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.
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.
Reason 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 Enabled
Yes
Depth
3.2"
Dialogue Enhancement Feature
Yes
Energy Star Certified
No
Equalizer Settings
Basic
HDMI ARC
Yes
Height
2.2"
Number of Audio Channels
5.1
Subwoofer
Included
Surround Sound Supported
DTS TruVolume
Voice Assistant
No
Wall Mountable
Yes
Weight
5 lbs
Width
36"
Wireless Connectivity
Bluetooth
Works With
Remote Control
All Specs
Test Results
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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 @ 80dB
0.62
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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.
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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.
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