Today, I have brought for you the top 5 Dolby Atmos soundbars in the budget as well as the higher brand category. If you want to know the difference between Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital audio, then, you can watch this video of mine. How is Dolby Atmos different from Dolby Digital? Which Dolby Atmos Home Theatre is the Best?
I have tested all these soundbars and have brought this countdown on that basis only. Remember, if your TV is not Dolby Atmos enabled and it doesn't even have HDMI eARC, then these Dolby Atmos soundbars will work just like ordinary Dolby Digital soundbars.
In the budget category of Dolby Atmos soundbars, you get to hear the very little effect of Dolby Atmos, however, the audio clarity and details will be better as the frequencies lost during compression are restored to some extent on a Dolby Atmos soundbar. Even on the higher brands' Dolby Atmos soundbars, you get to hear only 40% effect of Dolby Atmos. If you want 100% Dolby Atmos effect, like a cinema hall, you need to get installed a 7.1.2 or 9.1.2 speaker system setup, in which, rear speakers, as well as ceiling speakers, should be included. The number of ceiling speakers depends on the size of the room where the system is being installed. And, if you have a very good budget and you want to buy the best available Dolby Atmos soundbar, then, you can go with the Sony HT A7000 7.1.2 home theatre system without a second thought.
Sony HT A7000 https://amzn.to/3dh25HI
On this, you get the best Dolby Atmos experience that is available on any readymade soundbar. Though costly, its sound quality is superb, and, on it, you get around 60% Dolby Atmos effect.
As the prices of the Dolby Atmos soundbars increase, you get a richer audio quality, but, despite being very costly, you do not get that Dolby Atmos experience on them, which you can get at a much lower cost through a setup that includes ceiling and rear speakers. This is the reason why I have not included very costly Dolby Atmos soundbars in this countdown.
So now, let's begin with the Dolby Atmos soundbars of the higher brands
On the top is the Sony HT Z9F with rear speakers. When the rear speakers are placed in a tilt position, you can get up to a 40% effect of Dolby Atmos on this soundbar. The audio is pretty loud with heavy bass. The bass doesn't affect the vocal clarity of this sound system, which is very good. I have done a dedicated review of this soundbar, if you want, you can watch that. And here, I would like to tell you, that if you do not buy the rear speakers with it, you will not get any noticeable Dolby Atmos experience on it. In the details of this product on Amazon, they have mentioned dedicated rear speakers, so just ensure that they are included in the package.
Sony HT Z9F Amazon: https://amzn.to/3LiogJU
On the second rank lies the JBL 9.1 channel surround sound system with 820W power output. It comes with detachable wireless rear speakers. On this system, you get a 4K passthrough as well as support for Chromecast. The overall audio quality of this soundbar is pretty good. On it, you get to hear a very heavy bass. Movie watching experience on this soundbar is great. However, the mids are not very good. Many times, the dialogues get muffled. They are hardly audible, especially during the action scenes when the dialogues get drowned behind the loud noise of action sequences. And then, this soundbar does not have any setting provision for dialogue enhancement. Apart from this, there have been complaints of the rear wireless speakers getting disconnected from the main soundbar. In addition to this, the rear speakers require 9 hours of charging time, so every day, you need to connect them to the main soundbar for charging, which is somewhat troublesome.
JBL 9.1 Bar Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UgeVGv
Flipkart: https://dl.flipkart.com/s/07ysQFNNNN
On the third rank stands the LG SL 10YG 5.1 channel Dolby Atmos 570W soundbar. It comes with a built-in Chromecast and a wireless subwoofer. It is rear speakers ready, which means you can connect this soundbar to the wireless speakers SPK8-S, which are compatible with it. Unfortunately, these rear speakers are not easily available in India. This soundbar has a built-in Google Assistant and its audio is very good. The bass is pretty deep and voice clarity is also very good. As it gives a very good theatrical performance, you will definitely enjoy movies on it. However, if you are opting for this soundbar try to arrange for the rear speakers. If you can lay your hand on them, you will get a better audio experience on this LG soundbar, than the previously mentioned JBL 9.1 soundbar.
LG SL10YG Dolby Atmos with Soundbar
On the fourth rank is the Sony HT G700 400 Watts 3.1 home theatre system that comes with a wireless subwoofer. This soundbar comes with a 4K HDR passthrough, apart from DTS-X. It comes with HDMI and optical ports and is HDMI eARC enabled. This soundbar supports Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG. It is a very reasonably priced soundbar, whose performance is very good. On this soundbar, you get a thunderous audio experience. Despite the bass being very heavy, the vocals do not get overpowered. It comes with 10-point bass control, so, even if you don't like bass, you can comfortably use this audio system. You can watch the full-length review of this soundbar on my channel.
On the fifth rank lies the LG 3.1.2 soundbar, SP8A, which comes with 420W power output. If you own an LG TV, this soundbar is definitely best suited for you. It comes with the Meridian technology, which is an advanced Digital signal processing technology that produces high-resolution sound. It has Alexa control, AirPlay 2, Dolby True HD, DTS-X and DTS HD Master. This soundbar also supports audio upscaling. Its audio is pretty good and it grants a very good cinematic experience. The bass on this soundbar is fairly deep, but it has a sharpness, which does not overpower the vocals. Even in the dialogues, you get to hear some really good sharpness, which grants clarity to the vocals. This is a pretty good audio system, which enhances your movie-watching experience.
For people who have Samsung TVs and want to utilise the Samsung Q Symphony Plus feature given on it, for them, this 3.1 channel Samsung HW Q800T is a very good option. You can connect this soundbar with the HDMI eARC port of your Samsung TV and get Dolby Atmos support through it. This soundbar comes with up-firing and side-firing speakers, along with a wireless subwoofer. It has both Q-Symphony and Acoustic Beam Technology that comes with wide-range twitters. Apart from Dolby Atmos, you get DTS-X support on it. It has two up-firing speakers. The soundbar comes with multiple voice assistants, HDMI eARC and Game Pro Mode. You can play music on this soundbar by just tapping your phone on this soundbar. This is a pretty good soundbar, which though, cannot be termed as very loud, is sufficiently loud. It comes with a fair amount of bass, but, those who like window-rattling bass, might not find this soundbar much appealing. However, overall it is a good soundbar which gives a rich and balanced performance.
Now let's talk about the Dolby Atmos soundbars of the budget brands.
Honestly speaking, the presence of Dolby Atmos support on any budget soundbar is just a marketing gimmick, as there is hardly any noticeable effect of Dolby Atmos on them. Most people relate the loud cacophony of action scenes to the Dolby Atmos effect which is a misconception. That is known as fake bass creation, which overpowers the vocals. You will not get to hear any Dolby Atmos effect on any budget soundbar. I am carrying out the countdown of these Dolby Atmos soundbars purely on the basis of their audio quality. When you will connect any Dolby Atmos TV to these soundbars, you will get a good audio experience on them.
The top soundbar in this category is the Creative Stage 360 Dolby Atmos 2.1 channel 240W soundbar. Though you do not get any Dolby Atmos effect on this soundbar, its audio is pretty good. The sound, apart from being loud, is very clear and even the bass is pretty good. Overall, on this soundbar, you get pretty balanced audio.
On the second rank falls the Soundcore by Anker Infini Pro soundbar. This is a 2.1-channel system with 120W power output. Though you do not get any subwoofer with it, the audio quality of this soundbar is pretty good for its price. I have done a full-length review of this sound bar if you want you can watch that.
On the third rank stands the Motorola AmphisoundX 3.1 Dolby Atmos 350 Watts soundbar with wireless subwoofer. On this soundbar, you get a thunderous bass. Music lovers will also get a good listening experience on it. But this system will fail to satisfy those who are more inclined toward the richness and clarity of audio, rather than loudness and noise.
On the fourth rank lies the Zebronics 2.1.2 Dolby Atmos 450w soundbar, 9700 Pro. If you love loud sound effects in action scenes, then this soundbar will certainly appeal to you. During the action scenes, you get a Cinema-hall-like thunderous experience on this soundbar. However, during action sequences, the audio gets enhanced manifold and the dialogues drown behind the cacophony. The soundbar is unable to maintain a consistency in volume between the action scenes and the dialogues. When an action scene comes in between the movie, the volume suddenly goes up, whereas the volume of the dialogues remains low. Still, this sound bar will appeal to most of the bass lovers out there.
So friends, only this much for today, take care and stay safe.
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