The 6 Best Dolby Atmos Soundbars - Spring 2022: Reviews

LG SN11RG: The LG SN11RG is a great 7.1. · Vizio Elevate: The Vizio Elevate is a unique 5.1. · JBL Bar 9.1: The JBL Bar 9.1 is a versatile soundbar that uses up- ... Reviews BestSoundbars SoundbarReviews LatestActivity Popularreviews VizioVSeriesV51-H6 VizioVSeriesV51x-J6 VizioMSeriesM512a-H6 SamsungHW-A550 LGSP8YA TCLAlto6+ LGSP9YA BoseSmartSoundbar900 SonyHT-S100F VizioVSeriesV21-H8 SoundbarRecommendations BestSoundbars BestBudgetSoundbars BestSmallSoundbars BestSoundbarsUnder$200 BestAll-In-OneSoundbars BestSoundbarsUnder$300 BestLGSoundbars BestSonySoundbars BestVizioSoundbars BestSoundbarsForMovies BestDolbyAtmosSoundbars BestSoundbarsWithSubwoofer BestSoundbarsUnder$500 BestSamsungSoundbars BestSoundbarsForDialogue BestSoundbarsForMusic Best5.1Soundbars BestSoundbarsUnder$100 BestBoseSoundbars Viewallsoundbarrecommendations AllSoundbarReviews Samsung HW-Q59CT HW-A450 HW-Q950A HW-A550 HW-Q600A HW-A650 HW-Q65T HW-Q900A HW-Q60T HW-Q700A Sonos Arc Beam(Gen2) Beam Playbar ArcwithSub+OneSLSpeakers Vizio VSeriesV51-H6 MSeriesM512a-H6 Elevate VSeriesV51x-J6 VSeriesV21-H8 M-SeriesM21d-H8R VSeriesV21x-J8 MSeriesM51a-H6 MSeriesM51ax-J6 SB36512-F6 Sony HT-S350 HT-A7000 HT-A9 HT-S100F HT-A5000 HT-X8500 HT-Z9F HT-G700 HT-ST5000 HT-S200F Bose TVSpeaker SmartSoundbar900 SmartSoundbar300 Solo5 SmartSoundbar700withSpeakers+BassModule SmartSoundbar700 Soundbar500 SmartSoundbar900withSpeakers+BassModule LG SP9YA SP8YA SN6Y SN11RG SP7Y EclairQP5 S95QR SN10YG GXSoundbar SP11RA Klipsch Cinema400 Cinema600 Cinema800 Cinema700 Cinema1200 Bar48 Roku Streambar SmartSoundbar TCL Alto8i Alto6+ Alto8+ Alto9+ Alto7+ Alto3 Alto5 Alto5+ JBL Bar5.1Surround Bar9.1 Bar5.0MultiBeam LinkBar PolkAudio SIGNAS2 MagniFiMAXSR SignaS4 Viewall141soundbarreviews LatestSoundbarActivity Best5.1Soundbars LGS80QYReview BestBudgetSoundbars SamsungHW-Q60BReview Bowers&WilkinsPanorama3Review LGS95QRReview BestSmallSoundbars LGS80QYTestResults LGS95QRTestResults SamsungHW-Q60BTestResults Viewallsoundbaractivity Tests HowWeTest Wepurchaseourownsoundbarsand putthemunderthesametestbench, sothatyoucancomparetheresultseasily. Nocherry-pickedunitssentbybrands. TestResults&Methodology Latency SoundEnhancementFeatures StereoFrequencyResponse Height(Atmos) Surround5.1 Sound Center StereoSoundstage StereoDynamics Connectivity StereoTotalHarmonicDistortion Viewallsoundbararticles Tools SoundbarTools Comparesoundbars Havingtroubledecidingbetweentwosoundbars?Thistoolwillclearlyshowyouthedifferences Tabletool Useourdataandtabletofindthebestsoundbarforyourneeds Voteforthenextsoundbarwebuy Wanttoseeusreviewaspecificsoundbar?Hereyoucanvoteforournextreview Graphtool Comparegraphsfromoursoundbartestresultsinordertomakeaclearerandmoreinformeddecision Customsoundbarratings Createoreditcustomsoundbarratings,yourcustomratingswillbepresentonthetabletool,andotherpages Discussions Deals Reviews Tests Tools Discussions Deals Yourbrowserisnotsupportedoroutdatedsosomefeaturesofthesitemightnotbeavailable. Best Soundbars DolbyAtmos Budget Subwoofer Small Under$500 Under$200 Samsung All-In-One Dialogue Under$300 Music LG 5.1 Sony Under$100 Vizio Bose Movies 141 Soundbarsstore-boughtandtested,supportedbyyouvia insider access,andwhenyoupurchasethroughlinksonoursite,wemayearnanaffiliatecommission. Drivenbydata,runbyapassionateteamofengineers,testers,technicalwriters,developers,andmore.Wearehiring! Home Soundbar Best DolbyAtmos TableofContents Intro BestSoundbar Alternative BestCustomizable BestTwoSubs BestImmersive BestBudget AllReviews Discussions The6BestDolbyAtmosSoundbars-Spring2022 Reviews UpdatedMay06,2022at02:01pm ByBeccaFischer DolbyAtmosisanobject-basedsurroundsoundformatthatsupportsheightchannels,whichmeanssoundcancomefromaboveyourhead.Itresultsinanevenmoreimmersivelisteningexperiencesince,dependingonyourhometheatersetup,youcanhearsoundscomingfromalldirections.Many4kBlu-raysandevensomestreamingserviceslikeNetflixsupportDolbyAtmos—butnotallsoundbarsdo.Theonesthatdotendtobemoreexpensivethanmost,butifyou'reafteramorenaturallisteningexperience,they'reworthconsidering.Soundbarsusuallyuseup-firingspeakerstosimulateanillusionofheightbybouncingthesoundofftheceilingandbacktothelistener.Itwon'tbeasaccurateorimmersiveasdown-firingspeakerswithamoretraditionalhometheatersetup. We'vetestedover130soundbars,andbelowyou'llfindthetopDolbyAtmossoundbarstobuy.Seeourrecommendationsforthebestsoundbars,thebestsoundbarsformusic,andthebestsoundbarswithasubwoofer. BestDolbyAtmosSoundbar BoseSmartSoundbar900withSpeakers+BassModule SEEPRICEAmazon.com UnavailableMissingstore MixedUsage 8.2 Dialogue/TVShows 8.3 Music 8.6 Movies 8.0 Channels 5.1.2 Seeallourtestresults ThebestAtmossoundbarwe'vetestedistheBoseSmartSoundbar900withSpeakers+BassModule.Thispremium5.1.2setupisavailableasastandalonebar,butwerecommendaddingthesubwooferandsatellitestogetamoreimmersivesoundwithDolbyAtmosmovies.Thesubaddsmorethumpandrumbleinthebassduringaction-packedscenes,andthesatellitesimprovethelocalizationofsoundobjectsforamoreclearandrealfeel. Thebaroffersanimpressivesoundstageperformancethatmakesitstandoutincomparisontoothersoundbars.Likemostpremiummodelsonthemarket,itusespsychoacousticprinciplestowidenthesoundstage,withafeaturethatBosecallsPhaseGuidetechnology.Itdoesagreatjob,sotheactioninyourfavoritemoviesseemstocomefromallaroundyou.Dialogueisreproducedclearly,too,thankstoitsbalancedmidsthatensureyoucanhearthevoicesinthemidstofalltheaction. Unfortunately,thebardoesn'tofferalotofsoundenhancementfeaturescomparedtootherpremiumsetups.There'snoEQ,soyoucan'tcustomizeitssoundthroughouttherange.Itsneutralsoundout-of-the-boxmeansthatyouaren'tlikelytoneedthesefeatures,andtherearestillsomebasicbassandtrebleadjustmentsthatoffersomecontroloverthebar'ssound. Seeourreview AlternativeWithDTSSupport SonosArcwithSub+OneSLSpeakers SEEPRICEAmazon.com UnavailableMissingstore MixedUsage 7.9 Dialogue/TVShows 8.2 Music 7.9 Movies 7.8 Channels 5.1.2 Seeallourtestresults IfyouwantasimilarsetupwithDTSsupport,checkouttheSonosArcwithSub+OneSLSpeakers.This5.1.2setupisn'taswell-builtastheBoseSmartSoundbar900withSpeakers+BassModule,anditssoundstageisn'tasimpressive,butitcansupportDVDs,CDs,andBlu-raysformattedasDTScontent.DTSisasurroundsoundformatthat'snotverycommononitsown,butit'sthefallbackforhigher-qualityDTS-HDMAcontentfoundonalotofBlu-raydiscs.Asaresult,thissoundbargivesyoumoreflexibilitywhenwatchingmoviessincethere'ssupportformoretypesofcontent.It'salsoanimpressivechoiceforDolbyAtmoscontent.Thankstoitsup-firingdrivers,soundseemstocomefromallaroundyou,meaningyoufeellikeyou'resittinginthemiddleoftheaction.Itsfocusisprettygood,sosoundobjectslikecarsinachasesceneseemlikethey'reracingpastyoufromonepinpointlocationtoanother. Youcan'tgowrongwitheitherofthesesetups.ButifyouwantaBluetooth-compatiblebarthat'sbetter-builtwithabettersoundstage,checkouttheBose.IfyouwantabarthatsupportsDTScontent,considertheSonosinstead. Seeourreview BestCustomizableDolbyAtmosSoundbar SamsungHW-Q950A SEEPRICEAmazon.com UnavailableMissingstore MixedUsage 8.4 Dialogue/TVShows 8.6 Music 8.3 Movies 8.3 Channels 11.1.4 Seeallourtestresults Ifyou'relookingforapremiumAtmossoundbarthatgivesyoumorecontroloverthebar'ssound,checkouttheSamsungHW-Q950A.Thispremium11.1.4setupcomeswithafantasticselectionofsoundenhancementfeatures,includinga7-bandgraphicEQthatletsyouadjustthebar'ssoundmoretoyourliking.TherearelotsofEQpresetsavailable,too,soyoucanchangethebar'ssettingswiththetouchofabutton. WithDolbyAtmoscontent,thebarusesup-firingdriversbuiltintothebarandthesatellitestobouncesoundofftheceilingandbackdowntowardsyou,whichcreatestheillusionofheight.Thankstoitsneutralsoundprofile,thissoundbarreproducesdialogueinyourfavoritemoviesaccuratelyandwithdetail.Itsdedicatedsubwooferreproducesanextendedlow-bass,soyoufeelthethumpandrumbleinaction-packedscenes. WhenyoucompareittotheBoseSmartSoundbar900withSpeakers+BassModuleandtheSonosArcwithSub+OneSLSpeakers,younoticethatthebar'ssoundstageisn'tquiteaswideandimmersive-sounding.Also,ifyouhaveanLGTV,thebarhasissuesstreamingAtmoscontentviapassthrough,whichisdisappointingifyouwanttoconnectthebartoanXbox,PS5,orAppleTV.Ifyoudon'tusepassthrough,it'sstillasolidpick. Seeourreview BestDolbyAtmosSoundbarWithTwoSubs NakamichiShockwafeUltra9.2Ch SEEPRICEAmazon.com UnavailableMissingstore MixedUsage 7.4 Dialogue/TVShows 7.8 Music 6.9 Movies 7.5 Channels 9.2.4 Seeallourtestresults Theshapeandsizeofyourlivingroomimpacthowyouperceivesound.Forthosewithalarger,moreopenspace,therearesoundbarsavailablewithtwosubwoofersliketheNakamichiShockwafeUltra9.2Ch,whichhelpstoevenoutthebassresponsethroughoutyourroom.Thismeansthatyoudon'tnoticeasmany"holes"inyoursoundstage-orspacesinyourroomwherethebassisabsent. This9.2.4setupisunique:inadditiontoitstwosubwoofers,itcomeswithfoursatellitespeakers.Asaresult,soundobjectsinDolbyAtmosmoviesseemtocomefromareallyclearandaccuratelocationinthesoundstage.Forexample,ahelicopterflyingoverheadseemstomovefromonepinpointlocationtoanother,soyoufeellikeyou'reinthemiddleoftheactionfromthecomfortofyourlivingroom. Unfortunately,thebar'ssoundprofileisn'tasbalancedastheSamsungHW-Q950AortheBoseSmartSoundbar900withSpeakers+BassModule.Itreproducesdialoguewithclarity,buttherecessedtreblemakesaudioseemdarkanddull.There'satrebleadjustmentfeatureavailable,butitcan'treplicatethesamedetailinthetreblerangeasotherpremiummodels.Ifyouwanttofillupalargespacewithpowerfulbass,it'sasolidchoice. Seeourreview BestImmersiveDolbyAtmosSoundbar SonyHT-A9withBassModule SEEPRICEAmazon.com UnavailableMissingstore MixedUsage 7.4 Dialogue/TVShows 7.5 Music 7.4 Movies 7.4 Channels 4.1.4 Seeallourtestresults ThemostimmersiveDolbyAtmossoundbarwe'vetestedistheSonyHT-A9withBassModule.This4.1.4setuphasauniquedesignwithasmallcontrolboxandfourdiscretesurroundspeakersthatyoucanmovearoundyourroombasedonyourpreferences.Asaresult,ithasareallyimpressiveAtmosperformancethatfillsyourroomwithsoundfromyourfavoritemovies. Likemanyotherpremiumbarsonthemarket,itusespsychoacousticprinciplestomakeitseemlikethesoundstageismuchwiderthanthebaritself-Sonycallsthistechnology360SpatialSoundMapping.Itresultsinareallywideandimmersivesoundstage,soyoufeellikeyou'resittinginthemiddleoftheactionfromthecomfortofyourlivingroom.Youcanevenuseitsvirtualsurroundfeaturetoactivatetheup-firingdriversforawidersoundstage-SonycallsittheImmersiveAEfeature. Unfortunately,youmaynoticesomeholesinthesoundstage.That'sbecausethebardoesn'tcomewithadiscretecenterchannel.YoucanconnectthebarwithacompatibleBRAVIATVtousetheTV'sspeakersasacenterchannel,butthevolumelevelbetweentheTVandthebardiffers,whichdecreasestheoverallsoundquality.Evenwithoutadiscretecenter,voicesstillseemclearandpresentinthemix,soit'sprobablybesttousethebaronitsown. Seeourreview BestBudgetDolbyAtmosSoundbar TCLAlto8i SEEPRICEAmazon.com UnavailableMissingstore MixedUsage 6.8 Dialogue/TVShows 6.9 Music 7.2 Movies 6.6 Channels 2.1 Seeallourtestresults ThebestbudgetAtmossoundbarthatwe'vetestedistheTCLAlto8i.Thisstandalone2.1setupisoneofthefewbarsinthispricerangethatsupportsDolbyAtmoscontent.Whileitsperformanceisn'tquiteasimpressiveasthemorepremiummodelsonthemarket,it'sstilladecentpickforwallet-consciouslisteners. WhenyoulistentoAtmoscontent,thebarusesup-firingdriverstoricochetsoundofftheceilingtocreatetheillusionofheight,justlikethepremiumoptionsonourlist.Thesoundstageisfairlywide,soyougetamoreimmersivesound,butitcansoundoverprocessedattimes.Whileitsstandalonedesignisalsoquiteusefulforlistenerswhodon'thavealotofspaceforasubwooferintheirroom,thelackoflow-bassisnoticeable,soyoudon'tfeelthedeeprumbleinthelow-bassduringaction-packedscenes. Thatsaid,there'sadefinitedifferencewhenyoucomparethissetupwithmorepremiummodels.Ithasadarkandboomysoundprofile,duetotheextraemphasisinthehigh-bassandtherecessedtreblerange.Vocalsaren'tasclearasaresult,especiallyhigher-pitcheddialogue.Therearen'talotofsoundenhancementfeatures,either,soyou'reprettylimitedwhenitcomestocustomizingthesound. Seeourreview NotableMentions LGSN11RG: TheLGSN11RGisagreat7.1.4setupformovies,butithasaslightlyboomysoundprofileandfewercustomizationoptionsthanothersoundbars. Seeourreview VizioElevate: TheVizioElevateisaunique5.1.4setupwithleftandrightsidesthatrotateupwardstocreateawidersoundstagewhenlisteningtoAtmoscontent.However,itsbass-heavysoundprofilecanbeoverwhelmingforsomelisteners,anditdoesn'tcomewitharoomcorrectionfeature. Seeourreview JBLBar9.1: TheJBLBar9.1isaversatilesoundbarthatusesup-firingspeakersandsatellitestoimmerseyouinyourfavoriteAtmosmovies.However,it'shardtofindinstockatthemoment.Ifit'sofficiallydiscontinued,we'llremoveitfromthisarticle. Seeourreview SamsungHW-Q850A: TheSamsungHW-Q850Aisawell-built5.1.2setupthatsupportsDolbyAtmoscontent.Itlacksabitoflow-bassout-of-the-box,butitcomeswithmanysoundenhancementfeaturesifyoupreferamoreneutralsound. Seeourreview VizioSB36512-F6: TheVizioSB36512-F6isa5.1.2setupwithaneutralsoundprofile,makingitsuitableforlisteningtoawidevarietyofaudiocontent.Itcanalsoproducethedeepthumpandrumbleinlow-bassthatfansofbass-heavymusicenjoy.Unfortunately,itdoesn'thavemanysoundenhancementfeatures. Seeourreview SamsungHW-Q950T: TheSamsungHW-Q950Tisagreat9.1.4setupthatsupportsDolbyAtmoscontentandcanproduceathumpylow-bass.However,itdoesn'tfeatureasmanysoundenhancementfeaturesasthenewergeneration,SamsungHW-Q950A. Seeourreview SonyHT-A7000withSpeakers+BassModule: TheSonyHT-A7000withSpeakers+BassModuleisa7.1.2setupthatsupportsDolbyAtmoscontent.It'sapremiumbar,butcomparedtoothermodels,itsAtmosperformanceisn'tasimpressive. Seeourreview SennheiserAMBEOSoundbar: TheSennheiserAMBEOSoundbarisalarge,standalonesetupthatcanreproduceaveryextendedlow-bassthankstoitsintegratedsubwoofers.However,itslarge,bulkydesigncanbeinconvenientforsomeusers,anditmaynotbeworththevaluecomparedtootherpremiumstandalonesetups. Seeourreview VizioSB46514-F6: TheVizioSB46514-F6isamoreaffordable5.1.4setupthatsupportsDolbyAtmoscontent.It'saversatilesetup,butitlacksmorepremiumfeatureslikeroomcorrection. Seeourreview NakamichiShockwafePro7.1SSE: TheNakamichiShockwafePro7.1SSEisapremium7.1.4setupwithanadjustablevirtualsurroundfeaturecalledSSEthatyouselectbasedonthedimensionsofyourroom.ItsAtmosperformanceisn'tquiteasimpressive,though. Seeourreview KlipschCinema1200: TheKlipschCinema1200isanAtmosbarwithapowerful,punchybassrightoutofthebox.Itssoundisoverwhelmingforlistenerswhowantamoreneutralsound,butyoucanalwayscustomizeit. Seeourreview RecentUpdates May06,2022: MovedtheSamsungHW-Q950Ato'BestCustomizable'andtheBoseSmartSoundbar900to'BestSoundbar'aswe'veidentifiedsomecompatibilityissueswithAtmoscontentwhenusingtheSamsungforpassthroughwithLGTVs.Minorupdatestothetextforclarity. Mar08,2022: AddedtheVizioSB46512-F6,theKlipschCinema1200,andtheNakamichiShockwafePro7.1SSEtoNotableMentions.Minorupdatestothetextforaccuracy. Jan07,2022: Nochangesinproductpicksafterverifyingtheiraccuracyandavailability. Dec10,2021: ReplacedtheSonosArcwithSub+OneSLSpeakerswiththebetter-builtBoseSmartSoundbar900withSpeakers+BassModulesinceithasabettersoundstage.AddedtheSonyHT-A9withBassModuleasthe'BestImmersive'.ReplacedtheSennheiserAMBEOSoundbarwiththemoreimmersiveBoseSmartSoundbar900as'BestStandalone'.AddedtheSennheiserAMBEOSoundbarandtheSonyHT-A7000withSpeakers+BassModuletoNotableMentions. Oct19,2021: ReplacedtheVizioMSeriesM51a-H6withtheVizioSB46514-F6asithasabetterAtmosperformance. AllReviews Ourrecommendationsabove arewhatwethinkarecurrentlythebestAtmossoundbarsformostpeopletobuy. Wefactorintheprice(acheapersoundbar winsoverapricierone ifthedifferenceisn'tworthit),feedbackfromourvisitors,andavailability(nosoundbarsthataredifficulttofind oralmost outofstockeverywhere). Ifyouwouldliketochoosefor yourself,here'sthelistofallourreviewsof soundbarssortedbytheirAtmosperformance.Becarefulnotto get caughtupinthedetails.Nosoundbarisperfect.Personaltaste,preference,andlisteninghabitswillmattermoreinyourselection. 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