Dolby Atmos soundbars are now more affordable than ever, especially compared with a traditional Atmos receiver and surround-sound speakers. These soundbars are also more compact and easier to set up than a home theater system, with the trade-off being they can’t provide the same level of performance.
The Vizio M512a is my favorite Dolby Atmos soundbar for under $500 — it offers both dedicated height channels and surround speakers, and quality sound into the bargain. Competitors such as the Sonos Beam Gen 2 can offer only simulated height speakers, and you can hear the difference that the dedicated height speakers of the Bose Smart Soundbar 600 make.
Though you can easily stop at the $500 mark, the more expensive models do offer benefits, including improved sound quality, music streaming, and voice assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa. For example, the $900 Sonos Arc is an all-in-one soundbar that offers great sound, exquisite build quality and excellent multiroom capabilities.
If you want a soundbar with Dolby Atmos audio, read on. These are my favorite Atmos soundbar options from $400 and up. This list is periodically updated as I review new products.
The Vizio M512a improves on its predecessor in almost every way: it looks better, it sounds better, and it’s easier to use. While it keeps Bluetooth capability it does lose the ability to stream over Wi-Fi. If you’re looking for the most cost-effective way to add Dolby Atmos to your television this is the one.
If you like a bit of “high tech” in your tech then look to the Vizio Elevate. This is a 5.1.4 soundbar system which uses motorized drivers to switch between Atmos and normal surround sound. It’s not just a gimmick — it also sounds good! In addition, the Elevate includes everything else you want from a modern soundbar, including multiple HDMI inputs and Wi-Fi music streaming.
If you want the best Dolby Atmos sound from a single bar but balk at paying $1,000 or more, the Sonos Arc is for you. This soundbar is a bit quirky, as you’ll need a 2019 or newer 4K TV (with HDMI 2.1) to make the most of it, and yet it still performs better than most. The Arc offers a bunch of great features too, including a choice of voice assistant and Sonos’ excellent streaming architecture.
How I test
At CNET I test audio equipment from compact soundbars though to surround sound speakers systems, but regardless of the device my methodology is largely the same. I always compare products against one or more reference devices which offer the best performance at a similar price.
When it comes to soundbars I want to see how well a system performs with music as well as with movies, as most people will want to do both. I watch from a handful of test scenes from 4K Blu-ray or streamed from a 4K streaming service (Vudu, for example) and evaluate aspects such as bass performance and dialog clarity. I also use a number of test music tracks and evaluate any streaming features such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It’s systems that can perform well with both types of entertainment that inevitably score the highest.
Other soundbars I’ve tested
I have tested the following soundbars in the CNET audio lab against models of a similar price. Each if these soundbars are worthy in their own way, but aren’t quite as recommendable as our main picks.
Do I need HDMI 2.1 to listen to Atmos?
Dolby Atmos can be played over a normal HDMI ARC connection with streaming services which use the Dolby Digital Plus codec, and when it works it’s great. If you want the full-blooded Dolby Atmos experience then you may need to upgrade to a new TV with an HDMI 2.1 port, as it will enable higher quality Atmos streams from Blu-ray players and gaming consoles.
Is a Dolby Atmos soundbar worth paying extra for?
If you’re a gamer or enjoy watching the latest blockbusters, then yes, a Dolby Atmos soundbar is worth paying more for. But you need to make sure that you have a TV with an HDMI ARC port (for Dolby Digital Plus) and a Dolby Atmos-capable source such as the Xbox Series X or the latest Roku streamers.
Which connection is best for a Dolby Atmos soundbar?
The short answer is HDMI. The long answer is that there’s two ways to get Atmos into one of these speakers — the first, and best, is to have a TV with an eARC port (HDMI 2.1). This port is a feature of many new TVs and enables Atmos information to be fed from your TV (via either smart apps or another connected device) to an external speaker. Normal HDMI ARC will work for some streaming services that offer Dolby Atmos.
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