It shouldn’t be like that this cheap to thoroughly enjoy the sound of John Wick as he breaks a real-life NBA player’s neck with a book. However, for around $200 (less than a penny on sale), you can get a 5.1 soundbar system from Vizio that will let you hear the slight cracking of his vertebrae when lightly stabbed Keanu Reeves contorts his leather-bound enemy like that, in the introduction to the third part of the series.
This type of soak used to cost you hundreds, if not thousands, more. Now, simply plug an HDMI cable into your eARC port selected screen (or in my case, the Hisense 130-inch laser projector, which I’m also testing), and you can get sucked into the action deeper than you could with a single central soundbar.
As long as you’re happy with a few stray wires from the surround speakers to the subwoofer, you can easily set up this system, plug it in, and enjoy your favorite content with a new immersive experience. Was on the fence approx get a soundbar because you are saving for a comprehensive home theater? Start here and you’ll have more time to upgrade.
You are surrounded
A slim, nondescript, 33-inch main soundbar combines with small wired surround speakers and a wireless subwoofer to create this 5.1 system. The only thing you’re likely to need is a pair of brackets for the rear speakers, unless you plan on wall-mounting them (it includes mounting holes for this).
An exclusive benefit for those with Vizio TVs is the quick-fit system, which allows you to easily place the bar into the bottom of a compatible model Vizio TV. This makes this bar an especially good choice if you’re also considering a TV like the latest Vizio 4K model we just reviewed (7/10, WIRED recommended).
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Photo: Parker Hall
The main downside to this system, and the reason why it costs significantly less than other options I tested that produce sound of this quality, is because of those wires. They’re about 20 feet long, long enough to work in most average living rooms or apartments, but having to run cables is much more annoying than with a wireless system.
Once set up, you just need to plug an HDMI cable from the main bar into the TV, then the magic of eARC will work and you can use the bar as you like. As long as your TV is new enough to have ARC or eARC, you can use the TV’s remote (or in my case the TV and then the laser projector’s remote) to adjust the volume. of the soundbar without having to touch the included Vizio remote.
