Vizio VSB200 Soundbar - Page 5

Your dad is very lucky !!!!!

Cheers
Davyo

You 'aint just whislin' dixie!!

If he was a little luckier, the VA would help him get hearing aids.

You can get it on the cheap from your local Wal-Mart and if its not enough of an improvement, just take it back.

I just have one concern. I am having a hard time finding out if I can connect my Sony powered sub. I have been looking at pictures and do not see a spot to plug my sub into. If anyone knows if my sub will work please let me know. thanks.

YES, the Vizio soundbar does have an output for a sub, go on Vizio's website and pull up the manual to see it.
Your Sony sub should work fine.

I have the Vizio model with the wireless sub and am very happy with it.

Cheers
Davyo

It does, and it works fine. I have the xover on my sub set for around 100-110Hz and this seems to be the sweet spot. Very good integration.

I wrote Vizio support and the response was like something I would have expected from a sales-rep "try different settings, you should find something that works very well."

I guess giving me the recommended xover point would have been proprietary.
Oh well, it works great anyway so basically they were right!

So im pretty new to the whole sound system thing and have been looking at getting one. I saw this one and it looks like something I would be interested in. My only question is how to hook it up. I want my tv,wii,ps3, and xbox 360 all to use the sound bar, right now all the systems go into the tv directly. Would it be as simple as running a digital audio cable from the tv to the soundbar thus giving me the speaker on the sound bar as well?

That should work. Very similar to my setup. I believe some people have had an issue with the digital out and had to use the analog (L/R) outputs from their TV to the soundbar.

The soundbar only has 3 (2 analog - 1 optical) inputs, so you would have to run at least one of those thru the tv.

Has anyone had any luck using a universal remote with the VSB200? I have a Harmony 670 or a DirecTV remote I would like to use. I would even be willing to pickup a different universal remote. Using the one that came with the sound bar is a deal killer for me.

Nevermind, I was able to program my Harmony 670.

I used the "learn" function to enable my Dish Network remote to control the soundbar.
I would assume you can do the same with any remote that has the "learn" capability.

For anyone that needs info for the Harmony remote this is what Logitech provided.

Yes the Harmony remote can control your Sound bar, at this time we encourage you to add your Vizio VSB-200 in your account as a Amplifier

1. Log into your account.
2. Select the "Devices" tab and click on "Add Device" from your homepage.
3. Select "Amplifier" from the type of devices.
4. Select "Amplifier" .
5. Select the "Vizio" as manufacture from the drop down menu.
6. Type in the "VSB-200" as model number.
Our database will be able to locate the correct commands to control your device.

Savdom, thanks for the info on the Harmony 660. With all the controllers I have laying about now, I am just about at the point where I am willing to spring for one of these. Question: Is the Harmony 880 any more functional than the 660. Are both programmable via a PC and the internet? Thanks...

I've never used the 880. I've had the 720 before and as far as programming and ease of use the 670 is just as good, for me. The 720 cost me $170 and the 670 cost me $60 as a refurb from Amazon.

I really think remote preference comes down to the number of devices you have and the buttons you want on the remote. I prefer "hard" buttons for the commands I use most, DirecTV DVR and Volume. I also need something that is easy for my wife and daughter to use. Something they can use to turn on and off any combination of equipment - TV, AV receiver, Wii, DVD, Zone2, and Tuner.

I have the 670 programmed to operate for two different areas in the house, Family Room and Bedroom. This means it controls... 2 TV's, 1 AV Receiver, Wii, Vizio Soundbar, Zone2, 2 DVD players and 2 DVR's.

Two features I really liked about the 720 was it charged in the base and the backlighting came on automatically when you picked up the remote.

I guess a little more direct response to your question is... yes they both are programmed via a PC interface using Logitech's software. It's not really an internet app, it's installed on your PC and receives software and firmware updates via the internet.

Lookin for something clean and simple to augment the audio on my plasma (the rear firing speakers suck and I'm not interested in a fullblown 5.1 or 7.1 system where it's at. So, my big burning question is this: how is this controlled? Will I be able to use my universal remote that Verizon provides with FiOS?

Probably not. I already had a Logitech Harmony and it works well. Did not see any type of codes that would work with my Scientific Atlanta DVR from Comcast. Had the same problem with the Vizio's predecessor, a Yamaha Sound Projector. That's when I got the Harmony. It makes everyones life easier including my wifes. She does not want to ever see any other remote other than the Harmony.

WAF makes a happy home. And dials down the complaints next time I want a bigger TV.

re: optical audio

As far as I can tell, the issues with the optical connection are usually from OTA ATSC feeds where the TV tuner doesn't convert the audio to something the sound bar can decode. I've had no problems so far, but my signals are either coming from my Tivo HD, Roku or Oppo Blu-ray player.

re: remotes

Unfortunately none of the Vizio codes in my Tivo HD remote work for the Sound Bar, so I'm going to pick up a URC-R50 uni remote after Christmas and give that a go. I have an older Harmony laying around, but never liked their "activity-based control" way of doing things.

I'm enjoying the Vizio VSB200 Soundbar; however, the remote codes provided in the manual don't work with the AT&T U-verse remote.

I'm trying to decide whether to try out the AT&T U-verse Easy Find Remote (includes a learning function) for $59 or go ahead and get a Harmony. I'm concerned about loosing all of the dedicated U-verse buttons if I switch to the Harmony. But, I'm also concerned that the learning function on the AT&T remote may still not be able to operate the Soundbar adequately.

Has anyone had any experience with this or have a sugestion?

I'd take a look at the URC-R50 universal remote, it has a big code database and a robust learning capability.

Not sure about the AT&T U-Verse remote. I have a Logitech Harmony 520 from several years ago and it duplicated all of the functionality of the remote for my Scientific Atlanta HD-DVR from Comcast. Works well with the Vizio.

I got my Harmony One remote programmed with my Vizio soundbar without issue. The only question I have is how do I set the remote's default volume control to the soundbar and not the TV? I couldn't figure it out. I have to go to Devices and pick the soundbar and adjust the volume with the touch screen. I'd much rather just hit the volume buttons on the remote.

In the Harmony setup it should ask you what devicer controls the sound. Select the soundbar there and this should resolve your problem.

First off, thanks to all for the reviews and information on the VSB200. I was prepared to buy a Sony HT-CT10, even though it costs more than I wanted to spend, and after reading this and other threads, I decided to get the Vizio, and couple it with an extra powered sub that I have. It should be delivered tomorrow, and will be used with my new Panasonic 46" plasma (G10).

Question: I'd like to put my wired sub in the back of the room for both fidelity and visual clutter reasons. The input to the sub is RCA line-level, and since my room is wired for speakers, can I splice an RCA connector into the speaker wire, then back to the RCA at the other end? My wife would thank you.

Edit: It seems like something like the product pictured below might get the job done, the speaker wire is pretty heavy guage copper, and I estimate that it's 40' long (with going up and down walls, and corner to corner of ceiling). That's not too long, is it?

I am having a problem programming my Harmony 550 to work the VS-200... Can someone please help (details)? My Harmony won't control the Volume of the Vizio... it always controls the TV volume... What am I doing wrong? I selected have Vizio control volume in harmony setup but it doesn't work...?

I have a Harmony 520 and it is controlling the soundbar as it should.

You should make sure you have the speakers turned off on the television set if using a home theater. Perhaps both are working, but the potentiometer for the television amplifier is more sensitive than the soundbar and is cranking up the internal speakers faster than the soundbar.

Sorry if I missed this somewhere, but are there differences between the VSB200 and the VSB210 without the sub?

Without the sub, is there an acceptable amount of bass/fullness for average daily TV watching (including music-based channels)?

I ask because only the VSB200 is available at my local store.

It would be going under a Vizio 32' which sounds terrible of course.
For reference, I normally listen to TV through stereo 3-way Yamaha bookshelf speakers with 8? woofers--but they're too big for this new application.

I used the Vizio without sub for about 10 days while deciding was this really as good as it sounds. During that time, I never missed the added bass of the sub.

However, since I still retained the sub from my Yamaha Sound Projector (does that sound pretentious or what), I added it. Took about 15 minutes with various content to get the level correct. Definitely sounds fuller with the sub attached.

I really wasn't expecting much from the Vizio, but have gained greater appreciation after living with it for a couple of months.

My guess is that Vizio's own sub would integrate better although not sure how accurate it is. And I am using the term sub very loosely here. The Yamaha that I now use has very little usable, clean output below about 45hz. Most of the so-called subs with HTIB's or soundbars have little clean output below about 60hz. Typically they add a bump in output between 80hz and 120hz to simulate good bass. This gives you loud bass, but not accurate. By the way, if you can hear your woofer/sub-woofer, it's too loud. These should fill in for the lowest octaves only.

When I was doing my research, I compared specs between the Vizio VSB200 and the VSB210 on the Vizio website and they were virtually identical. Bottom line, bring it home and try it out -- you can always take it back if not satisfied.

Btw, after reading reviews on the different universal remotes, I finally settled on the Harmony One. What a sweet little device! Its probly over-kill for my little system (only five components), but its nice to be able to control everything with one remote. I put all the rest away and have not had to get them out once.

Sounds like you've got a short! Check your wires and connections.