The best Dolby Atmos soundbars allow you to hear your favorite movies and TV shows in a way that’s more immersive and natural. That's because Dolby Atmos is a surround sound audio format that isolates audio to individual objects – someone screaming, a dog barking, a helicopter overhead – that can be mapped in 3D space, rather than being attached to a particular speaker in a setup.
So if you can see a helicopter on screen flying above your head, it’ll sound as if it’s flying over your head, too. Essentially, sound is placed where it naturally would be based on what you’re watching on the screen, with more precision and effectiveness than regular surround sound.
You won’t get the same uncompromised presentation of Dolby Atmos soundtracks that the best AV receivers deliver when paired with a surround sound speaker system, but those setups take up a lot of space and can be expensive. That’s where the best soundbars show their advantage, and the best Dolby Atmos soundbars are the easy way to deliver a powerful home theater experience.
Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Entertainment, and has over a decade of experience in tech publishing. He has been writing about the latest TVs and soundbars since 2017. CES 2024 has been and gone, which gave us a glimpse of all the new soundbars on the horizon. Matt was most impressed by the Samsung HW-Q990D, which has since been added to our guide.
The quick list
In a hurry but need to find the best Dolby Atmos soundbar for you? Take a look at our quick list below which covers a soundbar that will suit every budget and situation. You can still check out more detailed reviews of each soundbar below.
Best Dolby Atmos soundbar for most people
The Q800C is hard to beat when it comes to value. It offers the best feature set and most convincing 3D sound quality that we've found so far in a 5.1.2 set up.
Read more below
Best budget Dolby Atmos soundbar
Don't be fooled by its unassuming small size, Sony's HT-S2000 can achieve an impressive level immersion for a very affordable entry-level price.
The best budget soundbar for Dolby Atmos surround
Hisense’s 5.1.2-channel system delivers real Dolby Atmos using up-firing speakers and features wireless surrounds and a subwoofer – all for an incredibly low price.
Best mid-range Dolby Atmos soundbar
Offering 3.1.2 channels of immersive sound, the HW-Q700C soundbar and sub combo is by far the best mid-range option around for unlocking hi-res, 3D audio.
Best premium Dolby Atmos soundbar
Samsung has completely knocked it out of the park with the Q990D. The sheer power and class-leading immersion that this is capable of makes it our favorite high-end pick.
Best compact Dolby Atmos soundbar
Want to get closer to that home theater sound but don't have a lot space for a full surround sound system? Bose has the solution with the Smart Soundbar 600.
Read more below
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Best Dolby Atmos soundbar for gamers
With two HDMI 2.1 ports, 4K 120Hz passthrough and VRR support, the HT-A7000 not only sounds great, but is the ideal choice for gamers
The best soundbar for sheer flexibility
With four HDMI ports to connect other sources and rechargeable, wireless surround speakers, the JBL 1300X really adapts to what you need.
The best soundbar for Sonos fans
Sonos' soundbars are all excellent quality, but the Sonos Arc's dynamic sound, Dolby Atmos support and strong, built-in bass that puts it at the top of the Sonos family.
The best soundbars of 2024
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The best Dolby Atmos soundbar for most people
If you're looking for a Dolby Atmos soundbar with a powerful performance that exceeds its price tag, then the Samsung HW-Q800C is our top pick that we think will suit most people. The HW-Q800C supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, with two upfiring drivers to deliver the height channels. It also boasts support for a wide range of music files, like hi-res FLAC. You also get an HDMI passthrough system, and if you use the soundbar with a recent Samsung TV you can use Samsung's Q-Symphony tech.
During our testing we found that the Q800C delivers spectacular power and excellent channel steering for movies and TV shows. Bass is also deep, the dialog is clear, and spatial effects are convincing, even without any rear speakers.
Looks-wise it's got an industrial aesthetic. The Samsung HW-Q800C’s main soundbar component looks a lot like its other bars, and at 1111mm / 43.4 inches wide, it's not too imposing to accommodate beneath your TV – it's pretty much exactly the width of a 50-inch TV.
The reason the HW-Q800C doesn't cost the Earth is because Samsung has dispensed with the rear speakers and some of the size and power you get with Samsung’s flagship Q990C soundbar. But its "bar-plus-subwoofer" package still offers more power and real channels – it claims 5.1.2 – than the majority of rival soundbars hovering around this price. This is why it's our top Dolby Atmos pick, not only is it an accomplished soundbar, it's also relatively affordable, too.
Read our full Samsung HW-Q800C review
The best budget Dolby Atmos soundbar
Sony absolutely nailed the brief of delivering big sound from a compact form. Its budget soundbar, the HT-S2000, strikes the perfect balance of giving your TV's audio a big boost in immersive audio power, while not taking up too much valuable screen space.
During our testing, we said that we were blown away by its "impressive level of immersion given its basic speaker array and compact form factor – much of this is owed to Sony’s proprietary processing". Apart from the incredibly effective immersive audio processing power, the clear dialogue and defined bass were another two highlights about the sound quality from our review.
It's not all completely praises, though. The trade-off for its reasonably affordable price tag is that your wireless streaming connectivity options are limited to Bluetooth 5.2, there's also only one HDMI port and optical digital input, but you can still pair the HT-S2000 with other Sony speakers and subwoofers.
Based on previous sales, we have seen the Sony HT-S2000 drop to $349 in the US and £299 in the UK from its initial $499 and £449 respective prices so it is worth looking out for a deal if you do manage to catch one for this Sonos Beam (Gen 2) (at #9 in this list) alternative.
Read our full Sony HT-S2000 review.
The best budget soundbar for Dolby Atmos surround
Dolby Atmos soundbars in the budget range are typically single-unit solutions that deliver Atmos height effects and surround sound using virtual processing. The Hisense AX5125H breaks with that tradition by using real upfiring speakers on its main soundbar, along with wireless surround speakers and a subwoofer for an incredibly low $350 / £350 / AU$450 price.
Hisense’s budget 5.1.2-channel system surprised us when we reviewed it with its “effective Dolby Atmos delivery” and surprisingly wide soundstage, which gave all aspects of the soundtrack room to breathe.” Dialogue, too, was “crystal clear” in our assessment of the AX5125H system’s sound quality. If there was one thing that disappointed us, it was the performance of the surround speakers, which could get overwhelmed when faced with aggressive soundtrack mixes, but overall the system’s feisty sound wowed us for the price.
For a $350 soundbar system, you wouldn’t expect premium build quality, and that’s an area where the Hisense falls short. But while its looks skew toward basic and bland, it has a front-panel alphanumeric display to provide visual feedback when making adjustments to the system using the supplied remote control – a rare feature at this price, and a valuable one.
With only Bluetooth onboard for wireless music streaming, the Hisense AX5125H isn’t the last word in sound quality with music, but we still found music listening to be an enjoyable experience, and it could be played loud without straining the system. You’ll need to pay plenty more to get a 5.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos sound system that performs better than this Hisense package, and for many people, we think that Hisense’s budget soundbar will more than suffice.
Read our full Hisense AX5125H review
The best mid-range Dolby Atmos soundbar
Samsung has priced its HW-Q700C smack bang in the middle of the Dolby Atmos soundbar market so if your budget is exactly $549.99 / £599 / AU$899, then we have the ideal bar and subwoofer combination for you. Of course, it has to be said if you can spend just a little more, you can unlock even more powerful audio quality with the Samsung HW-Q800C at #1 in this list.
The HW-Q700's soundstage still feels incredibly wide thanks to its 3.1.2 channels of sound, coming from a center, two wide-range tweeters, two dedicated upward firing drivers and a wireless 6.5-inch subwoofer. Of course, without the rear speakers that the flagship HW-Q990C has at #4 in this list, it doesn't quite match it's audio prowess but it's less than half the price after all.
You're still getting top quality sound with the HW-Q700C. Like we wrote in our review: "The Samsung HW-Q700C soundbar did indeed fill my room with sound that evidently had greater height, and during Avengers: Endgame in the main, epic battle at the end, sounds of various spaceships and otherworldly beasts flying in from the sides of the screen did sound as they had come from my side or behind me."
It comes with a varied list of features, too, including a range of connectivity options like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2 and Tidal Connect, as well as support for hi-res sound format such as FLAC, AAC, ALAC, WAV, WMA, and MP3. Considering how well-equipped the HW-Q700C is, it really is surprising to see it priced where it is, as it offers incredibly, good value.
Read our full Samsung HW-Q700C review.
The best premium Dolby Atmos soundbar
The Samsung HW-Q990D is the best Dolby Atmos soundbar package available. Following its predecessor, the Samsung HW-Q990C, it provides 16 'real' audio channels across 22 speakers for a powerful, immersive and controlled Atmos experience.
First and foremost, the Q990D has excellent sound quality, and it provides a fantastic surround experience without all the boxes and wires of a full home theater system. Bass is punchy and meaty but also has a refined touch, with other elements of the Q990D's sound allowed room to breathe.
The Q990D has many of the same features as the Q990C such as Tidal and Spotify Connect and Dolby Atmos music streaming, but adds 4K 120Hz pass-through on its HDMI ports. the upside to that feature is that gamers can use the Q990D to get a faster refresh rate when their PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles are connected to the soundbar.
Admittedly, this soundbar package is pricey. But, for those who can stretch their budget and are looking for a neater solution to a full home theater setup, the Q990D offers best-in-class audio quality and immersion.
Read our full Samsung HW-Q990D review
The best compact Dolby Atmos soundbar
If you’re looking for a Dolby Atmos soundbar that delivers big sound from a compact and affordable package, consider the Bose Smart Soundbar 600.
This soundbar features actual up-firing speakers for Atmos height effects, which is rare for a budget bar. In our review we wrote: “Music and sound effects were rendered in a spacious manner that extended the presentation well beyond the confines of the bar itself, and even music sounded well-balanced and with decent stereo separation – something many soundbars fail to deliver.”
During our testing, we also noted that dialogue clarity is excellent, and while it doesn’t hit the low bass notes that other soundbar systems with an included subwoofer manage, it offers up consistently exciting sound when watching movies and TV.
This is a solid choice if you want a relatively affordable soundbar, but it’s great for smaller spaces too. At 27 inches wide by 2 inches high and 4 inches deep, it’s a fairly sleek and compact design for an all-in-one unit.
Onboard streaming features, including AirPlay 2 and Chromecast, are plentiful, app-based setup is a breeze, and everything is packaged in an attractive all-in-one form factor. This soundbar impressed us when we reviewed it, but its price is what makes it an excellent value Dolby Atmos soundbar too.
To save some money on Bose products, check out our Bose voucher codes.
Read our full Bose Smart Soundbar 600 review
The best Dolby Atmos soundbar for gamers
The Sony HT-A7000 soundbar may have a massive sticker price, but it promises a long shelf life thanks to its two HDMI 2.1 ports and support for all of the major spatial audio formats.
At this price we wish it came with the surround and subwoofer units, but those with incredibly deep pockets can tack those on for a few hundred more later down the line.
What helps make the price tag here feel a little more justified is the fact that the HT-A7000 comes with upfiring drivers. What that means is it delivers true and impressive Dolby Atmos, although we did feel the height channels could be a little more convincing during our testing.
In terms of musicality, though, the HT-A7000 is a very talented soundbar, with excellent stereo imaging and a really room-filling sound — especially if you take advantage of its support for Sony's 360 Reality Audio.
Connectivity is very good, too. The soundbar supports HDMI, of course, but it also has 3.5mm auxiliary, Bluetooth audio, USB devices, Spotify, Chromecast, Amazon Alexa and 360 Reality Audio via Deezer, Tidal and Amazon Music. That's a very wide selection of sources, giving you lots of flexibility in terms of what you want to connect.
Read our full Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos soundbar review
The best Dolby Atmos soundbar for flexibility
We don't often award a soundbar five out of five stars in our reviews, but the JBL Bar 1300X hands-down deserves it. We enjoyed testing this soundbar, finding it worthy of praise for its ability to deliver impressive levels of immersion whether we were listening to music or it was pumping out movie soundtracks, as well as its innovative design.
The JBL Bar 1300X is a Dolby Atmos soundbar that would suit anyone looking for a powerful and immersive option on par with the visceral excitement that the best home theater systems effortlessly deliver, while also being relatively easy to setup and, crucially, not becoming a burden in your home.
This soundbar offers multiple HDMI inputs, so you can connect a stack of sources, and the system’s rechargeable rear speakers can also be used as portable Bluetooth speakers – design flex that heightens the Bar 1300X's overall value.
The JBL Bar 1300X may not take up too much space, but it is designed to fill larger rooms with sound so we wouldn't recommend it if you only have a small space. It's also not the best soundbar for serious gamers. Multiple HDMI ports are here, but none of them have 4K 120Hz pass-through to support that resolution and frame rate when playing games on PS5 or Xbox Series X.
Read our full JBL Bar 1300X review
The best Sonos Dolby Atmos soundbar
Sonos has managed to cram an entire surround sound solution into its Arc soundbar.
The Sonos Arc draws on Dolby’s latest TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus sound codecs to deliver the best quality lossless audio found on cutting edge Blu-ray disks and some of the leading streaming services. We were truly impressed with how it uses Dolby Atmos to enhance the 3D soundscape, which is really delivered on — sounds really do come at you from all angles.. We thought the effect was pretty convincing in our tests, and while it's not as immersive as overhead speakers mounted on your ceiling it's a lot easier to install.
We also liked the simple setup on offer from Sonos here, which involved just a couple of steps on the smartphone app, and as you'd expect it's easy to hook it up to other Sonos speakers. The minimalist cable connections and all-in-one system construction add to this no-fuss feeling and streamlined aesthetic – making it the best Dolby Atmos soundbar you can buy.
No, it isn't cheap. The Samsung HW-Q930B soundbar that's currently in third place in our list is a better and capable option if you need to save cash. But if you're already a fan of Sonos then we think you're going to love the way this soundbar delivers really impressive surround sound.
Read our full Sonos Arc review
How to choose the best Dolby Atmos soundbar
If you love the slim aesthetic of your new 4K TV, we can bet it doesn’t have the audio needed to match the visuals. That means picking the best soundbar to go with your TV is your best option to get the most out of your favorite TV shows and films. But how do you choose the best Dolby Atmos soundbar for you?
The first consideration is where it'll go. Most of the soundbars in this guide are sleek, minimal and designed to sit flush against a wall or home cinema set-up. You'll need to pick out a space for it and ensure it'll fit. With that in mind, you'll need to consider a soundbar that'll pair well with your TV.
For example, the long Sonos Arc soundbar is designed specifically for large screens, so won’t look right with a smaller 50-inch TV. You’ll need to know the size of your current TV and the size of the space you have to fit it and compare those figures to the dimensions listed alongside the soundbar you want to buy.
You should also think about the kind of connection you need. Most modern soundbars have HDMI connectivity, but there's also optical connectivity—so what's the difference? These are two ways that audio is passed from your TV to your soundbar, but HDMI passes high-resolution audio, including Dolby Atmos. If you want a premium, immersive listening experience you’ll want to be sure you have an HDMI connection to use from your soundbar and an HDMI ARC (that's audio return channel) port on your TV for it to connect to.
If you're looking for an alternative solution to a soundbar, check out the Sony HT-A9 Home Theater System. It comprises four speakers that communicate with each other wirelessly via a tiny box that's slightly larger than an Apple TV, working together to create a further 12 "phantom" Dolby Atmos speakers.
If you have an iPhone or an iPad, you should also take a look at our guide to the best AirPlay speakers. These allow you to stream music directly from your devices to your speaker. That means room-filling sound from your phone without the need for a more complex entertainment set-up. Some are small and portable, but plenty of soundbars come with AirPlay integration baked in too.
The best Dolby Atmos soundbar: FAQs
Are Dolby Atmos soundbars worth it?
If you want the most immersive soundbar experience, then they absolutely are – mostly at the the more premium end of things, though. They're designed to create spatial audio with 3D effects, which means speakers that have lots of angled drivers and advanced processing make the most of them. It's nice for cheap soundbars to be able to access the audio quality of Atmos, but it's much less essential because they won't create the same kind of 'dome of sound' effect.
But not all new soundbars are Dolby Atmos soundbars. Many from from major brands have Dolby Atmos built-in these days, including models from LG, Samsung, Sonos and Sony, and there's a range of sizes and styles with different features to choose from. Whether you choose a Dolby Atmos soundbar or a regular one, they're generally a good idea these days. Screen tech in the best TVs has evolved over the years to make them thinner, but there's less space for big speakers. Soundbars are the solution.
What are the key features of a Dolby Atmos soundbar?
Any Dolby Atmos soundbar has to use HDMI ARC or HDMI eARC to get sound from your TV – this is the only way to transmit Atmos sound between the two. Otherwise, the most effective Atmos soundbars will have upfiring drivers – that means two (or more) speakers pointing upwards, as well as speakers facing forward. One of the big features of Dolby Atmos is that it can add height as well as surround sound, and upfiring drivers are the best way to create this from a soundbar. Some Dolby Atmos soundbars don't have upfiring drivers, but use clever digital processing to add height to the audio… but it's never as fully effective as having real upfiring drivers.
Do I need a Dolby Atmos soundbar with a separate subwoofer?
Some soundbars are all-in-one units that contain all the speakers needed to convey Dolby Atmos. Others come packaged with a subwoofer, a speaker specifically designed to handle the bass and low frequency effects (LFE) in Atmos soundtracks. In most systems, this subwoofer connects wirelessly with the soundbar, and can be either placed nearby or hidden out-of-sight behind furniture.
Do you need a soundbar with a wireless subwoofer? Not necessarily, though systems that include one generally deliver higher bass impact and can play louder than all-in-one designs. Some all-in-ones on our list like the Sonos Arc and Beam (Gen 2) or the Bose Smart Soundbar 600 can be upgraded with a wireless subwoofer at extra cost, so you can first try the soundbar out, and if you feel that bass is lacking, add that option at a later date.
Do I need a Dolby Atmos soundbar with wireless surround speakers?
Not all Dolby Atmos-enabled tech comes in a soundbar format. For example, the Sonos Era 300 has shaken up this space in a major way. Some Dolby Atmos soundbars come with wireless surround sound speakers, which help to create a fuller sense of immersion in the sound.
While these aren’t completely necessary – many Dolby Atmos soundbars are designed to deliver a “wraparound effect” where the sound extends beyond the width of the TV screen – our testing experience has shown that systems with surround sound speakers offer a performance advantage over ones that don’t include them.
Same as with optional wireless subwoofers, Dolby Atmos soundbar makers, including Sonos, Bose, Samsung, LG, and Sony offer wireless surround sound speakers, and these can be added to the system at a later date to upgrade performance.
Also consider
Several new Dolby Atmos soundbars introduced in 2024 are currently being reviewed by TechRadar and could soon be featured in this guide. These include the Sony Theater Bar 9 (HT-A9000), a 13-speaker all-in-one soundbar with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X processing, and multiple HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz, VRR, and ALLM support. The Theater Bar 9 is Sony’s current flagship soundbar, and at $1,399 / £1,199 it’s priced accordingly.
Also new from Sony is the Bravia Theater Quad, a wireless system that uses four speakers with 16 total drivers and can optionally be paired with a Sony TV with Acoustic Center Sync support. This $2,499 / £2,499 wireless system is more pricey than even the premium soundbar-based systems featured in this guide, but it has an elegant, unobtrusive design and great sound.
The Nakamichi Dragon is an 11.4.6-channel soundbar system that’s billed as a mid-way solution between a flagship soundbar like the Samsung HW-Q990D and an AV receiver and speakers-based system. At $3,299 with dual 8-inch subwoofers, the Dragon is about as premium as soundbars get and promises the highest possible level of immersion.
Bose’s new Smart Soundbar ($499 / £499) is priced about the same as the Bose Smart Soundbar 600 in our list and offers mostly similar features. The main addition is Personal Surround Sound, a feature that lets you use Bose Ultra Open Earbuds with the soundbar to get surround sound without the extra speakers.
At $499 (around £400 / $AU770), Klipsch’s Flexus 200 soundbar is another budget Dolby Atmos soundbar option that offers impressive sound for the money. Like the Bose, Sony, Sonos, and other soundbars in this guide, it can be paired with Klipsch wireless surround speakers and subwoofers, giving you the option to build a full system as you’re able to afford upgrades.
How we test the best Dolby Atmos soundbars
We've reviewed hundreds of audio devices over the years and plenty of the best soundbars and best Dolby Atmos soundbars. This means we know what to look for in a soundbar, the level of audio performance to expect and how specs stack up.
However, there are a few key things we consider when we're testing Dolby Atmos soundbars. The first is, as you might expect, sound. Does the speaker deliver on its audio promises? And does it knock our socks off with a performance that sounds like immersive Dolby Atmos? We spend time comparing what a tech company says a soundbar can do with our own experiences playing, and listening to, a range of content.
Design is also important. We compare how a soundbar looks to others we've tested in the past, assessing whether it's likely to appeal to people and fit well under, or beside, their TV. We also know that user experience design is just as important as aesthetics. We paid close attention to the set-up process, too. Although we're pros when it comes to setting up audio tech these days, we want to be sure we're recommending devices that anyone can get up-and-running out of the box.
We also consider any smart or additional features that could be a nice-to-have and make you choose one device over another. Ultimately, we picked the soundbars above because we wanted to showcase the best Dolby Atmos tech has to offer, as well as the best value soundbars for your home.
Latest updates to the best Dolby Atmos soundbars
October 1, 2024
Added image galleries and 'Also consider' section describing new soundbars with reviews in process.
August 2, 2024
Added the Hisense AX5125H as the 'best budget soundbar for Dolby Atmos surround' option.
February 22, 2024
Added the Samsung HW-Q800C as the best mid-range Dolby Atmos soundbar, swapped out the Sony HT-G700 for the HT-2000, and dropped the LG S95QR, B&W Panorama 3, Devialet Dione, Philips B8905 and Denon Home Sound Bar 550 due to lack of availability.
