VIZIO - M51ax-J6

I had a Vizio soundbar, it was Vizio M51ax-j6 and it said it had Dolby Atmos, idk what you mean by "true Dolby Atmos" but I loved that soundbar, and if you have the tv in like a room or an small/medium size living room I think it should be more than enough, I only changed it because I went all out in a Q990D (which is definitely an upgrade but is not day and night different like it is going from tv speakers to a soundbar)

I have a 2022 Vizio M51ax-J6 and it's excellent. It's a 5.1.2 setup, but it allows you to take the back speakers and configure them and put them in the front instead of back if you want. The surround is really good. Connect it to your eARC HDMI port on your TV and you're set. Excellent sound. If you can find it, the cost is right around $300. Here's the URL for amazon. [Amazon ](http://VIZIO M-Series 5.1 Premium Sound Bar with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Bluetooth, Wireless Subwoofer and Alexa Compatibility, M51ax-J6, 2022 Model https://a.co/d/coczdjx)

Can't you bump up your budget to $400? You can get this Vizio M51AX-J6 (this is mine, it's excellent) or it's sibling vizio m51a-h6. These are solid sub-$500 choices that come in at or around $300-$350. Look https://www.rtings.com/soundbar/reviews/vizio/m-series-m51a-h6

The reason I'm suggesting that you bump up your budget is because after about a year, you're going to be de-sensitized to any sound from a 3.1 system. The difference between these Vizio DTS DTX supported surround sound systems and even a high quality 3.1 is dramatic. I've had it for about 2 years now in February and I did a lot of research when I chose the one that I purchased that I suggested. I found that even if I jumped up to about $700 the system that I purchased is competitive because the atmos feature is really hard to pin down. The other issue is a lot of these high-end systems they have proprietary logic, in the operate on different channels and they could interfere with your Wi-Fi. That could be even possible on the low end of the systems that you're looking at.

It's truly crazy how good these "mid range" Vizio systems are. I have the M51AX-J6 after researching for quite a while. I was hesitant to drop $800 or more without getting an idea of how a surround setup will sound in my media room. I almost pulled the trigger on an Elevate but opted to start with the ax-j6 and see. Now, after two years, I'm scared to try to replace it. It's great with music and movies. I'm kind of one of those guys who if I pay $600 more for a product to replace one that I have now that works very well, it BETTER BE SMOKING GOOD and blow me away. When I saw the 990D systems had that "bricking" failure after software upgrade, I was shocked anyone would buy them right now.

If you don't mind sticking with Vizio, I've bought two of these [Vizio M Series M51ax\-J6](https://www.rtings.com/soundbar/reviews/vizio/m-series-m51ax-j6) - one for myself shortly after it came out, and one as a gift back in November. Paid a bit over $300 for the first, roughly $170 for the second one - a refurbished deal on ebay. Very good sound, more than loud enough for my apartment, good bass, clear dialogue, decent satellites, eArc, DolbyA/DTS. If you can get one for under $200, doubt you'll regret it.

i have that same situation so i bought a Vizio M51AX-J6 Soundbar 5.1 with dolby atmos and dts:x. The rear speakers are hardwired to the wireless sub.

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.

Thanks! I actually ended up going for a different model, the V51x-J6.

I got mine on Amazon for $170. It's been working well so far. It's a pity that it no longer supports Google Home. Also, I've been unable to pair it with the Vizio App via Bluetooth. Considering whether I should buy insurance for it...

I own that one and just sent it in for repair (insurance). After a year, it started clipping at high volume, but it's a solid surround sound i would buy another one. Where did you purchase yours?

Nice! Turns out they couldn't fix the issue and gave me a refund for the purchase, and i used that to buy the M series m512a-j6, I'd recommend the insurance although i had Allstate Protection when i purchased it at Walmart. But overall, considering the state of electronics in this day and age, I'd say get the insurance.

Out of the 2, the LG is better but not by enough to really warrant the price difference. Gotta Vizio.

It's this one: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6583400.p?skuId=6583400&sb_share_source=PDP

I have that Vizio 5.1 and it's definitely worth it for the price

PLEASE don't get 2.1 because your tv already has 2.0 bad speakers so you're paying 150$ essentially for a subwoofer (that black big box) as the tv speakers will get kuted once you connect your 2.1. X.y.z configuration is as follows : X means number of channels/speakers on your ear level Y means number of subwoofers (big black box) Z means height or upfiring or Dolby Atmos speakers/channels IF YOUR TV HAS DOLBY ATMOS OR HDMI 2.1 EARC (not HDMI 2.0) only then you can go for x.y.z Dolby Atmos soundbar. Otherwise it's x.y like 2.1 or 5.1 Avoid 2.1 at all costs or don't get a soundbar at all. Get a 5.1 or 5.1.2 or 3.1 or 3.1.2 or 5.1.1 (lg has it) Good examples of 5.1 in a box are samsung b670 or somy hts-40r or vizio 5.1 where you get 2 rear speakers. Find the cheapest soundbar + subwoofer+ rear speakers combo and get that.

Got a Vizio 5.1 sound bar setup hooked up via HDMI arc Latency isn't bad, it's like on average like 85ms (more or less depending on the system and game). I only had to get it to 300ms on Fortnite Festival but that's just standard for some ungodly reason.

I have the 5.1 version of this that I bought years ago and I still love it. It’s being used right now! I can’t believe the amount of bass from the cute little sub.

Hey I’m curious, I have the 5.1 Vizio setup and I used to have my PS5 set to Linear PCM and found that it had great sound, the 5.1 surround audio was good and all but I feel as if I don’t get the best audio with booming bass unless I set the audio to DTS and unfortunately have to use the digital optical port, but Call of Duty sounds the best while using DTS as it seems to offer the most depth/range of bass. Dolby doesn’t sound better than either L-PCM or DTS on my setup. Also, when I get info from the soundbar it says Dolby digital surround when using DTS but when using Linear PCM it only says Stereo and that absolutely drives me crazy.

Vizio m series 5.1 Atmos. Sounds great, cheap too

On 10/30/24 i purchased a brand new M-series Vizio 5.1 dolby atmos soundbar from walmart. This unit was brand new in the box, with all hardware still in sealed plastic bags. After setting up unit, it would not switch to the hdmi port consistently. Once it did, it would continue to switch from whatever imput to a random imput. I called the tech support. Gave them the serial number. They checked serial number and went thru over 40 minutes of troubleshooting before it was determined the unit was faulty out of the box. After checking, he determined I bought the unit that day, and it was under warranty. I was told I would get a unit the NEXT DAY ( I asked if I might get it by the next monday) He asked me to verify the purchase, by texting the reciept. I sent him a copy, he asked for a better version, sent him that. He approved the exchange. Got my email addrees, mailing address etc. Was told I would get an email regarding sending the unit back. I never received any phone call back, or email regarding the faulty product. So here we are Tuesday, November 5th and I still have not received the promised unit. THis company sold me a lemon. Now a week later, they tried to say i bought the product in July! After this over an hour on the phone with them approving giving me a WORKING UNIT! So, now they say my unit was not brand new, that it was bought before, and they do not have to do anything about giving me a broken BRAND NEW unit out of the box! They said deal with walmart. A I live 30 miles and a bridge away from Walmart. B They allready approved and never said anything about it being renewed when I was troubleshooting it! SO now they are selling renewed as new? Such horrible practice. I want a brand new working system like they promised! This is the worst. I bought a brand new product and now they dont want to give me a replacement because of the replacement cost. They also said they were going to give me this years model as well!

Vizio M-series? Really good 5.1 for the price range for sure. V-series has a major issue though

Found a Vizio M series for 80 bucks, it was a steal. It’s really good

M series is what i would buy. Reviews have looked like it punches above its price point.

I would recommend the sony bravia 8 soundbar. Currently, $699 at Best Buy in US. I have that with a sub and it's over kill in my townhouse. Paired with a Sony A80K OLED. If you're looking for cheaper surround sound system, Vizio M series is great. I think they are $500. Does the job at an affordable price point. I'd also say the sonos beam, but I'd personally pair with a sub.

[Here’s a list of top soundbars for under $300](https://www.rtings.com/soundbar/reviews/best/by-price/under-300) The Vizio M series is probably your best bet for a budget soundbar and overall sound experience. Note that dialogue usually only comes out of the soundbar itself and not the surround speakers, the surrounds are there to add an immersive experience for action scenes where sounds are coming from behind/around you but generally dialogue is limited to the soundbar itself due to the audio mix, so focus on a soundbar with good dialogue vs thinking that adding surround speakers will make your dialogue sound better.

Honestly Vizio m series all day. No bugs for me after updating initially

I own number 6 and another Vizio one that isn't on here, the first version of the Elevate sound bar. The m series listed is in my bedroom and it's actually a pretty good soundbar I kind of wish the sub and the surrounds were slightly bigger but it still has a good sound stage with clear dialogue. The Dolby Atmos speakers are on the bar towards the center so it's kinda hard to make out over head effects without doing it virtually. The 2020 version of the Vizio Elevate is in my living room and it's an amazing soundbar! It's a 5.1.4 setup with the Atmos speakers on the bar and the rear surrounds facing up. The ones on the bar rotate up with Atmos is detected. The sub is 8" and it really packs a punch, can be a bit overpowered but you can turn it down to your liking. The sound stage is huge with clear dialogue and having 4 ceiling facing speakers for Atmos really helps hear anything that's mixed for over head effects. This soundbar doesn't really get much love but I think it's really great especially if you can find it on sale, it's normal price is $1,000 but right now Best Buy has it for $540 which is actually a great deal for this soundbar.

Congrats OP! I did this early last year. I went from a basic ass Bose sounds to a Vizio 5.1 with atmos. Had to get a sound isolation pad under my subwoofer because I’m in an apartment building

Vizio's sound bars are surprisingly great. I have an old 5.1 system. The only issue I've encountered is one where it shuts off randomly, but maybe the new systems like that one don't have that problem.

3.1.2 is the soundbar with 3 integrated speakers (Left, Center, Right), 1 subwoofer, and 2 upfiring speakers integrated into the soundbar that bounces sound off your ceiling. It will not give you real surround sound compared to a 5.1 or 5.1.2 atmos system. I would go with Vizio if you want surround sound (Left, Center, Right, Rear Left, Rear Right, Subwoofer). Vizio also has Atmos-Surround solutions with their Elevate series.