l would like to share my experience after comparing and testing two soundbars – VIZIO M512a-H6 vs VIZIO M51ax-J6. The VIZIO M512a-H6 was rated 5.6, while the VIZIO M51ax-J6 has a rating 5.4. Soundbars have the same set of buttons - power, source, demo, volume down, volume up.
Each of the models under consideration has active amplification type. A noticeable difference is the number of channels that M512a-H6 has 5.1.2 and M51ax-J6 has 5.1. The built-in subwoofer is not implemented in any of these models. An external subwoofer can be connected to any of the units in this comparison. Rate 8 out of 10 received the VIZIO M512a-H6 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. 1/1 HDMI inputs/outputs are in each of soundbars. As in the M512a-H6, so in the M51ax-J6 there is the HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). Connecting devices via USB is possible in both models. The connectivity of each of the models was estimated at 8/10.
None of these soundbars can be controlled using the app. Soundbars in this review are not equipped with a microphone. The models under consideration cannot become part of a multiroom system.
Manufacturers equipped both units with Dolby Atmos audio decoder. Units from this comparison can process surround sound due to DTS:X support. The same score of 8/10 was put to the soundbars for multichannel surround support.