Dolby Atmos has played a really big role in making sure that we are able to appreciate cinematic sounds in the comfort of our own homes. Thanks to its immersive, object-based surround system it is able to elevate almost every single sound that you’re playing, and its overhead channels make it an absolute treat to enjoy any scenes that involve spaceships, aeroplanes, helicopters or anything above you.
For a lot of people it isn’t always attainable to get a full home theatre speaker system that is able to handle Dolby Atmos. The two biggest reasons for this is that they are pretty expensive and take up a lot of space. The alternative to this is getting a Dolby Atmos soundbar instead, and in this article, you’ll learn about the best ones in 2023.
Sony HT-A7000
Specs | |
Connectivity | HDMI out, 2x HDMI in, optical, USB, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth |
Sound format support | Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, PCM |
Streaming | Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast |
Voice control | Google Assistant, Alexa |
Dimensions (h.w.d) | 3.14” x 51” x 5.6” |
Weight | 26lbs |
Price | $1,398 |
Pros
- Excellent Atmos performance
- Great features
Cons
- No EQ controls
- Styling is a little bit confusing
Sony has built up a great reputation in the soundbars industry, and their HT-A7000 soundbar is no exception. This awesome soundbar houses two up-firing speakers, two beam tweeters, five front-facing drivers as well as an integrated dual subwoofer, all being fit into just a single chassis. The Sony HT-A7000 is able to deliver a broad and high soundstage, whether you’re watching some highly immersive content or not, all whilst managing to retain its musicality, presence and detail, thanks to its driver placement as well as its psychoacoustic techniques.
Then when it actually comes to the physical attributes of this sound bar, in terms of height and precision, it has quite a similar performance to what the Sonos Arc has, however it is a lot more convincing thanks to its width as well as its forward projection. Although it won’t feel the same as having direct audio from the speaker above or to your side, it is still highly effective and very enticing, and as a result gives viewers an enriching experience. The sub that is integrated into this soundbar is also quite impressive and gives a great controlled and powerful performance.
Overall, the Sony HT-A7000 is absolutely amazing, future-proofed and just simply an all-in-one performer that has excellent integration if you have a newer Sony Bravia TV in your home.
Sonos Beam Gen 2
Specs | |
Connectivity | HDMI out, Wi-Fi, Ethernet |
Sound format support | Dolby Atmos, PCM |
Streaming | Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Sonos S2 app |
Voice control | Google Assistant, Alexa |
Dimensions (h.w.d) | 2.7” x 26” x 3.9” |
Weight | 6.35lbs |
Price | $499 |
Pros
- Provides a warm and refined sound
- Handles Dolby Atmos effectively
Cons
- No additional HDMI ports
- DTS:X is not supported
The ability to deliver Dolby Atmos from just a small single chassis is definitely not an easy achievement, but the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is able to achieve this awesome immersive performance, without the help of a single vertical speaker. Instead of using multiple different chassis to produce different sounds, it uses two of its front-facing arrays to reproduce the overhead and surround sounds, to help immerse you in your watching and listening experience. The Sonos Beam Gen 2 also has an impressive amount of processing power, which makes this soundbar able to use psychoacoustic HRTF technology, which basically means that it is able to give you the impression of height without actually needing to get vertical.
Overall, there aren’t that many soundbars that are out there, at this price point, that can match the networking capabilities that the Sonos Beam Gen 2 has. With this product being one from Sonos, its ability to integrate easily into a wireless multiroom system is extremely important to its design and has been a focus in the making of this soundbar. So because of this, you’ll now be able to stream to the Sonos Beam Gen 2 from your handheld device, through Apple AirPlay 2, the soundbar also comes with Spotify Connect built-into it.
In conclusion, if you are someone that is limited in space and budget, then this is one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars out there for you, that is if you don’t mind the lack of upward drivers.
Sonos Arc
Specs | |
Connectivity | HDMI out, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Optical |
Sound format support | Dolby Atmos, PCM |
Streaming | Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Sonos S2 app |
Voice control | Google Assistant, Alexa |
Dimensions (h.w.d) | 3.43” x 45” x 4.56” |
Weight | 14lbs |
Price | $899 |
Pros
- Comes with all of the usual Sonos smarts
- Convincing Dolby Atmos
Cons
- Music could be projected better
- Very reliant on your TV’s specs
Sonos is quite a seasoned veteran when it comes to soundbars, but the Sonos Arc soundbar is different because it is the only soundbar from this brand that is able to deliver Dolby Atmos with vertical speakers. Compared to the Sonos Beam Gen 2 above, the Arc is a little more pricey and is more suited for TVs that are 55 inches and above. You’ll also be able to get your hands on optional wall mounting fixings for $79.
On the soundbar itself, you’ll be able to find touch-sensitive play/pause and volume controls, which have LEDs to show you the status as well as when you’re talking to its integrated Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. The Sonos Arc creates a soundfield using its 11 drivers, a lot of which are firing upwards and angled into your room in a way such that they are able to bounce the sound off of your walls and ceiling to result in giving you a much more realistic Dolby Atmos effect. With all of this, the Sonos Arc is able to give users one of the most convincing Atmos performances that you’ll be able to get from any soundbars out there.
Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus
Specs | |
Connectivity | HDMI out, 2x HDMI in, optical, USB, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth |
Sound format support | Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, PCM, MPEG H, Sony 360 Reality Audio |
Streaming | Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect |
Voice control | Alexa, Siri |
Dimensions (h.w.d) | 3.03” x 41” x 4.76” |
Weight | 14lbs |
Price | $1,499 |
Pros
- Wide soundfield
- Easy to set-up the app and use its controls
Cons
- Others in this price bracket are tough competition
- Vocals are a bit vague
What the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus is, is essentially a smaller version of the huge Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max. One of the biggest things that makes this soundbar stick out when compared to some of the other soundbars in its class is that it is a lot shorter and more narrow. This means that it is one of the only more premium soundbars that people with less space are able to opt for in their room.
When it comes to the Atmos performance that this soundbar has, it truly thrives and delivers the grand and spacious soundstages that you’d expect to experience from Sennheiser’s Atmos soundbars. Thanks to this soundbars’ upward-firing speakers, it is able to give viewers an impressive sense of height whenever you’re watching something where something is flying over your head. As a result it makes the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus one of the best soundbars for those who are short on space.
One annoying thing about this soundbar though, is that it doesn’t support HDMI 2.1 passthrough, which means that you won’t be able to take full advantage of the 4K/120Hz signals that you’d be offered by your PS5 or Xbox Series X/S. However, in order to combat this you could just plug these consoles into your TV directly and get the output from there to the soundbar via ARC.
Final Words
So, there you have some of the best soundbars out there that will be able to take either your listening or viewing experience to a whole new level, thanks to Dolby Atmos. Hopefully one of these products caught your eye, and will be able to compliment your home or room perfectly and just immerse you even more into whatever you may be doing.