Cheap soundbars are getting better – but I’d take the Dolby Atmos part with a pinch of salt

We’ve seen a lot of cheap soundbars punch above their sonic weight recently. Our staff writer, and primary tester for a lot of them, Robyn Quick, made that clear in one of their features earlier this week.

On the back of that, I have seen a steady stream of questions appear in my inbox asking about one key feature: are they any good at Dolby Atmos?

While I’d love to have a positive response for you, I have to say that, after hours of sitting in our home cinema testing room helping to review many of the top performers, my answer is a firm no.

I have taken a quick roll call of our recent positive, cheap soundbar reviews. And, whether it’s the Award-winning Hisense AX5125H, four-star Sharp HT-SB700 or the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos we’re just finishing reviewing, while we can certainly hear palpable improvements in general audio quality, none delivers a proper Dolby Atmos experience.

The reason is simple. Despite having Dolby Atmos listed on their specifications and marketing material, each unit struggles to deliver the necessary 360-degree sense of height required.

This is a big deal. The whole point of Atmos is that it should envelop you in a dome of sound. So, whether you’re watching planes scream overhead during Top Gun: Maverick, or hearing a monster lurking upstairs during The Conjuring: Last Rights, it should sound and feel as though the sound is actually coming from above.

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Done, right, Atmos makes for a truly immersive experience – especially if you have a proper 5.1.2 multi-speaker setup with ceiling-mounted, down-firing surrounds. More premium soundbar units, including the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra, come close by using up-firing drivers that bounce audio off your ceiling.

Most cheaper units don’t have these drivers, though; and even those that do still struggle to accurately replicate the effect. They at best manage to make effects sound a little higher, but usually with not enough finesse to engross you properly in the movie.

For example, playing a nighttime battle scene during Civil War, our staff writers frequently get a giggle, watching me duck or flinch as gunfire that’s meant to scream overhead feels like it’s coming in at head height. That’s a step in the right direction for cheap soundbars, for sure, but it’s not what the director actually intended.

Even the Hisense, which is the closest shot (see what I did there?) at decent Atmos we have seen in the affordable end of the market, doesn't quite manage it.

That’s not to say they’re bad. In fact, for the money, the improvements to their general scale and directionality, even compared with units released three or four years ago, are truly impressive. Which is why so many we have reviewed over the past year or so got four and even, at times, five-star ratings. I got a Sharp HT-SB700 for my parents to use, because I like it that much.

But you shouldn’t invest in them if you want Dolby Atmos – they’re not there yet.

How do they get away with calling themselves Dolby Atmos soundbars if they can’t deliver the proper experience? Because, at a technical level at the very least, they are Dolby Atmos soundbars, with eARC inputs that can recognise the signal and attempt to replicate the source material’s intended effect. It’s the delivery I’m focusing on here.

Which is why, while we stand by our cheaper Dolby Atmos soundbar recommendations – which factor general audio quality and value for money, not simply Atmos – if you want a proper dome of sound experience, you are still going to have to pay a little more.

You have been warned.

MORE:

These are the best soundbars we have reviewed

Our reviewers rank the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Our picks of the best surround sound systems