Vizio M21d-H8 vs Sony HT-A5000

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Votes 1 1
Rating 5 5

M21d-H8 vs HT-A5000 comparison chart

Overall
Vizio M21d-H8
5
Sony HT-A5000
7.8
6
4
Multichannel surround
5
10

Vizio M21d-H8 vs Sony HT-A5000 review

Vizio M21d-H8
vs
Sony HT-A5000

Comparison of Vizio M21d-H8 and Sony HT-A5000 will allow us to get comprehensive information about the features of these two devices. And as a result of the comparison, it becomes clear that M21d-H8 is inferior in all characteristics to HT-A5000. According to the results of our comparison, M21d-H8 received 5 points out of 10 possible, and HT-A5000 was rated 7.8 points.

Advantages Vizio M21d-H8 over Sony HT-A5000

  • Voice control supports
  • Built-in microphone

Advantages Sony HT-A5000 over Vizio M21d-H8

  • Available the Apple Music service
  • Available the Amazon Music service
  • Stream music with Spotify
  • Supports object-oriented sound with Dolby Atmos technology
  • Surround sound with DTS:X support
  • Wireless connection via Wi-Fi

Audio features

The M21d-H8 is rated 5 of 10 against 8 for the HT-A5000 according to the audio features rating.

M21d-H8
5
HT-A5000
8

It worth understanding the difference between the two types of amplification: a passive soundbar does not have its own amplifier and receives amplification from the signal source, while an active soundbar has a built-in amplifier. The same active type of amplification is used in the M21d-H8 and the HT-A5000.

There are stereo soundbars and multichannel ones. It is with the help of multichannel devices that you can get volumetric sound. It is worth noting one of the main differences, the M21d-H8 has 2.1 channels, while the HT-A5000 has 5.1.2 channels.

M21d-H8 HT-A5000
Built-in channels2.15.1.2
Amplification typeactiveactive
Output power, WN/A450 (overall)
Separate speaker (in package)00
Separate speaker connectionshas nothas not

Subwoofers

Soundbars can have a built-in or external subwoofer. The first type is inseparable from the soundbar body, but for the second, you can choose a good location for deep bass. Both are not equipped with an external subwoofer.

M21d-H8 HT-A5000
Built-in subwoofer
Separate subwoofer (in package)
Separate subwoofer connections

Multichannel surround

Unlike stereo, when reproducing multichannel sound, each specific direction of sound corresponds to its dedicated channel with a separate independent loudspeaker, which creates a three-dimensional sound stage. The M21d-H8 received rating 5 out of 10 for multichannel audio processing, but the HT-A5000, in the same category, earned 10 out of 10 points.

M21d-H8
5
HT-A5000
10

The peculiarity of Dolby Atmos is that this format is object-oriented, that is, each object of the audio signal is sounded separately and linked to its spatial location. Dolby Atmos surround sound support is implemented only in Sony HT-A5000.

DTS:X is an algorithm for processing sound scenes by the processor, linking directly to objects, rather than channels, and calculating the optimal distribution of sound output in a room. The manufacturer has implemented DTS:X technology only in HT-A5000.

M21d-H8 HT-A5000
Dolby Atmos
Dolby (other)Dolby DigitalDolby Digital, Dolby Dual mono, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital plus, Dolby TrueHD
DTS:X
DTS (other)DTS Virtual:XDTS HD High Resolution Audio, DTS HD Master Audio, DTS ES

Streaming services

The possibility to listen online to millions of songs from one device has become a reality thanks to streaming services.

M21d-H8
0
HT-A5000
10

The popular Spotify service is available on the HT-A5000.

M21d-H8 HT-A5000
Apple Music (AirPlay)
Amazon Music
Spotify
Other streaming serviceshas notPandora, SoundCloud

Connectivity

The existence of a sufficient number of current connectors significantly expands the functionality of the device. For example, only through HDMI is it possible to implement the transfer of object-oriented formats, and the presence of a Bluetooth connection will allow remote control, etc. The devices received different ratings for connectivity: Vizio M21d-H8 was rated 6 out of 10, and Sony HT-A5000 was rated 7 out of 10.

M21d-H8
6
HT-A5000
7

The presence of Wi-Fi in the soundbar allows you to get rid of wires when connected to a sound source and get minimal audio latency when playing content from streaming services. Wireless connection via Wi-Fi is possible on the HT-A5000.

Bluetooth connection is now one of the main communication protocols for speaker systems, which provides excellent quality and minimal audio latency. The availability of Bluetooth protocol, we can see in both models. The competitors in this comparison has 1/1 HDMI inputs/outputs.

HDMI ARC is a very usefull technology that creates a two-way communication channel between a TV and another device. This is convenient since there is no need to use optical and other cables in the system. HDMI ARC is basic for both soundbars. Connecting external devices via USB can be done on both models.

M21d-H8 HT-A5000
WI-FI
Bluetooth
Ethernet (RJ45)01
NFC
HDMI input/output1/11/1
HDMI ARC
HDMI eARC
HDMI CEC
Optical digital input/output1/01/0
USB1 (USB 2.0)1 (USB 2.0)
Coaxial digital input/output0/00/0
Analog audio input/output (RCA)1/00/0
Headphone output00
Subwoofer output00

Features

Voice control is designed to make operating the device more convenient. This allows you to control basic soundbar functions from anywhere in the room.

Proprietary applications allow you to control your soundbars remotely. This is possible both via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. In our case, the ability to control the soundbar using the app is not implemented in any of the competitors. Only Vizio M21d-H8 has a built-in microphone.

Some soundbars can be part of a multi-room system and it is an affordable solution for sounding the whole house. However, it is impossible to create a multiroom system based on each of these soundbars.

M21d-H8 HT-A5000
Voice controlAmazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri
App control
Microphone
Remote control
Multi-room

Dimensions

M21d-H8 HT-A5000
Size (Wx H x D), cm/in98 x 11.4 x 18.8/39 x 5 x 7121x6.7x1.4/47.5x2.5x5.5
Weight, kg/pounds3/66.1/13.1
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