VIZIO VHT215 Pro Reviews

The Vizio VHT215 sound bar boosts your home theater's audio quality, but if you want surround sound, look for a model with actual rear speakers.

The Vizio VHT215 is the best sound bar the company has made so far, with a smart look, great sound, and lots of flexibility to make sonic adjustments. Ultimately we prefer the Haier SBEV40-SLIM's slicker design and slightly better sound quality, but the Vizio is close behind with a great remote and sound that can be tweaked to your liking. It should be on your short list of options if you're buying a budget sound bar.

The Vizio VHT215 2.1-channel soundbar delivers good sound that's a significant step up from the feeble audio coming out of the compromised built-in speakers employed in most modern ultra-thin TVs. Its SRS virtual-surround function turned out to be surprisingly effective, too. The wireless subwoofer is easy to use and delivers ample bass, though it can be a struggle to get a natural-sounding match between the sub and the soundbar with this or any other similarly configured system. Setup is quick and painless, with plenty of connection options. The soundbar is particularly easy to wall mount, but I'd check for compatibility with your existing TV or STB remote before drilling any holes.

Price, location, and buzzwords - that's what sells sound bars. Performance is of little note when a consumer is looking to pack one more thing in his or her cart with that brand new, huge display. With a MSRP of $320 and a retail price sure to be less, the Vizio VHT215 Sound Bar has everything this type of consumer is looking for. Wireless subwoofer? Check. 3D? Check. Glossy and high-tech looking? Check. On sale? Probably, check. While the specifications on this bar are so slim that they don't even list the size, that doesn't matter. Performance doesn't enter into the picture when making an impulse buy. While the VHT215 might be a top performer, it will be impossible to tell without a hands-on review. With a product as well-leveraged as this one, we're sure Vizio has another hit on their hands.