VIZIO SB3820-C6 38-Inch 2.0 Channel Sound Bar

This sound bar was bought to be used with my TCL 4 series. Like most all TVs the speakers were not very good, at all. I'm definitely not an audiophile, but I do like to enjoy decent audio when watching movies and shows. But I'm not willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a crazy 7.1 channel setup. I looked at a lot of brands that I'd never heard of but that seemed to have decent reviews. But with a $100 budget, many of the choices were ugly to me. I like the look of the vizio sound bars. The reason I chose this model of the smaller $75ish 32 inch vizio, is because this model had DTS AND Dolby(the cheaper one only had DTS). This one also has 2.75" speaker drivers compared to 2.5". I honestly don't know how much of a difference any of that really makes, but I am really happy with my decision.I like that it comes with all the audio cables needed for the different inputs. I'm using optical, but it's nice to have the coaxial and 3.5mm to RCA cable if needed later.No support for HDMI ARC, but honestly if you need that option you'd probably be buying a more expensive option anyway. It does support Bluetooth if you want to stream audio from your mobile device.There are buttons on top of the sound bar for basic control, the included remote is needed for things like turning on and off the surround option and adjusting the bass/treble. There is a line of white LEDs down the left side of the front. This is just for basic feedback to tell you what the volume level is and for displaying what input you're using. Some people have complained about this and said that it's confusing. I found it to be simple and easy to understand.The sound quality is really a step up from a normal TV. I was really impressed, and I think most people would be happy with it for $100. There is an output for a subwoofer if you want to add one. I think that it has enough bass for most people, but I'm glad there is that option. I don't think you can do much better for the price. I've been using mine almost daily for 2 months with zero performance issues. No rattling or defects, so far.Update: almost 3 full years later, this thing is still working as good as the first day I got it!

DESIGN: A+The bar has very simplistic styling with a column of LEDs that light up to tell you different things, like the volume level, when it's searching for input devices, etc. The fabric lining on the speaker occasionally needs to be dusted. The remote is very easy to use and comfortable to hold.SOUND: B+If all you want is an improvement over your TV speakers, you are definitely gonna get it. I am not an audiophile (though I do have numerous pairs of decent headphones) but I can say that the sound is good. Not surround system and home-theater good, but good. Dialogue in TV shows (those epic drama ones in which everyone seems to be whispering for some reason) is finally listenable! That was the biggest thing for me. This is especially true if you use the TruSurround and TruVolume features, which I will get to...Music plays well, but if you have a good pair of bluetooth speakers, you can definitely see the disparity in sound quality. This is most likely since this sound bar is meant for mainly TV use.FEATURES: A+Using Bluetooth to connect to your phones, tablets, computers, etc. is easy and can be done with the remote. There are two buttons on the remote, for TruSurround and TruVolume.TruSurround simulates a surround sound experience. Unsure how to explain this, but the sound seems "more spread apart" in terms of the lows, mids, and highs. The bass is great in this mode. If you sit close enough to the sound bar, it actually does feel like you're sitting in a surround sound experience. For me, though, there was a bit too much distortion in some dialogue with this feature on. If I am watching a movie (which is when you'd want this on!) unfortunately I'll turn this feature off. Music sounds good with this feature on.TruVolume normalizes the volume level so the really loud and really soft noises aren't as far apart in volume level. This is a REALLY GOOD feature for movies and shows in which the dialogue is difficult to hear! I recommend turning this feature off if you're listening to music.If you want, you can go into settings and change the individual sound settings, just as you would with a car stereo or any other speaker system.PRICE: A+. Home run.For $100, this purchase was a no-brainer for me. After years of missing out on distorted TV-speaker dialogue, turning this speaker on felt like wearing glasses for the first time :-)