We've currently tested 23 Vizio soundbars. The brand makes a wide variety of soundbars with a good price-to-performance ratio. Their products often don't look or feel as premium as models from competing brands; however, you still usually get a good amount of features, like sound customization options, different wireless playback options, and even Atmos support. While their soundbars tend to sound well-balanced, some models handle stereo dynamics better than others. That said, they still tend to provide good value for the price.
This brand also features quite high turnover for their soundbars, with models discontinued relatively quickly, or renamed and accompanied by slightly different features. As a result, our coverage currently lags behind their product line, but we'll continue to update this article as we test the next Vizio soundbars.
Updates
- 03/03/2025Vizio Elevate SE SL512X-0806 reviewed
- 10/24/2024Vizio SV510X-0806 reviewed
- 12/16/2022Vizio V Series V51x-J6 updated
- 11/11/2022Vizio M Series M215aw-K6 reviewed
- 10/20/2022Vizio V Series V214x-K6 reviewed
Quick Look
Our recommendations are built upon our thorough testing and rigorous reviews. Every soundbar we evaluate goes through multiple testing stages with different teams to ensure accurate, authentic results. No cherry-picked units or data.
Curious how we've tested over 200 soundbars (and counting)? Look at our How We Test Soundbars article for a behind-the-scenes look at our lab and process.
-
Best Vizio Soundbar
Our top Vizio soundbar is the Vizio Elevate SE SL512X-0806. This 5.1.2 soundbar is essentially a pared-down version of the discontinued Vizio Elevate that retains the rotating height speakers but sacrifices an HDMI In port and passthrough capabilities. It's compatible with key formats like Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, and DTS:X, and it boasts a balanced sound out of the box, with a solid surrounds performance and great center channel clarity. Its discrete sub doesn't provide quite as much low-end rumble as the Elevate, but there's still plenty of punch on tap, with a balanced mid and treble range to boot.
While its soundstage isn't the widest of all the bars we've tested, it still sounds more expansive than the budget Vizio SV510X-0806 listed below. Both these bars have a similar suite of sound enhancement features that let you adjust bass and treble levels but lack a room correction feature. All in all, it's a great choice if you value solid sound reproduction in a small package and don't care about HDMI 2.1 or passthrough capabilities.
-
Best Budget Vizio Soundbar
If you're on a tighter budget, consider the Vizio SV10X-0806. This 5.1 setup is a more affordable alternative to the Vizio Elevate SE SL512X-0806, and for the price, it still offers a standout performance with everything from music to movies to TV shows. It's one of the few soundbars in this price range with dedicated satellite speakers for improved surround sound, and it can even play Atmos content. Its sub also brings out lots of thump and rumble in the bass during action-packed scenes.
Like the Elevate SE, however, this soundbar doesn't have an optical or HDMI In port, though its soundstage is narrower, so sound effects seem to only stretch to the width of the bar. As with a cheaper option, the build quality doesn't feel quite as sturdy either. That said, this bar may be of better value if price is your primary concern. After all, it has the same sound enhancement features as more expensive models, like bass and treble adjustments to customize its sound. It gets loud, too, so it can fill larger, more open rooms in your home with sound. For the price, it's a solid pick.
If you're looking for an affordable bar with an optical port, consider the Vizio V Series V51-H6. This connection supports Dolby Digital and DTS, although it can't play Dolby Atmos content. While it's been discontinued, it can still be found for a bargain price through some retailers.
Compared To Other Brands
-
Generally 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 best 5.1 soundbars we've tested, especially for the price.
-
Good low-bass performance.Vizio's soundbars have a lot of thump and rumble in the low bass. They bring an impressive low-frequency extension, making them ideal for listening to action-packed movies as well as bass-centric music genres. This is true even with more budget-friendly models, which makes them stand out from other soundbar manufacturers.
-
Voice assistant support available.While even Vizio's most premium models don't come with integrated voice assistant support, you can still control them with your voice using a third-party device. If you own a Google Home or an Amazon Echo, you can plug them into Vizio's soundbars through the included AUX VA In port to use the voice assistants.
-
Build quality not quite on par with more premium brands.Although this won't come as much of a surprise given the pricing of most Vizio soundbars, it's still worth noting that even their pricier options don't look as well-built as competing models from other brands. On the upside, Vizio's cheaper models feel better built than what some budget brands provide.
-
Inconsistent stereo dynamics performance.While some of Vizio's soundbars can get plenty loud without much compression, other models tend to compress at higher volumes or simply don't get very loud. There doesn't seem to be a correlation between price and performance with stereo dynamics, either. This inconsistency isn't ideal since it makes it hard to know whether or not you can expect good dynamics from future releases.
-
Satellites have to be wired to the subwoofer.Generally speaking, the Vizio soundbars with satellites have a slightly inconvenient design quirk. Since the satellites have to be wired to the subwoofer to work, you're limited in where you place them in your room. Plus, all the extra wires can easily get tangled, which can be annoying, especially since other manufacturers have wireless satellites as an alternative.
Vizio vs Samsung
You can find budget-friendly and more premium soundbar models from both Samsung and Vizio. Samsung's offerings shine in the premium category, and generally, their products offer more sound enhancement features like graphic EQs, so you can customize their sound. Meanwhile, some of the best Vizio soundbars are available in the budget category, as their cheaper models have impressive low-frequency extensions to bring more bass to the mix.
Vizio vs LG
LG is another popular soundbar brand with a wide array of soundbars available at both budget-friendly and premium price points. Compared to Vizio, LG bars tend to be better built, even at wallet-friendly price points, with more wireless connectivity options and integrated voice assistant support. However, their budget models generally don't reproduce as much low bass as Vizio's.
Vizio makes a ton of different soundbars at various price points. In general, they provide pretty good value for the price, especially if you find an older model on sale. While their products look and feel cheaper than competing models from other brands, it's a minor sacrifice for the solid performance you generally get in exchange.
Lineup
Vizio's naming strategy hasn't changed much since they launched their first soundbar, the VSB210WS, in 2009. They use a combination of letters and numbers to designate the soundbar's size and the number of channels. They also add a letter at the end to indicate the release year, starting with the letter 'A' in 2012. 'B' covers both 2013 and 2014, while 'C' is used for 2015, 'D' for 2016, and so forth up to 'K' for 2022. However, more recent models have departed from this naming convention, featuring a four digit number at the end of the name instead.
For example:
- The SB36512-F6 is a 36-inch soundbar with 5.1.2 channels released in 2018.
- The SB3820-C6 is a 38-inch soundbar with 2.0 channels released in 2015.
- The M Series M215aw-K6 is a 2.1 soundbar released in 2022.
Recent Updates
Jan 15, 2026:
We've updated this article and streamlined it down to two picks, as most of the Vizio bars we've tested have been discontinued.
Mar 11, 2025:
We've updated this article to add the Vizio Elevate SE SL512X-0806 as our mid-range pick, replacing the Vizio M512a-H6, which is proving hard to find in stock. Otherwise, we've made only minor changes to the rest of the article.
Nov 21, 2024:
We've replaced the Vizio M Series M512a-H6 with the Vizio SV510X-0806 as the SV510X-0806 has Dolby Atmos support.
Aug 19, 2024: We've looked over this article to ensure all our picks remain in stock and accurate, but we've made no changes to the text.
May 17, 2024: We've checked our picks for availability and product accuracy, but there hasn't been a change in our recommendations.
Conclusion
Vizio is best known for their competitively priced TVs, and their soundbar division follows suit. They have a wide range of soundbar models at various price points to satisfy all kinds of users. Most of their products provide very good value for the price, and their soundbars are no exception. It's possible to find surprisingly fully featured models at a relatively low price point, especially when there's a sale. However, their products usually don't look or feel very high-end. If you're not picky about build quality, Vizio soundbars are worth considering.