The 6 Best Dolby Atmos Soundbars - Spring 2020
Reviews

The Samsung HW-Q90R is the best Dolby Atmos soundbar we've tested so far. Coming with a main soundbar, subwoofer, and two satellite speakers, the 7.1.4 setup ensures you'll get an immersive listening experience all around you.

This setup has impressive sound: its fairly neutral sound profile has just enough bass extension to deliver rumble and thump, making it suitable for all kinds of audio. If you like to further fine-tune your sound experience, it comes with a graphic EQ. This soundbar comes with a variety of inputs such as 4k HDMI passthrough, HDMI ARC, and optical. You can also stream wirelessly using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi if you want to play music or podcasts from your favorite streaming platform.

As this soundbar comes with satellite speakers, they'll need to be plugged into a power source, which could clutter your setup. Fortunately, they connect to the soundbar wirelessly. While they underperform when compared to dedicated down-firing speakers, this soundbar does a decent job of creating a sense of height in Dolby Atmos content, making this one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars available.

The best 5.1 Dolby Atmos Soundbar that we've tested so far is the Samsung HW-Q80R. If you don't have space for separate rear speakers and would prefer a 5.1 setup that just comes with a bar and a subwoofer, this is a good choice.

This soundbar looks and feels premium, thanks to its solid build. With its balanced sound profile, it's suitable for everything from action movies to audiobooks. Those who like to fine-tune their sound will appreciate the graphic EQ. This soundbar also has great connectivity options such as two fill HDMI-in ports, HDMI ARC, and optical-in. Still looking for more? You can expand this soundbar's system with two additional rear speakers sold separately.

Unfortunately, you won't be able to pass the aux cord with this soundbar as it doesn't have a regular audio jack. There's also no USB port. However, you can play audio from your phone or tablet wirelessly, which is great when you're having a party. If you're tight on space at home, this is a good  5.1 option.

The best standalone Dolby Atmos Soundbar we've tested so far is the Sennheiser AMBEO soundbar. Its unique 13-speaker integrated design creates an immersive experience with only a standalone bar.

While not as great as dedicated down-firing speakers, it still produces good surround sound thanks to its unique 3D audio mode. Its room correction feature helps to adapt audio to your room too: using an external microphone, the soundbar can correct some sound and enhance your listening experience. This soundbar has an impressive amount of connectivity options including Bluetooth and Chromecast built-in. This soundbar also has a standby mode triggered by 20 minutes of inactivity. If you need to clean them, you can remove the fabric covering the speakers.

On the downside, this soundbar is large and its positioning is quite difficult. If you don't have AMBEO mode activated, the sound signature also lacks bass and instead leans more bright. On the upside, if you don't like this sound profile, you can customize the EQ with the companion app. If you're looking for a standalone soundbar that can do it all without a dedicated subwoofer, this one is a good choice.

The LG SL10YG is a decent soundbar but has poor Dolby Atmos performance. Its default sound profile is pretty good overall, with overemphasized bass and treble that can make music sound more exciting, but isn't ideal for TV shows. It feels very well-made, though, with a premium design and a couple of different customization features.

This soundbar has an overall great bass performance and will be able to recreate the deep thump and rumble from bass thanks to its dedicated wireless subwoofer. It also performs quite well at its max volume, but the bar seems to be limited when it comes to volume output, as it performs noticeably quieter than other models we've reviewed. Some people might also hear a bit of distortion on higher frequencies when pushing the bar to its limits. However, we don't expect people to use the max volume with real-life content, so this shouldn't be an issue for most.

This soundbar has a V-shaped sound profile with overemphasized bass and treble ranges. Although some may prefer this exciting sound signature, it won't be the best for a more neutral or accurate listening. The sound profile also changes drastically with Atmos content: the bass seems lower than usual and there's a lot of detail missing in the treble range. However, this soundbar seems to go on sale often and could be worth considering if you can find it at a good price but note it won't be as good for Atmos content as the Samsung HW-Q90R or the Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar.