Vizio M-Series 5.1 Sound Bar Review (M51a-H6) | How is it this good?
Vizio M-Series 5.1 Sound Bar Review (M51a-H6) | How is it this good?
Vizio has been turning out solid sound bars for several years, but the new M-Series 5.1 sound bar with virtual Dolby Atmos is shockingly good, especially for the price. As good as the Vizio Elevate sound bar system may be, this sound bar makes way more sense for most people.
Vizio M-Series 5.1 (M51a-H6) is available here – https://bestbuy.7tiv.net/9WJO2y
0:00 – Intro
0:58 – Design
1:19 – Speaker Overview
1:42 – Ports and Connections
2:23 – What’s In The Box
3:19 – Setup Options
4:02 – Potential Issues
4:19 – Control System
4:42 – How Does It Sound
5:09 – Dolby Atmos
5:46 The Subwoofer
6:37 – Audio Clarity
7:01 – What About Music?
7:30 – Should You Buy It?
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I have the more affordable V series model. Got a good bargain for $189. No regrets.
In Costco for $189
Great review. I have a Samsung hw-q600a soundbar and I would like to know where is the best place to place my sub. I have this set up in my master bedroom
Great review. I like how you explained what you were looking for the system to do in the Mad Max scene you use as a reference.
Can I ask where you got the TV stand and what is the model number?
The product link (M512a-H6 $500.)does not match the speaker you are reviewing (M51a-H6 $300).
Why vizio don’t sell in india?
More a commercial for Vizio and NOT about install on different systems which is IMPORTANT as part of review.
How does the Front Surround Mode perform on this model? This arrangement might be my only option
Would you say this system is an upgrade over a 12 yr old tradational 5.1 setup with a receiver and 5 independent speakers?
To anyone reading, this setup will be less than $200 at Costco on Black Friday…. so… buy it.
When are you going to do a review on the vizio 2021 5.1 m series dolby atmos j6 model soundbar ? Thanks ✌
Unfortunately, the remote uses IR Infrared and you have to keep around 2 remotes as nowadays most of the smart TVs are with Bluetooth remote and you won’t be able to use TV’s remote for volume up/down or mute the sound bar.
Okay I must agree It sounds good has crisp highs, I even purchased the more expensive model, but I was quick to return, I don’t understand how people enjoy this soundbar, it is as if their is normal tv speakers to me, no bass at all, if theirs an explosion I wanna hear it, if I wanna listen to music and have nice thumping bass, I wanna hear it, the more expensive model is 500 dollars at best buy, or at least at the time, I saw amazing reviews and bought it, when I hooked it up I was very much disappointed, then I went to polk audio magnifi max sr, which is ******* amazing. Thundering bass amazing dialog and crisp treble, with it being even easier to hook up than the vizio, for only a 100 dollars more than the expensive version of vizio, now it has a price point of 500 dollars so I recommend that sound system to almost everyone that brings up speakers. To me it’s either polk or lg or samsung, I haven’t had much luck with vizio at all beside the 46 inch soundbar with the 10 inch sub, the 3.1.2, but even then it’s good bass but yamaha puts out a sub half the size with more punch.
I just got this and been having trouble getting the subwoofer to connect to my sound bar anyone else having this issue Iv tried the pairing and the sound bar will say “subwoofer not found.”
Which soundbar should I do next? Seeing a lot of interest in Klipsch I think!
Where did you get the stands for the satellite speakers
I have this system and love it the best one I have found for the price, got it from sams on sale for $250
I’m having trouble with my smaller speakers , I get a weird distortion from both w/ no dialogue anyone know how to fix this ?
What is the TV size shown in the video? I’m guessing 65”
does anyone know how long the cables for the rears are?
One of the best purchases I’ve ever made. Love this soundbar.
I need help with my subwoofer. It sounds so quiet, I’ve raised the volume on the remote to the max but the bass is still low. Does anybody have a fix for that?
I’ve been through two Vizio 5.1 sound bars over the past 8 years or so. They just crap out in time. I would suggest going for something different, seriously. The first one, the bar died. A warranty replacement held up for a couple years and eventually the replacement bar died. Just got a new V51-H6 the end of 2020 and the sub died now. Waiting for a replacement. Mind you, they send you a refurb- not a new one. These sound bars are tempting because they’re on the cheaper side. But $250 is not pocket change, either. The build quality is just terrible in my experience, sorry to say. I’ll ride out this NEXT replacement until it dies- and it will- and just move on to another brand. The Vizio 5.1 systems sound great…when they’re working. Don’t count on that lasting all too long though. These things should not be considered disposable gear. Shame.
Does it come with the rear speaker stands?
Returned this to Costco. Wouldn’t reliably turn on when TV turned on. Had to unplug and reset it all the time.
What is the true size of the sub?
Vizio’s website says it is five inches. However, the features printed on the outside of the box I purchased this week at Sam’s Club say the sub is six inches. I am not sure how to measure that driver myself accurately.
Is it possible that Visio has made a change from six to five inches on the sub?
Are the the speakers and
And sub wireless?
What the difference between this one and the v51?
I’ve had this soundbar for a year now. I’ve had 2 of them just die on me out of nowhere. I don’t heavily use my TV by any means or do any insane movie watching theater experiences. I’m very thankful for Vizio replacing both of them. I did their advanced replacement program where they put a hold charge on your card until your old one gets back to them and the process was pretty easy. Just not very pleased that I’ve had 2 of them die on me out of nowhere. amazing sound though. I really got it for the 4K passthru HDMI eARC port. I also purchased the M series 2.1 for the same reason so I would only have 1 HDMI cord running to me TV
Costco has it on sale now for $139….
Are those ELAC speakers on the shelf?
If you don’t want the elevate, I’d at least spring for the 5.1.2 Version.
Some tips-
(1) My house is a single-story on a raised foundation. No matter where I placed the subwoofer, or how low I turned down it’s volume, it was WAY too loud. My fix was placing it on the fireplace hearth where it doesn’t resonate into the floor. If you’re at all DISTRACTED by the bass, dial it down until you don’t notice it anymore. Mine is set at just below the midway point.
(2) Of the four EQ settings, I’ve settled on the one labeled DIRECT. I can leave it there for regular TV, streaming and Blu-rays.
(3) If your TV’s up against one wall, and your sofa is up against the opposite wall, the rear speakers are going to sound too loud. I initially had mine mounted on the wall with their volume turned all the way down. Putting them on the floor and turning the Center level up took care of that.
(4) There’s a weird thing that happens sometimes when you switch from watching a TV channel to go to a Roku Channel. It wants to stay on the sound feed from the cable box instead of the new streaming source. It’s not a big deal- I just turn the TV off and turn it right back on again ( and then navigate to the Roku Channel that I originally wanted ).
(5) I’m fairly certain that most of my issues are due to compatibility difficulties with my TV (TCL) offering only HDMI ARC and the Vizio is rocking the EArc. The CEC "standard" might not be as bulletproof as advertised.
(6) If you have gotten too deep in the weeds of tweaking all the levels you can always do a FACTORY RESET. I’ve probably done it more than 10 times already. It just takes a few seconds.
Walk over to the bar and push the Bluetooth and volume down button ( – ) simultaneously for five seconds. When the LEDs stop flashing it’s back to the same way it was the first day you pulled it out of the box.
Hmm this is 328 now at Walmart. Seems to have gone up.
I got this thing today for my semi truck. It sounds amazing in this small space. Definitely worth the price
Having to run 2 cables from the sub to the rears is a deal breaker.
Where did you get the rear speaker stands?
I see in the video you have the subwoofer behind the sofa. Is that the best place to place it or to either side of the sofa ?
At this point in life and making good money, I’m steering away from anything with "Virtual" in it. I think I’ll look into the Elevate instead.
"If you want to feel like you’re sitting in a theatre in the comfort of your own home, this system absolutely pulls that off."
That’s all I needed to hear. Thank you DT!
can these be bought in UK?
What stands is using in this review? I can’t find anything that looks like those.
I bought this at Sam’s for $160 one day. They were out of the one we went to get and I got the last one of these they had. Was so happy after getting it installed and running. Great sounding system for the money honestly.
Which Mad Max is Caleb referring to? I have this soundbar connected to Hisense U8G via eARC. When I watch Mad Max (Mel Gibson) in UHD via Amazon Prime, I do not hear the swirling sound Caleb is referring to and there is no narration at the bigging. Am I watching the wrong movie? Also, what sound mode should the U8G be set to (e.g., auto, PCM, Dolby, etc.)? Thank you.
I wish you showed how to sey up to the tv. I am having trouble connecting to tv and expelling the sound
I feel stupid for asking, but what does "it’s not going to compete with a dedicated music system"? What is an example of what that would be?
Bought 3 of these.. all 3 have an issue where soft dialogue and quiet scenes are way to quiet and then action scenes are screaming loud. We find ourselves having to constantly man the soundbar remote during movies.
Anybody have experience with this? Vizio support couldn’t fix it.
Huh. I didn’t get the aux cables. The tray itself didn’t even have an opening there like yours does. But I came from a full Denon 7.2 receiver. I couldn’t use it after getting divorced and moving to an apartment. I hate to say it, but this actually sounds better to my ears. Maybe it’s because my Denon was in a big open room. Maybe it’s because my speakers weren’t matched well. Either way, this sounds much better.
Snagged this for $275 woot woot
Is this the same one Best Buy lists as M51ax-J6?