Check out my 2021 Best Dolby Atmos Soundbars video! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zH_qEtEvq60.html Also, here are the individual reviews for each system: Sonos Arc System: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hSb_C48ZuR0.html Samsung HW-Q950T: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UCbeL51kLoc.html Vizio Elevate: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fv30R1LuHB4.html JBL Bar 9.1: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-URfGXbuyWu0.html Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_0tzEaFCj8M.html LG SN11RG: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YT2q8gR5doc.html
XIAOMI Soundbar 3.1 QBH4227GL, SONY Soundbar HTS20R.CEL, LG Soundbar SN4, SAMSUNG Soundbar HW-A550\EN and SAMSUNG Soundbar HW-A450\EN. Which of these are best for movie 4k bluray
827k views now. It's an amazing video that anyone considering dropping 4 figures on a Soundbar shouldn't complain that it's too long. I have a feeling his revenue for this video will cover the cost of all of the sound bars purchased and some!
I have bought the jbl bar 9.1 right when it came without watching any reviews and honestly one of the best sound bar i have ever purchased! My main reason to go for this soundbar is first the sound quality and build quality! One of the best subwoofer! Since i have a open house concept i didnt want no wires going around and i guess this is one of the best option i could go for! Really loving it!
@@pyaephyo3554 u can change the sub from 1 to 5 but for music 4 is the best imo. Bass is very strong and good without any muddy sound to it. Highs aren’t lacking imo and for €800 this is definitely the best buy
Problem with this system is the wireless surround sound speakers. Eventually the batteries will no longer charge then what do you do? You wasted $1000 on 3.1 system. There are countless people that this has happened to. Hope your jbl lasts but I wouldn't count on it.
@@chrisraf413 by the time the batteries die as you mention. Either buy new batteries or by that time the speakers will be out of date and newer systems to purchase
The reasons the Nakimachi is the best sound bar is more surround speakers and two subs which create a more immersive sound. It gives a better feeling of 360’ effects the way it should be heard. If you want the best sound bar system go with the Nakimachi..
I’m looking to get the JBL 9.1! thank you for such a good overall review video of these systems. I’ve watched countless videos yours is by far the best! You actually went over 3 of the systems I’ve been debating on. Glad to be a subscriber and look forward to more of your videos!!
Thank you for the well balanced comparisons! The Nakanachi Shockwafe 9.4.2 is now selling for $1088 on Amazon, which in my opinion is an incredible bargain!
@@brianmcalinden4481 I have the Nakamichi 7.2.4 and it is the best sound bar/system I’ve ever had. The dual subwoofers and rear speakers make it feel like you’re in an IMAX theater. I have it on 40 and it’s really loud. I love it.
The best review outhere. Thank you. I just had a week with both the JBL and the Sonos systems. I was very impressed with both systems but ended up buying Sonos. It has the clearest sound and mainly the dialog is by far the best. I do miss the fantastic battery powered rear speakers of the JBL though.
Thank you for stating your stance on not providing audio samples in your review. I never understood how people show off their audio setup by cranking their speakers, only to come out on someone else's speakers.
I bought the Nakamichi with an e-arc hdmi input a couple of weeks ago and the sound is amazing. If you like bass then this is the one for you. The music sounds good too 👌🏻
@@hunkymeat74 I think every room is going to be different so my settings probably won't work in your space but I set it to movie, and use "native" instead of Dolby surround. I also found that I needed to reduce the treble just a bit for my liking. My best advice would be to play a movie from a high quality source and then just tinker with the settings. I don't think you'll need to deviate too far from stock so don't go to crazy. Hope that helps
Nice vid. Great, comprehensive review. The Nakamichi is kick azz. I've owned it for a bit over a year and it's insane. It's connected via eARC to my LG C9 so the lack of eARC on the actual soundbar doesn't maatter. Overall....the subs, the surrounds, the number of options for configuration, and tweaking make it second to none.
By far the best review on soundbars and the most underrated video in this category. Shows the immense amount of hard work put in for this video..good job. I would hope to have seen the Bose 700 series bundle included though.
Stop speaking those negative thoughts you can afford anything your heart desires. You are no different from the people who buy this or things that cost ten times more. Manifest a better life financially every day and see what happens It will blow your mind
I got the SN11RG. Absolutely love it. It does everything I need with my LG CX and I was impressed. I think a lot of peoples issues come from not adjusting those speakers individually. After adjusting the sound difference is significant.
I returned it for the Samsung 950. Night and day. I fiddled with the settings on the LG quite a bit, but it's no comparison. If you can still return it I definitely would. It's so much better. The center channel is phenomenal, and the bass is much better.
First I wasnt happy. after adjusting the sound coverts to a really nice level. I'm happy but its a shame in the most big electronic shops are no option to test the flagship soundbars.
@@BangOut12345 As long as you're happy. I was actually losing sleep because I felt ripped off until I returned it. It's really that Center Channel it is just absolutely brilliant.
What a great thorough review ! I really appreciate the explaining of some of the terms you use, and the comparisons of these systems are very interesting
This review was outstanding as you made it very easy to understand and for someone to simply make a decision. I just came from Best Buy and they sold out of the JBL 9.1 but they had one on display. Everything you said about the JBL was very accurate and spot on! I also listened to the Samsung 900a...but the JBL did it for me! The videos are very helpful for regular people just looking to set up without standing in the store waiting for sales person to rush you to the cash register! You helped me make a decision! Thanks
Thanks, Jonah! I was able to confidently pick a soundbar, this is definitely the most informative and well thought out review on soundbars out there. Maybe the only thing missing are some graphs?
What an amazing and informative review! I have been deciding between the Samsung and the JBL and I chose the JBL because of the sub and the clarity of the surround rechargeable speakers. Thank you!
@@danielchima9376 It is worth every penny. I loved how easy it was to install it. The sound quality is crisp and the Bass is just incredible once you go beyond 3! Highly recommended.
I agree with the order you placed each in. I've been using the Q950T for about a week. With the default settings it was disappointing... a few changes to the settings and its amazing. Low level listing lacks bass mid to high is great. My dad has the Arc and nothing beats it for music, for movies it's better than all but the Q950T. I setup the Nakamichi for my neighbor, with a number of adjustments and teaching him when to use what settings on the remote he's been happy with it. Great reviews, from a new subscriber.
Great video as always! 👌 bought jbl bar 9.1 and love the sound quality..💥 best feature is the wireless and battery powered surrond speakers...Highly recommended if someone looking for wireless setup👍
Wow!!!! What a comprehensive and great review. You are a true Audiophile/Audioholic. I was at Best Buy listening to the LG soundbars and almost made the leap on the expensive one. Now I'm going to check out the individual reviews. Thank you for your time and valuable analysis. I'm subbed!
I have the LG one and I would say one of the best investment I have this year. Tried the samsung and the JBL in thr store but the LG blew me away. Highly recommended.
Sonos wins hand down just brought the Arc with sub and surround, I forgot I wasn’t listening my Klipsch sound system that I switched out for the Sonos amazing sounds!! Thanks for your hard work and dedication on making this video.
I have decided to have surround speakers from sonos as I already had sonos Arc which impressed me even it lack with few options you mentioned, but it never disappointed me as I own since 4 months. Thanks for lot of informative information.
@@ThaHerbanLegend yeah that’d be nice tbh. I’m sure with a hardware update and a release of an app they could do it, but knowing JBL, they’ll save that fir the next generation lol
Great work! I got the Samsung 900T same just without the ugly rear speakers. I paid $700 at Best Buy when purchasing a 85 in Q90T overall impressed with both. After plenty of returns I’m quite pleased. One small comment is the DefTech slim studio sound bar blows all these away but the earc system and compatibility was trash. Great review here and finally someone doing reviews right.
Jbl bar 9.1 is beast it gives atmos , 3d sound , vision and almost all top notch features at a price of less than a 1000$. Please can u make a separate review for the bar 9.1
I own JBL 9.1 and my cousin owns sonos arc. I have heard both systems and sonos wipes the floor of JBL. The center channel in JBL 9.1 is very small and no way to fix it. The dialogues are not really clear
My man. Awesome video. I have the Sonos Arc+sub+surround set up, and man, couldn’t agree with you more. So easy to set up, the app is amazing, it’s 99.9% consistent on its sound, and it just sounds so good. It is a con that there’s no HDMI in connections, but my tv has eARC, so it sounds great no matter what device is playing. So I don’t even miss having extra HDMIs.
Amazing review so technical and no bluff you have a new subscriber :) I’ll be buying the SONOS been looking at it for a while and you’ve confirmed it in this video thank you
Dude, you by far, have the best soundbar reviews on RU-vid!!!!! Thank you so much, I bought the jbl 9.1 bar and love it!!!! Thank you for your great reviews, it helped flawlessly!
@@user-mc8ue9pk6q yes they do. I went to best buy and bought the usb's, to see. Yes they do. Now I don't have to put the speakers back on the dock, when I'm finished. Nice!!!
That's a big help. I already had bought the JBL 3 weeks ago and for a small room they are really good. At a $200 discount from Crutchfield, i think I got a really good deal. And with this video I know i made a truly great choice.
Such a comprehensive review. Seriously, your channel is criminally underrated. I’ve made sure my friends also subscribed. With the 3 HDMI inputs makes up for the lack of eArc, and a sizable room (mine is 13’ x 13’) I personally think the Nakamichi is the best, especially for price. I mentioned in a previous video that I tested quite a few of the systems in home (Sonos didn’t have the atmos bar yet; however, so can’t personally vouch) and the surround bubble of the Nakamichi is by far the best. The downsides of the system, lack of eArc, though 3 HDMI ports, size (most speakers) and lack of physical weightiness are definitely things to consider, if one is willing to dive into the settings, you can bring out a system that punches well above it’s weight. I ended up returning all of the systems and got separates due to a bad Visio experience (one speaker was DOA and kind of scared me off soundbars, one component goes down, the entire system essentially goes down) but considering the huge expense I paid for a 7.2.4 just to equal the Nakamichi, I still sometimes question my decision. I think my dedicated system sounds the best, but at such a high cost, the verdict on cost vs sound is quite debatable. Would not recommend the Samsung, despite it having the beefiest soundbar itself. The rears did not create a good bubble and was wholeheartedly disappointed with the most expensive system I tried. I still want to get ahold of the Sonos Arc system to play around with at home, but if I brought yet another system home, I think my wife would kick me out of the house. At least I would have excellent surround space for my speakers. Might be worth the risk.
You won’t go wrong with the Sonos ARC system, I’ve owned different soundbars in the past, but the Sonos has never let me down, the sound is phenomenal! Agree that the Samsung surrounds have been very disappointing, because I was constantly checking to see if they were on or not.
Spent too much on my receiver and separates for the 7.2.4 to go back now, but would have tried the Sonos Arc first before going separates if the option were available at the time. I’ve heard great things about the Sonos system overall, but very much wanted Atmos.
@@RQuinton79 Of course, separates will always sound amazing. I owned a Marantz system, but had to move to an apartment later down the road, and ended up having to sell my equipment. The Sonos system was perfect for my apartment, because I didn’t have to connect wires all over the place, and didn’t want to disturb my neighbors. I hated parting with my Marantz, but my Sonos system was a welcome change, I couldn’t be more happier. 😃
Thanks for the time putting this together. One point to note… Spotify do not currently support atmos, therefore all these systems are creating there own upmix of the stereo file. (And maybe some aren’t even bothering by the sound of it.) it would be great to have you review these systems listening to atmos music streamed from tidal or Amazon and special audio streamed from apple.
Thanks for the great review! I came to this video after I purchased Nakamichi Elite 7.2.4. I did a lot of research myself and narrowed down my choices between Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra 9.2.4/Elite 7.2.4 and Samsung Q90R/Q950T (Q90R is predecessor of Q950T and might be discontinued). I went for Nakamichi Elite 7.2.4 for the following personal criteria: ...has to be great for immersive experiences when watching movies ...must support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X at the same time ...can be OK for listening to music ...not a lot of wires visibly running round the house ...a reasonable price/performance ratio Nakamichi Elite 7.2.4 has met all these criteria and it even surprises me in music playing after I updated the firmware to the latest since the new firmware allows playing stereo-source music from all speakers and subwoofers equally well. It is a day and night difference before and after the firmware upgrade. The movie experience remains exceptional to me. In my personal view, Nakamichi beats Samsung Q90R/Q950T in two aspects: 1) Two subwoofers making the bass much more balanced and powerful, and the movie experience more immersive 2) the price/performance ratio is way better ($788 for Elite and $1088 for Ultra on Amazon vs. $1400+ for Samsung) But Nakamichi loses to Q90R/Q950T in two aspects: 1) Rear speakers are not truly wireless as Samsung because they need to be wired to the subwoofers (luckily, there are 2 subwoofers, so I place one on each side of my seating area against the back wall and connect each rear speaker to each subwoofer respectively. hence, you don't see any wires running around. But for Ultra 9.2.4, running wires visibly is bound to happen given 2 extra mid speakers). 2) Samsung rear speakers have physical upfiring channels to mimic the height effect while Nakamichi rear speakers only virtually mimic the height effect. I didn't have a chance in person to compare the two in terms of height effect but logically you would think that physical upfiring is better than virtual upfiring. I am still eying on Samsung though. When its price can be dropped to $1K level, I think that's when its value might overall outperform Nakamichi
I also purchased the Nakamichi 7.2.4 also, I am currently waiting on my product to be delivered. There were some complaints about the center channel needing a dedicated tweeter due to muffled sound or missing frequencies. Could you elaborate on that please. Also, is the rear surround speakers good? Because there were also some complaints I came across that said rear surround speakers aren't loud and don't sound good.
@@stanforbes3816 I am by no means an expert. But based on the past 1 month use of the system, I think the rear speakers are impressive surround speakers. Please make sure that you have the most updated firmware. The latest firmware makes the rear speaker even louder and more immersive especially for movies. The new firmware also makes music performance, for which Nakamichi was really meh previously, a lot nicer now. You also need to play around with the settings to make the best configuration. The great thing about Nakamichi is that the remote can adjust pretty much everything, center, rear, left, right, bass, tremble etc. You can really customize it to your best liking. However, I am not impressed by the center channel. It's definitely at the average level. I tried Samsung's HW-Q67CT before and the center channel is much better than Nakamichi in my opinion. Hope this helps
@@windyhawk Thanks for this info. It seems as though everyone has the same opinion about the center channel speaker. I'm hoping the center doesn't sound too muzzled or weak. Maybe they might fix it in an update. How would you describe the tweeters? Do they make a huge improvement or you don't really see a difference with the tweeters added in.
@@stanforbes3816 Since I don't own a version without tweeters, so I couldn't compare and comment on your question. But I did grab a set of Q950T and compared it with Nakamichi side by side. I am convinced that Q950T definitely outperfoms Nakamichi in sound qualities. I decided to replace Nakamichi with Q950T. You can also refer to discussion here: www.reddit.com/r/Soundbars/comments/k5k4xs/nakamichi_shockwafe_ultraelite_vs_samsung/; www.reddit.com/r/Soundbars/comments/jg13f1/samsung_hwq950t_review_the_complete_audio_package/
@@windyhawk The Samsung Q950T, base on various reviews seems to be the top contender, but the question is value for price. Does it make sense to pay the difference for the Samsung over the Nakamichi?
I already had bought the JBL 3 weeks ago and for a small room they are really good. At a $200 discount from Crutchfield, i think I got a really good deal. Thank you so much for making this video.
Got the jbl bar 9.1 a week ago and its incredible . Dolby atmos works fantastik , music is the best , basic 5.1 is gr8 as well . I recommend jbl bar 9.1 to each and every one cause it gives the value for the buck
I have the nakamichi and when I originally set it up I was not impressed with the sound initially. After working with the settings and levels of all the channels along with SSE I was amazed by the difference. It is not the best for music but passable. Where this system shines is with Dolby Atmos/DTS+ content and makes for a great theater experience. The extra surround speakers add more separation and most of all the dual subwoofers make the bass fell all around you and not just coming from the location of a single subwoofer for a theater like experience. So if you choose the nakamichi remember to fine tune it and definitely turn on SSE for the best Dolby Atmos/DTS+ experience.
Thanks for the great summary at your own great time and expense, Jonah. Fantastic overview and it was very helpful. Not sure who the 79 fools who downvoted as of this writing are, but they probably work for LG! :P
I had to subscribe to your channel congratulations you do great work I especially appreciate your bluntness when it comes to laying out people unrealistic expectations about what a sound test or sound a review would look over RU-vid where it's not going to keep its true Fidelity and the only way to really check the sound of any of this devices is by being there yourself and listening to it but at least you can give us a guide on which systems are the most consistent and which systems just their quality just drops off and where it's either worth it to spend a little bit more money and then in some cases you can get away with Dolby Atmos murder by just getting a simple JBL sound for people like me who are entry level
Bought my Jbl 9.1 as a early black friday deal for 600 euro. Crazy prize. And wife is pretty happy too. Sounds amazing with music for our living room. Bass is super cool. it gives out so much. I give my jbl 9/10 points. Only miss abit more atmos sound, and wish i should have side speaker turned off if i dont wana use them without screen on soundbar screaming for back speakers to be turned on.
@@serjstoned make sure that you upgrade the firmware to FW35. Before the upgrade, I was disappointed when listening to stereo source such as youtube or bluetooth. After the FW upgrade and press "S" button to switch to All Channel Stereo mode, I was amazed by the music coming from stereo sources.
Ummm, yeah. One of the best reviews of soundbars out there. You have all the products that someone would compare and you made very relevant comments. Thanks!!!
I went with the Sonos Arc, dual Gen 3 Subs, and Fives as rear surrounds for my LG OLED 77C1. It replaced my Nakamichi 7.2.4 I never could get the sound the way I liked it and didn't like the wired rear surrounds connected to each sub. I can now place the Sonos subs and rear surrounds in the perfect location. Very big and high quality sound being very easy to use and tune with Trueplay.
A great review. You clearly have put enormous effort into dong it. Regarding the Vizio, I would worry about the long-term durability of the rotating upward-firing speakers.
Nakimachi for the WIN!!!! Definitely the best!! I have friends who have the Sonos Arc and Samsung Q90R. Both great systems but I’m smiling in the background knowing I made the right choice. Nakimachi is the best cause of those duel subwoofers 🔊 🔊 it’s more of an immersive sound.
These kind of reviews are the most informative and you had good info about ports and codecs used many reviewers leave important tech info out of reviews how they connect to TV and what you can pass trought media and connect it to TV and what it supports as tech wise. Thank you.
I mean for the money, the JBL is crazy good and even more so now with it being $200 off, the 950 is probably slightly better cause it has more drivers and all but it’s like $500 more lol
well i did it....picked up the ARC soundbar / the SUB GEN 3 / and the rears ONE SL's......i am an older gentleman not that tech savy but wow was fun setting up cause of all the videos on utube...thank you Jonah and thank you to everyone else....wow what amazing sound LOVE IT,,,cheers all be safe
Have you seen any issues with Dolby Atmos on the Vizio Elevate? I'll give you an example. I played Heartless by the Weeknd on Tidal, which was in Dolby Atmos. I had to turn up the volume all the way to 70 to hear anything. Same song switched it to Spotify, it was LOUD AF. Had to turn it down to 25. In short, I'm not getting the full Atmos experience or volumes from this system. Any thoughts or any settings I need to tweak? Thanks much.
@@andrewley1576 no it doesn't lol I own the sonos arc 5.1.2 system and the jbl 9.1, I believe the jbl sounds better but the bass on the sonos is superb.
@@Jcktrasho I always look at real reviews from customers on Best Buy and don’t just rely on RU-vid or pro reviews. The Nakamichi has some of the highest scores compared to some of the other bars. That was one of my reasons for going with it. Not sure I’m entirely happy but jury is still out.
Great review man. Very detailed and informative. I agree with all your points on the Vizio Elevate. I literally faced the same issues. Even though I bought it for $700 as part of the BestBuy deal, I'm returning this before Jan 16th and going to get the Sonos Arc in incremental upgrades.
I bought the Elevate also and returned it. Underwhelming in a few areas and the App experience and Chromecast delay are unbearable! Thinking Sonos or JBL 9.1
When he said that he like the vizio i guess he hasn't really own one vizio, is a night mare disconnects loses configuration, never works. even for him the vizio was bad with chromcast. defenetly a NO NO vizio! I will thank the reviewer because knows a lot and give me the right answers.
Well i dont think that someone will buy a soundbar more than a 1000$ cause you can buy top notch theatres at that price points. I think that the jbl bar 9.1 is some thing extremely recommended to everyone. As its priced just at the right spot
For clarity to the people that may not understand the way the numbers are used: the notation for surround sound is first, surround channels, in this case = 5 ; then the sub = 1 ; then the vertical channels = 4. The bar has 3 horizontal and 2 vertical channels, the rears have 1 horizontal and 1 vertical each. so there are 9 channels of sound, and 1 subwoofer = 9.1
Great job btw. :) One key question that everyone needs to know is, what kind of flooring you have and what is underneath it during these tests. This has large impacts on subwoofers esp downward facing subs.
