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The Vizio M512a H6 offers great audio performance at a pocket-friendly price, with impressive surround sound performance and audio clarity even at high volume. It’s perfect for budget-conscious buyers who don’t need many advanced features.
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Table of Contents
Product Snapshot
Overview
The Vizio M512a H6 is a mid-range sound system that consists of two satellite speakers, a soundbar, and a subwoofer. First released in 2021, the speaker is able to project object sounds from distinct directions thanks to its wide soundstage, and it also supports Dolby Atmos content.
Its bass levels are also deep and rich courtesy of its subwoofer, and its physical inputs include three HDMI ports, an Optical Audio In port, and an AUX port.
This kind of varied connectivity is common among the best speakers in the industry; however, it can only connect to devices wirelessly through Bluetooth.
Users who would appreciate streaming content through Wi-Fi, Chromecast, or Apple AirPlay might want to consider looking into some of the options in our list of top-rated soundbars.
Still, the Vizio sound system has a loud max volume and can reproduce dialogue clearly, thanks to its discrete center channel.
Best For
Large Rooms
Consensus
our Verdict
The Vizio H6 is a 5.1.2 soundbar that ships with a sub and two rear satellites for immersive surround sound, with clear and well-balanced voices and instruments and a bass-heavy low range, but there’s no graphic Eq for sound adjustment.
The soundbar gets quite loud, but wireless connectivity is limited to Bluetooth. The stereo soundstage is also good, and inputs include an Optical Audio In, a Full HDMI in, a USB port, and an AUX port.
There’s support for many audio formats, and latency performance (tested at 48ms over ARC and 65ms over Optical) delivers in-sync audio-visuals.
Overall, the H6 is a great budget pick for anyone who needs to get the most value for their money, but it misses out on voice assistant support and an interface.
ReasonS to Buy
Well-balanced sound profile
The H6 is a great all-rounder that will work well for movie-watching or TV shows. It has a good sound output, as well as a graphic Eq for sound adjustment.
Clear vocals
The H6 offers bright and clear vocals, making it great for vocal-heavy content.
Good surround sound experience
The H6 offers a good surround-sound experience, as it is a 5.1.2-channel soundbar that also ships with two satellites. Also, the soundbar does have a wide soundstage, but it lacks up-firing drivers.
Satisfying bass output
The H6 ships with a subwoofer, which gives it a bass-heavy response that bass heads are likely to appreciate
Loud max volume
The H6 gets as loud as 103dB, making it great for use in large spaces. Its high max volume places it among the top 25% of tested soundbars as far as loudness is concerned.
Reason to Avoid
No graphic sound equalizer
The sound output on the H6 cannot be precisely tuned to the specifications of the owner.
Limited wireless connectivity & smart features
The H6 does not allow for WiFi streaming or a built-in smart assistant, as it is only limited to Bluetooth. However, it does have a Full HDMI port, an optical Digital Audio connection, and a USB port for wired connections. Also, with a latency rating of 48-65ms, audio-visual content remains well synchronized on the H6, but compared to the other alternatives in its category, this is average.
Vizio M512A-H6 Specs
Bluetooth Enabled
Yes
Depth
3.54"
Dialogue Enhancement Feature
No
Energy Star Certified
No
Equalizer Settings
Basic
HDMI ARC
Yes
Height
2.24"
Number of Audio Channels
5.1.2
Subwoofer
Included
Surround Sound Supported
Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Dolby TrueHD, DTS:X
Voice Assistant
No
Wall Mountable
Yes
Weight
5.53 lbs
Width
40"
Wireless Connectivity
Bluetooth
Wireless Subwoofer Connectivity
Yes
Works With
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri
All Specs
Test Results
These are the most important criteria to test for Soundbars based on our comprehensive Testing Methodology.
Low End Roll Off (Hz)
61.688
High End Roll Off (Hz)
16,731.295
Max Volume Test (db)
96.15
Latency (ms)
48
THD @ 80dB
0.82
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The Vizio M512a H6 is a mid-range sound system that consists of two satellite speakers, a soundbar, and a subwoofer. First released in 2021, the…
The Vizio M512a H6 is a mid-range sound system that consists of two satellite speakers, a soundbar, and a subwoofer. First released in 2021, the speaker is able to project object sounds from distinct directions thanks to its wide soundstage, and it also supports Dolby Atmos content.
Its bass levels are also deep and rich courtesy of its subwoofer, and its physical inputs include three HDMI ports, an Optical Audio In port, and an AUX port.
This kind of varied connectivity is common among the best speakers in the industry; however, it can only connect to devices wirelessly through Bluetooth.
Users who would appreciate streaming content through Wi-Fi, Chromecast, or Apple AirPlay might want to consider looking into some of the options in our list of top-rated soundbars.
Still, the Vizio sound system has a loud max volume and can reproduce dialogue clearly, thanks to its discrete center channel.
Being a 5.1.2-channel sound system, the Vizio M512a H6 is capable of a slightly better surround sound experience compared to the Vizio M51ax-J6, mainly because…
Being a 5.1.2-channel sound system, the Vizio M512a H6 is capable of a slightly better surround sound experience compared to the Vizio M51ax-J6, mainly because the H6 features up-firing speakers, which are missing on the J6. Feel free to see what else the J6 has to offer by going through our Vizio M51AX-J6 review.
The Vizio M512a H6 is outmatched by the Vizio Elevate in terms of wireless connectivity since the Elevate allows for audio streaming through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi,…
The Vizio M512a H6 is outmatched by the Vizio Elevate in terms of wireless connectivity since the Elevate allows for audio streaming through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Chromecast built-in, while the M512a H6 is limited to Bluetooth. The Vizio Elevate can also be run through the Vizio SmartCast app, which is another advantage it has over the M512a H6.
The Vizio M512a H6 delivers a more immersive listening experience compared to the LG SP8YA since it ships with two satellite speakers that the LG…
The Vizio M512a H6 delivers a more immersive listening experience compared to the LG SP8YA since it ships with two satellite speakers that the LG sound system does not come with.
