AC3, DTS, DD, ABCDEF, ACDC....

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Dunnersfella

4086 posts

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#2377336 17-Dec-2019 21:04

At the budget the OP is looking at spending, ATMOS is either a waste of time or simply not available.

The Panasonic that was mentioned is probably the cheapest 'ATMOS' bar, but while it can decode ATMOS DTS:X etc I doubt it can reproduce anything close to what you'd hope. As in example, it only has 3 x full range drivers (not a driver + tweeter arrangement or even beam drivers that can fire the sound around the room) I wouldn't expect much in the way of performance - let alone ATMOS.

If you're spending 2K on a sound bar it can sound pretty good if you have a flat ceiling and square walls around you - if not, it's fairly 'meh'.

ANglEAUT

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#2377397 17-Dec-2019 23:38

xpd:

... but price breaks the budget ;) Plus the shipping prob would too LOL

& at 110 decibel, your eardrums too. 😱

Please keep this GZ community vibrant by contributing in a constructive & respectful manner.

ShinyChrome

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#2377484 18-Dec-2019 09:00

xpd:

Ideally, Id love to, but cant find any complete packages at a "budget" price these days. I could buy individual components but that gets costly - in saying that tho, could look at receiver with front speakers and build from there over time

I'm not an audiophile so getting the "perfect" sound quality/balance isnt a biggie for me.

I honestly hate the "audiophile" term, its a bit wanky really. To me, an "audiophile" is someone trying to tell you they can hear the difference between a $30 speaker cable and a $300 one.

For me, its about not getting the "perfect" sound, which is never going to happen outside a $500k expert designed cinema, but not getting rubbish sound. Sound bars are barely a step above a TV, but they are a massive compromise to sound quality for packaging and aesthetics. They have a time and a place, but if you can go with speakers + receiver, why not?

I would absolutely recommend the highlighted part above; a decent 2.0 setup will cost about the same as a sound bar (my receiver + first bookshelf speakers were less than $1000 new and not terrible), but sound a ton better. Best part of all, it can be added/upgraded to as the budget allows and every-time gets to be a new experience. I went from 2.0 > 3.0 > 5.1 and I couldn't be happier every time I get to "open the taps" for a well-mastered movie or song.

Resnick

238 posts

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#2377515 18-Dec-2019 10:12

A friend of mine just bought an Atmos compatible Sony soundbar as a compromise due to not being allowed a receiver and components by SHMBO.

I have to say, it sounds pretty good; convincing object placement in the sound stage and plenty of grunt to match.

Disclaimer: I'm definitely not an audiophile.

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