Vizio VSB200

Pros: See summary

Cons: See summary

Summary: We recently moved from California to Georgia and, considering our new house features a fireplace, we decided to mount our television above it. I wanted to go with a minimal approach with our AV setup so as not to pull all the attention away from the fireplace so I ditched our 5.1 Samsung system and opted to mount a sound bar under the TV.

Sound Quality:

This sound bar sounds great and is rich in bass despite the fact that there is no subwoofer (although there is an output provided for such expansion). You're not going to shake the walls listening to Judas Priest with this but it is perfect for watching TV. Watching an action movie will leave you wanting the surround sound experience but the bar will effectively provide you with quality sound. It is for this reason that I give it four stars instead of five.

Appearance/Build Quality:

The sound bar is built solidly. High gloss, black plastic encompasses the entirety of the sound bar with two exceptions: the front with is covered by the traditional black cloth mesh speaker cover and the sides which is some sort of metallic/silver alloy. The edges are rounded and smooth giving the device a very modern and sleek look. The bar comes with two legs that function as a stand and can be reversed for wall mounting. The control buttons are located on top and there are LED indicator lights under the speak cloth on the right hand side of the bar.

Mounting:

As I said, I mounted mine under my Samsung TV. The bar comes shipped with the legs attached to it. Simply unscrew the screw holding them in place and flip them around, put a couple of screws in the wall, and viola! Took me less than ten minutes and most of that was measuring, leveling, and marking the wall.

Cons:

There is only one thing that bothers me about this product. The LED indicators that I mentioned earlier could use some overhauling. Basically, there is a combination of blue and white LEDs. They illuminate and flash in specific sequences to denote a particular action or function. For example: if I change sources three blue lights will light up. If the first one flashes that means the first input source is selected, the second light the second source, etc... If I select the SRS virtual surround sound a blue LED illuminates however, I turn off the SRS feature the same blue light illuminates so it leaves you wondering if you turned the feature on or off... The other issue is that there is no light that remains on if the unit is powered on. It leaves you guessing whether or not the last person turned it off when they turned off the TV.

Bottom Line:

Vizio has really established themselves as a solid AV manufacturer with good prices. Sure there are much better sound bars out there but few that come close in quality AND price as this one.

P.S. If you will buy this SoundBar I suggest for best deal at: www.amazon.com/exec/******/****/B002EPF6YO/cnet-offer-20