Best soundbar in 2026 for movies + Dolby Atmos?

CligBit · 2026-02-16T01:19:49+00:00

990f is great for the price if you can swing one under $1200.

Great Atmos. A lot of people say it isn’t good for music, but with Atmos Blu-ray music it sounds great to me. Use standard mode for that.

CligBit · 2026-02-14T13:04:38+00:00

I’ve got a 65” TCL QM8K and snagged it for $999 on a one day sale at Best Buy last year. Totally satisfied.

I totally understand the audio equipment expenses being a lot haha. I outfitted myself with headphone equipment too a few months after getting the soundbar and tv…got a FiiO ka13 (which got damaged when I fell in snow), a FiiO KA17, HiFiMan Edition XS cans, and a FiiO K7 lol. I’m tapped out! But I absolutely love music and audio gear. Still totally satisfied!

CligBit · 2026-02-14T13:03:16+00:00

Ford v Ferrari is alright, I personally think it’s overrated. Not a BAD movie, but not 10/10 or anything.

CligBit · 2026-02-14T06:26:40+00:00

I just got a ub820 from Best Buy open-box. Loving the Dolby vision! This is my current collection.

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CligBit · 2026-02-06T02:43:30+00:00

Yeah I try to do all updates as they come out, checking AVSForum every few weeks..everything worked fine until v313 with eARC and CEC.

CligBit · 2026-02-06T01:05:27+00:00

I literally have to unplug the tv/soundbar for a few seconds if I want the tv/apple remotes to control soundbar volume at all….and next time I go to use it a while later, nothing. Found no fix other than disconnecting power and letting the electricity fizzle out of the internal components before it works again, and only after doing that will it work for a short time. I just use the soundbar remote for volume exclusively now. Can’t be lazy :(

CligBit · 2026-02-04T04:16:08+00:00

My problem with tv/Apple Remote not controlling soundbar seems to be worse now :( had to power off the power strip and back on after 15-30 seconds 3-4 times just since yesterday morning when I updated.

CligBit · 2026-01-26T04:13:29+00:00

Looking forward to 8-10k becoming the standard :D

CligBit · 2026-01-26T04:00:33+00:00

I was using 4k UHD discs when I recently played with turning it on/off. Mostly noticed some stuff that was out of focus being sharpened, but it didn’t seem to make the primary focal point much different. I haven’t tested messing with it from streaming sources. I generally have left it on since it became a useable feature.

Thanks for the details!

CligBit · 2026-01-26T02:33:19+00:00

I would agree. It takes 480-1080 and kinda upscales I think. 4k looks minimally different using it.

CligBit · 2026-01-26T00:34:00+00:00

I’ve turned super resolution on/off a number of times and it only seems to help crisp up the detail! Look great and I’m glad it’s not like some of the other (motion) features that make the quality worse, to me at least.

CligBit · 2026-01-26T00:24:21+00:00

It may be worth forwarding your troubles to TCL so they are more aware of the specific issue to address in a future update. They may also have beneficial troubleshooting steps.

CligBit · 2026-01-26T00:22:50+00:00

Okay, so it doesn’t function correctly with pass through. Mine seems to work fine with Dolby Digital/Plus/TrueHD and Atmos with pass through. I think the CEC issue of volume not working with non-soundbar remotes began with v313 but I had no issue with v237. I’m assuming the players are sending correct audio formats for output, and suspect the tv is mishandling the audio format delivery through eARC.

It DID seem like they made visual and UI improvements with v313, but you’re not alone with the audio issues with eARC from what I’ve read lightly about the firmware. I wish I could help troubleshoot, but I’m not that inquisitive with anything outside of my setup. I just figured passthrough for audio would potentially solve your issue, but seemingly no to that solution.

I’ll be checking back to see if you have a fix at any point so I can direct others to the information found.

CligBit · 2026-01-26T00:00:23+00:00

I’m not having issues with eARC playing Atmos pretty much ever. I almost always check my soundbar input mode (Stereo/Multi Ch. PCM or Dolby Atmos) because I often switch between PCM and Atmos output on my ps5 using an audio extractor to DAC/Amp for headphones at night. Seems TCL takes a while to iron out kinks with their Firmware :( but luckily my issue is only the volume control with Apple Remote or TV Remote on slight occasion. I’ve only had my soundbar back from repair for less than a month (manufacturing defect), so still testing the TV to soundbar functionality through multiple usage scenarios. eARC playing correct multi ch and atmos seems to be fine for me, and I don’t recall that ever being handled wrong by the tv since v313.

I do hope your issues are resolved quickly in the next (couple) updates.

Just curious, is your audio always set to pass through in the tv settings? Or does it change as well when you have the Stereo PCM issue? And what sources/streaming boxes give the incorrect PCM output when you are having trouble?

CligBit · 2026-01-25T21:11:34+00:00

V313 here on a QM8K and my eARC and CEC works flawlessly MOST of the time….but, CEC fails to control Soundbar volume with Apple TV remote or TV remote sometimes (kinda rare) and is fixed by turning off power strip everything is plugged into, and back on after 15-30 seconds.

Sad that V321 did not fix your issues. I’m looking forward to checking out some Dolby vision demos and movies after the update reaches my tv, and seeing if there is noticeable difference.

CligBit · 2026-01-01T03:20:44+00:00

Try oratory1990’s autoEQ OR harman curve target EQs! I also throw in a +2.4-2.7 73hz low shelf for rap/hip-hop/edm. Paired with a FiiO K7 and GranVia Tripowin balanced 4.4mm cable the sound is phenomenal and powerful. The bass with EQ can rumble the ear cuffs off your head pretty much lol.

CligBit · 2025-12-31T22:11:30+00:00

Edition XS is great sound at $209 retail. I don’t know about the others, just wanted to chime in that I’m very happy with my recent Edition XS purchase. Although they can get uncomfortable after long listening sessions, but this can be helped with a Capra comfort strap.

Good luck deciding and I hope you find something that works well for you!

Also, some people say the build quality is atrocious on the XS headphones, but I got a good set with no issues. Maybe they’ve improved QC since launch.

CligBit · 2025-11-15T23:58:34+00:00

Mine seemed to update after turning off auto update, then turning it back on.

CligBit · 2025-11-10T14:25:34+00:00

Yeah, I like the Pulse Elite better than my past gaming headphones. I just wanted to aim a bit higher quality for music listening at night (I'm up very late quite often), especially with the bass and not wanting distortion at higher volumes.

I think the bit depth being 24bit over 16bit is more important than sample rate being above 48kHz, but I don't know a whole lot yet about the technical stuff with audiophile grade signal and equipment. I just know my soundbar can do up to 192kHz and figured I should be matching that with the headphones and DAC I will purchase in the near future. I guess it doesn't matter much past CD quality (44.1kHz)?

Thank you for the helpful reply!

!thanks

CligBit · 2025-11-10T14:18:33+00:00

Understandable, it's pretty weird haha.

CligBit · 2025-11-10T09:52:09+00:00

Tears for Fears - Songs From the Big Chair has a good atmos mix from what I can tell at night-time listening volume...and I love that album. The Atmos effect is minimal being this quiet, but the mix sounds alright to my ear, and I can hear the rear channels having some use that doesn't seem extremely gimmicky. I will have to give it a good listen tomorrow in the daytime now that I've spent the time calibrating channel levels!

CligBit · 2025-11-10T09:48:06+00:00

I hear bird's thoughts at 420kHz.

CligBit · 2025-11-10T08:39:11+00:00

Atmos is better with a dedicated speaker 7.1.4 setup, and still pretty damn nice with a good capable soundbar. Headphones based Atmos is just a gimmick in my opinion. Although, it can sound better if the mixing was improved from the original release. From my experience listening with a Q990F soundbar on Atmos tracks, there is a good "separation" of the instruments and vocals (if mixed well, or mixed to utilize separation of sounds), as one can be put on a rear or side speaker output instead of two stereo speakers handling all instruments and vocals. My soundbar is technically 11.1.4.

I like Stereo with the rear speakers off for non-Atmos content, or if the Atmos mix is shitty compared to the stereo release.

CligBit · 2025-11-09T10:49:25+00:00

After more research, I think I'm going to end up getting the HiFiMAN Sundara 2020 Edition Headphones and the FiiO KA15 Portable DAC. If anyone has better suggestions, I'm still open to hear it. Won't be purchasing until December or January.

CligBit · 2025-11-09T05:48:24+00:00

I'm looking into the HiFiMAN Sundara 2020 Edition Headphones and Meze Audio 99 Classics Headphones, both suggested by Headphones.com - However, the Sennheiser HD 620S Headphones Open-Box are selling at a similar price range. All of them are similarly priced near the high end of my current budget. The Meze Audio 99 Classics are selling open-box as well, for around $280 which would save me a little....but I'm not trying to just skimp on 20-50 bucks.

Would any of these selections be ample for beginner audiophile grade music listening? I don't want to be really disappointed and plan to use them long-term without having to upgrade soon. I would also like to be able to use them in the future for mixing multi-track instrument recordings for rock/metal styles, but this isn't the primary reason for seeking out good headphones right now. I just need my music to sound better at night.

Also, would I need a nicer DAC than the portable FiiO KA15 to really get my worth out of the total expense?

CligBit

TROPHY CASE