While 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound involves placing speakers around your room on a single plane, the concept behind Dolby Atmos audio is to give audio an element of height. If you don’t want to install speakers in your ceiling though, this sound bar is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to pull off the effect.
The Pioneer Surround Elite Atmos Soundbar is a 3.1.2 system, meaning you get three regular audio channels in the sound bar, a wireless subwoofer for bass, and two special “object” speakers that point upwards, and bounce sound off your ceiling, creating the effect of Atmos surround sound with minimal hardware. And for content that doesn’t support Atmos, the system is smart enough to mix it as regular 5.1.
At $405 shipped from Woot, it’s still not a cheap proposition, but that’s the best price we’ve ever seen by nearly $100. Just note that like all Woot deals, it’s only available today, and could sell out early.