VIZIO SB36512-F6 36" 5.1.2-Channel Soundbar System - Black

Great sound but needs a better remote.

This is my first soundbar so I'm not able to compare with ither brands. I bought this soundbar because I have an old tv with digital coax (RCA) output. All the reviews including Vizio's website says it has a coax input. IT DOESN'T. It has hdmi in, hdmi out (with 1080 passthrough, not 4K), optical toslink, and a 3.5mm aux. So I only use the soundbar with my cable box. No computer or game consoles.

Setup is confusing. I downloaded the SmartCast app but it can't find my soundbar. The app also can't find my router. It only shows somebody else's unsecure router nearby. The instructions were useless but setting up the Bluetooth was easy... Just use the remote to activate Bluetooth then search for it on your phone. After the Bluetooth was connected it finally started playing audio from the hdmi source (I have no idea why) and it's easy to cycle through the inputs and play music from my phone. I have not yet tried to control the soundbar using my xfinity remote. Turning the soundbar off/on causes my tv to restart the hdmi handshake but there doesn't seem to be any problems.

The soundbar detects the subwoofer automatically and the surrounds use wired connections... to the subwoofer box. I'm only using it for 3.1 but I assume the rear surround speakers should work as expected. Just a note in general... rear channel audio usually isn't as loud as the center and fronts. So don't be surprised if they feel quiet. Even if you're just listening to 2.0 (stereo) music the soundbar might not treat them as mains. I should plug them in and test but I'm not really interested, especially since I wouldn't be able to isolate them by muting the other speakers.

EDIT: There actually are separate volume controls for the subwoofer, surrounds, and center channel along with bass, treble, and preset EQs. The remote actually controls a lot of settings but the display us too simple. You have to scroll through the remote's 1-line menu and make adjustments while paying attention to the indicator lights on the bar.

So, with my limited soundbar experience and limited number of hdmi sources (just one), I'm satisfied but it's hard to say if I'd recommend to anyone else. I bought it used so maybe there was another instruction manual that I'm missing. I like it for the price and it saves a lot of space compared to using my Denon AVR, regular speakers, and 12" sub.Read full review

Avoid

I would recommend against getting this.
The reviews for this are great, but I have had nothing but issues.

Every time I change the settings on the app, the soundbar resets itself to random settings within ten minutes. This is especially annoying at night, when I turn on night mode and lower the subwoofer volume, only to have it go back and the subwoofer levels are turned all the way up and night mode turned off and all my EQ settings changed. I was in touch with Vizio support and they basically told me there’s nothing that they can do.

The app also regularly fails to connect.

The soundbar drops in and out when listening to things, turns off, changes volume, etc.

The remote doesn’t work. Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: 4surpluscity

Mmm surround sound

Good sounds, easy to set up, I'm still looking over my shoulder when the surround speakers play something! hehe Integrates well with Roku TV with HDMI ARC cable. Cool features like EQ and speaker volumes make it easy to customize to your space. Liking it a lot!Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Sold by: 4surpluscity

Sound bar great, watch for proper hdmi cable

The sound bar sounds amazing for the price and it is a fantastic deal! The reason it loses a star is that the sound and picture would randomly shut off while using the sound bar. I also had a lot of trouble running Dolby atmos and Dolby vision through the bar. I found out that the hdmi included did not work properly (I’m assuming they included a 1.4 or older instead of the 2.0 it’s supposed to use). Once I changed the cable it worked perfectly but there was a lot of headache to figure out the issue.Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: refurbished • Sold by: verdi_commerce

Recommend for budget dolby atmos soundbar

As refub, no manual paper, lost some optional cable , and many carved scratches on satellite speaker but mandatory two power cables , one hdmi cable are included and worked well.
Assuming due to compatibility issue, in my case not work ARC , so cant control volume with my old LG FHD TV remote. I hope to work ARC with new 4K TV.
Sound Quality is very good. for the price. Clearer voices and rich sound. Recommend for budget dolby atmos soundbarRead full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: 4surpluscity

Great when it works

When fully functioning, the sound is fantastic. First hooked it up to my ~5 year old Samsung TV and had no issues at all. However, it is currently hooked up via HDMI ARC to my new TCL 65R635 and I am experiencing significant issues with that combination. Sound continually cuts in and out every few seconds and renders it just about useless. After researching, it appears to be a widespread issue with the combination of this particular soundbar and the TCL 65R635 so beware if that is your TV. But again, if you can get it to work properly the sound is amazing and it is a great value.Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: verdi_commerce

"It makes everything you watch on your TV come to life!"

The speaker system itself produces Amazing sound!! It makes everything you watch on your TV come to life. The software (in terms of connecting it to the Visio app to get firmware updates could use some work). This is my second unit. The first one worked great so several years but eventually started having random problems connecting to my sound sources. I bought this again because I was not able to find any soundbar system that produces this quality of sound at this price point. Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Sold by: 4surpluscity

Atmosphere More than the Sum of its Parts

Sound quality is excellent, and it really shines with Atmos and HD content, the app is easy to implement and create a sound stage that rivals more expensive systems. With the bass and rear surrounds behind the couch the rumble is excellent, as is the utilization of having the illusion of 7.1 surround. Love it, looks modern and easily replaced our more expensive 7.1 surround, which had DTS Master, but not DTS-X or Atmos.Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: 4surpluscity

Very Happy!!!

Love this soundbar!!! Works wonderful and sounds awesome!!! It's so nice to use the HDMI-ARC feature, which saves on HDMI cables.

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: refurbished • Sold by: vizio_official

visio 5.1.2 home theather

pro- great for a smaller room. love the atmos feature

con- takes above average techinical savy to set up. In paricular enabling connection between sound bar and tv

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: new • Sold by: best_buy