Vizio SB4551-D5 Review - Review 2022

Many soundbars rely on surround audio-like effects to create room-filling audio that doesn't ever convey an immersive, theater-like experience. Vizio'southward SB4551-D5 goes onetime-school and actually has five defended channels—left, heart, right, rear left, and rear correct—three of them just happen to exist independent in a powerful soundbar. Sonically, the system is very impressive, specially for its relatively affordable $499.99 toll (keep in mind yous're getting a soundbar, subwoofer, and two rear aqueduct speakers). Nosotros're not in love with the fact that the rear channels aren't wireless, only other than that this system is like shooting fish in a barrel to recommend.

Blueprint

While some manufacturers aim to go along the number of connected parts to a minimum, Vizio piles them on with the SB4551-D5. Unlike many soundbar systems, the chief speaker, subwoofer, and dual rear channel speakers are all included in the baseline package. The Bose SoundTouch 300 costs more than than the SB4551-D5, and that's before you add in the wireless sub and surround aqueduct speakers, which more double the price. The SB4551-D5's soundbar and sub pair with each other wirelessly, which is condign more mutual, but the rear channels practise not. Vizio calls the SB4551-D5 a 5.1 organization, with the two-by-2-by-45-inch (HWD) soundbar itself housing the left, correct, and center channels, while the two rear channels connect to the subwoofer.

Connections for the soundbar can be found on two recessed areas on its rear panel. On one cease, there are optical, coaxial, and 3.5mm connections, equally well as the power cable connexion—cables are provided for all of these inputs. On the other end, in that location's an HDMI ARC output, an HDMI input, an Ethernet connection, and a USB port. Beyond all this connectivity, yous can also stream wirelessly via Bluetooth, likewise as the Vizio SmartCast app (more on that in a moment). The top panel of the soundbar has buttons for power, source, Bluetooth pairing, and volume up and down. There'south an LED brandish on the left side backside the speaker grille—white dots show yous how the volume level, or how much the bass or treble is boosted. These LEDs also help y'all adapt speaker balance if you want to shift more audio into ane speaker because it is slightly farther away.

Backside the grilles, the soundbar houses three four-inch drivers for the left, right, and middle channels. Within the subwoofer, the driver is eight inches in bore. The fifteen.4-by-26.five-past-3.5-inch, 15.6-pound subwoofer is an interesting pattern piece—it's manufactured to either stand upright on screw-on feet that send with the system, or sit down flat underneath a sofa or large chair. Sitting flat, it certainly takes upwards a big footprint. Still you lot place it, information technology needs to be adequately shut to the listener, both for platonic audio operation and also so that the wired rear aqueduct speakers have no result connecting and receiving proper placement. To that end, even so, Vizio has at least provided cables for each speaker that seem long enough to wrap effectually an big room. Connectivity on the sub is limited to the connections for the rear channel speakers and for its included power cable.

Vizio SB4551-D5 The rear speakers are adequately minor, and ideally need to be elevated to ear level and equidistant from your preferred listening spot. The only svelte way for most people to do this will exist to buy speaker stands—even Vizio shows them mounted on stands on its site. But they don't transport with these stands, and fifty-fifty though the subwoofer pairs wirelessly with the soundbar, the rear speakers require a wire, and another cablevision connects them. We don't have annihilation against cables, only since much of the arrangement is already wireless, information technology seems reasonable to become all the style. And unless you lot're able to become creative, these cables will exist quite visible, and seem like just the thing that pets volition enjoy gnawing on from time to time.

The free Vizio app acts like a hub for your favorite audio streaming apps, and besides as a basic way to command playback. Is it essential? No, and we found ourselves using the actual remote command (or our phone'south controls, when paired via Bluetooth) more than than anything else. But information technology works with Pandora, I Heart Radio, YouTube, Hulu, and various other apps and paid streaming services.

If you lot don't want to use the app, the included remote runs on two AAA batteries (included) and has controls for power, volume, mute, playback, track navigation, carte du jour navigation, and a source button for switching between inputs. It also has a small LCD for carte navigation and switching between inputs. It's through the remote that you tin likewise make adjustments to the treble and bass for the soundbar itself, as well as the subwoofer'due south overall level, and the balance and volume of the surround and center channels. You can also switch between Film and Music listening modes.

Performance

This system gets incredibly loud. While watching Pacific Rim on Blu-ray, the SB4551-D5 sounds downright thunderous. The subwoofer can be adjusted to subtle levels or cranked upwards to the indicate that it volition rattle the dishes in your kitchen, and the treble can be adapted to friction match and provide balance. The rear satellites do a bully job of transmitting surround audio, and the entire listening experience is quite immersive. Nosotros recommend leaving TruSound off—this limits louder noises and boosts quieter sounds to normalize the dynamics—there'southward little demand for it.

The Casino Royale Blu-ray likewise showcases the 5.1 system'due south might. The dialogue is clear and bright, and although most scenes in this flick pack a little less bass rumble than Pacific Rim, information technology'south still quite possible to become some extra push out of the various gunshots and punches, non to mention the flick score. Playing with subwoofer levels hither helps, but nosotros recommend increasing the treble incrementally with the bass then as not to lose overall balance. Generally speaking, the SB4551-D5 offers a rewarding motion-picture show listening experience, and its parameters are highly adjustable to suit your tastes and the acoustics of your room.W

While listening over Bluetooth in Music mode with Surround turned off, the system delivers a solid audio experience. On tracks with intense sub-bass content, similar The Knife's "Silent Shout," the subwoofer can exist made to produce some incredibly powerful low-end. This organisation tin get insanely loud—like, neighbors-calling-the-police loud—and we never at any point experienced distortion, which is impressive.

Bill Callahan's "Drover," a rails with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a improve sense of the SB4551-D5'southward overall sound signature. Information technology's of import to call up you have a separate subwoofer book to play with, as well as treble and bass for the soundbar. Of course, at that place are and then many possibilities for a sound signature here, it's less about how the SB4551-D5 sounds and more than about how y'all tin brand it sound. The all-time sound we dialed up for music was with the soundbar'south bass levels boosted slightly higher than its treble settings, giving things more richness. In one case you have the soundbar set, adding in the subwoofer will circular out the boot drum's thuds and deeper bass elements of the mix. On the Callahan runway, these settings produce a full-sounding pulsate kit, rich baritone vocals, and a well-baked, vivid guitar attack.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West'southward "No Church in the Wild," the same settings yield solid clarity, highlighting the kick drum loop's sharp attack past giving it some added treble edge in the high-mids, while the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the vanquish are delivered with gusto. And if you blast the sub on this track, you might rattle some frames off the walls. Bass lovers will non be disappointed.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel Co-ordinate to the Other Mary, also benefit from the settings nosotros dialed upwards. There's solid clarity and effulgence for the college register brass, strings, and vocals, and the sub brings out the rounder elements of the lower register instrumentation, providing a little added oomph whenever there is actually some deep depression-end in the mix.

Conclusions

With the SB4551-D5, Vizio gives you lot the tools to fine-tune the audio to your liking, creating the opportunity for crisp, clear sound signatures or bass-heavy, thunderous ones. We're not in dearest with the rear speaker wires, but for the price, it'southward hard to complain too much—this unabridged system costs less than the soundbar portion of Bose'south SoundTouch 300. In this range, we're likewise fans of the LG SJ7, which can be used as a soundbar or as a stereo pair (with subwoofer), and the Sony HT-NT5, a two-piece system equipped with Google Cast and 4K HDMI passthrough . Overall, though, it'south easy to forget almost the SB4551-D5's rear speaker wires when it's all hooked up and your movies sound amazing.