If you want to get the best sound to get the most out of your favorite games and movies, a Dolby Atmos soundbar can literally take the audio quality of your TV to another level.
Dolby Atmos simulates the kind of immersive 3D audio experience you’d get in the cinema. Most Dolby Atmos soundbars use up-firing drivers to disperse sound overhead, giving the effect of having speakers on the ceiling. The result is that objects on the screen, such as circling helicopters or pouring rain, can be heard around you with amazing clarity.
In recent years, a large number of Dolby Atmos soundbars have hit the market and there is now a wide range of models for most budgets. Atmos soundbars are usually high-end and expensive, but which Dolby Atmos soundbar is the cheapest? We’ll find out on this article. Just take note that often, the more you spend, the more features and the better sound quality you’ll get.
- VIZIO SB36512-F6I
If the best-rated soundbars in this comparison are very expensive for you, Vizio SB36512-F6 is a fairly cheap soundbar that has impressive performance but also has its cons. Satellite speakers cannot be connected wirelessly, so you will need to plan their location and the routing of 0 cables to the subwoofer. However, the Vizio does have some beneficial qualities, such as the inclusion of a 3.5mm analog audio input, USB input, and even ethernet, as Chromecast is built-in for easy voice transmission or control via Google Assistant. If you want the best Dolby Atmos performance a soundbar can provide, Sony is still our best choice. However, if you don’t want to spend a lot of money and are looking for something a little cheaper, but with good sound quality, the Vizio is a great option.
- Sony HT-X8500
Achieving a true Atmos setup is not likely to be cheap and easy. However, we have found this excellent soundbar for those on a tighter budget who want to achieve better sound quality without spending an eye on their face.
The X8500 wireless surround soundbar offers functions similar to other much rarer soundbars. It is a 2.1 channel audio soundbar that comes with a dedicated wireless subwoofer.
The soundbar with wireless subwoofer incorporates sophisticated drivers that address the vertical elements that Atmos adds to the audio processing department.
It is well built and well equipped and offers excellent full-range audio reproduction with balance and clarity. This excellent soundbar with a wireless speaker works with a maximum power of 300 watts and is easy to configure and integrate.
The cheapest soundbar in the comparison.
- 1 channel with Dolby Atmos / DTS: X with Vertical Surround Engine
- Integrated subwoofers for deep bass sound
- Compact low-profile design looks great in any living room
- Sound modes to achieve the best settings for listening to movies, music, games, news, and sports
- 4K HDR Compatible
- LG SK8 – Best soundbar quality price
LG SK8 is a good soundbar, although the performance of the Dolby Atmos is not as good as in the top-rated models. Its default sound profile is pretty good overall, with powerful bass and treble that can make music sound more exciting, but it’s not ideal for TV shows. It has excellent build quality, premium design, and good customization features.
This soundbar has excellent overall bass performance thanks to its dedicated wireless subwoofer. It also works quite well at its maximum volume, but the bar seems to be limited when it comes to volume output as it’s not as powerful as other models we’ve reviewed. Some people may also hear a bit of distortion at the higher frequencies when they push the bar to the limit. However, most people will never turn up the volume to maximum, so this shouldn’t be a problem.
Also, this soundbar has a V-shaped sound profile, with powerful bass and good treble ranges. Some people may prefer this exciting sound signature, but it won’t be the best for more neutral or accurate listening. The sound profile also changes dramatically with Atmos content: the bass seems lower than usual and many details are missing in the high range.
- Soundbar 5.1.2 with MERIDIAN sound technology
- Power 360 W, Dolby ATMOS and DTS: X
- Connections: HDMI 2.0 (HDCP 2.2) with 4K pass-through (In and Out), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB
- It has a Google Assistant in Spanish, High-Res audio up to 24 bits / 192 kHz
- Samsung HW-Q70r Harman Kardon
Next, we have a 3.1.2 option consisting of a Samsung soundbar and a sub combo. Samsung Harman Kardon HW-Q70R is a very low-profile option for more subtle smart home theater integration. It is well manufactured and offers excellent build quality. The seven separate speaker units inside the soundbar are somewhat small but quite powerful.
These Samsung Harman Kardon soundbars are configured as a traditional left-center-right speaker array to provide a triple channel front solution.
They have a dedicated center of the 7 to handle media transparently, which is great for dialogue. There are three for each side that is programmed with a Dolby digital codec. This key feature takes into account directional audio with advanced elevation processing. Dimensional audio aspects are also favored by the slant of the bar design.
The entire Samsung Harman Kardon soundbar has an exposed grille, making the audio dispersion more efficient and useful, it has decent balance and wide response. The subwoofer has excellent bass handling and is distortion-free.
The Samsung Harman Kardon HW-Q70R benefits from adaptive sound technology for rapid signal analysis and workload optimization, ensuring that relative speakers do their part and share efficiently. This maintains the clarity of home audio at its best, even at very low volumes. It has a built-in 4K pass and integrates with UHD technologies without any manual intervention.
In summary, the Samsung Harman Kardon soundbar is very capable, featuring seven controller units that take care of what three traditionally handle. Having triple left and right means it can handle the most important 3D spatial audio rendering required of Dolby Atmos, which makes it a well-performing soundbar for the powerful and immersive sound that the transformative audio technology brings.