VIZIO - Elevate 5.1.2 Soundbar SE (SL512X-0806)

Best for the price would be the Vizio elevate. Can find the 5.1.4 (highest end) for $500 refurbished at Costco. Best new for under $450 would be the Vizio m-series SL512X currently $400 from Walmart or Sam's club. If you want to compromise slightly on performance and prioritize connectivity (120hz passthrough 4k) then it's the hisense AX5125H - currently out of stock near me but $237 on Walmart is a great deal. These are the best in class unless you get lucky on a swing deal for a high end system.

I’ll second this, as same, I love mine. The auto-rotate feature when Atmos kicks on is soooooo satisfying

I got a Vizio Elevate 5.1.2 on sale for $250. I love it.

Despite others dislike of sound bars, I’d consider one for your specific use. I use a full blown HT system for my main viewing room. For an entertainment room a sound bar works well. I use a Vizio elevate for the non HT room. Clear audio and wireless sub and surrounds. No need to run wire around the room.

Find the original elevate.. only thing beats that your spend 2k … best budget sound bar I ever heard… you can probably find one on amazon or eBay

I just replaced an M-Series Elevate with the Q990F. The Vizio was a terrific 5.1.2 soundbar but the Q990F is in a different league. I bought it on Woot for $967 with an Amazon Prime Visa (5% back in Amazon rewards) and RetailMeNot gave me another $50. I doubt you'll save much more over that on Black Friday.

I live in an apartment and i have neighbors, to me soundbar is the way to go in my case but there is something that i would love to change in a future soundbar (currently i have the vizio elevate) and is a way to have a more separate front left and right channels. It annoys me a little bit when something that is supposed to be in the left or right front channel just sound like the center, unless i sit really close to the soundbar. Is almost a nitpick but something that i’ll consider next time. Other than that i think soundbars are great when you don’t have all the privacy that you’d like.

Could always position the rears in the front or elsewhere. I've seen where you can change the positioning of the rears in some apps, not sure which though. I mounted mine (Samsung Q990C & Vizio Elevate). But they do make the bar sound better. If rear speakers are just hated maybe the Sonos Arc?

I own a 5.1.2 Vizio sound bar (M512E-K6), and I had a 5.1 Polk prior to that. Personally, I think the .2 is worth it. Is it going to sound as good as discrete down-firing ceiling mounted Atmos speakers? Of course not. But, the .2 does add a sense of verticality, especially if you choose the right system. As a Vizio owner, I’m biased, but there are a plethora of reputable reviews out there praising Vizio sound bars for their Atmos performance, especially for the price. If you’re going to pick between the two you have in the screenshots, I would definitely go with the Vizio Elevate. It’s reviewed well, and discreet height speakers are always going to be an improvement over none at all, even if they’re up-firing.

Yeah, like I said, it’s nothing like down firing ceiling mounted but for certain models, you can definitely hear overhead effects, with mine you can especially if LFE. I think it also depends on room, size ceiling, height, and all that. Even if they don’t produce overhead effects, they do improve the sound stage vertically, at least a little bit, and in OP’s case, that Elevate is the better system, especially for $100 less. Like I said if he had to pick between those two, I would definitely get the extra drivers, especially for less, why not?

Vizio se 5.1 surround sound. 200 bucks on Amazon. Sounds amazing