Sony HT-Z9F Soundbar (2018) vs Vizio SB3651-E6 5.1 Soundbar (2017)

The Sony HT-Z9F Soundbar (2018) (HT-ZF9) and Vizio SB3651-E6 5.1 Soundbar make for good, if unremarkable, Soundbars at their respective budgets.

With that said, while they both should serve reasonably well, you might want to look into other options at the $930 and $310 price points - it's likely that there are some better alternatives available.

If you want to learn more about the Sony HT-Z9F Soundbar (2018) (HT-ZF9) and the Vizio SB3651-E6 5.1 Soundbar, however, we prepared a summary of the information that we have:

The Sony HT-Z9F Soundbar (2018) (HT-ZF9) was loved by reviewers at Rtings, a highly trusted source that performs reliable in-depth testing. It did great in its "The 3 Best Sony Soundbars of 2021" roundup where it was named its "Best Sony Soundbar For Dialogue", which, in itself, makes it a product worth considering.

Returning to the Vizio SB3651-E6 5.1 Soundbar, Wirecutter (NYTimes), a source that's known for its high-quality in-depth testing, has great things to say about it. In fact, it was named its "Best soundbar for living rooms" in its "The Best Gear for Building Your Home Theater" roundup, which is quite a feat.

We couldn't find any sources that tested both of these Soundbars, so we only analyzed how they performed in reviews from different sites.

We first examined which sources rated each of these best and found that the Sony HT-Z9F Soundbar (2018) (HT-ZF9) got its highest, 8, rating from Techradar, while the Vizio SB3651-E6 5.1 Soundbar earned its best, 8, score from TechHive.

Lastly, we averaged out all of the reviews scores that we could find on these two products and compared them to other Soundbars on the market. We learned that both of them performed far better than most of their competitors - the overall review average earned by Soundbars being 7.6 out of 10, whereas the Sony HT-Z9F Soundbar (2018) (HT-ZF9) and Vizio SB3651-E6 5.1 Soundbar managed averages of 7.9 and 8.0 points, respectively.

Due to the difference in their prices, however, it's important to keep in mind that a direct Sony HT-Z9F Soundbar (2018) (HT-ZF9) vs. Vizio SB3651-E6 5.1 Soundbar comparison might not be entirely fair - some sources don't take value for money into account when assigning their scores and therefore have a tendency to rate more premium products better.