VIZIO VSB210WS Sound Bar Review

5 Responses to “VIZIO VSB210WS Sound Bar Review”

1. R. Reece says:

   November 7, 2010 at 12:12 pm

   Review by R. Reece for VIZIO VSB210WS Universal HD Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer
   Rating:
   I’ve tested sound bars from Sony, Yamaha, Philips, Samsung and Polk Audio. Was not able to find the Marantz and Denon models. These products encompass a wide range of price points. The one I bought was the Vizio: great sound and convenience at a price near the bottom of the range.

   The wireless subwoofer is an amazing convenience. Its range is at least 20 feet, and it sounds terrific in a variety of placements.

   I connected the soundbar to my HDTV console with an optical cable, which works extremely well with one caveat–to activate the audio, the TV must be set on a digital channel. After that, analog audio (including from a DVD player) comes through as normal. If you use the included conventional cable, no issues.

   You have limited control options to tailor the sound, but that’s to be expected at the price. Vizio uses SRS Labs’ surround virtualization chip and also throws in its volume stabilizer to knock down loud commercial breaks. This is a cost sacrifice, as the Dolby and DTS HD audio codecs are much more expensive. No problem; the others sound thin, while the Vizio washes you with clear, powerful sound.

   It’s not true surround sound, but unlike some rivals, the audio experience isn’t overly directional (sounds good throughout the room) and is much better than basic stereo. If you can’t run wire through your walls to deploy full surround, this is a fine compromise.
2. Sonny Craven says:

   November 7, 2010 at 12:30 pm

   Review by Sonny Craven for VIZIO VSB210WS Universal HD Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer
   Rating:
   I read all the reviews here, plus did my due diligence on the Internet. I have researched a 2.1 soundbar system for more than a year, and was unhappy that the Samsung HD-X810 was not highly recommended because it did not have a Blu-Ray player included and the soundbar did not have controls to shape or equalize the frequency bandwidth. I expected more for $800.

   So, I waited for the much ballyhooed Samsung HD-8200 with a Blu-Ray player and wireless subwoofer (also $800) announced at the annual Consumer Electronic Show in January. First reviews of it are disappointing, so I decided after reviewing comments from Amazon and others about the Vizio Soundbar, to de-link my desire for an included Blu-Ray player from the soundbar package (since I already have a Blu-ray player), and buy the best working, and most affordable soundbar with wireless subwoofer on the market.

   You won’t get the extra features or linking to services like Pandora or Netflix withis the Vizio soundbar, but I have an extra PC connected to my LCD PC connection and can stream both perfectly.

   I haven’t been disappointed. Like other with comments here, I found this soundbar to deliver impressive sound for the money. It’s low-profile design and easy setup makes it a joy to setup (not withstanding a minor misunderstanding, I’ll explain later).

   I have a small media room and the sound fills the room nicely and the bass module or subwoofer fills out sub-frequencies under 50HZ nicely. This isn’t a Bose system..nor is it a top of the line system. It’s for those who simply want a good looking, easy to setup, nice sounding system at an affordable price (am I repeating myself?).

   If you have a 15 x 20 room or close to it, it will produce brilliant sound, and while it will not allow shaping or equalizing of various audio bands (tone treble, bass etc) you can adjust the level of bass with the remote by effectively fading down the pitch or loudness to a perfect balance that doesn’t overdrive the room, just sweetens passages in voice programs, DVDs, or even audio CDs or where bass is indicated or needed.

   Here’s what you need to know in setting it up that’s not clear in the manual once you hook up the optical cable link between the TV and the soundbar (my misunderstanding, requiring me to call Vizio customer service). You MUST change your TV sound from internal to external speakers in the menu settings of most LCD and plasma TVs or you won’t hear sound.

   Don’t expect a power light to appear on top once you press the power on button on top of the soundbar or the remote. And, because you can connect two of the external sources, you must be sure to push the input buttons until it daisy-chains around to the internal source.

   Now, other than pleasing sound reproduction, what I’m thrilled about is those two component inputs. In my case, I have a CD music jukebox connected to one, and an Ipod or Mp3 player can be hooked to the other. Works great. And, the soundboard immediately links wirelessly and automatically with the subwoofer due to factory settings . No more pushing buttons to synchronize the pair. This “handshake” recognition should be the future of all wireless or Bluetooth pairings.

   All in all, the price is right and the sound is good. Vizio will be a dominate force in the electronics market if it keeps getting it right.
3. MauiPeterB says:

   November 7, 2010 at 1:14 pm

   Review by MauiPeterB for VIZIO VSB210WS Universal HD Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer
   Rating:
   As a new owner of a Samsung LN55B640 HDTV I was disappointed with the tinny sound from the speakers. After researching the alternatives (subwoofer, soundbar system, 5.1 home theater system) I decided to try the Vizio Soundbar System and for me it’s the perfect solution. The soundbar sits on the top shelf of the TV stand, under the HDTV, and the wireless powered subwoofer is on the floor to the left side. I used the included RCA cables for audio, but probably will buy a digital optical cable later.

   The treble and mid-range are full and rich, and the subwoofer provides satisfying bass. It’s not true surround sound, but fakes it pretty well, [...] it’s an incredible value. Using the little remote control (included) you can adjust the soundbar volume, and then adjust the subwoofer volume. On the right side of the soundbar is the IR “eye” for the remote, as well as nine LEDs. The six white LEDs display the volume (both overall and subwoofer, depending on which one you are adjusting), the red LED indicates that the soundbar and subwoofer are linked up (there is also a little LED on the subwoofer front), and the two blue LEDs indicate that the TVVOL (controlling commercial loudness) and the SRS (simulated surround) are engaged.

   As shipped from Vizio, the IR “eye” and LED panel is covered by a sticky-backed grey foam pad. This dims the LEDs, but also has the effect of masking the IR “eye”, and making it difficult to use the remote. After carefully removing the black soundbar grill, I gently pried off the sticky-back foam and, presto, problem solved. Now I can use the remote to change the soundbar volume from any seating position, and the LEDs are clearly visible (they wink off seconds after making any volume changes).

   Although [...] rates the Sony soundbar system a notch above this one, I would disagree, having listened to them both. The Vizio is as good or better than the Sony competitor, but at under [...], you really cannot go wrong with either one.
4. nerdindenial says:

   November 7, 2010 at 1:16 pm

   Review by nerdindenial for VIZIO VSB210WS Universal HD Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer
   Rating:
   I bought the VSB210WS and Sony KDL-46VL160 LCD TV (on a Simplicity large full-motion mount) in October 2009. They are used with a Comcast HD cable box and a Sony DVD player. I wanted a simple system that was easy for the kids to operate. That is, I want sound from the TV speakers and the Vizio sound bar at the same time, without going into a menu to select the sound mode (of course I usually turn the TV sound way down when the sound bar is on). My setup has HDMI cables from the Comcast cable box to the TV and from the Sony DVD player to the TV. Then I tried to use a single optical audio cable from the TV to the soundbar, but ended up having to use an RCA cable instead (see below). I had a surprising amount of trouble setting up the Vizio soundbar, despite reading the manuals and having setup a number of surround sound systems over the past 15 years. The problems I found were:

   1. The S/PDIF optical audio input is recessed into the back of the Vizio, requiring a special cable with small diameter end shells (unlike the first 2 cables I bought, which would not snap in). I recommend that you buy all of your cables in advance from a value-priced online firm, and make sure they are long enough and the desired color, or you will end up driving around a lot and paying a lot more, as I unfortunately did.

   2. The S/PDIF optical audio could not be made to work coming from the Sony TV because the Visio sound bar has no Dolby decoder chip and will only accept 2 channel sound. Setting the Sony TV’s Sound Output to “external speaker” and “fixed” level was not sufficient. First I thought my unit was defective, but then I read reviews on the Costco site ([...]) which say that my Sony TV and Comcast cable box and Sony DVD player need to be set to 2.1 mode instead of the normal 5.1 in order for the optical audio to work. The TV does not have this setting, so it is impossible to use the optical audio cable for the setup I described above. So I just bought a 10 foot RCA cable and used analog audio from the TV to the sound bar, which works fine for this system. I had to set the TV audio output setting at “Fixed” and “TV Speakers” to make the system perform as I described in the fourth sentence of this review.
   
   One more setup issue – you have to play around (at least once) with the TVOL or TSHD button on the sound bar remote to get any volume; just operating the VOL+ and VOL- button is not sufficient. I wish the unit had a visible power-on LED, because it is often difficult to tell whether it is turned off or not when you are done using it.

   3. My Sony remote controls cannot control the VSB210WS (Sony does not have codes for it). This is more of a Sony issue, but still increases complexity and may cause me to buy another $200 Harmony One remote. I’ve heard the Comcast remote will work, but I am out of buttons to program on it.

   The “center channel” voices and music are a big improvement over the TV alone, and the bass from the subwoofer, while a little boomy and muddy compared to a $500 or $1000 unit, greatly enhances the movie experience. If I had it to do over again, I might look at other options (perhaps with a mid-range universal remote), but it’s difficult to beat this system for the price.
5. Richard Hagins says:

   November 7, 2010 at 1:17 pm

   Review by Richard Hagins for VIZIO VSB210WS Universal HD Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer
   Rating:
   My stereo of 10 years finally died so I started shopping around for a new one. After a couple weeks of research I purchased a fancy all-in-one 5.1 system. After spending about two hours setting it up I just wasn’t THAT impressed. Also, I found that there were just too many speakers and wires and settings to mess with. So, I took it back and figured I would try Vizio’s all in one; after all, the reviews had been really good. I heard one at the store and wasn’t impressed, but after spending 15 minutes setting it up at home I was really blown away. It seemed to have higher highs and lower lows than the 5.1 system. The system is basic, but where I think you miss out on features you gain with quality sound. It obviously lacks the true behind your head sound, but I can honestly say that I like the sound this unit generates over the much higher priced and feature rich Sony 5.1 that I tried. If you just want quality sound with very little clutter and simplistic features, I woldn’t hesitate to give the Vizio Soundbar a spin.

   Pros:
   
   Simple Set-up
   
   No wire mess and takes up very little space
   
   Quality Sound
   
   Surprisingly Good Quality Craftsmanship
   
   Can place the sub-woofer anywhere in the room
   
   Can control sub-woofer volume separately
   
   Looks Great
   
   Fairly Priced

   Cons:
   
   The remote is small
   
   The light indicators take some getting used to, but not an issue for me
   
   Huh…I can’t think of any more…Go buy one!!!