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Home Theater Improvements For All Price Ranges in 2023

The best Dolby Atmos soundbars provide you a more immersive and natural listening experience when watching movies and TV shows.

A surround sound audio format is called Dolby Atmos. Instead of being connected to a specific speaker in a setup, each sound is captured as a distinct object that may be mapped in three dimensions, such as a dog barking, a helicopter flying overhead, or a person shouting. Also, it supports channels surrounding you and in the heights.

This implies that if a helicopter can be seen flying above your head on the screen, it will also sound as though it is doing so. Fundamentally, sound is distributed more precisely and effectively than with traditional surround sound, where it would naturally be depending on what you’re looking on the screen.

If you enjoy viewing your favorite TV series and movies in your home theater, it’s worth taking into account one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars. When connected with a surround sound speaker system, you won’t get the same pristine presentation of Dolby Atmos soundtracks as the top AV receivers do, but such configurations take up a lot of room, require a lot of wire and cords, and can be pricey. The best soundbars excel in this situation. But, it’s important to note that not every Dolby Atmos-compatible technology comes in soundbar form. We’re interested to see if the highly anticipated Sonos Era 100 & 300 will significantly alter the home entertainment landscape.

Dolby Atmos is now a standard feature on most soundbars from major manufacturers, including models from LG, Samsung, Sonos, Sony, and others. They are available in a variety of shapes, sizes, and features, though dolby atmos soundbars tend to be larger because accomplishing all this complex 3D sound wizardry well necessitates a lot of speaker drivers.

Of course, not all modern soundbars support Dolby Atmos. So whether you select a Dolby Atmos soundbar or not, updating your TV with a soundbar is a great option. This is because there is less room for large speakers now that screen technology in the greatest TVs has advanced through time to make them thinner. The answer is soundbars, and Dolby Atmos soundbars are the simple method for providing a roomy and potent home theater experience.

The Samsung HW-Q930B.

Excellent soundbars are produced by Samsung, including pricey models and more cost-effective mid-range models like the Samsung HW-Q930B.

This soundbar marks a shift in the tech company’s Dolby Atmos strategy. Only Samsung’s premium soundbars up until this point provide more than just the primary soundbar and a subwoofer. You get both of those along with two rear speakers from the HW-Q930B.

It provides an excellent 9.1.4 audio channel count, which is only two channels less than the Q990B’s 11.1.4 configuration, which leads its class. In our opinion, this makes it the best Dolby Atmos soundbar, especially given its price.

During our testing, the HDMI passthrough with compatibility for both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ HDR formats as well as playback of both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound formats—which now stand as the pinnacle of the film and music industries—left us awestruck.

We discovered that the sound quality offered here is genuinely superior to that of its two-piece Samsung soundbar forebears. As it now has good rear speakers, we discovered that the sound is actually immersive and is no longer restricted to the room’s front.

No comparable priced soundbar we have heard to yet, in our opinion, comes close to the Samsung HW-Q930B. Nobody offers such a powerful, engrossing surround sound experience. It would cost far more money to defeat it. However if you really want higher performance and are prepared to spend more money, look at the outstanding Samsung HW-Q990B that is listed below lower down.

2. Sony HT-G700

The Sony HT-G700, in our opinion, strikes a fantastic balance between features, cost, and the size of its sound. It is a soundbar and wireless subwoofer combo with Dolby Atmos that is suitable for TVs with a screen size of 48 inches and larger.

There is more to this soundbar than just stereo, as is to be expected from Sony products, even though that is excellent. It definitely supports DTS:X and the Dolby Atmos surround sound technology in order to be included on our list. We were completely taken aback by the wall of sound that Sony produced thanks to its exceptional sound processing and acoustic expertise. It extends well beyond the size of your TV screen, but with effective placement and directional sound effects. We’ll admit that we don’t think it sounds as fantastic as the Sonos Arc in the guide below, but it’s still quite nice.

But, Sony hasn’t overlooked the fundamentals. Without the speech-boosting feature activated, we found speech to be incredibly clear even in frantic action soundtracks because to the subwoofer’s depth in bass that something like the Sonos Arc can’t match on its own.

Downsides? We found the Atmos performance to be a little underwhelming at times when compared to our Sony AV amp with its dedicated Atmos speakers because there are no dedicated upfiring channels here. If we were being picky, we may also remark that it is slightly less dynamic for unexpected explosions and soaring soundtracks than devices like the Sonos Arc or Samsung HW-Q800A, but it is significantly less expensive than either. It is therefore the most cinematic experience you can have for the money.

3. Sonos Arc

In its Arc soundbar, Sonos has managed to fit a full surround sound system.

To produce the highest quality lossless audio found on cutting edge Blu-ray disks and some of the top streaming services, the Sonos Arc uses Dolby’s most recent TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus sound codecs. We were quite amazed by how it enhances the 3D soundscape with Dolby Atmos, which is actually delivered – sounds really do come at you from all angles. In our tests, we found the illusion to be fairly realistic, and although though it’s not as immersive as ceiling-mounted overhead speakers, it’s far simpler to set up.

We also appreciated how easy Sonos made the setup process here, which only required a few steps on a smartphone app, and how simple it is to connect it to other Sonos speakers. It is the greatest Dolby Atmos soundbar available because to its streamlined design, minimal cable connections, and all-in-one system setup.

It’s not cheap, though. If you need to save money, the Samsung HW-Q930B soundbar at the top of our list is a superior and capable choice. But if you already enjoy Sonos, we believe you’ll adore the way this soundbar produces truly outstanding surround sound.

4. Samsung HW-Q990B

The premium Dolby Atmos soundbar system from Samsung’s 2022 lineup is the Samsung HW-Q990B. It is simply an updated version of the Samsung HW-Q950A in the aforementioned buying guide, so if you’re looking for a soundbar at a lower price, it should work for you. Similar to the HW-Q950A, it uses a soundbar, a subwoofer, and two wireless rear speaker units to create 11.1.4 channels of audio that are directed above and around you.

Many improvements have been made from the previous model. We discovered that the new subwoofer’s “acoustic lens” effectively disperses sound around the space. In addition, the back speakers have been updated to further support the accuracy of the upfiring drivers. Also, “Space Fit” automated room adaptation has been included to help keep detail in the sound as it reflects about.

As a result, the Q990B produces the most immersive and well-rounded surround sound experience that we have ever heard from even the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, to quote our evaluation. It is unmatched in how it guides some movie scenes in your direction and directly above you. It’s a heavy sledgehammer or a fine fountain pen depending on the situation because it’s so enormous and fulsome in sound without being unduly heavy.

Conclusion

We also take into account any additional or intelligent features that can be desirable and influence your decision to select one device over another. In the end, we chose the soundbars mentioned above in order to demonstrate the greatest Dolby Atmos technology available, as well as the soundbars that give the most value for your house.

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