series is a value for the masses.

Are there any better alternatives?

Frankly, it's hard to find another bar in this price range that offers a full 5.1 system with a subwoofer and rear speakers. The Yamaha YAS-209 is still our favorite bar because of its versatility, features, and sound, but it doesn't have surround speakers and is currently a bit more expensive for $ 300. I prefer the sound of the Sony HT-G700, although I don't prefer the price of almost $ 600.

How long it will take?

Not only are they cheap, the Vizio soundbars also seem to have a knack for durability. They have a standard one-year warranty, but the Vizio system I bought for my parents eight years ago still works. I can't guarantee that this bar will have the same durability, but it should last for a while.

Should you buy it

Yes. At this price, you really can't get real 5.1 sound anywhere else. Even if you need to fine-tune the audio and deal with the lack of meaningful features, the Vizio V Series 5.1 soundbar is undoubtedly a lot.

Editor's recommendations