![]() I also played Billie Eilish’s “Oxytocin,” and the Vizio’s woofers didn’t bobble the song’s big bassline, cranking out the beats with no signs of distortion or rattles. Indeed, I never had any trouble hearing what the on-screen characters had to say, but occasionally the dialogue crept up to an uncomfortably loud level relative to the overall volume.įor music, I teed up Taylor Swift’s hit “Anti-Hero” on Apple Music (played through an Apple TV), and the M213AD-K8 did a nice job with the Atmos-mixed track, delivering an enveloping soundstage, crisp vocals, and punchy bass. If I had to quibble, I’d say the M213AD-K8 has a tendency to push dialogue a tad, likely in an effort to keep the music and effects from drowning out the words. Jumping straight to the launch sequence, I was again impressed by the amount of sonic detail the M213AD-K8 managed to deliver, complete with the deep roar of the Saturn V’s engines as the rocket rose from the launch pad, James Horner’s stirring score, and some decent surround and height effects as the spacecraft shot out of the frame, seemingly over my right shoulder. Next, I tried the UHD Blu-ray of Apollo 13, which has a DTS:X soundtrack (as opposed to the remastered Dolby Atmos sound for Empire). ![]() We’re fans of the Vizio M213AD-K8’s sleek, tapared profile. I could also detect subtle but decent height effects as the foot of an Imperial Walker hung perilously over Luke Skywalker’s head–think of it more as a sense of airiness rather than the precise height cues you might hear from a quartet of upfiring Atmos driver. But for a studio apartment or a bedroom, the Vizio would make for an excellent upgrade for your tinny TV speakers, serving up clean, well balanced sound, surprisingly punchy bass, a wide soundstage, and a decent amount of immersiveness.ĭialing up Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back on iTunes, I was impressed by the M213AD-K8’s crisp (if a tad bright) delivery of John Williams’s score during the frantic Battle of Hoth, along with the zipping laser bolts, the satisfying booms of snowy explosions, and the thudding feet of the hulking Imperial Walkers. So, can the Vizio M213AD-K8 compete with a higher-end all-in-one like the $449 Sonos Beam, or the $899 Bose Smart Soundbar 900? Not really, and unlike the Sonos and Bose soundbars, the M213AD-K8 wouldn’t be adequate for filling a medium-sized or larger living room with sound. While the Vizio M213AD-K8’s remote is easy to use, it lacks the advanced functionality of the manufacturer’s backlit remote, meaning you can’t trim individual channel levels How does the Vizio M213AD-K8 sound? Still, those who want to hear the most precise immersive cues would be better off with a soundbar that does have upfiring drivers, and–ideally–surround speakers, too.įinally, you can cycle through the various EQ presets (Movie, Music, Game, and Dialogue) as well as adjust the bass and treble levels. Virtualization is also a great choice for those with ceilings that are too high, low, vaulted, or otherwise unsuitable for upfiring Atmos speakers. While the soundbar lacks upfiring drivers for bouncing Atmos and DTS:X height effects off the ceiling, it uses DTS Virtual:X processing to virtualize height as well as surround cues.ĭTS Virtual:X has come a long way in only a few years, and the virtualization technology now does a credible job at tricking your ears into thinking they’re hearing audio effects from above, behind, and to the sides. The M213AD-K8 supports the two main immersive object-based audio formats, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Does the Vizio M213AD-K8 support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X? The center channel is derived from the left- and right-hand drivers, which combine to create a “phantom” center channel for dialogue. There’s also a passive radiator to bolster the bass. Both the left and right channels get a tweeter and a full-range driver each, while the low frequencies come courtesy of two built-in three-inch woofers. ![]() The Vizio M213AD-K8 is a 2.1-channel soundbar, with a total of six drivers. This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best soundbars.
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