Are you looking for more powerful sound than your TV speakers can deliver, or do you want to downsize from a full home cinema setup? Either way, we’ve got you covered with our picks of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.
A soundbar can enhance a TV’s audio, saving you from building a complete surround-sound system. Most are either standalone units or two-piece systems that are easy to set up and use. In recent years, improvements in sound quality and technology have addressed many of their previous limitations, making them an increasingly popular choice for living room audio.
So, what’s changed? TV connectivity has improved with HDMI eARC, and soundbars now offer better speaker configurations and more features, making them a much more practical option. Although they might not match the performance of a full home cinema setup, they can still deliver an impressive listening experience without taking up as much space.
And there’s Dolby Atmos for that immersive experience, which we’ll be discussing here.
In a hurry?
| Kef XIO Soundbar | Soundbars really don’t get much better than this, and even though it claims to be a 5.1.2, there are 12 individual speakers built into this soundbar | Check the current price |
| WiiM Bar Soundbar | With connectivity and sound reproduction at its core, this soundbar is one of the most versatile available | Check the current price |
| AVCOM 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer | Just simply one of the best budget soundbars on the market! | Check the current price |
Why we’ve chosen these soundbars
With so many soundbars available, we’ve decided to focus on models that support Dolby Atmos, particularly if you want to get the most out of the latest blockbuster movies. Dolby Atmos adds a sense of height to your audio, creating a more immersive listening experience that conventional soundbars without Atmos can’t quite replicate.
Now, this doesn’t mean these soundbars are going to transform your living room into an unwanted speaker fest, with multiple boxes scattered around the room. Quite the opposite, in fact, as most soundbars house all those speakers within their slender design, although some rely on an external active subwoofer that can be hidden out of view.
What’s more, I’ve decided to pick some of what I feel are the best soundbar options you can buy at different price points, meaning there’ll be a soundbar for almost every budget that can deliver better Dolby Atmos performance than others around its price point when watching a blockbuster movie. After all, sound represents at least 50% of the enjoyment.
Just remember, if you are downsizing, the right soundbar will get you close to a replacement, but it will never fully replace a fully-fledged surround sound system!
The best Dolby Atmos soundbars
1. KEF XIO Soundbar
Key features
- 1.2 spatial audio with 12 built-in drivers and a Class D amp
- W2 wireless streaming platform
- Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Sony 360 Reality Audio format decoding
Pros
- Natural, detailed, and expressive hi-fi-grade musicality
- Delivers a convincing sense of scale, particularly in the height effect
- Elegant, finished in durable aluminium
Cons
- No HDMI passthrough: Needs more than one HDMI input connection at this price point
As a soundbar, there really isn’t much better than the KEF XIO Soundbar on the market. Even though the price almost matches the first-ever Dolby Atmos soundbar released, the XIO is light years ahead in how it delivers the right balance for both movies and music.
This comes down to the 12-speaker, 12-amplifier combination setup, which includes 6 Uni-Q MX drivers, a pair of full-range drivers, together with 4 racetrack-shaped woofers, which KEF invented back in 1962.
This KEF soundbar is cleverly designed to be positioned on an AV cabinet or mounted on a wall. It can also be paired with the KEF KC62 to create the best overall Dolby Atmos soundbar setup for both music and movies.
2. WiiM Bar Soundbar
Key features
- 1-inch touchscreen display that rotates when streaming music!
- 3.0.2-channel layout
- 8-driver system
Pros
- Includes both wired and wireless audio connectivity
- Just like other WiiM products, it can stream from the web, negating the need for smartphone connectivity
- Clever design within plus passive radiators enhances bass reproduction
Cons
- Doesn’t include Apple AirPlay 2
Although one of the newest soundbars, the WiiM Bar is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the go-to soundbars.
With eight active drivers and four passive radiators, it keeps airflow in check, allowing its enhanced frequency range to deliver a spacious Dolby Atmos soundstage. It’s driven by an array of amplifiers that deliver a combined 135W, making it efficient too.
WiiM also has a vast ecosystem you can tap into, allowing you to expand the soundbar’s capabilities like no other product in this lineup. That’s why we’ve given it the Best All-Rounder Dolby Atmos Soundbar for Music and Movies award.
3. AVCOM 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer
Key features
- 1.2-channel processing
- 8-Inch wireless subwoofer
- Bluetooth 5.3
Pros
- Unrivalled value for money — and still delivers genuine 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos
- Single-remote TV syncing
- Dedicated voice mode
Cons
- Lacks native DTS:X support
Now we haven’t forgotten the reasonably priced end of the market, which is where the AVCOM 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer comes in.
With a dedicated active wireless subwoofer, this soundbar follows the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy by embracing a proper subwoofer and no fewer than seven speakers. Keeping these separate helps maintain affordability without compromising on sound quality.
It’s also surprisingly punchy, with 280 watts of power on tap, meaning it has enough to excite when watching the latest Dolby Atmos blockbuster movie. This makes it easy to give AVCOM our Best Budget Home Cinema Dolby Atmos Soundbar award.
4. Devialet Dione Soundbar
Key features
- Includes the ORB central channel
- 950W RMS amplification uses ADH (Analog Digital Hybrid) technology
- Built-In gyroscopic orientation
Pros
- Thunderous, subwoofer-free bass uses SAM® (Speaker Active Matching)
- Its Adaptive Volume Levelling (AVL) is excellent
- Unrivalled dialogue clarity thanks to the spherical ORB design
Cons
- Lacks LFE out and doesn’t support HDMI passthrough
If you’re looking for that Class-A signature sound for your TV, the Devialet Dione is ideal.
Devialet’s patented AHD amplification system is at the soundbar’s core: an analog-digital-hybrid technology which uses Class-A design with the raw power of Class-D.
With a whopping 950 watts on tap to drive nine full-range drivers and eight subwoofers, this 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos soundbar is hard to beat if all you want is a standalone soundbar.
5. Sennheiser AMBEO Max Soundbar
Key features
- 1.4-channel setup with 13 high-end drivers
- Supports Hi-Res Streaming via Apple AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect
- AMBEO 3D virtualisation
Pros
- Exceptional stereo musicality. With 3D turned off, audio reproductions sound like a true hi-fi system
- Includes HDMI 4k/120Hz passthrough with one HDMI eARC output and three HDMI inputs
- Distortion-free power, with 250W RMS (500W peak) amplification
Cons
- At 1.26m wide and weighing 18.5kg, it’s quite a heavy unit!
The Sennheiser AMBEO MAX Soundbar was the first in Sennheiser’s AMBEO series, earning the MAX title before the Plus and Mini had even been thought of. Such was its performance that Sennheiser’s R&D team took another three years to develop the other two models, ensuring they were worthy of the AMBEO name.
As a Dolby Atmos soundbar, this is a genuine 5.2.4 setup with six dedicated long-throw woofers that reach ultra-low frequencies of 30Hz, five aluminium tweeters, and a pair of up-firing drivers for Dolby Atmos duties.
Sound-wise, its presence is big, matching its 18.5kg weight and 1.26m length, but that’s why it’s one of the best you can buy without a subwoofer.
6. Klipsch Flexus Core 300 Soundbar
Key features
- Dirac room correction
- Quad four-Inch subwoofers
- DTS and DTS-HD decoding
Pros
- It’s powered by Onkyo, which means enhanced sound quality, proven reliability, and precision Japanese electronics engineering
- Excellent dialogue clarity, thanks to the MTM (mid-tweeter-mid) centre and adjustable 3-level dialogue boost modes
- It’s built to last
Cons
- To unlock the full power of the Flexus Core 300 using DIRAC 20Hz – 500Hz, you have to pay extra
With Onkyo’s home cinema wizardry, the Klipsch Flexus Core 300 Soundbar was always going to stand out, and it certainly does. Using one of the best room EQ systems on the market, Dirac Live, you can also unlock even more EQ features (though this does have a fee).
This enables you to get the very best out of its 13 speakers in your room, driven by Onkyo’s multi-channel Class-D amplifiers, giving the Flexus Core 300 285 watts of combined power.
Those speakers are divided into four up-firing, four front-firing and a pair of side-firing speakers, plus four subwoofers and that famous horn-loaded Tractrix tweeter. Dirac Live does an excellent job of controlling the sound, but it’s the advanced room correction capabilities that make this soundbar so special.
7. Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos Surround Sound System
Key features
- True 5.1-channel layout
- 300W output
- Semi-wireless satellite speakers
Pros
- Unbeatable value for a 5.1 multi-box layout system
- Ultra-compact scale
- The bass delivers beyond expectations with a powerful punch
Cons
- Atmos height isn’t as strong as other options on this list
Another affordable option, the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos Surround Sound System is compact and a little different from the others in that it includes dual rear satellite speakers and a separate subwoofer.
It also uses psychoacoustic virtualisation to generate its Dolby Atmos signature. This helps the Bowfell Halo trick you into thinking you’re hearing height speakers, and that’s what’s so neat about this setup: it marries new and old tech to keep it affordable.
Compared to similarly designed competitors, nothing else comes close without spending more.
How does Dolby Atmos work in a soundbar?
A Dolby Atmos soundbar’s main goal is to deliver object-based audio and a truly audible 3D sound experience. It uses an array of speakers, clever decoding chipsets, and information from a Dolby Atmos feed, whether that’s from streaming services or Blu-ray discs with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack.
You’ll need a compatible TV with HDMI eARC if you’re using streaming services through a built-in streaming hub or a connected device. The third option is physical media, in the form of a Blu-ray player. Whether you choose HD or 4K will depend on your TV’s capabilities.
Now, if you’re new to Dolby Atmos, you might be surprised to hear it’s been around since 2012! Yamaha were the first to introduce the Dolby Atmos feature back in 2015 on the mighty YSP-5600, which back then almost cost an eye-watering £2k. Thankfully, Dolby Atmos soundbars are much more affordable now.
So, how does it work? Well, since the days of the early Yamaha soundbars, things have become a lot simpler. Each dedicated speaker within the soundbar is controlled by the main digital signal processor (DSP), which sends the signal to the amplifier to drive the individual speakers while also directing low frequencies to the subwoofer.
The technology behind the Atmos effect involves a special algorithm built into many soundbars. This mimics spatial audio effects to create the immersive experience we hear as 3D sound.
Many brands use their own systems, but a common approach involves Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs), which help simulate spatial audio effects. These can complement the up-firing speakers typically found in Dolby Atmos soundbars.
How to choose the right soundbar for you
There are three rules you should follow when choosing the right Dolby Atmos soundbar: the type of ceiling you have, the shape of your room and, of course, your budget.
So, why have we mentioned the ceiling? Well, there are two very important reasons. The first is whether your ceiling is flat, as this is particularly important when using a Dolby Atmos soundbar with up-firing speakers. These speakers rely on sound reflecting off the ceiling and back into the room to create a 3D sound effect.
There’s also a recommended ceiling height of between 7.5ft and 12ft, which affects how the sound reflects into the room. If the ceiling is too low, the reflections may not reach the listening position as intended, affecting the Dolby Atmos height effect. If your ceiling isn’t flat, don’t panic, as you can still opt for a virtual Dolby Atmos soundbar.
If you have an open-plan room design, you may need to look at a soundbar with wireless rear surrounds, as these types of rooms make it very difficult for the height-cue filter technology to work correctly.
After this, it’s mainly about your budget. In small apartments, a virtual Dolby Atmos soundbar can be an ideal solution, typically with a 2.1 or 3.1 speaker configuration. For a larger space, such as a standard living room, it may be better to use a soundbar with reflective Dolby Atmos technology, which uses up-firing speakers in a 3.1.2 configuration.
We’ve already mentioned open-plan rooms, where a soundbar with additional wireless surround speakers may be needed. These speakers will require either a mains power connection or a rechargeable battery. Many of these Dolby Atmos soundbars feature a 5.1.4 speaker configuration.
FAQs
Do all soundbars work with TVs?
All soundbars are designed to work with TVs — just make sure your soundbar and TV share compatible connectivity. You should look for HDMI ARC/eARC, optical audio, Bluetooth, or auxiliary/RCA connections.
Is it worth getting a soundbar with Dolby Atmos?
If you’re big into movies, concerts, and sporting events where spatial audio is becoming more important every day, then it is definitely worth getting a soundbar!
Is there anything better than Dolby Atmos?
Formats that compete with Dolby Atmos include DTS:X, Auro-3D, Spatial Audio, and Sony 360 Reality Audio, but none are “better” than Dolby Atmos. The “best” is subjective.
Final thoughts
I hope you enjoy listening to these soundbars as much as I enjoyed testing them. The seven models featured here cover a wide range of prices and features, and each impressed me in its own way. From the more affordable options to the exceptional sound quality of the KEF and Devialet, there’s plenty to appreciate. The WiiM also deserves another mention for its excellent ecosystem and expandability.
Ultimately, if you want one of an immersive audio experience without investing in a full home cinema separates system, these are some of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars available, in my opinion.
0 Comments