The Vizio SB3820-C6 is an entry-level 2.0 channel soundbar that's good for dialogue and TV shows. As it lacks a subwoofer, it struggles to produce a thumpy and punchy bass which isn't great for action flicks or more bass-heavy genres like EDM. Luckily, it has a sub-in input so you can upgrade the setup down the line if you crave bass. It otherwise has a fairly neutral sound that helps reproduce accurate vocals on your favorite TV shows or podcasts. It can get pretty loud, too. It doesn't offer many connectivity inputs such as HDMI, though, and it can only support Dolby Digital surround content.
Our Verdict
The Vizio SB3820-C6 is acceptable for mixed use. It lacks in the bass range, which impacts sound effects in action movies and music genres like EDM. Aside from the bass, it has a fairly neutral sound profile that's well-suited for vocals and dialogue. This soundbar can get loud and you can stream your audio to it using Bluetooth. It even has three surround sound settings to help immerse you in your favorite movies.
- Three virtual surround sound features.
- Can get loud without too many compression artifacts.
- Lacks bass.
- No HDMI inputs.
- No EQ.
The Vizio SB3820-C6 is good for dialogue and TV shows. While it doesn't have a dedicated dialogue enhancement feature, it has a neutral sound that does a fair job of reproducing voices as well as an auto-volume/night mode feature that can help level out volume differences between different kinds of content. It can also get loud, which is nice if you have a large room.
The Vizio SB3820-C6 is alright for music. It has a slightly dark sound profile that lacks a thumpy and punchy bass. However, it reproduces vocals and lead instruments better. Fans of EDM and hip-hop may find its underemphasized bass disappointing, but this sound should still satisfy most other listeners. This bar can get loud enough for house parties or large rooms.
The Vizio SB3820-C6 is disappointing for movies. It lacks a lot of bass, which can dampen the immersiveness of your favorite action films. On the upside, it has a soundstage that's focused and slightly larger than the bar. You can also adjust for bass and treble to get closer to the best sound for your needs, and there are three different surround sound features available too. However, its surround performance is poor as it downmixes to stereo.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 03, 2023: Thanks to user feedback, we identified the Vizio SB3821-C6 as a variant and added it to the review.
- Updated Apr 09, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Sep 23, 2020: The Dynamics tests have been reconducted due to a value input bug.
- Updated May 27, 2020: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
This soundbar is available in Black. It appears that you can also purchase a variant of this soundbar with a subwoofer included, called the Vizio SB3821-C6.
If you come across another version of this bar, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The Vizio SB3820-C6 is a 38" 2.0 channel soundbar. Although it looks nearly identical to the Vizio SB3220n-F6, It's slightly longer and has a slightly worse overall performance. However, compared to other 2.0 soundbars in this range, it has a more neutral sound profile and it can get fairly loud. It even offers two additional virtual surround sound features and a sub-in port, if you ever want to expand your setup in the future, which is a nice touch.
If you're shopping around for soundbars, check out our recommendations for the best budget soundbars, the best small soundbars, and the best soundbars under $200.
Although the Vizio SB3820-C6 is a 2.0 channel speaker, it has a better performance than the 2.1 channel AmazonBasics 2.1 Channel Bluetooth. The Vizio has a better-balanced sound profile and has fewer compression artifacts at max volume. It also has a phantom center channel and it can downmix surround content. While it doesn't have EQs, it has bass and treble adjustments as well as three virtual surround sound features. The AmazonBasics, on the other side, offers a dialogue enhancement feature.
The Vizio SB3820-C6 is a better overall 2.0 soundbar than the TaoTronics TT SK-023. The Vizio has a more balanced sound profile, a phantom center, and it can downmix surround content, allowing it to support Dolby Digital content. While it lacks an EQ, it has an auto-volume feature, and you can even adjust the bass and treble. The TaoTronics is much smaller, though, and can easily fit between the legs of most 55 inch TVs.
While the Vizio SB3220n-F6 and the Vizio SB3820-C6 are both 2.0 soundbars with an almost identical look, the SB3220n-F6 slightly outperforms the other. The SB3220n-F6 produces more bass and offers EQs to help customize your sound experience. Still, the SB3820-C6 is longer, it can get slightly louder with fewer compression artifacts, and it doesn't distort as much at max volume. It also has three additional surround sound features available.
The JBL Link Bar is a better overall 2.0 soundbar than the Vizio SB3820-C6. The JBL can deliver a more punchy and warm bass, it has an HDMI-in port, and it can support Dolby Digital content. It also has EQ presets. On the flip side, the Vizio has a slightly better center and surround performance, even though it uses a phantom center channel and downmixes surround content into stereo.
Test Results
The Vizio SB3820-C6 is a simple-looking, black plastic soundbar with silver caps on both ends, just like the Vizio SB3220n-F6. It has a fabric cover but it can easily collect dust or rip.
This soundbar doesn't come with a subwoofer. That said, the Vizio SB3821-C6 seems to be the same bar with a sub included, so if you care a lot about bass reproduction, you may want to check that out instead.
The Vizio SB3820-C6 is a wide soundbar and may have problems fitting between the legs of most 55" TVs. It may also block your screen if your TV sits flush on the table.
This soundbar doesn't come with satellite speakers.
This soundbar has two openings on its back. The first one is for the detachable power cable, and the second one is for the connectivity inputs. On the downside, the shape of the wall-mount makes this soundbar slightly stick out from the wall rather than lay flush.
The Vizio SB3820-C6 has a decent build quality. The front and top parts of the bar have a fabric covering while the rear and underside use a good quality plastic. On the downside, the fabric covering can rip and it can also collect dust or dirt.
- Manual
- Wall-mount template
- 2x Wall-mount screws
- 2x Wall-mount brackets
- Remote
- 2x AAA batteries
- 11-ft power cable
- Coaxial audio cable
- Stereo RCA to 3.5mm audio cable
- Optical cable
The Vizio SB3820-C6 has an acceptable stereo frequency response. As this soundbar doesn't have a subwoofer, it doesn't produce deep thump or rumble and it struggles to produce a bass with punch and warmth. The treble is also a little dark across the range but this soundbar still manages to produce a somewhat neutral sound.
The Vizio SB3820-C6 has a good stereo soundstage that's bigger than the bar itself. It has a centered focus that can help objects sound as if they're coming from a more accurate pinpoint location rather than from a more general area. However, its soundstage seems a bit wider on the right side than on the left side, even when it's centered on a table.
Update 09/23/2020: We've discovered a value input bug that would cause the Dynamics box results to be slightly off. All soundbars reviewed since January 30th, 2020 have been updated.
The Vizio SB3820-C6 has great stereo dynamics. It can get loud enough for house parties or large rooms, which is nice. At higher volumes, it produces a few compression artifacts and some pumping, particularly in the bass range, but it may not be noticeable to all listeners.
The Vizio SB3820-C6's total harmonic distortion performance is good. The THD falls within good limits at moderate volume. At max volume, there's some distortion that results in harsh and impure frequencies but this may not be noticeable to all listeners.
The Vizio SB3820-C6 has a decent center channel performance. While it doesn't have a dedicated center channel, it uses its left and right drivers to simulate a phantom center. The result is a fairly balanced sound that produces accurate audio and dialogue. However, it won't be as clear or detailed sounding like that of 3.0 or higher channel soundbars that have a dedicated center channel.
Like most 2.0 soundbars. the Vizio SB3820-C6 has a bad surround performance. It has to downmix surround content into stereo, so it can't reproduce objects in the surround image very clearly, which affects the immersion of surround sounds. However, it does offer three virtual surround modes but we don't currently test their performance.
This soundbar doesn't support Atmos.
This soundbar has poor sound enhancement features. It lacks a dialogue enhancement feature and, unlike the Vizio SB3220n-F6, has no EQs at all, which is pretty disappointing. Instead, it offers three virtual surround features called DTS Virtual X, DTS StudioSound, and DTS TruSurround but we don't currently test this. There's also an auto-volume mode as well as bass and treble adjustment.
The Vizio SB3820-C6 has a limited amount of inputs. There's a standard audio jack, digital input, RCA input, and an optical-in. There's also a USB input if you want to play files directly from your flash drive and a sub-out input so you can add a subwoofer down the line. There are no HDMI ports, though, so you won't be able to use it as a hub for your media devices.
This soundbar doesn't have an HDMI ARC port.
This soundbar doesn't have any HDMI ports.
Although this soundbar has an optical connection, it can only play Dolby Digital files. This shouldn't be an issue for most though as there's a lot of content available in Dolby Digital. However, some Blu-rays are DTS only, so they won't play on this soundbar.
The Vizio SB3820-C6 has passable wireless playback options. It only supports Bluetooth but at the least, it's easy to stream music or podcasts from your mobile device.
Since this soundbar doesn't support HDMI, there's no video passthrough.
The Vizio SB3820-C6 uses the same set of vertical lights on the front of the bar as the Vizio SB3220n-F6. They flash in different patterns to let you know which setting you're on, but while the lights are more visible on this model, it can still be hard to know which setting you're on if you don't have it memorized.
This soundbar uses five physical buttons found on the top of the bar. From here, you can turn the bar on/off, change inputs, pair up with a Bluetooth device, and control the volume.
This soundbar comes with a remote that you can use to control audio playback when you're connected via Bluetooth or USB. You can also change inputs, toggle between different surround sound modes, and adjust for treble and bass. On the downside, it doesn't have a screen unlike some other Vizio models such as the Vizio SB36512-F6 and it can be hard to know which input you're on.