It’s Prime Day, people. And that means big discounts on good stuff like Dolby Atmos soundbars. If you’re looking to beef up your TV sound, or elevate your music listening experience, check out these deals on three of our favorite soundbars. All of these bars include rear channel wireless speakers for true surround sound as well as up-firing speakers for height effects on immersive Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks.
The three soundbars are:
Good! – VIZIO Elevate 5.1.4-Channel Soundbar – $549 (Save $250)
Better! – LG S95TR 9.1.5-channel Soundbar – $996 (Save $500)
Best! – Nakamichi Dragon 11.4.6-Channel Soundbar – $3,199 (Save $700)
Calling these “soundbars” doesn’t really do them credit (particularly the Nakamichi system), but each system is based on a main soundbar speaker, supplemented by at least one powered subwoofer and rear channel speakers. Also, each offers at least 4 height channels for immersive effects in Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks.
Good – VIZIO Elevate 5.1.4-channel Soundbar
Although it has been on the market for a few years, VIZIO’s 5.1.4-channel Elevate soundbar offers performance, flexibility and functionality that you won’t be able to find in any other system at this price point. Originally selling for $999, the price was lowered to $799 and now you can get one as part of the Amazon Prime Day sale for just $550.
The Elevate 5.1.4-channel soundbar system comes with everything you need – the soundbar, powered subwoofer, surround speakers and cables – without any additional optional purchases required. It also includes a great remote with access to anything you could possibly need and even a small display to show you things like surround mode and input selected.
The Elevate soundbar optimizes itself for both music and for movies. If it detects an immersive surround format like Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, it automatically rotates the side speakers to bounce the height effect sounds off the ceiling so they come from above your listening position. This gives you a puncy and all enveloping dome of sound for movies, TV shows and music encoded in Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. When the soundbar detects a standard 5.1 or 2-channel signal, it rotates the speakers to face forward to create a fuller louder richer sound for stereo and traditional surround.
The Elevate 5.1.4 system includes an HDMI eARC port for connection to a TV as well as two additional HDMI inputs, an analog input and a fiberoptic digital audio input. My only (minor) gripe is that the design requires you to place the subwoofer in the back half of the room because the subwoofer’s built in amplifier also powers the rear channel speakers and these need to be connected to the subwoofer via the included connection cables. The benefit to this approach is that you only need to plug in the soundbar and the subwoofer to wall power. In most other soundbar systems with “wiresless” rear speakers, each speaker requires its own wall power source.
Where to Buy: VIZIO Elevate 5.1.4-Channel Soundbar on Amazon – $549 (save $250)
Better: LG S95TR 9.1.5-Channel Dolby Atmos/DTS:X Soundbar System
Like the VIZIO system, LG’s brand new 2024 model year S95TR soundbar system comes with everything you need in the box: soundbar, power cables, surround sound speakers and powered subwoofer. The S95TR includes more speakers, pointing in more directions, for a fuller more impactful sound experience. The soundbar itself includes front-facing and side facing drivers as well as three separate up-firing speakers on the left, center and right of the unit. The wireless rear channel speakers fire sound both to the side and the rear of each speaker, as well as each having an up-firing driver.
If you install the LG S95TR soundbar system into a room with a traditional shoebox design with both side walls and a flat ceiling not higher than 9 feet, then you really can get an approximation of a 9.1.5-channel system with nine ear-level surround channels, one powered subwoofer and five up-firing height channels. In a more irregularly shaped room, your mileage may vary.
The LG S95TR supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround. It also includes LG’s Wow Orchestra feature which allows you to integrate the speakers built into an LG TV with those in the soundbar system for even more immersive surround. We’ve been testing the S95TR for the past few weeks and find that it offers excellent sound in a fairly compact package. The subwoofer and rear speakers are wireless so you don’t have to worry about any speaker cables, but each does have to be plugged into wall power for amplication and to communicate with the soundbar. Set-up is simple and the LG soundbar app is functional, if not as full featured as others (like Sony).
Where to Buy: LG S95TR 9.1.5-channel Soundbar on Amazon – $996 (Save $500)
Best: Nakamichi Dragon 11.4.6-Channel Soundbar System
Some soundbars are compact, discrete little components that are designed to be heard but not seen. The Nakamichi Dragon is not one of those systems. The bar itself is fairly massive, measuring in at 58 inches wide – 9 inches wider than the flagship LG soundbar, with fourteen drivers pointing in multiple directions. The system comes with not one, not two but four powered subwoofers. But to keep things relatively simple, there are only two subwoofer cabinets, each of which houses two independent powered subwoofers.
Similar to the LG system, the Nakamichi surround speakers point sound in every which direction, to the side, the rear and above. Four of the main soundbar’s drivers are dedicated to height effects, with pairs optimized for different reflection points to maximize dispersion of sound.
Unlike the Vizio and LG soundbars, which use traditional speaker drivers, the Nakamichi system uses high-end air motion transformer (AMT) tweeters which deliver mid and high frequency sounds with utmost transparency and detail. These are the same drivers we see in several audiophile tower and bookshelf speakers from companies such as Martin Logan and ESS.
With 3,000 watts of rated power, 21 speakers and 15 separate amplifiers, the Nakamichi Dragon soundbar system is anything but subtle. But if you’re looking for a state of the art surround system, posing as a “soundbar,” the Nakamichi Dragon is hard to beat.
Where to Buy: Nakamichi Dragon 11.4.6-Channel Soundbar on Amazon – $3,199 (Save $700)
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