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Vizio V51X J6 Review

Nikshep Myle Avatar
Updated Dec 20, 2023 11:32 AM

True Score

82
81
4

Experts

88
8,820

Consumers

Product Awards

GR Certified

Customer Favorite

Expert Rankings

The Vizio V Series v51x-J6 offers excellent value for money with minimal latency, a balanced sound profile, and clear dialogue. Its slightly flat soundstage and missing Atmos make it less immersive than high-end soundbars, but you’re still getting a great 5.1-system for the price.

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Table of Contents

Product Snapshot

Overview

The Vizio V Series v51x-J6 is a high-end 2021-model soundbar that offers an immersive surround experience. This system has an incredible selection of ports that includes optical, HDMI ARC, and USB.

It also has a 3.5 mm connector that enables plugging into external voice assistants. This speaker comes with two discrete satellite speakers, providing a great surround soundstage.

Check out the best-ranked speakers today to explore more options. The V51x-J6 comes with a dedicated wireless subwoofer that adds an extra boom to movies and music.

With the treble/bass sliders and equalizer presets, users can customize its sound profile, which comes neutral out of the box. Unfortunately, this unit doesn’t support Dolby Atmos.

The system reaches a top SPL of 94.7 dB, getting loud enough to fill large rooms, and it has low audio latency. However, it only streams via Bluetooth and doesn’t support Wi-Fi or Chromecast.

There’s also no built-in voice assistant or mobile app with this model. Continue reading our Vizio V Series v51x-J6 review, and be sure to check out our list of the top-rated soundbars on the market today.

Best For

  • Large Rooms

Consensus

our Verdict

The Vizio V Series v51x-J6 has wired connectivity for its soundbar (HDMI ARC) and satellite speakers (Optical), so there are no disconnection issues and uses Bluetooth for the subwoofer.

There is no static or disturbing noise from the speakers, and the tested latency is minimal (33ms through ARC and 65ms through Optical) with wired connectivity, but there is a brief lag occasionally when resuming videos.

Although the soundstage is a bit flat, the sound profile is balanced with accurate mids for clear dialogue and a slightly emphasized bass.

The LED-backlit remote lets you control the volume and EQ easily, but the fabric on the satellites and soundbar feels somewhat thin. Since there’s no app for these speakers, you can’t control them through smartphones.

ReasonS to Buy

  • Neutral sound quality
    • This soundbar is great for listening to most content, especially dialogue-heavy shows, and music, thanks to its neutral sound profile and punchy bass. The stereo soundstage extends slightly beyond the bar but sounds feel like they’re coming from a single point rather than enveloping the viewers.

  • Fair surround performance
    • The surround performance is fair, with sounds feeling like they’re placed around you.

  • Great voice clarity
    • Voice clarity is great because of the balanced mids, and the discrete center channel ensures dialogues are placed with precision on the soundstage.

  • Strong bass response
    • The V51x-J6 has a bass-heavy sound out-of-the-box, which is great for bass-intensive music and action movies. If it feels excessive, you can adjust it with the bass adjustment feature to make the sound profile more balanced.

  • Plenty of connectivity options with good latency
    • It includes eARC and Optical inputs that ensure smooth audio-visual syncing with their relatively low tested latency of 33 ms and 65 ms, respectively. While the eARC latency ranks better than 70% of the soundbars that have been tested, the Optical latency performs better than only 40% of the products.

Reason to Avoid

  • No smart features or voice assistants
    • There is no app compatibility or built-in voice assistant to seamlessly control the soundbar’s functions, and if you lose the remote, you won’t have an app for backup.

  • Surround lacks Atmos support
    • Movie buffs who look forward to total immersion during intense action sequences will miss Dolby Atmos.

  • Lacks a Full HDMI In port
    • The soundbar can’t be used as a hub for connecting multiple devices since there is no Full HDMI In port.

Vizio V51X J6 Specs

Bluetooth EnabledBluetooth EnabledYes
DepthDepth3.2"
Dialogue Enhancement FeatureDialogue Enhancement FeatureYes
Energy Star CertifiedEnergy Star CertifiedNo
Equalizer SettingsBasic
HDMI ARCHDMI ARCYes
HeightHeight2.2"
Number of Audio ChannelsNumber of Audio Channels5.1
SubwooferSubwooferIncluded
Surround Sound SupportedSurround Sound SupportedDTS TruVolume
Voice AssistantVoice AssistantNo
Wall MountableWall MountableYes
WeightWeight5 lbs
WidthWidth36"
Wireless ConnectivityWireless ConnectivityBluetooth
Works WithWorks WithRemote Control

All Specs

Test Results

Low End Roll Off (Hz)61.688
High End Roll Off (Hz)17,984.021
Max Volume Test (db)94.7
Latency (ms)33
THD @ 80dB0.62

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Product Comparison

Vizio V51X J6 Review

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VIZIO S4251w-B4 42″ Home Theater Sound Bar Review

True Score

82
NR
80
86
NR

Ranking

#

39

/

149

#

/

149

#

63

/

149

#

5

/

149

#

/

Market Context

The Vizio V Series v51x-J6 is a high-end 2021-model soundbar that offers an immersive surround experience. This system has an incredible selection of ports that…

The Vizio V Series v51x-J6 is a high-end 2021-model soundbar that offers an immersive surround experience. This system has an incredible selection of ports that includes optical, HDMI ARC, and USB.

It also has a 3.5 mm connector that enables plugging into external voice assistants. This speaker comes with two discrete satellite speakers, providing a great surround soundstage.

Check out the best-ranked speakers today to explore more options. The V51x-J6 comes with a dedicated wireless subwoofer that adds an extra boom to movies and music.

With the treble/bass sliders and equalizer presets, users can customize its sound profile, which comes neutral out of the box. Unfortunately, this unit doesn’t support Dolby Atmos.

The system reaches a top SPL of 94.7 dB, getting loud enough to fill large rooms, and it has low audio latency. However, it only streams via Bluetooth and doesn’t support Wi-Fi or Chromecast.

There’s also no built-in voice assistant or mobile app with this model. Continue reading our Vizio V Series v51x-J6 review, and be sure to check out our list of the top-rated soundbars on the market today.

The Vizio S4251w-B4 42″ Home Theater Soundbar features support for Dolby Atmos and DTS, unlike the Vizio V Series v51x-J6. Check out our Vizio s4251w-B4…

The Vizio S4251w-B4 42″ Home Theater Soundbar features support for Dolby Atmos and DTS, unlike the Vizio V Series v51x-J6. Check out our Vizio s4251w-B4 42″ Home Theater Soundbar review to learn more about the Atmos-enabled device.

Equipped with two discrete satellite speakers, the Vizio V Series v51x-J6 has a wider surround soundstage than the LG SP7Y, which doesn’t have separate speakers….

Equipped with two discrete satellite speakers, the Vizio V Series v51x-J6 has a wider surround soundstage than the LG SP7Y, which doesn’t have separate speakers. On the other hand, the LG speaker has a full HDMI input, unlike the Vizio V Series v51x-J6.

Supporting Dolby Atmos, the Sonos Arc provides a more immersive surround soundstage than the Vizio V Series v51x-J6. That said, the Vizio V Series v51x-J6…

Supporting Dolby Atmos, the Sonos Arc provides a more immersive surround soundstage than the Vizio V Series v51x-J6. That said, the Vizio V Series v51x-J6 has equalizer presets, unlike the Sonos speaker.

The Vizio V Series v51-H6 produces deeper extended low bass than its replacement, the Vizio V Series V51x-J6. It also achieves a top SPL of…

The Vizio V Series v51-H6 produces deeper extended low bass than its replacement, the Vizio V Series V51x-J6. It also achieves a top SPL of 96.4 dB, getting louder than the 94.7 dB of the newer model. Be sure to check out our Vizio V Series V51-H6 review to learn more about the previous model.

Bluetooth Enabled

Yes

Yes

No

Depth

3.2"

4.1"

4.56"

Dialogue Enhancement Feature

Yes

Yes

Yes

Energy Star Certified

No

No

No

Equalizer Settings

Basic

n/a

HDMI ARC

Yes

Yes

Yes

Height

2.2"

2.5"

3.43"

Number of Audio Channels

5.1

5.1

5.0.2

Dig Deeper

LG SP7Y Review →

Sonos Arc Review →

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Score Card

E

Expert Score

81

*.75

We place a 75% weighted value on Expert Test Scores

C

Customer Score

88

*.25

We place a 25% weighted value on Customer Scores

True Score

82

Any product with a True Score above 70 is a Mixed Reviews

Expert Scores

  • Rtings
    101.4

    Category Trust Rating

    74
    The Vizio V51x-J6 is satisfactory for mixed usage. Out-of-the-box, dialogue in TV shows and podcasts… Read More

    By:

    Jake Thauvette
  • Techradar
    39

    Category Trust Rating

    70
    As an upgrade to your basic TV speakers, the Vizio V-Series 5.1 Sound Bar has… Read More

    By:

    Nick Pino
  • Gizmodo
    42.25

    Category Trust Rating

    NR
    LIKE: Easy setup. Compact subwoofer and satellite speakers. Good sound quality for the price. … Read More

    By:

    Victoria Song
  • Gamesradar
    0

    Category Trust Rating

    90
    No bottom line found for this product Read More

    By:

    Alyssa Mercante