Vizio VHT210

Vizio VHT210 sound bar with wireless subwoofer

Vizio entered the sound bar market last year, with the VSB210WS, showing that the upstart TV manufacturer's trademark mix of "good-enough" performance and affordable pricing works in the home audio market, too. The VHT210 is Vizio's latest sound bar model and though it's not quite as cheap ($270 list price), it still has a lot going for it. Its design is one of the best we've seen, with both the sound bar and wireless sub boasting a compact form factor that won't dominate your living room. Its sound quality isn't the best we've heard--it doesn't get quite as loud as some competitors--but it does handle stereo music better than most sound bars we test. Our major disappointment was on the connectivity side; the VHT210 has only two inputs, compared with many competitors, like the Sony HT-CT150 and JVC TH-BA1, that offer more. That being said, if you've got a simple home theater setup and style is a priority, the Vizio VHT210 is a savvy choice. The idea of the sound bar is to shrink the home theater down to a single enclosure, but even by those standards the VHT210 is compact. The sound bar itself is just 31.5 inches wide by 4 inches high by 3.13 inches deep.