The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 is a 2022 release, and it's the first Dolby Atmos soundbar available from the manufacturer. It's a standalone bar with thirteen individual drivers arranged in a 3.1.2 setup. Overall, it's designed for simplicity, so there aren't a lot of extra settings or calibration modes available. Compared to other premium standalone bars on the market, it doesn't offer additional subwoofers or satellites, either - though there are two subwoofers integrated into the bar itself.
Our Verdict
The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 is fair for mixed usage. It's a premium-looking standalone bar that offers Dolby Atmos support, but unfortunately, it doesn't sound as good as it looks. Its default sound is dark and muddy due to its recessed treble and lack of bass, meaning that voices and lead instruments are muffled in the mix. It doesn't provide an immersive listening experience with movies, either, due to its narrow soundstage. Since there aren't a lot of customization features on hand, it's not easy to adjust its performance to your liking.
- Bass and treble adjustments.
- Built-in Alexa support.
- Lacks low-bass.
- Soundstage isn't very wide.
The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 is okay for dialogue-heavy content like podcasts and TV shows. It's a 3.1.2 setup with a discrete center channel, so voices are accurately localized within the soundstage. However, voices aren't reproduced with complete clarity due to the dip in the treble and the peak in the low-mids, resulting in a dark and muffled sound. There's no dialogue enhancement feature on hand to improve the clarity.
- Bass and treble adjustments.
- No dialogue enhancement mode.
The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 is okay for music. Out-of-the-box, it has a dark and muddy sound due to its recessed treble and lack of bass. Voices and lead instruments are muffled in certain tracks, and sound is contained around the bar. Though there are two integrated subwoofers, it can't reproduce the deep thump and rumble in the low-bass found with bass-heavy genres like hip-hop and EDM. Unfortunately, aside from its bass and treble adjustments, there aren't a lot of customization tools to help you adjust its sound, either.
- Bass and treble adjustments.
- Gets loud.
- Lacks low-bass.
- Soundstage isn't very wide.
The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 is alright for movies. There's Dolby Atmos support, and it can also playback surround sound formats like Dolby Digital, though it has to downmix them into stereo to play them. Unfortunately, the lack of bass is evident, especially with action-packed scenes. It doesn't offer a very wide and immersive sound, even compared to other standalone soundbars.
- Bass and treble adjustments.
- Gets loud.
- Soundstage isn't very wide.
- Disappointing Atmos performance.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 is available in 'Black', and the label for our model is here.
If you come across another version of this bar, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 is a premium standalone setup with Dolby Atmos support. It doesn't achieve the same immersive sound as other standalone setups like the Sonos Arc or the Bose Smart Soundbar 900, and its dark and muddy sound is pretty disappointing. By design, there aren't a lot of customization tools, which is a shame if you don't like its performance.
See also our recommendations for the best all-in-one soundbars, the best soundbars, and the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.
The Sonos Arc and the Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 are premium standalone soundbars. However, the Sonos is better overall. It has better soundstage, surround, and Atmos performances and has more sound enhancement features. In addition, its default sound is more neutral, especially in the mids, so voices are clearer and more detailed in the mix.
The Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar MAX is better than the Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3. While they're both premium standalone setups, the Sennheiser has better soundstage, surround, and Atmos performances. It comes with more sound enhancement features, too. Also, the Sennheiser's integrated sub can reproduce more low-bass than the B&W's. Keep in mind that the Sennheiser is quite large and heavy, though, so it's not ideal for smaller spaces.
The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 and the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 are both premium standalone setups, but the Bose is better overall. It has better soundstage, surround, and Atmos performances. Also, there are more sound enhancement features on hand. You can also upgrade it with a sub and satellites down the line, unlike the B&W.
The LG S75Q is a better 3.1.2 setup than the Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3. These bars have slightly different designs, as the LG comes with a dedicated subwoofer, whereas the B&W's sub is integrated into the bar. The LG reproduces a more extended low-bass, and it also has a better soundstage. There are also more sound enhancement features on hand.
Test Results
