The VIZIO M-Series All-in-One 2.1 Immersive Sound Bar (2023 Model) brings your entertainment to life with cutting-edge audio technologies. Designed by audio enthusiasts, this sound bar features Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, creating an immersive experience with realistic sound that surrounds you from above and behind. The innovative DTS Virtual:X technology delivers the sensation of a multi-speaker setup, turning your room into a theater-like environment with a remarkably lifelike sonic landscape.
Powered by six high-performance speakers, the M-Series delivers premium audio clarity and depth, with an impressive 98dB sound output and frequencies as low as 50Hz. Integrated tweeters and woofers ensure balanced audio with impactful bass and crystal-clear dialogue. Built-in dual subwoofers eliminate the need for external components, keeping your setup minimal and efficient.
Measuring just 36 inches wide and over 2 inches high, the M-Series All-in-One sound bar features a sleek, fabric-wrapped design that fits seamlessly into any space. Whether wall-mounted or placed under your TV, its low-profile design ensures an unobstructed view of your screen while complementing your décor.
Compatible with Alexa and built for simplicity, the VIZIO M-Series combines advanced sound quality, modern design, and effortless integration for a superior home entertainment experience. Transform your movies, shows, music, and podcasts into immersive audio adventures with America’s favorite sound bar brand.
Atmos stamped, but I don't detect any height, especially compared to something like the Samsung Q990. It does well in a large room, and was surprisingly good in a bedroom. I would happily buy again or recommend when looking for a simple AIO solution on a budget, especially for small to medium rooms.
About a week later someone posted a comment asking what the problem was because they could hear the sound constantly on their end. So I listened to my video on my phone and found that the video was constantly playing the audio that I thought was definitely cutting out when I played the audio through my sound bar. So that settled it. It was the sound bars fault. Sure enough, I tested the audio through some headphones and all was working as it should.
This is where the annoying troubleshooting came into play. Most posts from other customers are reporting issues with TVs or specifically Vizio sound bars with the TVs to blame. However, in this situation, I couldn't blame a TV. It was my PC that would play audio perfectly on one device, but not another. Again, my audio settings on the sound bar were mostly default. I had changed the EQ to Game and made a few adjustments to the Bass and Treble. But, one thing that stood out was that my PC audio was fairly low and this was because I didn't want to blast my PC volume and have more wiggle room to adjust it from my PC when needed. Meaning not having to fiddle with the remote often.
Out of curiosity, I turned the volume on my PC all the way up and turned the sound bar volume down very low. And sure enough, all the audio that was cutting out before was now playing perfectly. I'm not sure what it is. There's some mechanism in place on this sound bar to not play low decibel sounds when the input audio is low. I don't know how to explain it other than there's a threshold. So easiest solution if you are using the sound bar for a similar purpose is to turn your PC or device all the way up and lower the sound bar volume until it's a comfortable volume.
This was very annoying though and shouldn't happen. Please don't program in volume thresholds for inputs. It will just lead to possible unnecessary customer service reports and rants or requests for help posts across the internet. If you design/develop sound bars, DON'T DO IT.
Replacement unit works perfectly- but the Atmos sound is hard to discern. One doesn't actually feel the sound coming from above, etc- but I'd imagine this is to be expected on a unit at this price point. It does have a nice sound quality overall- and does have a nice bass boom when needed.
Now unfortunately after receiving the new one, and calling Vizio. Who I will say I have unfortunately called a few times over the years for things, but the good part, they have always been extremely helpful and he stayed on the line with me. Trying to make the unit act up. While it would now and then, he never could completely firgure out the issues, it was cutting in and out. He had me how it up a different way than the HDMI cable, and it work fine.
Now after getting off the phone, we thought about a few things he said, and put our old one back up and hooking it up the same way for it to work correctly again. So we returned this one. This issue has to be in the TV, for both to act up the same, and be fixed the same way.
We probably would have keeper it, but as I said it did not have the same surround sound we like, with the build in subwoofers in the bar, they don't project enough. We're are old one had the little speakers you put behind you. So we decided to return it, and go back to our old one.
Regrettably, the Voice Assistant responses fail to function over Bluetooth. It will carry out commands like playing music however the Bluetooth connection itself proves to be unstable and frequently drops out. Moreover, if you have multiple google nest speakers grouped together, there is a noticeable lag that arises between this soundbar and the surrounding speakers. In the end, this basically renders the feature practically useless if you are trying to integrate this soundbar into your Google Home.
When it comes to sound quality, this soundbar delivers an impressively wide sound stage and robust bass, especially considering its compact size. It significantly enhances audio quality compared to standard TV speakers, making it a great option for apartment living where a separate subwoofer might disturb downstairs neighbors.
Overall I do enjoy the unit for enhancing the audio experience on the TV. But I do feel a sense of being mislead with the "Seamless Voice Assistant Integration" feature and wish they would have stated that more clearly. In the end this is a decent quality soundbar however unless you have a smart speaker that has an AUX output, I wouldn't count on the "Seamless Voice Assistant Integration" feature working for you.
First, keep in mind that is not a 5.1 unit. It is a 2.1 with six speakers, including built in subwoofers. The equipped EQ settings are good at simulating a surround sound experience, but you have to play around with it to see which is best for you. It will vary with each user.
The sound is excellent, especially considering this is a unit that is below $200. The bass is good, but not overwhelming, which is understandable in that there is no large subwoofer with it. You can tweak the bass volumes, because it can distort a little if turned up too much.
The hook up is a synch, and if your TV is equipped with e Arc, I would fully suggest routing it from the arc setting on the soundbar to the arc input on the tv. While the unit has a second HDMI input, it really is best to route any additional HDMI devices to the tv rather than the soundbar as it can create a handshake issue. I have an Nvidia Shield, and a cable box that I route to the HDMI inputs on the tv, and run the single HDMI arc from the soundbar to the tv arc input. Works fine.
The remote is good and pretty easy to use. Bottom line, this is an excellent unit for the price. The sound is impressive and it's really easy to operate. If you are looking for a good sounding soundbar that will not break the bank, this is the one for you.
It's frustrating because this feature is in the title of the product and is clearly described in the User Manual — and yet it doesn't work at all.
I imagine Auto VA via AUX input works okay, but that means I have to move my Echo or get a wicked-long audio cable, neither of which I want to do.
However, otherwise the soundbar sounds fine. Not quite as good as the Bose Companion computer speakers I used previously, but whole worlds better than the built in TV speakers. It's just a shame that I have disconnect and reconnect to Alexa so often.