Do you even need Dolby Atmos? I test soundbars for a living, and here's what I think
It's a fact of life: most of the best soundbars boast Dolby Atmos. If you don't know what Dolby Atmos is, first, why are you here? Second, don't worry, I'll tell you.
So what is Dolby Atmos? Dolby Atmos is basically a spatial audio format built into soundbars (and other audio gear). It makes the sound feel like it's coming from all around you. On soundbars with extra channels like surround speakers and subwoofer, this sensation is all the more heightened.
Soundbars come with channel setups; these act like codes, so you know what you're getting. For example, a 2.0 channel setup (like the Majority Elias, which I'll discuss later) has two stereo channels in the soundbar and no subwoofer or surround channel speakers. An 11.1.4 setup, like the JBL Bar 1300X, has 11 stereo and surround channels in the soundbar, a sub channel, and 4 Dolby Atmos channels. Confused? You're not alone.
I know — it's actually really complex. Dolby Atmos is everywhere, but beyond its mad channel setups and confusing names, do you really even need it?
Although I'd be the first person to jump at getting an epic surround home cinema setup, I can also acknowledge that my apartment doesn't really bode well for Dolby Atmos, and here's why.
So if you get a cheaper soundbar, it probably has something called upfiring speakers. These types of soundbars lack channel (secondary) speakers, so they rely on speakers that shoot sound upwards to provide that surround-sound experience.
For example, The Majority Elias (£99, UK-only) is a soundbar that has "Dolby Atmos". Those quotes are doing a lot of legwork right now. Sure, the brand paid for the Dolby Atmos license, and the upfiring speakers inside the soundbar that is somewhat capable of Atmos. However, if you live in an apartment like mine, these particular upfiring speakers are completely useless.
I live in a gorgeous period property — it was built in 1792. As a result, my apartment's Georgian ceilings are high. Like, 16 foot high ceilings. Yep, I know. That's high.
As a result, height upfiring speakers simply don't work in my home. Similarly, if your ceilings are angled (like, you live in a penthouse or your cinema room is the attic), the sound waves will struggle to bounce off the surface as planned.
However, this is only the case for cheap 2 channel soundbars. If you have a soundbar with rear and side upfiring speakers and high ceilings, this probably won't be as much of an issue.
So if you have flat ceilings between 8-12 foot tall, you're probably good to go. If you don't, your lovely upfiring speaker soundbar may as well be as Atmos-less as the $99 Sony HT-S100F, which you should definitely buy instead.
Full candor, this soundbar used to be $99. The price just got raised to $159. This makes it far less competitive, which is a shame for Sony. Even so, it's probably the best cheap soundbar available on the market right now. It sounds excellent, much, much better than other $159 soundbars I've tested. The bass is great considering there's no subwoofer, and there's a range of listening modes.
5.1 is not Dolby Atmos — it is basic surround sound.
If you haven't already noticed, basic tiers of even the best streaming services lack Dolby Atmos. You'll need to look for 'Dolby Atmos' in the audio quality section. Streaming services will literally say 'Dolby Atmos' in the movie information. If it says '5.1' that is not Dolby Atmos. It is more basic surround sound.
It's worth noting that streaming services compress size of the file. This means the file will cut out elements at the high and low end of the frequency range to save space, and results in a weaker-sounding track. Just like with Bluetooth audio, you'll never get as high-quality audio on streaming as you will on Blu-ray.
Netflix's cheapest tier ($7 a month), Disney Plus's cheapest tier ($10 a month), and Hulu ($10 a month), do not have Dolby Atmos.
Apple TV+ ($10 a month) and HBO Max ($10 a month) have Dolby Atmos in the basic tier, so I'd recommend either of these sites for the cheapest way to get Dolby Atmos on streaming.
Amazon Prime Video ($3 a month on top of Prime) offers Dolby Atmos on the ad-free tier, so would be a fantastic streaming service if you've already got a Prime account. You can even get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime Video right now.
For the best Dolby Atmos, I'd recommend getting some Ultra HD 4K Blu-rays. I test all soundbars with UHD 4K Blu-rays on a Panasonic Blu-ray player, and oh boy, does it make all the difference. Obviously.
Not all 4K UHD Blu-rays have Atmos, though, so you'll still need to check the box.
So, if you don't have the aforementioned streaming services, and you don't have 4K UHD Blu-rays, I don't think you need Atmos.
The best Dolby Atmos soundbar I've tested is the JBL Bar 1300X — which is amazing. It's also $1,700.
However, if $1,700 is just a little (or in my case, a lot) out of reach, I'd recommend the Polk Audio Signa S4. This 3.1.2 setup is $399, which is much more affordable than other surround soundbars I've tested. It's also often on sale for $299.
Most people agree that more like 5.1.2 is the minimum, which would price you out of the Polk Audio option, too. However, in a pinch, I found 3.1.2 to be perfectly serviceable. It just won't be as good.
As a result, if your budget is below about $300, then 'true' Dolby Atmos is likely not going to happen. The cheapest one I've seen recently is the TCL Q75H Class, a massive $599 (and that's cheap!).
You can get a 3.1.2 setup for $300 (like the Polk Audio Signa S4 on sale), but a true Atmos soundscape (with real height channels) will definitely run more like $500.
If you've got the following:
Then yes, you do need a Dolby Atmos soundbar. And you'll have an amazing time immersed in movies, TV shows, heck, even gaming (if you have the Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S).
Dolby Atmos really does make movies feel more immersive. Obviously it will — it's literally an audio format designed for that sole purpose. If you can afford an excellent soundbar and you want to get 360° audio out of your movies, then by all means, get a Dolby Atmos soundbar. My favorite is the JBL Bar 1300X, but there are plenty more excellent options out there — all of which I've mentioned here.
I adore this soundbar. It has a stonking 11.1.4 channel setup so it's truly Dolby Atmos and immersive. I felt like I was inside the TV screen, no matter what movie I was watching. It's high-quality, and has a premium price to boot.
If you've decided you don't need a Dolby Atmos soundbar, Sony HT-S2000's $499 offering could be a fantastic purchase. The 3.1 channel soundbar is compact and has crisp dialogue.
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