Vizio Sound Bars

Sound Bars were definitely a popular item at CES, with many manufacturers adding more models to their product line. This past year, Vizio dipped their toes into the sound bar market with a single entry that was very successful (see my review). This year, they have a total of three sound bars. As you can see they are different widths to more closely match different size LCD and Plasma Televisions.

The sound bar on top is the VHT512 which is the main part of a full 5.1 channel system. The sound bar is 40-inches wide and provides speakers for the L,C, and R channels, as well as onboard decoders for Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, and SRS Circle Cinema HD. A built-in iPod Dock is also included. In addition, two additional compact surround speakers connect to a wireless subwoofer (this means that you would place the subwoofer in the back of the room). The selling price for the VHT512 system is expected to be $399.

The sound bar in the middle is the VB201WS or VSB201, which is also a 40-inch wide unit that houses a 2 channel speaker system. This sound bar can be purchased with, or without a wireless subwoofer. With the wireless subwoofer the price is $349 (VB201WS) and without the wireless subwoofer (VB201), the price is $199.

The sound bar on the bottom is the 32-inch wide VHT200 or VHT212 sound bar. This sound bar is designed to be used with smaller LCD TVs, but still offers Dolby Digital decoding and SRS TruSurround processing. Another bonus is that a wireless iPod Dock is also included. The VHT212 ($249) comes with a wireless subwoofer, while the VHT200 ($149) does not.

For more details on Vizio's Sound Bars, and their other audio products at shown at CES, check out the Vizio Official Announcement

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