Top Picks

Value

Vizio M602i-B3 LED HDTV
(October, $1,250) At what is now a widely promoted $950 price tag for the 60-inch screen size, Vizio’s mid-level M series, with its full-array local-dimming backlight, offers the right combination of excellent image quality, features you’ll care about, and styling, all at a sub-$1,000 price point. $1,250, vizio.com

Vizio S5430w-C2 3.0-Channel and S5451w-C2 5.1-Channel Soundbars
(soundandvision.com, January; November) Once again, Vizio’s soundbars, tested last year in 3.0-channel and 5.1-channel versions at the expanded 54-inch width (suitable for 60-inch and larger HDTVs), provide extraordinary sound and value for their asking prices—now reduced to $170 and $350, respectively. S5430w-C2, $300; S5451w-C2, $500; vizio.com

Pioneer SP-SB03 Sound Platform
(January 2015) Thanks to its size and Andrew Jones’s thoughtful design, this incredibly inexpensive TV speaker system delivers excellent sound quality for both movies and music. $350, pioneerelectronics.com

SVS Prime Satellite 5.1 Speaker System.
(soundandvision.com, December) SVS designed this affordable subwoofer/satellite system to deliver real value, and succeeded according to reviewer Daniel Kumin, who noted that “If your criterion is un-hyped, accurate, full-range reproduction, SVS’s Prime Satellite 5.1 system is as good as it gets for $1000.” $1,000, svsound.com

AudioEngine 2+ Desktop Speaker System
(soundandvision.com, June) This updated version of Sound & Vision audio editor Mark Fleischmann’s favorite powered desktop speaker includes a PC-friendly USB input and the same laid-back sonics that made him fall in love in the first place. $249, audioengineusa.com