Soundbars aren’t cheap, and picking one up that has Dolby Atmos support costs even more. Nevertheless, it’s a nice middle ground for people who don’t want to keep using their paltry TV speakers but don’t want to shell out for a surround sound system either. I have a Dolby Atmos sound system in my living room, but I have to admit that it takes up a lot more space than many people would be willing to put up with. I can especially see it being an issue since pets and young children like to mess with things, so having some extra wires lying around isn’t ideal.
Soundbars aren’t a lot of trouble in comparison, but it’s not always a matter of plugging it in and forgetting about it. A stereo soundbar can typically go underneath your TV, and you’ll get good audio. A Dolby Atmos soundbar isn’t as simple if you’re looking to maximize its value. These soundbars, like the TCL Q75H, are great picks, but you need to make sure you put them in a room that takes advantage of the upfiring Dolby Atmos speakers. Most soundbars don’t come with a set of surround speakers, so they rely on reflecting sound waves off your ceiling to simulate overheard noises. This can sound great, but only if you have the proper setup for it.
- Connectivity
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Bluetooth, Apple Airplay
- Ports
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HDMI, HDMI eARC, Optical Digital Audio, USB, 3.5mm AUX
- Dimensions
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41.50″ x 4.86″ x 2.68″
- Buttons
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On/Off, Input, Bluetooth, Vol -, Vol+
- Drivers
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6.5-inch driver in subwoofer
- Brand
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TCL
Dolby Atmos soundbars need a proper ceiling
Upfiring speakers work better with low ceilings
As far as Atmos speakers go, I’d say upfiring ones are on the bottom of the totem pole behind height and ceiling speakers, but that doesn’t mean they’re junk. I’d much rather have access to Atmos in some form or another rather than not have it at all. The problem with upfiring Atmos is that many people don’t have a proper ceiling height to support them properly. If your ceilings are too high, the audio will reflect in strange ways, and the same thing applies if your ceilings are too low.
The idea behind upfiring speakers is that the audio will propel itself from your soundbar to the ceiling and then reflect back to the listening area. If it’s all done properly, it should sound like the audio is coming from overhead, much like it would sound if you had ceiling or height speakers installed. Dolby says that optimal performance means having a flat ceiling with a height between 7.5 and 14 feet — however, the ideal height is between 7.5 and 12 feet. The good news is that many rooms fit that bill, but there are still many that don’t.
If your ceiling is too high, it’s a tough problem to solve with a soundbar as there’s only so many places to put one. Ideally, you’d set your soundbar on the same stand as your TV, but you might have to mount it to hit the proper heights. This means you can mount it underneath your TV if that’s mounted, and it’d still sound fine.
The bigger problem would be the people who put their TV over a fireplace. Fireplace mantles are often closer to the ceiling than they are the floor, so placing a Dolby Atmos soundbar on top of one would almost certainly guarantee a less-than-ideal listening experience. Mounting your TV above a fireplace is already bad enough as it is in terms of viewing experience, so you should avoid the double whammy of ruining your audio at the same time. Not only would your Atmos speakers be bouncing off the ceiling in the wrong spots, but your regular audio would be coming out far above your listening area, so nothing would sound the way it’s supposed to.
Don’t waste your money
Bad Atmos is better than no Atmos, but by how much?
The TCL Q75H soundbar costs $600 from Amazon, unless it’s on sale, so it’s not a cheap option by any means. If you have a ceiling that’ll give you proper Atmos, I don’t see a reason not to grab it, but if you know your Atmos would be the best that it can be, maybe you’re better off saving some cash. The Q65H soundbar costs $350, and while you’d be dealing with the same problems, I’d feel much better about having worse Atmos sound if I spent a fraction of the price.
Speaking honestly, I’d still rather get a receiver and a pair of stereo speakers over a Dolby Atmos soundbar. Having a receiver gives you something to grow into as you can add speakers over time instead of getting a soundbar and being stuck with what it has to offer until you decide to replace it with something new. If you take that $600 Q75H soundbar and apply that budget to a receiver and stereo speaker set, you can get something pretty decent. If you look around for refurbished receivers, you can find something like a Denon S760H for $400, and then you have $200 to set aside for a pair of bookshelf speakers. While you might not find top-of-the-line speakers at that price, a pair of Neumi BS5 speakers isn’t a bad place to start for just $140. You could eventually upgrade to something better and use these as surround speakers down the road.
Ultimately, it comes down to you, and if you think a Dolby Atmos soundbar makes the most sense, then go for it. No matter what you decide to do, you should end up with something that’s better than your TV speakers. In 2026, regular TV audio just doesn’t cut it, and while there are some settings you can tweak to improve them, they still leave a lot to be desired. If you decide to grab a Dolby Atmos soundbar, just make sure your ceiling height is within the optimal range so you can get the best sound you can get.
