In this review learn more about Vizio’s latest V-series 2.1 home theater with a wireless subwoofer, DTS:X and Voice Assistant. We talk about the design, connectivity, and performance among other things.
Vizio is fast mastering the art of making great soundbars that produce high quality audio with amazing additional features. Their latest VIZIO V-Series 2.1 Home Theater SoundBar with DTS:X, Wireless Subwoofer, Voice Assistant Compatible and V21-H8R proves just that.
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Selling at USD114.95 on Amazon and USD199.99 at Walmart, its setup simply turns your TV sound experience magical. You have clean and clear dialogues from the bar and with the subwoofer bass, you get great sound depth especially for music playbacks. Surely this is a great upgrade to your ordinary TV sound.
Here is what we think about the latest Soundbar from Vizio.
List of specifications
Table Of Content
| Channel Configuration | 2.1 |
| Product Dimensions | Soundbar 36 x 3.28 x 2.24 inches |
| Subwoofer 9.9 x 8.3 x 8.3-inches | |
| Connectivity | HDMI ARC |
| USB | |
| Optical audio cable | |
| Bluetooth | |
| WiFi | |
| Spotify | |
| Speakers | 2 Stereo 1 bass |
| Sound format | USB – WAV |
| DTS Virtual:X | |
| DTS TruVolume | |
| Dolby Volume |
What’s good?
- Good price point
- Quality Sound
- Wide range of connections
- Subwoofer bass
- Voice assistant compatibility
- DTS Virtual:X
- EQ adjustments
What’s not good?
- Dolby Audio supported only by the Optical Audio
- Subwoofer bass can become too much
What’s in the box?
- Soundbar
- Subwoofer
- HDMI cable
- Optical cable
- Input cables (AUX and RCA)
- Mini Plug cable
- 2 Power cables
- Remote Control with batteries
- User Manual
- Mounting supports
Design and Build
VIZIO kept the V-Series 2.1 Home Theater SoundBar basic. Apart from being small and thin with neat corners, everything else is plain. It’s 36 x 3.28 x 2.24 inches and comes in dark gray and black.
The bar can sit neatly beneath your TV without obstructing your view. The front has a mesh cover and a LED display. The display will light up according to the function you’re working with at the time.
The 9.9 x 8.3 x 8.3 inch subwoofer is small and portable. You can place it anywhere without taking up much space. It is wireless and comes pre-paired with the soundbar. This sub has the AC port and the power plug provision on the side.
Controls
The bluetooth, volume and power buttons are on top of the soundbar. The AC port is at the back with the HDMI ARC, USB and the Opticals. The LED display on the top indicates the function in use. There is also a voice prompt that tells you the function you’re using at the moment. You can switch it off if you don’t like it – just long press the mute button on the remote
The remote is nicely made, somewhat an upgrade from the other Vizio remotes. It has the power, Input, Tvol, VRT:X, bluetooth buttons on the top and EQ, Sub, bass, treble, mute and volume buttons just below the big circle. The circle has the up,down, previous, and next options.
Connectivity
The V-series 2.1 soundbar has an easy set up. Once it’s up you can connect it to your TV using the HDMI ARC or your cable choice from the other optical cables. Of course, you will have to plug it into power before enjoying your sound magic. The HDMI will not work with the Dolby Audio which is only supported by the Optical Audio, so put that in mind. Especially if you’re big on Dolby Audio.
The subwoofer is pre-paired to the soundbar so again, just plug it into power, switch on the bluetooth and both devices will connect.
For the music files or files in MP3 or WAV, you may have to use the USB port through bluetooth works perfectly too. You can easily pair the soundbar with most devices. Though you should note that for some devices, the bluetooth may break a bit – we think it’s because of compatibility, but we are not sure. When this happens, break the connection and connect again.
If you prefer to connect the bar via WiFi, it has provision for that. However, for wireless connections, we feel bluetooth is better.
If you are using the voice assistant function, connect it through the Aux VA. It works perfectly with Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant. The Voice Assistant works even when you’re using another input. You should know though that if you are using the voice assistant over another input, the other input’s volume will automatically go down and you will hear the voice assistant. In some cases, it can totally mute until the voice assistant is done.
Performance
Vizio V-series soundbar and wireless subwoofer do not disappoint on the home theater experience. The bar’s sound is loud and crisp. You can hear everything: dialogues, beats, effects etc. The two 96dB sound speakers give great audio separation and balance. The speakers have a frequency range of 50Hz – 20kHz.
The sub’s bass is booming and quite deep. It also does not affect the soundbar’s sound. When you include the DTS Virtual:X, it will magnify the sound to fill the room all around making it like a 3D sound experience.
The combination of all these functions gives you an impressive home theater sound experience.
That said, you shouldn’t get too excited about the bass and the DTS Virtual:X. The DTS Virtual:X at times produces echo-like sounds or overhead sounds and the bass gets too much to bear at some point so you need to keep the volume at mid range to avoid this.
Or, you can adjust the EQ presets to solve the DTS Virtual:X and bass issue. If you want to better your experience the EQ presets are good. There are a number of options – music, movies, games etc to choose from. They really make the sound better. You can also use the bass and treble to adjust the volume. TruVolume is also very helpful, it helps balance the soft and loud sound from whatever you’re streaming or watching.
The Voice Assistant does not interfere with the sound so don’t worry about it. What will happen though is – the other input’s volume will lower automatically when the voice assistant is speaking. Thereafter, the input will go back to the set volume.
The V21 – H8 is perfect for movies, but not so good for music. Overall it really enhances your sound quality.
Competition
For its price and quality, there isn’t much competition. However, performance wise we can compare it to the Polk Audio Signa S3 Ultra-Slim TV Soundbar and Wireless Subwoofer with Built-in Chromecast and JBL Bar 2.1 Deep Bass.
Polk Audio Signa S2 Ultra-Slim TV Soundbar and Wireless Subwoofer with Built-in Chromecast
This one costs way more than the Vizio and has almost identical features with the Vizio. Everything else functions the same but the Vizio’s DTS Virtual:X compatibility adds so much quality to the sound. It really fills the room with good sound. This is the advantage the Vizio has over the Polk. Plus when considering the cost, Vizio is more affordable.
JBL Bar 2.1 Deep Bass
Hands down the JBL bar bass is deep and stronger than the Vizio. So if you are into bass, the JBL bar is the one you are looking for. For the rest of the functions there isn’t much difference. Of Course the Vizio’s Virtual:X compatibility puts a different spin on the sound quality, making the Vizio a better deal. Click here to order JBL Bar 2.1 Deep Bass from Amazon.com now.
Conclusion
For USD114.95, the Vizio V-series 2.1 home theater with a wireless subwoofer is a good deal. You get a full home theater sound experience with Dolby Audio, DTS Virtual:X and great bass from the subwoofer.
If you want to upgrade your TV sound and you don’t want to spend a lot, this is it! However if you are more into bass, you may need to consider other options. The Vizio V-series Soundbar gives great sound, very affordable and has a user-friendly design and set up. The subwoofer performance is also good. The Dolby Audio, DTS Virtual: X and the Voice assistant, are definitely great bonuses for the price you’re paying.
Get yourself a VIZIO V-series 2.1 home theater with a wireless subwoofer from Amazon today.
