Sonos Playbar vs VIZIO SB3821-C6

Playbar vs SB3821-C6 comparison chart

Overall
Sonos Playbar
5.5
VIZIO SB3821-C6
4.5
5
5

Sonos Playbar vs VIZIO SB3821-C6 review

Sonos Playbar vs VIZIO SB3821-C6

Sonos Playbar review

Having tested Sonos Playbar vs VIZIO SB3821-C6 can say that concerning the Playbar it is possible to wirelessly connect the Playbar with Sonos Sub and a pair of Play: 3 speakers to create a true 5.1 home system. This is a completely new type of home theater which features the output power of 200W and 3.0 built-in channels. Which, however, lacks possible compatibility with models from other manufacturers. Nevertheless, this product is difficult to recommend to everyone, especially consumers who do not yet use Sonos equipment. Although competing soundbar such as VIZIO SB3821-C6 is not so good in terms of virtual surround sound, it differs in better sounding in other aspects, especially in terms of bass. In addition, Sonos' solutions satisfy the majority of buyers who listen to streaming music from a smartphone.

Sonos Playbar

VIZIO SB3821-C6 review

What about another soundbar from VIZIO SB3821-C6 vs Sonos Playbar, even at this stage of review we can see that VIZIO loses in terms of built-in channels quantity. Here we have only 2.1. It allows for external connectivity of devices with its USB port and a 3.5mm audio jack, stereo RCA, coaxial inputs and digital optical. WAV audio format's playback is possible thanks to the USB port. It includes digital optical and digital coaxial cords for RCA to the 3.5mm connectivity.

VIZIO SB3821-C6

Sonos Playbar pros & cons

Pros

  • Good sound quality in various usage scenarios
  • It sounds like true 5.1 system, but adding two more speakers can't hurt
  • I had no problem setting up the Playbar to the Alexa/echo system

Cons

  • The crux of the issue is volume imbalance in films

VIZIO SB3821-C6 pros & cons

Pros

  • So far, no audio sync issues with any sources or streaming apps
  • Syncing took about 30 seconds from my iPhone and Spotify was up and running and sounding VERY full a spacious

Cons

  • The Bluetooth cracked a few times

Votes 2 2
Rating 4.5 4.5
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Common

Product

Sonos Playbar
VIZIO SB3821-C6

Model

Playbar
SB3821-C6

Brand

Sonos
VIZIO

Reviews

1767
8357

General

Placement type

table-top, wall-mountable
table-top, wall-mountable

Connection to source

wired, wireless
wired, wireless

Soundbar buttons

play/pause, volume up, volume down
power, input, Bluetooth, volume down, volume up

Audio features

Built-in channels

3.0
2.1

Amplification type

active
active

Output power, W

Separate speaker (in package)

0
0

Separate speaker connections

wireless
has not

Subwoofer

Built-in subwoofer

Separate subwoofer (in package)

Separate subwoofer connections

wireless
wireless

Streaming services

Apple Music (AirPlay)

AirPlay 2

Amazon Music

Spotify

Other streaming services

Pandora, Tuneln, SoundCloud
has not

Connectivity

WI-FI

Bluetooth

Ethernet (RJ45)

2
0

NFC

HDMI input/output

0/0
0/0

HDMI ARC

HDMI eARC

HDMI CEC

Optical digital input/output

1/0
1/0

USB

1 (USB 2.0)

Coaxial digital input/output

0/0
1/0

Analog audio input/output (RCA)

0/0
1/0

Headphone output

0
0

Subwoofer output

0
0

Features

Voice control

App control

Microphone

Remote control

Multi-room

Multichannel surround

Dolby Atmos

Dolby (other)

Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital

DTS:X

DTS (other)

has not
DTS TruSurround

User manual

Manual

Dimensions

Size (Wx H x D), cm/in

90 x 14 x 8.5/35.4 x 5.5 x 3.3
96.5 x 7.6 x 7.6/38 x 3 x 3

Weight, kg/pounds

5.4/11.9
2.6/5.8

Other

Release year

2013
2015
Sonos Playbar
VIZIO SB3821-C6
Sonos Playbar
VIZIO SB3821-C6

Soundbars CHooseratoR comparison rating

  • better
  • worse
  • 5.5
  • 4.5
  • 5.5Sonos Playbar
  • 4.5VIZIO SB3821-C6