l would like to share my experience after comparing and testing two soundbars – Samsung HW-S40T vs VIZIO M51ax-J6. The Samsung HW-S40T was rated 5, while the VIZIO M51ax-J6 has a rating 5.4. The soundbars are equipped with a different number of buttons, volume down, volume up, power, source for the HW-S40T and power, source, demo, volume down, volume up for the M51ax-J6.
Each of the models under consideration has active amplification type. A noticeable difference is the number of channels that HW-S40T has 2.0 and M51ax-J6 has 5.1. A built-in subwoofer is available only in the Samsung HW-S40T. Rate 6 out of 10 received the Samsung HW-S40T for audio features and specs, but the VIZIO M51ax-J6 received 7 out of 10.
Soundbars do not have AirPlay support. The units in this comparison do not support Spotify.
Both models do not have a wireless Wi-Fi interface. Soundbars from this comparison have Bluetooth support. There are 1/0 HDMI inputs/outputs in the Samsung HW-S40T versus 1/1 HDMIs in the VIZIO M51ax-J6. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) is implemented only in the M51ax-J6. Connecting devices via USB is possible in both models. We rated the connectivity of the HW-S40T at 6 out of 10, while the M51ax-J6 was rated 8/10.
The manufacturer of the HW-S40T provides a device control application. Soundbars in this review are not equipped with a microphone. The models under consideration cannot become part of a multiroom system.
Dolby Atmos audio decoder is onboard the M51ax-J6. The M51ax-J6 can work with surround sound due to DTS:X support. The HW-S40T was rated 5/10, while the M51ax-J6 received a mark of 8/10 for multichannel surround.