VIZIO - M512a-H6

Budget Vizio M Series 5.1.2 checking in and going strong! Price to Performance is amazing. Best $350 I've spent on Home Theater Equipment

Spend a little bit more than 300 and get the VIZIO - 5.1.2-Channel M-Series Premium Atmos and DTS:X Dark Charcoal Model: M512A-H6. I got mine for $350

Yeah I have replied, I think that Vizio will be pretty good for what you want.

OK I checked the Vizio, and it seems like your best option atm. [Review](https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/vizio-m512a-h6-review-the-best-dolby-atmos-soundbar-for-the-money/) [R8tings](https://www.rtings.com/soundbar/reviews/vizio/m-series-m512a-h6) For the money, I don't know what else to offer you, I think you will be in good hands, if you want to wait and check out more, then do this, but what you have posted seems like the best one for the money. Just make sure the model number is the same from Amazon, to the reviews.

I just bought my mom the Sonos Beam 2. I find it’s excellent and she (70 y/o) said it’s the clearest dialogue she’s ever heard from TV.  If you’re looking for more, I own the Vizio M-Series m512a-h6. It’s been an incredible system for my needs and budget. 

In terms of single channel clarity and sound, the beam. But in terms of full surround sound, immersion, 5.1.2 clarity etc., the Vizio. 

Ya i like my 9.2.4 eArc 2 10” subs and 4 surrounds blends nice in a open concept kinda area. It was a almost 1800$ back when i got it for 200$ off an older couple a subwoofer plate fried so subs and surrounds didn’t work i called Nakamich ended up sending me 2 new plates for me to swap out after trying a couple things first. They didn’t chsrge me a dime just asked if it worked if i would send mine back w/shipping label they had sent so they could see what happened. You cant get much better customer care then that and they knew I bought it used. Also have a Vizio Mseries 5.1.2 and a jbl 9.1 i do like there 10” sub im using it as a blutooth speaker in my lil garage part of my basement.

I wish JBL offered there older bars with a 12” like there 1300 models do but there 10” sub sounds better then most. Ill use sound bars in my bedrooms and office i also got all mine stupid cheap when they were all fairy new or been out a year or so. A vizio m512a in office if came w an 8” sub wouldve been nice. Then 2 Nakamichis a 7.2 with dual 8” subs for 200$ was 1500$ or so new at time and 250$ for a 9.2.4 eArc 10” subs which was over 1600$ on Amazon back then. Both Geek squad had lost connection with sub which took out both surrounds on 1 and both subs and 4 surrounds on the other. Both Customers didn’t even try to fix them apparently because i messaged Nakamichi on each system they sent me out thumdrives for subs to try for free which worked on the 7.2 but lastthing they tried on the 9.2 was sent out new sub plates to try and if worked then id send mine back to them with a shipping label they also sent out. That actually worked out I couldn’t believe it for free in under 2 weeks and both sound better then other bars at the time especially in bigger rooms. Then some crack head was selling a JBL 5.1 multibeam w/ 10” sub for 175” I offered 125$ didn’t think id see a response but he messaged back a week or so later to sell BestBuy was selling it new for over 600$. I use it as a blutooth system in my garage off basement and sounds mint mostly because of the sub. Most sound bars I don’t think music sounds good at voume the Nak 9.2.4 still sounds decent id like to hear the 1300Pro just check Marketplace sometimes be surprised what you find sometimes.

Many soundbars DO come with physical rear speakers, and even upfiring Atmos speakers. My Vizio M512a-H6 soundbar is 5.1.2, with upfiring Atmos speakers in the bar plus rear surrounds connected by wires to a wireless subwoofer to avoid running wires across the room. Other soundbars avoid the restrictions that puts on subs by selling rear speakers with a separate wireless receiver (Samsung, LG) or even making each rear speaker totally wireless (JBL). I would even agree that a properly configured & installed AV receiver with professionally installed speakers would sound better than a soundbar, especially with Atmos speakers in or near the ceiling that don't depend on room acoustics. I would even agree that basic AVRs & speakers probably cost less than better soundbars. Still, once you factor in TOTAL costs and/or installation hassle, soundbars are a MUCH better option than TV speakers -- even if your TV comes with its own Atmos setup. (My Hisense U8K is 2.1.2 but with the usual down-firing front speakers plus sub & Atmos speakers on the back of the TV, but my soundbar easily beats it.) Not everyone either wants, OR can afford and/or install, a Denon, a room full of Klipsches, and wires all over; they just want better sound in their living room, even if they live in an apartment, rental house, older house, etc. and are unwilling or unable to run wires across the room due to landlord issues, physical disabilities, etc. For people in those situations like myself, a soundbar like my Vizio IS the solution, even when sitting between a Panasonic UB820 4K player and an upper-midrange Hisense TV. It's definitely good enough for me, unless & until I win the lottery & can afford to buy a house and hire an AV professional to build the best sound system money can buy.

That's why they make soundbars with wireless subs & rear surrounds, and even Atmos ("virtualized", upfiring, etc.), like my Vizio 5.1.2 Atmos/DTS:X soundbar. (Technically the rear surrounds are wired to the wireless sub, but still that avoids stringing speaker wires from front to back.)

Not true. Their newer soundbars are excellent. I have two different Shockwafe eARC models and they are a lot better than pretty much all comparable systems from Samsung, LG, Vizio, TCL, and a bunch of others I've been through. I bought and returned probably 7 or 8 soundbars including the highly rated Samsung 990. The only ones I didn't return are the Vizio M512a-h6 which I kept because they were the best out of that bunch. All the rest of them were pieces of crap. Eventually I upgraded from the Vizios to the Nakamichis and never looked back. I still have the Vizios stored in a closet just in case. The most recent ones like the Dragon and the Shockwafe Wireless are incredible. That said, sure, a well matched system of AVR and separate speakers can sound better but they are also more expensive and not always physically possible to place in some rooms.

Overhyped, IMO. Sure, it's a decent soundbar and just fine for smaller rooms but put it in a 40x25 room with 12' ceilings and the bass just disappears. My Vizio M512A-h6 had much better bass. But for a small room, it's not surprising that people coming from lower end soundbars like the Vizios might think the Samsung is the best soundbar ever made. But in reality, it's not.

LOL, You are me a year ago. I had the same doubts, and was using a perfectly fine Vizio (512a elevate) unit I was quite happy with. I slid into a deal on a 990C at around $650, and yeah, this thing is in a different class entirely. You'll realize that when you first open the box. It's like I'd ordered a major appliance. Beefy is a word that barely does it justice. The whole system is a chonk. One of the rear surrounds weighs as much as my Vizio soundbar did. They each contain an amp and wireless transmitter, so the only wiring is power to each of the 4 driver units. Yes, get it. The sub is decent, it's an 8" driver and goes to around 37hz. Luckily you can upgrade that by opening it up and splicing to the speaker wire to add a second sub or bass transducers ( a project I hope to tackle soon).

https://www.rtings.com/soundbar/reviews/vizio/sv510x-0806 Rtings review is out.  In short it’s mediocre, and it can only do 2.0 over LPCM and has no HDMI inputs at all, so Nintendo switch is stereo only and other game consoles would need to be set to DD/DTS. As a result I wouldn’t recommend it, the older m51 series is better in every way, and there are bars at this price range that will properly do 5.1 LPCM.

EDIT: Woops I thought you were talking about the older higher-end m51-ax51.  But does it still work properly? Have you actually tested that it’s the proper channels?  In the Nintendo switch settings when you do sound test do you for sure hear 6 distinct sounds each from its own individual speaker? Also what TV and what firmware are you on? For me I don’t get 5.1 LPCM over eARC.  I get a simulated 5.1 that appears to be 5.1 but for example in the switch test the bass doesn’t activate and rear speakers get activated when they shouldn’t and the rear left and right are the same, and that’s the symptoms I’ve heard from pretty much anyone who has extensively tested it, even on PC.  Usually with an LG C series OLED.  In other words the surround is messed up. I have to use HDMI-IN for LPCM, from any source(PS5, switch, PC), to get proper surround.

I'm ngl foe the price the vizo m series 5.1.2 is alright...I mean don't get me wrong none of these are even CLOSE to my all klipsch 5.1.4 system w/ the new klipsch rp1200sw sub, but for my bedroom the vizio m series does great...I will say tho, anyone that wants a GREAT surround system, a subwoofer with a low freq response is SO important...my old sub was the r12sw, which had a frwq response down to 30hz...my new one, goes down to 16.5hz...its literally like an earthquake in movies

It doesn’t come close to my component 5.1.2 setup in my living room, but in my bedroom have a Vizio 5.1.2 m series sound bar that is pretty decent for being a sound bar. It has little rear surround speakers and a sub. Then upfiring atmos speakers in the bar itself. It was like 450 when I got it 3-4 years ago. [doesn’t appear to be available anymore though](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6446231.p?skuId=6446231&sb_share_source=PDP)