Soundbars that support Dolby Atmos with Dolby TrueHD?

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lchiu7

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#272006 5-Jun-2020 10:44

I bought a Samsung HW-Q70R because I wanted to remove some of the clutter from my family room but also gain Atmos support. I have now found that it doesn't support Atmos if the audio is in TrueHD format (which is the most common) but only if the audio is in DD+.

The specs are confusing.

AUDIO:
• DTS DIGITAL SURROUND: DTS 5.1
• DOLBY DIGITAL: Dolby 5.1ch/Dolby DD+
• Dolby Atmos: YES
• DTS-X: YES

This says that TrueHD is not supported (included) but Atmos is. How many consumers would know that Atmos is only support via DD+?

Any how many disc titles have Atmos with DD+? Most are TrueHD. I think the most common area where you might encounter Atmos with DD+ is on streaming media like Netflix 4K or Amazon Prime 4K but I can't test that since I don't have a 4K display. I have only managed to get Atmos to work on the soundbar by playing Atmos demo material from Dolby's site which is encoded in DD+

https://www.dolby.com/us/en/guide/dolby-atmos-trailers.html

It's quite impressive and I can hear audio above and behind me, with just two speaker modules but I would love to have Atmos with regular content.

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Smpl Mnmlst
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#2498842 5-Jun-2020 11:10

The new Sonos Arc soundbar supports Atmos and Dolby TrueHD.

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lchiu7

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#2498862 5-Jun-2020 11:55

$1600! That is a bit rich for my blood.

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eracode

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#2498864 5-Jun-2020 11:57

You didn’t mention budget - just asked for info. 😃

Champagne v. beer budget?

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DjShadow

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#2498917 5-Jun-2020 12:27

I've got the Samsung Q90R soundbar which supports Atmos and DTS:X, includes 2 wireless but mains powered rear speakers which also have upwards firing speaking

No complaints about the sound

lchiu7

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#2498920 5-Jun-2020 12:35

DjShadow:
I've got the Samsung Q90R soundbar which supports Atmos and DTS:X, includes 2 wireless but mains powered rear speakers which also have upwards firing speaking

No complaints about the sound

Does the Atmos display come on when playing a disc with TrueHD and Atmos A quick look at the spec page for the 90R doesn't show TrueHD support.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

lchiu7

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#2498922 5-Jun-2020 12:37

eracode:
You didn’t mention budget - just asked for info. 😃

Champagne v. beer budget?

Fair enough. Looks like the Samsung 800T supports TrueHD but that's not a model sold here.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

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lchiu7

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#2498923 5-Jun-2020 12:37

eracode:
You didn’t mention budget - just asked for info. 😃

Champagne v. beer budget?

Fair enough. Looks like the Samsung 800T supports TrueHD but that's not a model sold here.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

Zepanda66

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#2498969 5-Jun-2020 12:55

Ive been tempted a few times to pick up JBLs new 9.1 soundbar. its currently on sale for $1400. If you want Atmos and True HD its likely going to cost a premium. Id be weary of any low end soundbars that claim Atmos support. I doubt it would be very good tbh.

https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/shop/audio/home-audio/sound-bars/jbl-jblbar913dblkas-bar-9-1-soundbar-with-surround-speakers-and-dolby-atmos/prod189754.html

http://www.speedtest.net/result/7315955530.png

DjShadow

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#2498971 5-Jun-2020 13:01

Does the Atmos display come on when playing a disc with TrueHD and Atmos A quick look at the spec page for the 90R doesn't show TrueHD support.

Only thing I've noticed on its small LCD display is it tells you when you are playing Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, not seen TrueHD as yet (unsure if it does it)

It does detect when I'm playing something from Netflix & Disney+ if it has Atmos, even if I'm using the Vodafone TV box.

sm1ff

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#2499067 5-Jun-2020 14:02

Is an av reciever with speakers not an option?

I do own a soundbar and it wasnt delivering the surround effect that i wanted. And ive replaced it with a yamaha rxv 685 with atmos and extremely happy with the full dome of sound.

It has everything that your looking for!

lchiu7

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#2499221 5-Jun-2020 18:26

DjShadow:

Does the Atmos display come on when playing a disc with TrueHD and Atmos A quick look at the spec page for the 90R doesn't show TrueHD support.

Only thing I've noticed on its small LCD display is it tells you when you are playing Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, not seen TrueHD as yet (unsure if it does it)

It does detect when I'm playing something from Netflix & Disney+ if it has Atmos, even if I'm using the Vodafone TV box.

OK this was a user error :-( Turns out my Raspberry Pi 3 running Kodi (LibreElec) doesn't pass TrueHD for some reason. So that's why it would not process Atmos. Move my Odroid C2 from my living room into the room with the soundbar, played a movie with TrueHD and Atmos and lo and behold, the Atmos display came on.

So either the Linux distro I am using doesn't support TrueHD passthrough or the Pi3 doesn't. So might get another C2.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

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lchiu7

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#2499222 5-Jun-2020 18:27

sm1ff: Is an av reciever with speakers not an option?

I do own a soundbar and it wasnt delivering the surround effect that i wanted. And ive replaced it with a yamaha rxv 685 with atmos and extremely happy with the full dome of sound.

It has everything that your looking for!

I have a receiver with Atmos and a PJ in my main room but for the family room wanted something more discreet. Anyway as I posted, the problem was user error :-(

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

thinkingtrex8848

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#2501282 9-Jun-2020 11:18

Zepanda66:

Ive been tempted a few times to pick up JBLs new 9.1 soundbar. its currently on sale for $1400. If you want Atmos and True HD its likely going to cost a premium. Id be weary of any low end soundbars that claim Atmos support. I doubt it would be very good tbh.

https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/shop/audio/home-audio/sound-bars/jbl-jblbar913dblkas-bar-9-1-soundbar-with-surround-speakers-and-dolby-atmos/prod189754.html

I had the 5.1 which was great, absolutely loved it. Then bought a new tv so upgraded the sounds as well. We bought the Q90R on special but found the mains-powered power cable lying around in the living room a bit too much clutter.

Q90R sounds were great but ended up selling it and purchased the JBL 9.1 and extremely satisfied. I'd say 9.1 sounds similar with much more punchier bass when needed. We only 'need' the true wireless speakers when watching movies and the ability to place them wherever we want is amazing. And they are upfiring. Built in chromecast is also handy when you just want to play music without turning on the tv, and much better quality than the bluetooth. Supports dolby vision passthrough if you are into that stuff.

P.S I couldn't find anywhere on the JBL site that it plays TrueHD but all the files that I have played which had Atmos in TrueHD, the 9.1 played it and it displays the "DOLBY ATMOS" notification. Hope that helps.

gehenna

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#2501289 9-Jun-2020 11:23

Pretty sure TrueHD is only supported if your TV has an eARC HDMI port going to your soundbar, which very few do so far.

thinkingtrex8848

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#2501290 9-Jun-2020 11:25

gehenna:

Pretty sure TrueHD is only supported if your TV has an eARC HDMI port going to your soundbar, which very few do so far.

Or, you could connect the Bluray player/ Shield to the soundbar which has eARC and passthrough the video to the TV.

Like I have done. My soundbar has Atmos, eARC and pass through 4k UHD + Dolby Vision. So the Shield is connected directly to the soundbar which then goes to the TV.

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