Vizio M-Series M512a-H6 review

Our Verdict

The Vizio M-Series M512a-H6 brings Atmos peak, separate surrounds and a subwoofer at an affordable price — and with some effort required.

For

True surroundings sound
Dolby Atmos with upfiring speakers
Lots of ways to adjust sound

Against

Bass tin be overpowering
No machine scale or app

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Vizio M-Serial M512a-H6 brings Atmos height, separate surrounds and a subwoofer at an affordable price — and with some try required.

Pros

+
True surround sound
+
Dolby Atmos with upfiring speakers
+
Lots of means to adjust sound

Cons

-
Bass can be overpowering
-
No machine calibration or app

The Vizio M-Series M512a-H6 is the next development in Vizio's affordable Dolby Atmos soundbar line, and it adds a crucial feature: upfiring speakers, bringing the of import acme element of Atmos. In addition to separate surround speakers and a wireless subwoofer, that makes the M512a-H6 a true Atmos surround audio organisation — all for a relatively inexpensive $449.

Vizio 1000-Serial M512a-H6 specs

Cost: $449

Speakers:11

Ports: HDMI, HDMI ARC, optical in, 3.5mm in, Aux VA in

Wi-Fi: Northward/A

Size: 3 x 34.half-dozen x five inches (soundbar), 11.7 x nine.nine x 8.3 inches (subwoofer), 5.viii x 3.5 x 2.3 inches (satellite)

Weight: Non stated

The M512a-H6 comes with lots of means to adjust the audio, which is a blessing and a curse — too many options tin can take the simplicity out of a soundbar, merely it also allows you to create the audio you like best. And you'll likely need to make adjustments, especially to the bass, which tin can be overpowering. Some of the all-time soundbars do a ameliorate job of creating an immersive experience, merely as our Vizio M-Serial M512a-H6 review will explicate, this still gets you an atrocious lot for the coin.

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Vizio M-Series M512a-H6 review: Price and Availability

Volition cost $449
Launching in late May

The Vizio M-Series M512a-H6 will be available starting the cease of May 2021. Vizio and All-time Purchase will both stock information technology.

At $449, this v.1.ii model follows the $149 AIO (All-In-One) and $349 five.1 models as the virtually avant-garde of the electric current M-Serial. Notwithstanding, the whole kit is a lot cheaper than some standalone Atmos soundbars, like the Sonos Arc.

Vizio M-Series M512a-H6 review: Design

Has upfiring drivers, but not platonic placement
HDMI ARC and Bluetooth connectivity

The M512a-H6 resembles its sibling soundbar, the Vizio One thousand-Series M51a-H6, but it's larger to make room for the addition of two upfiring speakers on the top of the unit. At nearly 40 x 4.0 x two.8 inches, it's besides longer, wider and taller. The wireless subwoofer measures about eleven.7 x ix.ix x 8.3 inches and has a 6-inch woofer inside. The sub includes wired outputs for the left and right satellites, each most five.eight x 3.5 10 ii.3 inches.

Vizio M-Series M512a-H6 review — (Image credit: Future)

The placement of the upfiring drivers isn't ideal — they are toward the heart of the soundbar. Dolby recommends you put your upfiring speaker over your left and right channels. The placement may be a reason why the height effect isn't quite equally immersive as another Atmos soundbars.

On the back-left of the main soundbar you'll find an HDMI ARC port and one HDMI input to connect a set top box or game console. At that place'south likewise an optical digital sound connection and a USB port. On the dorsum right, in that location'southward a standard 3.5mm input as well as an Aux VA input, which is for connecting a voice-enabled speaker. The Aux VA connection stays agile even when y'all're using another input, then you can take always-on access to your voice banana. You lot tin can as well connect wirelessly via Bluetooth.

The front is filled with drivers except for the far left, which has a vertical band of lights that shows the book level and wink in various combinations when yous change the audio mode or input. The speaker also says the input or sound mode when you change information technology.

On top of the unit there are just a few buttons: power, input, Bluetooth and volume. The remote control is the command center for the many settings and features y'all can conform. The remote features a small backlit screen at the top that displays options. For case, if you lot push Level, y'all can apply the curl wheel to select Bass, Treble, Dialog and many other levels y'all can modify. It may non be equally intuitive as an on-screen bill of fare or an app, but the remote screen is piece of cake to read and gets the job done.

Vizio M-Series M512a-H6 review: Setup

Concrete setup is easy
Choosing the best settings take more than fourth dimension

Connecting the M512a-H6 to your TV is like shooting fish in a barrel — just use the included HDMI cable to connect to an HDMI port that supports ARC and you lot're upward and running. The wireless sub comes paired with the soundbar, though you have to connect the surroundings speakers to the back of the sub with included wires.

Vizio recommends you place the sub nearly where you will sit down, simply I found that the bass was too dominant in the mix that way, even after I turned the subwoofer level all the way down. I preferred putting the sub nearly the TV and running the wires for the surrounds across the room.

Vizio M-Series M512a-H6 — (Paradigm credit: Hereafter)

Once you've got the speakers in place, the existent work begins. The M512a-H6 allows a lot of adjustments to make the audio virtually pleasing to your ears. Unfortunately it lacks automobile calibration, something that the JBL Bar 5.0 Multibeam and Sonos Arc offer, so you have to accommodate the driver levels manually. You lot can modify the settings for the center channel, subwoofer, surround speakers and top channels (but non the left and correct channels). When you modify the surround level, information technology affects both the left and correct surround speakers. If you want more from the left than the right, for example, you lot would alter the environment residue. That's a lot of adjusting, but if you put in the endeavour you'll get a residue of channels that works best for your ears.

You tin can select from sound modes (listed nether the EQ push) including Movie, Music, Game and Straight to further tweak the audio. But await, there's more: the Effect button on the remote lets yous plow off the peak speakers, environment speakers, Virtual:10 effect, TruVolume and Night mode.

With all these options (and there's more I didn't list) you're likely to find a combination that you like.

Vizio Grand-Series M512a-H6 review: Audio quality

Strong performance on a budget
Atmos height upshot could be better

The M512a-H6 produces very good sound for the toll, and the total bombardment of speakers definitely improves the overall sound compared to the M51a-H6. Atmos soundbars that don't have separate surrounds can't match the 360-degree feel that the M512a-H6 delivers; however, a speaker with automobile calibration, such equally the JBL Bar v.0 MultiBeam, does a better job with the height aspect of Atmos. The big bass that comes from the subwoofer rounds out the package — though at times there was also much depression end.

During Dolby's Atmos demo videos, the divide surrounds made it sound similar a leafage was moving backside me equally it moved offscreen to the left and re-emerged on the right. Rain sounds benefited from the summit channel, giving the sense of falling from the ceiling; nonetheless the effect was less pronounced than on the Bar 5.0 MultiBeam.

As Sam zipped through the canyon in the opening scene of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the sound emphasized the move as missiles crossed the screen and the explosions rumbled thank you to the strong bass. That bass added resonance to the dialog on Mare of Easttown, making Kate Winslet'south dour accent easy to understand. But the pulsing soundtrack to Tenet taxed the subwoofer and showed its lack of detail — it was muddy and distorted.

The M512a-H6 handles music well, besides, though its bass-forward nature overwhelmed the residue of the mix at times. The kick pulsate and deep bass on the Weeknd'south "Blinding Lights" rattled my teeth a bit likewise much, merely the vocals and keys sounded brilliant and clear — an improvement over the M12a-H6's rather lifeless music reproduction. The guitar on Billie Eilish's "Your Ability" was crisp and her singing was resonant likewise, only the throbbing bass was muddy and too prominent.

The M512a-H6 reached over 96 decibels at full volume — plenty for a big room — and did so without distorting, which is a rare feat.

Vizio M-Serial M512a-H6 review: Verdict

It'south hard to become more than for your money than you will from the Vizio Grand-Series M512a-H6. With the speakers you need to become the virtually out of Atmos, the M512a-H6 delivers room-filling sound for a very agreeable toll. It'south definitely worth choosing the M512a-H6 over the M51a-H6, which lacks the upfiring speakers.

If you want an easier (and cheaper) solution for Atmos, JBL's Bar five.0 MultiBeam does a great job creating an immersive audio thanks to automobile calibration, simply you lot have to sacrifice the separate surround speakers and subwoofer. The MultiBeam too lacks ways to accommodate the sound manually.

While you need to piece of work to get the all-time sound for your room out of the M512a-H6, the endeavour pays off.

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Michael Gowan covers soundbars, TVs, portable speakers and other sound- and video-related topics for Tom'southward Guide. He's written about music and engineering for more than 20 years for a raft of publications including Wired, Men's Journal, PC World and Macworld. When he'southward non reviewing speakers, he'due south probably listening to one anyhow.