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Vizio VSB200 Soundbar - Page 7

post #181 of 999
2/25/10 at 8:35am
Thanks for the reply....as with most, I didnt read through the posts as well as I should have...connection was a snap...getting my verizon rc144 remote to work with the vsb 200 is another story....have a harmony but the dvr features are so detailed Im a bit concerned to go that way....by the way, I conneced a high in infinity woofer and yikes....what a difference compared to the little cheepie I used....
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post #182 of 999
3/22/10 at 8:18am
This thread has been pretty quiet for awhile, so I guess the results are all in -- the VSB200 is a pretty nifty, low-cost soundbar which actually gets pretty decent sound.

I thought I would add one last note regarding the mounting brackets from soundbarbrackets.com which are advertised in a previous reply to this thread. I bought the universal brackets and used them to mount the soundbar above the TV. The task was fairly simple -- the brackets attach to the stainless steel feet of the soundbar. And the final look is pretty slick.

As a bonus, I find that DavyO's suggestion that getting the soundbar higher off the floor would give better sound to be spot on. I have been listening for several weeks now, and have discovered that the SRS effect is more pronounced -- some sounds actually seem to come from behind! How this little soundbar achieves a 360 degree effect is beyond me, but there it is. Your results may vary, but I am quite pleased with mine
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post #183 of 999
3/22/10 at 8:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JRG3 View Post

This thread has been pretty quiet for awhile, so I guess the results are all in -- the VSB200 is a pretty nifty, low-cost soundbar which actually gets pretty decent sound.

I thought I would add one last note regarding the mounting brackets from soundbarbrackets.com which are advertised in a previous reply to this thread. I bought the universal brackets and used them to mount the soundbar above the TV. The task was fairly simple -- the brackets attach to the stainless steel feet of the soundbar. And the final look is pretty slick.

As a bonus, I find that DavyO's suggestion that getting the soundbar higher off the floor would give better sound to be spot on. I have been listening for several weeks now, and have discovered that the SRS effect is more pronounced -- some sounds actually seem to come from behind! How this little soundbar achieves a 360 degree effect is beyond me, but there it is. Your results may vary, but I am quite pleased with mine

Thanks for reviving this thread. I got my VSB200 last November for a crazy-low $100 or so, and am overall pleased. Like many have mentioned here, though, it's frustrating as hell that non-learning universal remotes (excluding Harmony remotes as well), such as those that come with HDTVs and Media Center Extenders, cannot control the volume as Vizio did not apparently pitch an audio receiver code to whatever quasi-standardized system there is for the consumer electronics databases. I hate using that dinky bubble-membrane remote that came with the VSB200. It's really quite an awful form factor and yet another thing to worry about.

Another thought: I recommend taking the TOSLINK optical out from your HDTV into the VSB200 to simply switching; thus you simply take whatever the HDTV spits out without having to switch inputs (again, using that ****** VSB200 remote that fails to communicate with anything else) for each source.
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post #184 of 999
3/22/10 at 9:11am
Yeah, I don't understand why Vizio didn't include a workable code for the remote. The dinky little thing wasn't a deal killer however, but it was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. It was the sixth remote added to the stack at which point I decided the time had come for a good universal. The Harmony One, while pricey, is everything its cracked up to be and one of the easiest to program and use.
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post #185 of 999
3/23/10 at 1:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JRG3 View Post

As a bonus, I find that DavyO's suggestion that getting the soundbar higher off the floor would give better sound to be spot on. I have been listening for several weeks now, and have discovered that the SRS effect is more pronounced -- some sounds actually seem to come from behind! How this little soundbar achieves a 360 degree effect is beyond me, but there it is. Your results may vary, but I am quite pleased with mine

Thanks for the mention and glad your happy with the bar.

On a side note, Im very much looking forward to the release of the Vizio 5.1 soundbar system with the wireless rear's.

Cheers
Davyo
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post #186 of 999
3/25/10 at 4:20am
I am presently waiting for the Zvox 550HSB to restock at Zvox but got on this thread and after reading some posts have ordered a VSB200 just to see if it would fill my need. I am a Wally world enthusiast because of the ability to take bar back if it's not what I need. I am not an audio maniac but am interested in voice clarity.
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post #187 of 999
3/25/10 at 6:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by wvasko View Post

I am presently waiting for the Zvox 550HSB to restock at Zvox but got on this thread and after reading some posts have ordered a VSB200 just to see if it would fill my need. I am a Wally world enthusiast because of the ability to take bar back if it's not what I need. I am not an audio maniac but am interested in voice clarity.

I think you will NOT be disappointed with the Vizio! Though I am trying to figure out when the revision is arriving so that I can get it and have the dolby digital decoding.
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post #188 of 999
3/25/10 at 7:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by capezio49er View Post

II am trying to figure out when the revision is arriving so that I can get it and have the dolby digital decoding.

Revision?
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post #189 of 999
3/25/10 at 8:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JRG3 View Post

Revision?

Don't be a smartass, you know what he/she was trying to say.
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post #190 of 999
3/25/10 at 9:03am
Huh? Well, actually, no I don't know what he/she means. Or you either.
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post #191 of 999
3/25/10 at 9:42am
Quote:


This unit is not compatible with the latest Blu_Ray surround formats, Dolby -True HD and DTS Master audio, but unit works great with regular Dolby Digital sources and TV audio.

Maybe he/she is waiting for this kind of revision/upgrade. I don't have a clue, just an assumption.
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post #192 of 999
3/26/10 at 7:11am
revision... Vizio is releasing an updated soundbar that handles DD. They have also improved/replaced the remote. Supposed to be out in a month or so.
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post #193 of 999
3/26/10 at 4:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by capezio49er View Post

I think you will NOT be disappointed with the Vizio! Though I am trying to figure out when the revision is arriving so that I can get it and have the dolby digital decoding.

Well so far so good. I hate it when I do the same stupid stuff, just get it out of box hook it up and I can't understand why it's not working properly. Of course then I decide to read manual and it says audio source should be on PCM. Wouldn't you just know, that immediately it starts working properly.

The voice clarity is fine and the Tvol (commercials not blasting us out of room) Wife is taking nap on couch so I can't pop a Blu-ray dvd in yet that will come later. More as I explore more.

Have had a chance to watch/hear some movies (Blu Ray and Standard DVDS) I tried it with woofer addition and woofer off and it is a very nice unit for price.
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post #194 of 999
4/21/10 at 7:34am
I was thinking of picking up the VSB200, but after reading through several threads, I don't believe it will work with my setup.

I have a Panasonic Plasma TC-P50U1 with a fiber optic digital audio out jack (there are no RCA audio out jacks), a Panasonic BD60 Blue-Ray player (connected to the display via HDMI), and a DirecTV HD DVR box (also connected to the display via HDMI).

The technical information on the fiber optic digital audio out contains a phrase I've seen quoted in this thread and others: "When an ATSC channel is selected, the output from the digital audio out jack will be Dolby Digital. When an NTSC channel is selected, the output will be PCM." After reading through the manual, I believe this is all done automatically, and I do not see where there is an option to have all of the audio signals coming in through HDMI converted to PCM through the fiber optic digial audio out jack.

So, since the VSB200 cannot process all Dolby Digital formats, sometimes I will have sound and sometimes I won't depending on which (if any) Dolby Digital format the source material is using.

Is all of that correct?

I realize there are probably workarounds in terms of how the components are wired, but if I can't just connect the VSB200 to my display with a fiber optic cable and have it work consistently, then I'd rather look elsewhere (like the Sony CT100 with the HDMI jacks) or just wait for the 2010 Vizio soundbars to come out later this year. All I'm really looking for here is upgraded stereo sound (and hopefully clearer dialogue). True multi-channel surround sound just isn't that important to me right now.

Thanks in advance,

Tom
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post #195 of 999
4/22/10 at 1:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JRG3 View Post

As a bonus, I find that DavyO's suggestion that getting the soundbar higher off the floor would give better sound to be spot on. I have been listening for several weeks now, and have discovered that the SRS effect is more pronounced -- some sounds actually seem to come from behind! How this little soundbar achieves a 360 degree effect is beyond me, but there it is. Your results may vary, but I am quite pleased with mine

I wonder if mounting the bar beneath my TV would have the same result as mounting it above would for most people, since the base of my set is mounted around 5.5 feet high (over fireplace).
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post #196 of 999
4/22/10 at 6:45pm
In theory, tweeters (in this case the entire sound bar) should be within +/- 5 degrees of ear level. Assuming the vertical dispersion of the drivers is equal, you could go x # of degrees above or below ear level with the same results. If a tweeter is a little agressive, this should make the upper mids through high frequencies smoother and easier to listen to.

Since your setup is already at a fairly high level (above the mantel) there is a good possibility that your soundbar would be close to same location as DavyO's when mounted below the display.

I have the Vizio soundbar and mine is mounted about 3 or 4 degrees below ear level and the sound results are excellent. Plenty of detail and dynamic range with zero harshness or audible distortion.

At the inexpensive price of the Vizio, buy one and try it. If you purchase from Wallyworld, returns are quite easy should your resuts be less than your expectations.
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post #197 of 999
4/26/10 at 11:29am
So I have the VSB200 hoked up to Mits LT-46146 LCD TV, currently just through the RCA cables. I have a Panny BDP85 blu-ray and a Verizon FIOS HD DVR going into the TV, both through HDMI. For some reason, if I turn everything on, initially I get no sound from the FIOS box. I have to switch to Blu Ray Player, let a little sound come through, then switch back to FIOS. Form that point on, no problems switching back and forth between FIOS and blu-ray, until the next day when I have to start the process over. Any ideas what would cause this?
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post #198 of 999
5/1/10 at 11:53am
I enjoyed reading the debate and i got hold of a refurbished one for <$100

It works fantastically for a simple person like me...using analog audio.

Want to use optical fiber, but I just get a buzz connected to my LG 50PG10

I see others talk about PCM output...but I cannot find that selection in my manual or by browsing thru the menu items on the screen
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post #199 of 999
5/1/10 at 1:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lloydainey View Post

I see others talk about PCM output...but I cannot find that selection in my manual or by browsing thru the menu items on the screen

I can only speak for my own setup, but my TiVo HD DVR gives me the option of PCM output. I think it may be a function of your receiver. YMMV.
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post #200 of 999
5/4/10 at 12:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by treads View Post

So I have the VSB200 hoked up to Mits LT-46146 LCD TV, currently just through the RCA cables. I have a Panny BDP85 blu-ray and a Verizon FIOS HD DVR going into the TV, both through HDMI. For some reason, if I turn everything on, initially I get no sound from the FIOS box. I have to switch to Blu Ray Player, let a little sound come through, then switch back to FIOS. Form that point on, no problems switching back and forth between FIOS and blu-ray, until the next day when I have to start the process over. Any ideas what would cause this?

I got a digital coaxial to fiber optitic converter from Monoprice and it seems to have resolved my issue. I bought the VSB200 to replace a Sony HT-CT100, and have to say I very much prefer the Vizio. With the Sony, I was constantly having trouble keeping the center channel dialog loud enough without creating too much volume in the rest of the soundtrack. Regardless of the various settings (decrease sub channel, increase center channel, etc.)I always had to adjust volume up or down depending on the action on screen. The Vizio seems to give a nice full front sound stage without the voume spikes I was experiencing with the Sony (even without the TVOL function activated). I have a 250 watt powered sub hooked up which seems to be a good match to the VSB200.

Looking back, I think maybe my room was too big for the Sony. I had it set up in the family room which is completely open on left and back sides (i.e. no walls to bounce simulated surround off of). I'll be moving it to the kid's playroom to see if it works better in a smaller, convential boxy room.

While the Vizio does not have much surround effect, it is a great improvement to both the TV speakers and the Sony IMHO.
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post #201 of 999
5/16/10 at 8:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by drfreeman60 View Post

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.

Huh? You can't hear anything below 60 or 80 Hz? Then why have a sub? I assume you mean it shouldn't be obtrusive or localizable but to say you shouldn't hear it is just wrong. If you're hearing audio significantly below your crossover, then you're hearing your sub.
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post #202 of 999
5/17/10 at 4:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by treads View Post

I got a digital coaxial to fiber optitic converter from Monoprice and it seems to have resolved my issue. I bought the VSB200 to replace a Sony HT-CT100, and have to say I very much prefer the Vizio. With the Sony, I was constantly having trouble keeping the center channel dialog loud enough without creating too much volume in the rest of the soundtrack. Regardless of the various settings (decrease sub channel, increase center channel, etc.)I always had to adjust volume up or down depending on the action on screen. The Vizio seems to give a nice full front sound stage without the voume spikes I was experiencing with the Sony (even without the TVOL function activated). I have a 250 watt powered sub hooked up which seems to be a good match to the VSB200.

Looking back, I think maybe my room was too big for the Sony. I had it set up in the family room which is completely open on left and back sides (i.e. no walls to bounce simulated surround off of). I'll be moving it to the kid's playroom to see if it works better in a smaller, convential boxy room.

While the Vizio does not have much surround effect, it is a great improvement to both the TV speakers and the Sony IMHO.

I had a CT-100 and CT-500 and now have the Vizio with the wireless sub, I am much happier with my Vizio than I was with my Sony's,,, to me the CT-100 had around the same amount of surround effect as my Vizio does, while the CT-500 did do really good for me as far as a surround effect the Vizio still sounds better, the Vizio has more of a nice big room filling sound,,,, and yes,,, dialog is much better than with the Sonys.

Very much looking forward to the Vizio wireless 5.1 system coming out !!!!

Cheers
Davyo
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post #203 of 999
5/19/10 at 8:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by NicolasKL View Post

Huh? You can't hear anything below 60 or 80 Hz? Then why have a sub? I assume you mean it shouldn't be obtrusive or localizable but to say you shouldn't hear it is just wrong. If you're hearing audio significantly below your crossover, then you're hearing your sub.

Nikolas - A sub-woofer by definition should reproduce the lowest octave of music (20hz - 40hz). An extremely good sub-woofer can produce sub-sonic frequencies (14hz-16hz). To acheive this usually demands a very dedicated driver, a fairly good size enclosure, and dedicated electronics. Back in the late 1980's / early 1990's, I had a Janis sub attached to a Carver amplifier (375 watts stereo / 750 watts bridged mono) that could acheive the levels referrenced above. This was used in combination with speakers from Dahlquist / KEF / DCM / Quad / Vandersteen and electronics from Audio Research / Conrad Johson / Carver. I used an electronic crossover set at about 65hz so the amplifier would never see any output above that frequency. If you get a chance to hear a sub like that, you will understand what I am talking about when I discuss the so called sub-woofers that are generally used for home theater. Most of these just woofers. Some are good to extremely good, some leave a lot to be desired. I have heard many home theater systems including my own, and with test tones and a sound meter, most have outpu down by 10-20db when you get to 30hz. This means that the bass roll-off of the driver/enclosure starts somewhere between 40hz-50hz.

I am using a Yamaha sub with my Vizio sound bar now. The Yamaha has good output to about 40hz and rolls off dramatically after that. Does it sound good. I think so. I believe it adds just enough fullness to complement the Vizio sound bar for most of the frequency and dynamic range for home theater.

I still use a Boston Acoustics sub with my main stereo. The BA is good down to about 25hz in my current set up. My equipment tastes are much more modest these days as I live in a 1700 sq. ft. condo. In my former home, out family room measured 25 x 35 with 10' ceilings (approx. 8750 cu. ft), and could handle a much more robust system. Actually, I don't believe I currently have a long enough wall to play a frequency below about 25hz. I used to have a chart showing the length of various soundwave frequencies. In many cases, the lowest frequency that can be reproduced in a given room is determined by the room itself. Example, in a 12x16 living room, you can not physically have a soundwave less than about 32hz.

When you see specs for home theater showing a sub with output to 20hz, be sure it shows at what db level the measurement is taken.
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post #204 of 999
5/19/10 at 9:21am
Thanks to this thread, I was able to find the VSB200 without the sub for $98 on Wal-Mart's website so I pulled the trigger. I have a Panny 58S1 plasma coming Sunday and needed something to boost it. We are finishing our basement and my wife hates speakers all over the place so I'm forced to find a better alternative. From most in here, it sounds like this is a pretty good speaker. I will be hooking up a Dish DVR and some sort of Blu-Ray player. Will post back later when my setup is finished.
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post #205 of 999
5/19/10 at 8:50pm
I've had the VSB200 for a while now and I only have one annoying issue that I haven't quite nailed down yet...

Up until now with my Blu-ray player I get this annoying second or so of audio static, particularly when transitioning between the Blu-ray menus and special feature content. I don't have the problem when using the TV speakers.

Up until now I've chalked this up to some issue with the audio settings in my Blu-ray player, but I just bought a PS3 and am having the same issue during transitions between loading screens and a game.

I'm using the optical-out from my TV to the VSB200... has anyone had this sort of issue? any ideas on how to resolve it?


edit... and THANK YOU AVS for breaking out sound bars into a separate forum!!!
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post #206 of 999
5/21/10 at 7:15am
The VHT210 is now showing as "Coming Soon" on the Vizio website: http://www.vizio.com/home-theater/vht210.html
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post #207 of 999
5/21/10 at 12:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ehgz1 View Post

The VHT210 is now showing as "Coming Soon" on the Vizio website: http://www.vizio.com/home-theater/vht210.html

Cool,,, thanks for posting that,,,,, looks like it will be a nice up-grade from the already exisiting very good soundbar.

Cheers
Davyo
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post #208 of 999
5/22/10 at 9:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by siuc1996 View Post

Thanks to this thread, I was able to find the VSB200 without the sub for $98 on Wal-Mart's website...

I was planning to get one several weeks ago at the $128 price. I checked a few days ago and noticed that it had dropped by $30, so I picked one up tonight for $98 at my local store. I'm going to go with the RCA cable for now and switch to optical only if it seems to be a needed change
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post #209 of 999
5/23/10 at 4:12am
I keep checking back for a release date on Vizios site,,, hope its soon,,, anyone here emailed Vizio to find a date ? (as in a release date for the soundbar)

I know for sure when the Vizio VHT210 comes out I will do a direct comparison to my current Vizio bar w/sub.

Cheers
Davyo
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post #210 of 999
5/24/10 at 8:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by drfreeman60 View Post

Nikolas - A sub-woofer by definition should reproduce the lowest octave of music (20hz - 40hz). An extremely good sub-woofer can produce sub-sonic frequencies (14hz-16hz). To acheive this usually demands a very dedicated driver, a fairly good size enclosure, and dedicated electronics. Back in the late 1980's / early 1990's, I had a Janis sub attached to a Carver amplifier (375 watts stereo / 750 watts bridged mono) that could acheive the levels referrenced above. This was used in combination with speakers from Dahlquist / KEF / DCM / Quad / Vandersteen and electronics from Audio Research / Conrad Johson / Carver. I used an electronic crossover set at about 65hz so the amplifier would never see any output above that frequency. If you get a chance to hear a sub like that, you will understand what I am talking about when I discuss the so called sub-woofers that are generally used for home theater. Most of these just woofers. Some are good to extremely good, some leave a lot to be desired. I have heard many home theater systems including my own, and with test tones and a sound meter, most have outpu down by 10-20db when you get to 30hz. This means that the bass roll-off of the driver/enclosure starts somewhere between 40hz-50hz.

I am using a Yamaha sub with my Vizio sound bar now. The Yamaha has good output to about 40hz and rolls off dramatically after that. Does it sound good. I think so. I believe it adds just enough fullness to complement the Vizio sound bar for most of the frequency and dynamic range for home theater.

I still use a Boston Acoustics sub with my main stereo. The BA is good down to about 25hz in my current set up. My equipment tastes are much more modest these days as I live in a 1700 sq. ft. condo. In my former home, out family room measured 25 x 35 with 10' ceilings (approx. 8750 cu. ft), and could handle a much more robust system. Actually, I don't believe I currently have a long enough wall to play a frequency below about 25hz. I used to have a chart showing the length of various soundwave frequencies. In many cases, the lowest frequency that can be reproduced in a given room is determined by the room itself. Example, in a 12x16 living room, you can not physically have a soundwave less than about 32hz.

When you see specs for home theater showing a sub with output to 20hz, be sure it shows at what db level the measurement is taken.

How does any of this relate directly to what I said?
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