Best Dolby Atmos Soundbars of 2020 – Which is the Best?
Best Dolby Atmos Soundbars of 2020 – Which is the Best?
Battle of the Soundbar Systems! The Sonos Arc System (Arc, Gen3 Sub, x2 One SLs), Samsung HW-Q950T, LG SN11RG, Vizio Elevate, JBL Bar 9.1, and Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra are some of the best Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundbar systems on the market!
Individual Reviews
Sonos Arc System: https://youtu.be/hSb_C48ZuR0
Samsung HW-Q950T: https://youtu.be/UCbeL51kLoc
Vizio Elevate: https://youtu.be/fv30R1LuHB4
JBL Bar 9.1: https://youtu.be/URfGXbuyWu0
Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra: https://youtu.be/_0tzEaFCj8M
LG SN11RG: COMING SOON
Purchase on Amazon
Sonos Arc System (paid link): https://geni.us/YCOhC
Samsung HW-Q950T (paid link): https://geni.us/otbvO
Vizio Elevate (paid link): https://geni.us/g9759J
JBL Bar 9.1 (paid link): https://geni.us/YNFZ
Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra (paid link): https://geni.us/ICkm
LG SN11RG (paid link): https://geni.us/GGaqwu
Purchase Elsewhere in the US
Sonos Arc System (paid link): https://shop-links.co/1724442808276614387
Samsung HW-Q950T (paid link): https://shop-links.co/1724442870987287012
Vizio Elevate (paid link): https://shop-links.co/1724442932543278238
JBL Bar 9.1 (paid link): https://shop-links.co/1724442888311453956
Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra (paid link): https://shop-links.co/1724442957780731452
LG SN11RG (paid link): https://shop-links.co/1724442988443543102
Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to us.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:16 Design
04:24 Soundbar Displays
05:01 Connections
06:07 Audio Codec Support
07:04 Remote Controls
08:09 Mobile App Support
09:36 Music Sound Quality
13:45 Surround Sound Quality
18:52 Overall Thoughts
23:55 Outro
We cover the Sonos Arc System (Arc, Gen3 Sub, x2 One SLs), Samsung HW-Q950T, LG SN11RG, Vizio Elevate, JBL Bar 9.1, and Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra.
All of these systems are high-end Dolby Atmos / DTS:X surround sound systems. They all include wireless subwoofers and surround speakers that pair with the soundbar.
This creates the ultimate listening experience without needing to deal with the wires and hassle of traditional surround sound systems. These are some of the best systems on the market as of right now!
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Our Website: https://thehometheaterdiy.com
What happened to Bose? Do they not make worthwhile products?
You look to young to be an audiophile which makes it very hard to believe everything you are saying about the different sound bars. I am 51 and back in the days a subwoofer did not exist in my walk of life so, saying any subwoofer sounds bad is far fetched for me to believe. Some old school rack systems sound way better than most equipment made today for surround sound.
Klipsche 1200?
I have to admit being an audiophile and a bit bias towards audio systems based on speakers. These soundbars have a small footprint and a lot of the latest dsp wizardry going on.But they do not come cheap. The best sounding according to the reviewer , Sonos gets alarmly close to 2G region. For that money you can build your own surround rig based on speakers and subs of your liking that sonically will blow out of the water each of these soundbars period. I know you say what about footprint,setting etc. Listen, have to say that setting these soundbars isn’t easy peasy as the reviewer admitted.And if he struggles what about Joe. That why I’m never being taken over by this soundbar thing and watch the reviews out of the sheer curiosity rather then desire of buying one of them.
I like JBL Brand
Very nice job! A lot of info on all the sound bars. Must of took a long time to make this video. I’m a sonos guy myself. Its fantastic.
Hey Jonah great review, quick question if I could get the JBL or the Samsung for relatively the same price which should I get. Main uses would be movies and gaming
Thank you for the review. One video for all.
Good
Very clear, can you do something like this lower budget people like me , under $500/- I can’t afford more than this budget thanks
This guy has like 20 Thousand dollars on his table lol must be nice😂 awesome review tho 😁🤝
Cheers man!!!!!
The best review video on soundbars!!!!
Lesson from this vid : you can’t have everything in life.
Review LG SN11RG please, still waiting…
One of the best video reviews that I have seen for sound bars. Thank you.
Vizio elevate has been absolute nightmare with connection issues/popping and cracking when changing inputs and some slight audio delay. Sounds great when working completely but currently not fully functional. Going to be trying another one of these, maybe q950t or lg sn11
Will the Vizio work with a non 4K tv
good job
Those of you that are Costco members and really don’t care about the voice assistance in the Arc. Costco has the Sonos Arc SL for $50 cheaper. So far it is not online but they do have them in store. It’s the same Arc as the original Arc just without voice assistance. I have Alexa and Google Home throughout my home so having the voice assistant inside the Arc is not a deal breaker for me.
The cat has chosen.
Such a good video! So here’s my takeaway
LG – just don’t get it
Samsung – good, but I personally don’t like how it looks and the absurd display.
JBL – Really like this system, but I’ve heard of reports saying the batteries malfunction after a few months and JBL’s support is so horrible that it’s basically non-existent
Nakamichi – the soundbar isn’t great, but the complete package gives the best sound. I would go with the 7.1.4 version because the 7.2.4 and 9.2.4 are quite big and more ideally suited for a specialised room.
Sonos – Love the whole system, my only gripe is the price, with it being nearly $2000, at which point it might just be better to get regular speakers
Vizio – love the design, but the surround sound is weak
After a thorough evaluation, I cut these out: LG (it’s obvious), Samsung (display and bad look), JBL (reports of battery issues), and Nakamichi 9.2.4 (too big).
Now I’m down to these: Nakamichi 7.1.4 and 7.2.4 (I’m just not a fan of the design and the fact that it is kinda old now), Sonos (just a bit too expensive), and Vizio (weaker surround sound)
So at this point, I’m debating going between the Vizio Elevate, the Sonos Arc complete system, or simply a regular system (main option is Klipsch Reference with Dolby Atmos, 5.1.2)
So basically, the Vizio has the most Atmos speakers (four) however, because the surround sound speakers are weaker, it is somewhat comparable with the 2 for Sonos and Klipsch.
In terms of price, Vizio is the best deal, $1000 list with is sometimes dropping to $700. The other two come close ( $1900 for Sonos Arc full system or about $1600-$1700 for Klipsch Reference two floor-standing front Atmos speakers, two rear, one centre, one subwoofer, and one receiver)
With that, Sonos is out, and it’s down to Vizio vs Klipsch, mainly, soundbar vs home theatre system. Hard decision!
Is the jbl able to connect with portable speakers ? as the portable speakers are able to connect to each other
I own the sonos play bar and arc alongwithe a sub a two rears. I was disappointed with the dialog on the arc as I had to ride the volume. I went back to the play bar and the dialog was back to awesome. My questions to you is which high-end soundbar has the best dialog it van also usr a dialog enhancement feature to grt there. I can’t afford to buy them until I find the right one so any help would be awesome, thanks.
Great reviews but I’m surprised you didn’t include the Bose 700 series.
I have the Nakamichi Ultra. I separated and amped all of the surrounds and front wide. It now makes the system sound even greater.
it looks like they are more expensive then the tv itself
Got the Nakamichi to replace my old samsung and Oh boy the movies come to life. And did I mention the bass ?
I’m looking to get the JBL 9.1! thank you for such a good overall review video of these systems. I’ve watched countless videos yours is by far the best! You actually went over 3 of the systems I’ve been debating on. Glad to be a subscriber and look forward to more of your videos!!
So Sonos Arc System that price range and does not include DTS-X? So odd. Can you review Samsung categories like 850 and 900 or a Sony.
So do any Lg sound bars sounds better than this one or you would pick over this one?
Brilliant job! Any leaks abot up-firing surrounds from Sonos? Ces 2021 possible?
How does sennheiser ambeo compared to these.
Why no Sony or Klipsch? Klipsch #1 IMO
Yes
What about bose, I’m debating between the bose soundbar 300 and bose soundbar 700 but don’t offer atmos I want it for movies and my game console or what would u recommend don’t car about music playing
Which brand is that you use for uncompressed pass-through @ 5:36 min
Sonos arc: it is hard to find like the PS5 and Xbox Series X. No stocks available.
No dts in the sonos is a no go. Lg’s price is much lower now.
Planning to buy Sonos arc around Christmas but my Sunsamg TV doesn’t support EArc( have hdmi arc input though ) ,would I be still able to use Sonos Arc and enjoy the full potential of the sound quality ?
Really enjoyed the video, congrats! And sorry for your wallet for having to buy all of these, hope you get enough from the ads!
The thing about DTS:X : which services really use them? Sonos Arc might not support because they know their users are going to stream videos anyway (well, it’s their only choice without an HDMI to plug your Blu-Ray).
Sonos ous also loses cause you need wifi. If wifi goes out. I can’t use it? Dumb!
I have a home theatre with a home theatre receiver with 5 speakers it is naive to think you can mimic surround sound with a single speaker such as a sound bar their junk in my opinion
Get an amp and wired speakers… Not trash overpriced soundbars.
No bose ？
LG is having earthing issue when you keep your skin no the bar metal you will be feeling of mild shock.. when i check which LG engineers they told it will be like that only ……just raised request for refund the money
NAKAMICHI
Thanks for your video buddy . Which soundbar would you choose overall?
Samsung hw t550 160 € Samsung hw t650 200 € quale tra le due consigli di prendere?? Grazie
My samsung rear speakers sometimes have some sort of distorting “fire crackling” sound
Hello Jonah.I found your youtube channel and i was amazed of your know- how tutorial ! Please i need your help,would you tell me pls how do i connect my smart tv to soundbar and to Behringer Xenyx 802 sound mixer .
How can i use Behringer Xenyx 802 sound mixer to sing Karaoke in to my Smart tv and sounbar ? Please kindly make a tutorial video for this. God bless you .Greetings from
Germany.