Do not make this $600 mistake together with your Dolby Atmos soundbar

Soundbars aren’t low cost, and selecting one up that has Dolby Atmos help prices much more. Nonetheless, it is a good center floor for individuals who do not need to hold utilizing their paltry TV audio system however do not need to shell out for a encompass sound system both. I’ve a Dolby Atmos sound system in my lounge, however I’ve to confess that it takes up much more area than many individuals can be keen to place up with. I can particularly see it being a difficulty since pets and younger kids wish to mess with issues, so having some further wires mendacity round is not superb.

Soundbars aren’t loads of bother as compared, however it’s not all the time a matter of plugging it in and forgetting about it. A stereo soundbar can sometimes go beneath your TV, and you will get good audio. A Dolby Atmos soundbar is not as easy for those who’re trying to maximize its worth. These soundbars, just like the TCL Q75H, are nice picks, however that you must ensure you put them in a room that takes benefit of the upfiring Dolby Atmos audio system. Most soundbars do not include a set of encompass audio system, in order that they depend on reflecting sound waves off your ceiling to simulate overheard noises. This may sound nice, however provided that you have the proper setup for it.

Dolby Atmos soundbars want a correct ceiling

Upfiring audio system work higher with low ceilings

So far as Atmos audio system go, I would say upfiring ones are on the underside of the totem pole behind peak and ceiling audio system, however that does not imply they’re junk. I would a lot fairly have entry to Atmos in some kind or one other fairly than not have it in any respect. The issue with upfiring Atmos is that many individuals do not have a correct ceiling peak to help them correctly. In case your ceilings are too excessive, the audio will mirror in unusual methods, and the identical factor applies in case your ceilings are too low.

The thought behind upfiring audio system is that the audio will propel itself out of your soundbar to the ceiling after which mirror again to the listening space. If it is all executed correctly, it ought to sound just like the audio is coming from overhead, very similar to it might sound for those who had ceiling or peak audio system put in. Dolby says that optimal performance means having a flat ceiling with a peak between 7.5 and 14 ft — nevertheless, the best peak is between 7.5 and 12 ft. The excellent news is that many rooms match that invoice, however there are nonetheless many that do not.

In case your ceiling is simply too excessive, it is a robust drawback to resolve with a soundbar as there’s solely so many locations to place one. Ideally, you’d set your soundbar on the identical stand as your TV, however you might need to mount it to hit the right heights. This implies you’ll be able to mount it beneath your TV if that is mounted, and it’d nonetheless sound superb.

The larger drawback can be the individuals who put their TV over a fireplace. Fire mantles are sometimes nearer to the ceiling than they’re the ground, so putting a Dolby Atmos soundbar on high of 1 would virtually definitely assure a less-than-ideal listening expertise. Mounting your TV above a fire is already unhealthy sufficient as it’s by way of viewing expertise, so you must keep away from the double whammy of ruining your audio on the similar time. Not solely would your Atmos audio system be bouncing off the ceiling within the fallacious spots, however your common audio can be popping out far above your listening space, so nothing would sound the best way it is presupposed to.

Do not waste your cash

Dangerous Atmos is best than no Atmos, however by how a lot?

Credit score: LG

The TCL Q75H soundbar prices $600 from Amazon, until it is on sale, so it isn’t an affordable choice by any means. When you’ve got a ceiling that’ll provide you with correct Atmos, I do not see a purpose to not seize it, but when you realize your Atmos can be the perfect that it may be, perhaps you are higher off saving some money. The Q65H soundbar prices $350, and when you’d be coping with the identical issues, I would really feel significantly better about having worse Atmos sound if I spent a fraction of the worth.

Talking truthfully, I would nonetheless fairly get a receiver and a pair of stereo speakers over a Dolby Atmos soundbar. Having a receiver provides you one thing to develop into as you’ll be able to add audio system over time as a substitute of getting a soundbar and being caught with what it has to supply till you resolve to switch it with one thing new. In the event you take that $600 Q75H soundbar and apply that funds to a receiver and stereo speaker set, you may get one thing fairly respectable. In the event you go searching for refurbished receivers, you’ll find one thing like a Denon S760H for $400, after which you might have $200 to put aside for a pair of bookshelf audio system. When you may not discover top-of-the-line audio system at that worth, a pair of Neumi BS5 audio system is not a foul place to start out for just $140. You can ultimately improve to one thing higher and use these as encompass audio system down the street.

In the end, it comes all the way down to you, and for those who suppose a Dolby Atmos soundbar makes probably the most sense, then go for it. It doesn’t matter what you resolve to do, you must find yourself with one thing that is higher than your TV audio system. In 2026, common TV audio simply does not minimize it, and whereas there are some settings you’ll be able to tweak to enhance them, they nonetheless go away so much to be desired. In the event you resolve to seize a Dolby Atmos soundbar, simply ensure that your ceiling peak is throughout the optimum vary so you may get the perfect sound you may get.