Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I recently moved into a new place. Looking for a soundbar to replace my Vizio S4251 which was the number 1 rated on Amazon back in the days. Also need another soundbar for my larger bedroom. Wanted to stay with a 5.1 true surround setup without having to purchase a home theater receiver and separate speakers. Did quite a bit of research, surprisingly, there were only two brands available with this surround configuration, Vizio and Nakamichi (most other brands like Samsung, Sony and Sonos have simulated surround). Vizio has a new model SB4051 which I believe is a direct replacement to my previous soundbar. I am somewhat familiar with the Nakamichi brand from the high end audio days. From a pure spec standpoint, the Nakamichi shockwafe seems to be superior, more speaker drivers, longer width, louder, bigger subwoofer, DSP modes and HDMI with 4K Pass Thru, etc. They also claim to be 7.1 channel with two additional speakers on the side. Purchased both units to do a sound off. The winner will be in my living room and other for my bedroom. As a big fan of my old Vizio, I opened the box first and noticed much improved design and aesthetics on the newer model. The new HDMI input is a big plus! Then comes the Nakamichi. The design is also quite attractive. I immediately noticed the difference when I placed both units under my 55" Samsung 4K TV. The 5" width difference makes the Vizio less appealing visually. The subwoofer is also quite a bit larger 8" Vs Vizio's 6". The additional HDMI input and 4K pass through complements my new 4K TV. Connections were fairly simple for both units. Took me less than 10 minutes each. The two rear speakers connect directly to the wireless subwoofer in the back of the room, eliminating surround sound wiring nightmares. Both units were a joy to listen to. I wouldn't call myself an audiophile but I could instantly hear the difference. The Vizio sounds as good as my previous one but the Nakamichi sounds "AMAZING"! Vocals are clear without overpowering by the rich, unified sound at all volumes. I rewatched the Martian using my Blu-ray player and a few episodes of Narcos, Dare Devil and House of Cards on Netflix. For some reason, I could hear a lot more details on the Nakamichi and it felt like the soundstage was much wider with surrounds coming from all directions. At 50% volume, the Nakamichi was much louder than the Vizio's with noticeably better bass. At 70% volume, I can practically feel the tight and deep bass in my chest. I then tested BT on both units with CDs, Spotify streaming and Sting and Adele live concert Blu-ray disc. Results were similar with the Nakamichi outperforming the Vizio. The sound is balanced whether I am watching a live music concert or an action movie. One thing I really noticed again was the size of the soundstage, it was huge. The additional side speakers provided extremely good extension details on both sides of the room. I also enjoyed the simple and user friendly remotes on both units. The Nakamichi's form factor is a bit easier to hold and the backlit display functions much better than Vizio's in a dark room. From a price to performance standpoint, the Nakamichi is hard to beat. I’m really happy with this purchase and highly recommend it.