Got an Apple TV 4K? Well Apple just announced that Dolby Atmos support will be hitting the latest Apple TV with tvOS 12, so you'll be able to enjoy movies and TV shows that employ Atmos at home. If you live in a small place or simply have no need for a full-on surround system, then a soundbar is the perfect way to enhance your TV's sound, and all of these rad soundbars have Dolby Atmos support!
What is Dolby Atmos?
It's essentially a surround sound technology that was originally implemented in movie theaters in 2012. It allows for up to 128 separate audio tracks, as well as associated spatial audio description metadata. In simple terms, that means theaters receive information on the perfect way to optimize their sound systems for a particular movie. The cool part is that each and every audio track can be assigned to an audio channel and then rendered in real time, so you get true surround sound to the best of a particular theater's capabilities.
The first movie to use Dolby Atmos technology was Disney/Pixar's "Brave", and the first Blu-ray to use it was "Transformers: Age of Extinction". Video games soon followed suit, and Dolby Atmos is catching on! Now soundbars have the technology built-in, and through specific rendering of the multitude of audio tracks present, you can get "room-filling" and near-surround sound from just a soundbar and subwoofer.
Sony ST5000
Sony's $1500 ST5000 soundbar is a 7.1.2-channel, 800W beast. It obviously features Dolby Atmos support (or it wouldn't be on this list), and it has a down-firing wireless sub, as well as two upward-firing speakers on top. So it shoots sounds straight at you and then up at your ceiling in order to create the illusion of surround sound.
Its front-firing speakers are coaxial, so they're a two-in-one tweeter/midrange for fuller sound. It also fully supports HDR passthrough, perfect for all of the goodness you'll get into on your Apple TV. Again, it's roughly $1500 on Amazon, but if you want the utmost in soundbar quality, then you're gonna pay a pretty penny.
Samsung HW-K950
The HW-K950 from Samsung features a soundbar, wireless sub, as well as two satellite rear speakers. The soundbar itself has two upward-firing speakers on it, and the two rear speakers each have an upward-firing speaker, on top of their front-firing speakers, so you're really getting a full surround sound experience at this point. All told, there are 15 speakers in this system, so if you're looking for full immersion, this is about as close as you get before buying a full home theater audio setup.
The best part? The rear speakers are wireless (aside from power), so there's no need to run wire all over the place. They don't have a massive range, but all you have to do is plug them in and you're set. Price-wise, you're looking at roughly $1000, depending on where you shop, though this system regularly retails for $1500.
LG SJ9
I'll be honest: When I worked at Best Buy back in 2013, LG's soundbars were absolute garbage. Fast-forward five years and an LG soundbar now graces my living, since LG has gotten its audio poop in a group over the last few years. Its SJ9 soundbar has a gorgeous, rounded design, complete with upward-firing speakers, as well as three front-facing speakers and a wireless sub. If you're an Android user at all, you'll love the built-in Chromecast, and if you're an Apple TV diehard, you'll appreciate the 4K passthrough. Total power in this system is 500W, so you'll truly fill whatever room you're in with sound. If you have a compatible LG TV, you can even use LG Sound Sync, which links your soundbar wirelessly to your TV via Bluetooth. There have been reported syncing issues between audio and video with this technology, but the option's there if you really want it.
You can grab the LG SJ9 for around $880 on Amazon.
Sony X9000F
If you don't feel like spending a grand on a soundbar, then your "budget" option is Sony's $500 X9000F. This is only a 2.1-channel sound bar, but it creates the illusion of a 7.1.2-channel system with just two speakers and a wireless subwoofer, thanks to upscaling. There's also 4K passthrough and HDR support.
This soundbar doesn't have all the bells and whistles of those twice its price, but that's because they're twice the price.
Pioneer FS-EB70
Pioneer has an even less expensive option if you're looking for Atmos at home — it's only $400. It's a 3.1.2-channel soundbar with a wireless subwoofer and AirPlay built-in, so when you're not streaming rad 4K Dolby Atmos-enabled movies on your Apple TV, you can AirPlay all your favorite tunes from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. The FS-EB70 also features Pioneer's MCACC technology, which measures and analyzes the reverb characteristics in your room in order to provide the best acoustic experience possible. So you're not only getting Dolby Atmos sound quality — you're getting Dolby Atmos that's tailored to your environment.
