Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First, let me set the context for this review. This sound bar is not designed to satisfy the audiophile. It can not compete with a dedicated AV system or a $700 sound bar. With that said, those of you who own the flat and extremely thin LCD/LED TV sets have probably become accustomed to a certain quality of sound emanating from those tiny speakers. You will be astonished the moment you connect this Vizio. First, although it is approximately 38 inches wide, it is less than 4 inches tall and 3 inches deep. For many 40 to 55 inch TVs, this means it will not block the screen if rested on the TV stand in front of the set. While it is still possible this location may interfere with the TV's remote receiver, especially if fixed in the middle (as opposed to the far corner), you may find the clearance between the sound bar and TV sufficient to avoid this difficulty. Now on to the sound. I have listened to Blu-ray, Pandora and movies from my satellite provider with this unit and must say I am extremely impressed. For movies, dialog is crystal clear. Soundtrack details are excellent but do lean toward the bright side. For certain soundtracks the "True DTS" setting creates amazing separation and surround sound although this will probably be influenced by how far the bar is located from side walls. In one of the sci-fi "space" movies, the sound of the space ship could be heard to soar above the screen and well beyond (both left and right) the physical dimensions of the sound bar. The small but unobtrusive wireless sub woofer (about the weight of a gallon of milk) paired with the bar instantly and while not earth shaking, adds palpable weight to both movies and music. It is not "boomy", even when located in a corner. I do not like the fact that it has its own power switch and will not shut off automatically with the sound bar after several minutes of no input. For this and sonic reasons, I faced the sub port to the wall so the rear of the sub which contains the power switch is easier to access. I don't know about build quality or reliability yet. However, for $158.00 (I picked up mine at the local Wal-mart), it doesn't feel like a cheap piece of plastic. If you are looking to substantially enhance your listening experience over those standard thin speakers, I feel confident you will be pleased with this unit. I doubt you can do better for the price. I should also point out that included with the unit are a digital optical cable (tosliink), a coax digital cable and mini to RCA cable. One of these will almost certainly connect to your TV or other equipment/device. Set up could not be simpler. Plug appropriate cable into TV (or other device), connect to sound bar, plug electric cables into sound bar and sub woofer. You're done. PLEASE NOTE THAT FOR UNKNOWN REASONS, AMAZON HAS CHOSEN TO MERGE REVIEWS INCLUDING THIS ITEM WITH ITS MORE EXPENSIVE STABLEMATE. READ CAREFULLY OR YOU MIGHT END UP PURCHASING THE WRONG SOUND BAR. UPDATE: September 2014 After further use and experimentation, it is possible that the subwoofer does in fact shut down (as does the soundbar) after several minutes of no input. Although I do not have the equipment to confirm this, what I have observed is that once the soundbar shuts down, the subwoofer LED continues to blink for several minutes as though searching for the soundbar signal. After a few additional minutes, the light goes off. Once the soundbar is turned back on, the subwoofer light turns back to steady green and links back up. It appears to go into at least a stand-by mode shortly after the soundbar turns off. But I can not state with certainty that it is actually off. UPDATE: December 2014 Alright all you Bluetooth aficionados, please forgive my failure to include this feature in my review. Unfortunately, in many ways I am still tethered, both figuratively and literally, to 20th century technology. However, last night I attempted to pair my iPad to the soundbar and it was up and running in less than a minute. You simply press and hold the Bluetooth button on the Vizio remote for a few seconds; the bar will start searching for the device; next activate the Bluetooth discovery mode on your device and voila, wireless connection is made. The more I use this Vizio, the more I am convinced of its value. This Bluetooth feature is great for those of you with mobile devices and further highlights the versatility of this relatively inexpensive soundbar. So far, the only hiccup I've experienced is occasional lost connection with the remote. However, I simply unplugged the bar for a few seconds, plugged it back in and connection was re-established. I don't really understand this but it only seems to happen when I don't use the soundbar for several weeks. After reading numerous complaints about this remote issue, I can only say that while it is clearly a pain in the ass, for me it is not a deal-breaker. However, I can perfectly understand why, for some, it makes more sense to look elsewhere and to ultimately spend more money on another soundbar with a more reliable remote. Please also take a look at Richard Rayl's December 31, 2013 review which mentions the confusing nature of the LED array. Unless you frequently use the soundbar, you may find it necessary to consult the manual or cycle through the inputs each time you wish to change settings/inputs. This could definitely stand improvement.