VIZIO 2.0 Home Theater Sound Bar with DTS Virtual:X, Bluetooth, Voice Assistant Compatible, Includes Remote Control - SB2020n-J6

During a recent desk rebuild I was in need of new speakers. I was replacing an older pair of Logitech speakers that took up too much real estate on my desk so a sound bar was more of what I was looking for. I tried multiple variations from different brands, all sounding too flat/ muddy or too tinny with no mid range or lows.Finally, I received this one from Vizio and did a side-by-side comparison with some of the other top contenders I was considering. I listened to audio books for dialogue (since I’ll be using it for Zoom calls), I listened to various genres of music and I watched a few movie trailers as tests for each speaker. In the end, it was hands down the Vizio. Not only does the size and look fit perfectly on my desk between my laptop and my 24 inch monitor but the speaker had the best treble, mid range and lows out of the six different speakers I compared. This thing won’t blow you away with bass, but it’s enough that you can hear the lower frequencies in the music, unlike many of the others I listened to. It has a subwoofer output for a powered sub, if more bass is what you’re looking for. None of the other speakers I looked even had that option.This thing will primarily be used for conference calls with occasional music while I’m working, but it fits my needs and what I’m looking for. It has that sweet spot. Like I said, I compared it to several other brands and this was my pick. There’s plenty of YouTube videos on it as well. Granted you can’t hear the audio as well through your phone or tablet speakers, but you’ll have to take my word for it…it’s great!

I bought this soundbar to replace a dying Roku soundbar in the master bedroom. Since that TV isn't our main television, I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a soundbar for the TV that only is used a couple of hours a week.I bought a Vizio TV for that bedroom to replace an old Sony and was very impressed with the quality of the TV as well as a WELL thought-out design in the software, so I decided to give the same brand a chance with the soundbar.I wasn't disappointed! Setup took less than 10 minutes and it was up and running. After adjusting the bass and treble, I found the sound to be quite good from such a small soundbar without a subwoofer. I connected it to the television using a digital/optical cable which, IMHO, is always preferable to an analog audio cable.This little soundbar is packed with options and tweaks. I AM an audiophile and very demanding for my audio equipment. However, I think that this soundbar is perfect for a guest bedroom OR for anyone on a budget. The sound quality is great. You can also connect auxiliary devices to it (i.e., game console, CD player, etc) AND it will connect to Bluetooth devices as well.If I had to criticize anything, I think that they could have done better with the "quick setup" guide instructions. When I first powered up, the soundbar stated that it was searching for an input device and to turn on my TV. It wasn't until I used the included remote to switch inputs to "Digital/Optical" that I was able to connect to the TV. This is a very MINOR complaint. Otherwise, I'm totally satisfied. A++++

EDIT: A significant problem is when playing music where that has a lot of space or significant dynamic range with points of low (but not zero) volume level, the soundbar will mute itself completely and not unmute until the level rises. I have verified that this has nothing to to do with the cables and happens on aux input most frequently. This is a rather irksome design flaw.VIZIO 2.0 Home Theater Sound Bar - SB2020n-J6 20" version. For me, this sound bar works much better than most others at over twice the price. It is clear, plenty loud and the DTS gives a very wide soundstage. It fits perfectly under a monitor. It has an adequate remote control that allows for selecting the source, the general EQ contours (theater, music, gaming, etc.), treble, bass and volume, DTS and TrueVolume. It has top mounted controls as well.The remote control settings are mostly cyclic with audible messages (male voice, English) detailing the setting choices made. It flashes a few LED's to indicate the source. The audible messages are OK but I'd rather not have them and prefer that there be consistent positive visual feedback by temporary LED indications. I guess that there is less product cost to program in a voice than to add such LED's. In retrospect it was a reasonable design/value choice.For inputs it has Aux, Optical and Bluetooth that all work perfectly with no problem pairing Bluetooth. The sound quality is essentially identical on all the inputs (not so for many other soundbars). It has an RCA output to drive a subwoofer.There are a few cons. It does not have HDMI though for me, this is moot, I am using it with a game rig, my graphics card has only one HDMI port which is version 2.1 that I use for the monitor video input. Considering the video bandwidth advantage of the HDMI 2.1 port over DP, in my case, the HDMI port would be wasted on audio. YMMV.Another minor problem is it doesn't have a lot of bass and really needs a powered subwoofer, but I have used and tried many sound bars and every one has needed a subwoofer. Since this soundbar doesn't try to be a subwoofer, it blends well with a quality sub. It results in very seamless transitions and adds a lot of punch which is great for gaming as well as listening to music or watching videos.A significant problem is when playing music where that has a lot of space or significant dynamic range with points of low (but not zero) volume level, the soundbar will mute itself completely and unmute when the level rises. I have verified that this has nothing to to do with the cables and happens on aux input most frequently. This is rather irksome. You may not notice this if you tend to play the bar loudly.Except for the annoying muting problem, this sound bar is well worth the $78US I paid for it -- a steal, especially for the high quality sound and small size. It easily fits it on my cluttered gaming/work desk (you can hardly tell that it's there). I am very glad that I ignored the haters and tried it, it works and sounds much better than might be expected for the price, the savings gave me a little more slack to buy a higher quality sub (which will be needed).

This works excellent!