Skip to main content

Vizio’s latest soundbars double down on Dolby Atmos — again

 

While Vizio’s new TV lineup has slimmed down and ramped up with some impressive new features, its soundbar line seems to be filling out. Vizio’s latest bars for 2019 offer Dolby Atmos thrills in smaller, more affordable iterations to stand alongside its already-popular (and affordable) Dolby Atmos systems, along with new budget options for a wide array of supplemental sound systems for just about any application.

Recommended Videos

36-inch 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos soundbar

Image used with permission by copyright holder

In 2018, Vizio proved it could stand tall with the big-boy Dolby Atmos soundbars, offering a massive 46-inch Atmos behemoth that competes well with Samsung’s impressive (and much pricier) HW-N950 Dolby Atmos bar. For 2019, Vizio has a slimmed-down 5.1.4 Atmos system, offered in a smaller, 36-inch bar that still serves up fully discrete surround sound speakers and four upfiring drivers to bounce sound off the ceiling and immerse you in hemispheric bliss.

Unlike the mighty 10-inch subwoofer of the 46-inch version, the 36-inch bar serves up a more modest 6-inch driver in its wireless subwoofer. Still, it should be a fair bit cheaper than its $1,000 predecessor, while still offering the full Atmos experience, alongside Chromecast Wi-Fi streaming, Bluetooth streaming, and Google Assistant support.

36-inch 3.1.2 Dolby Atmos soundbar

Image used with permission by copyright holder

While this pared-down option won’t be nearly as immersive as a full surround system, it does still offer upfiring drivers for the touted height element of Dolby Atmos, along with a much friendlier profile than most Atmos setups. That includes a “slim” subwoofer designed to easily fit under a sofa. Like the 5.1.4 system, the 3.1.2 bar offers Chromecast Wi-Fi streaming, Bluetooth streaming, and Google Assistant.

36-inch 5.1 soundbar

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Bringing us back to Vizio’s pre-Atmos days, the 2019 5.1 soundbar still offers immersive surround sound with discrete satellite speakers, along with borrowing that same slim subwoofer, allowing for the full surround sound experience from an ultra-tight profile.

36-inch 2.1 soundbar

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apparently “36” is Vizio’s magic number for 2019. Casting all surround sound frills aside, this 2.1-channel bar offers an utterly simple way to supplement your TV audio with an extremely small footprint. Like the 5.1 version, it also comes with a slim subwoofer, allowing you to set it and forget it under the couch.

20-inch 2.0 soundbar

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Finally, if you’re just looking for any bare-bones solution that isn’t your TV speakers, this teensy micro-bar may suffice. Vizio sees this as a supplemental solution for nearly any room, including the bedroom or even the kitchen.

Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…
My favorite Dolby Atmos songs from 2024 to add to your playlist
An iPhone 15 Pro Max on a wooden table displaying streaming apps Amazon Music, Qobuz, Apple Music, Tidal, Sonos, and Spotify.

I'll admit that as an audio reviewer, I have a tendency to listen to the same collection of songs whenever I review a pair of headphones. Even if they're a personal pair and I'm not reviewing them, I'll give a quick listen through snippets of four or five tracks to get a sense of things like frequency response, soundstage, and detail.

Why do I listen to the same songs? For one (or both) of two reasons: I've become intimately familiar with them over the years, or they've been recommended to me by other reviewers -- and in consequence, I've become intimately familiar with them over the years. But it's also good for the mind and the soul to keep things fresh, and with thousands upon thousands of songs being released every year, it's worth appreciating and adding new recordings to the mix.

Read more
Hisense reveals a Sony Bravia Theater Quad competitor ahead of CES 2025
Hisense HT Saturn Wireless Home Theater System.

Hisense has a little pre-CES 2025 teaser for us, and it looks like the company is taking a page from Sony's home theater playbook. The new Hisense HT Saturn is a 4.1.2 Dolby Atmos "wireless home theater system" with four speakers and a single subwoofer, which uses a small HDMI ARC/eARC breakout box as a transmitter -- a similar configuration to Sony's Bravia Theater Quad.

Hisense hasn't released pricing or availability for the HT Saturn yet.

Read more
Dolby Atmos FlexConnect gets its first competitor at CES 2025
Diagram showing Fraunhofer IIS UpHear Flexible Rendering.

Dolby Labs' Dolby Atmos FlexConnect platform is a clever concept. It's software that's designed to be built into a TV, where it performs some room calibration magic, ultimately letting you place your speakers anywhere you want, while still getting an Atmos experience. And now it has its first competitor: Fraunhofer UpHear Flexible Rendering.

Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (better known as Fraunhofer IIS, or just Fraunhofer) -- the organization that created the ubiquitous MP3 music format -- will be demoing UpHear Flexible Rendering at CES 2025, exactly one year after the first demos of Dolby Atmos FlexConnect.

Read more