Vizio gets in on budget Atmos action with £600 soundbar

By Becky Roberts
published

To boldly go where few soundbar brands have gone before

Vizio gets in on budget Atmos action with £600 soundbar
(Image credit: Vizio)

Vizio may have chosen to launch in the UK last month with a £149 soundbar, but already the US brand is showing just how serious it is about competing at the premium end of the soundbar market too.

Today, Vizio has launched a 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos soundbar for just £600, which is about as budget as it currently gets for Atmos TV speakers.

The Vizio 36in 5.1.2 Soundbar System with Dolby Atmos – its official name, we kid you not – does indeed warrant the inclusion of 'system' in its title.

(Image credit: Vizio)

The 36in-wide bar (which sports three drivers for left, right and centre channels in addition to two upward-firing speakers to deliver height channels) is accompanied by two rear satellite surround speakers and an external subwoofer. That's certainly a lot of speaker for your money, anyway...

Not content on promising a value Atmos experience, Vizio has also chosen to integrate Google Chromecast into its latest soundbar, allowing owners to stream music from any Chromecast-enabled audio app (such as Spotify, Tidal and Deezer) directly from their smartphone or tablet over wi-fi.

(Image credit: Vizio)

Vizio’s SmartCast Mobile app provides an alternative means of control to the provided LCD display-toting remote control, and the soundbar can also be voice controlled via Google Assistant when connected to a Google smart speaker.

Considering the only Atmos soundbars we can heartily recommend – the Sony HT-ST5000 and Samsung HW-N950 – are both over £1000, we have every finger and toe crossed that this Vizio can do itself (and the Dolby Atmos technology) proud.

MORE: 

Best soundbars 2019: the best TV speakers you can buy

Amazon Prime Day 2019 UK: the date, best deals, and how it works

The best cheap soundbar deals - June 2019

Becky Roberts
Becky Roberts

Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of Australian Hi-Fi magazine. During her 10 years in the hi-fi industry, she has been fortunate enough to travel the world to report on the biggest and most exciting brands in hi-fi and consumer tech (and has had the jetlag and hangovers to remember them by). In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.