Issue #1 June 2018

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ISSUE #1 JUNE 2018 BACKGROUND CONTENTS TIPS Types of Soundbar 4 There is still one aspect where today’s modern flat-panel 4K TVs do Simulated vs True Discrete Surround 5 not cut it: Sound. Do You Need A Subwoofer? 6 Number of Channels 8 With the latest OLED and QLED technologies, modern, thinner and Supported Audio Format 10 space-saving flat-panel 4K TVs deliver the best picture quality we Connectivity 12 have ever seen. Controls 16 However, their slim and minimalistic designs leave them no room to fit in good full-range speaker drivers. As an alternative, small COMPARISON built-in TV speakers are usually embedded behind or underneath Top 10 Ranked Discrete Surround Soundbars 18 them, often resulting in sub-standard dialog, thin sound and inad- equate bass. So, how do people match their 4K TVs with immersive Top 10 Ranked Virtual Surround Soundbars 20 sound? Top 10 Ranked Ranked Single Soundbars 22 For complete soundbars comparison, subscribe to us at Traditionally, people would assemble a multi-speaker surround nakamichi-usa.com/soundbar-resource sound system powered by an Audio Video Receiver (AVR) with five or more surround speakers. However, it is typically costly, time-consuming and requires a lot of space to fit all the speakers, including the wires, in one’s living room. A simple plug and play alternative is to use a soundbar.

Some soundbars today can effectively contend with full-featured surround sound systems. Slim, easy to setup and affordable, they have evolved from singular, rectangular-shaped speaker boxes with only 2 channels to high-performance multi-channel surround soundbar systems. The latter can now deliver theater quality immersive surround sound experiences without the complexity and hassle of assembling traditional AVR-powered surround sound systems.

It is no surprise that there are many soundbars available in the market today, ranging from “simulated surround” soundbars sold at as low as $100 to “true discrete surround” soundbar systems, some of which come with two subwoofers and multiple surround speakers that cost more than $1,000.

This ultimate soundbar guide will give you a good understanding of all the main considerations when choosing a soundbar that will fit your needs. Also included are comprehensive comparison tables of the top-reviewed soundbars to help you get the best bang for your buck.

2 BEST SOUNDBAR BUYING GUIDE: BACKGROUND

Source: Nakamichi website TIPS

Types of Soundbars Simulated vs True Discrete Surround There are 3 types of soundbars available in the market for different needs: To get the best surround sound experience, multiple speakers are needed. In soundbars, there are 2 methods to achieve surround sound.

TYPES ACTIVE SOUNDBAR PASSIVE SOUNDBAR SOUNDBASE

Includes everything you Separate audio video TYPES VIRTUAL SIMULATED SURROUND TRUE DISCRETE SURROUND Standalone speaker that need in one box (speak- receiver (AVR) required Character- acts as pedestal for your ers, subwoofer, amplifier, (for amplification, signal Relies on sound to reflect off your walls Discrete surround speakers placed istics TV while improving sound processor and connection processing and connection Characteristics to trick your ears into thinking there are around listening position similar to a quality ports) ports) speakers all around you traditional home theater system 1. More powerful and dynamic sound 1. More prominent surround effects Audio 1. On the console 1. On the console 1. On the console (under the than your TV speakers with accurate sound directivity Placement Performance 2. Wall mountable 2. Wall mountable TV) 2. Widen the soundstage of your TV 2. Delivers home theater experience 1. Simple to setup 1. More depth improves 1. Sound from all directions; true sur- 1. Flexible for customization round sound Pros 2. Small footprint bass output 1. Clean and neat setup with single 2. Future expandability 2. Consistent surround sound quality 3. Less cabling 2. Simple with single unit soundbar Pros regardless of room shape/size 2. Less cabling 3. Easier to set up than traditional sur- 1. Limited bass effect com- 3. Soundstage wider than its size round sound system 1. Costly setup pared to soundbar with 1. Fixed system configura- 4. Wider listening sweet spot 2. Home theater speaker external subwoofer tion Cons knowledge required 2. Limited stereo separation 1. Highly dependent on room shape and 2. Not expandable 3. More cabling 3. Unusable for large TVs size 1. More space required for setup 4. Bigger footprint with feet located at both Cons 2. Narrow sweet spot 2. Slightly more Cabling ends 3. Lack of rear surround effects; sound 3. More expensive only coming from front

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Source: Yamaha website There are 3 types of subwoofers can be found in a soundbar system:

BUILT-IN SINGLE DEDICATED DUAL DEDICATED TYPES SUBWOOFER SUBWOOFER SUBWOOFERS

Subwoofer integrated TWO dedicated powered Dedicated powered into soundbar without a subwoofers that emulate the Characteristics subwoofer for more separate, external en- movie theater, for deep and impactful bass closure room-filling bass

Do you need a subwoofer? 1. More powerful bass with greater headroom Do you like to get your adrenaline pumped from 1. More powerful bass 2. Less bass distortion chest-thumping explosions and low-rumbling thun- output 1. Better-than-TV bass 3. Deeper bass with bigger 2. Deeper bass with der effects? If your answer is yes, you probably do effect driver (typically 8” to 10”) bigger driver need a subwoofer. Pros 2. Space-saving solution 4. Zero bass localization (typically 5” to 10”) 3. No additional connec- 5. Room-filling listening 3. Better bass distribu- tion needed sweet spot In any sound system, the subwoofer is a key compo- tion nent dedicated to reproducing low-frequency sound 6. Evenly-distributed bass effects. No matter how powerful a soundbar is, the across the room; maxi- mum sweet spots full impact of your movies will never be felt if a dedicated subwoofer is not used. The subwoofer driver 1. Localizable bass if 1. Driver size is restricted size also plays a major role in how loud and deep not placed strategi- (typically 2.5” to 4”) your bass can go. For good bass impact and feel, we cally 1. Space requirement Cons 2. Bass is not as deep 2. Limited listening 2. More expensive recommend subwoofers with driver sizes of at least and impactful as a as sweet spot 8 to 10 inches. Lastly, there should also be sufficient dedicated subwoofer space in the subwoofer’s enclosure to accommo- 3. Space requirement date the rapid shifts of air caused by the driver’s movements. All in all, a soundbar with a dedicated There are 2 types of connections for external subwoofer available: subwoofer will deliver a fuller and more immersive audio experience for your entertainment. TYPES WIRED SUBWOOFER WIRELESS SUBWOOFER Pros Plug and play Freedom of placement, no audio cable required

Cons Placement restricted by cable length Interference may occur by other wireless devices

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Source: Sonos website Source: Samsung website

Number of channels You have probably come across some numbers like ‘2.0’, ‘3.1’ or ‘5.1’. Typically, these numbers represent the number of discrete channels in a sound system. Each discrete channel is independent, meaning that it outputs an entirely separate and different sound signal from the rest.

What is the significance? This is important especially when listening to multi-channel surround sound that mainstream movies are usually encoded with, where the surround sound effects are mapped by the sound engineers to be outputted to various channels depending on where they should be coming from based on what is happening in the movie scenes.

Surround sound on soundbars Most soundbars simulate the surround sound effects using a technique called virtualiza- tion, which involves the cross-mixing/matrixing of the multi-channel sound information to give listeners the impression that they are listening to surround sound. TYPES VIRTUAL SIMULATED SURROUND TRUE DISCRETE SURROUND However, soundbars with dedicated surround speakers have significant advantages in 2.X Stereo audio with wider soundstage Stereo audio with wider soundstage terms of delivering more immersive and precise surround sound that is closer to what the movie sound engineers intended. Addition of center channel for clearer Addition of center channel for clearer 3.X dialog dialog

Separate left, right and center channels Addition of side-firing channels on the on soundbar. Addition of two surround 5.X soundbar to create simulated surround speakers to provide more accurate direc- by reflecting the sound off the walls tional sound effects from left to right and front to back for more realism Addition of surround channels on the soundbar for more detailed simulated Addition of 2 more surround speakers to 7.X surround. Sound is also reflected off the complete a 360-degree surround sound walls to mimic true discrete surround coverage sound

Additional effects channels for wider 9.X and above N.A. soundstage, completing the 360 degree surround sound capsule

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Source: Nakamichi Source: Dolby website

Supported Audio Format Dolby and DTS are the 2 companies who are dominating the world of audio-compression technologies. They develop most of all the audio formats that mainstream video content is encoded in, including those found on online video streaming platforms like Netflix, Blu-ray discs, gaming and broadcasting. When such content is decoded by sound systems, the sound outputted is known to be rich, dynamic and of high-quality. The various Dolby and DTS audio formats, such as Dolby Digital and DTS Digital Surround, are also widely adopted by movie theaters and production studios.

Another common audio format, called Pulse Code Modulation (PCM), contains an already-decoded Dolby or DTS audio signal. Since the audio is already decoded, it provides the best compatibility across the large variety of devices. However, it is not the most suitable format for reproducing the intended surround sound experience intended by the content producers.

The following tables show the mainstream surround sound formats currently available on soundbar systems:

PCM

DTS-HD MAS- DTS DIGITAL DOLBY DIGITAL TYPES DTS:X DTS-HD PCM TYPES DOLBY ATMOS DOLBY TRUEHD DOLBY DIGITAL TER AUDIO SURROUND PLUS

Lossy, lower bit- High bitrate, Object-based sur- Lossless surround High bitrate, Lossy surround Lossy surround Decoded audio rate surround with Basic lossy sur- lossless ob- Description round with height format with 2 extra lossless sur- format with with lesser format from more channels for round ject-based channels rear channels Description round with more channels compression Dolby/DTS sur- streaming content surround with 2 extra rear than DTS Digi- than Dolby round audio or height chan- Audio Channels channels tal Surround Digital stereo 7.1.4 7.1 7.1 5.1 nels (Max) Audio Chan- 9.2 / 7.1.4 7.1 7.1 5.1 7.1 Streaming Content Streaming Content Blu-ray Disc, Con- nels (Max) Content (Netflix), Blu-ray Blu-ray Disc (Netflix, HBO Go, sole Gaming, DVD, Disc, PC Amazon Video) HDTV Broadcast Blu-ray Disc, Music, Blue- Content Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray Disc Console Gam- tooth, Aux, TV ing, DVD Broadcast

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Source: DTS website Source: Samsung website

Connectivity The numerous connectivity options that typically come in soundbars give them a major advantage over most sound systems because they can essentially replace the role of the Audio Video Receiver (AVR) used in traditional full-featured surround sound systems. To determine the receiving and processing capabilities of your soundbar, it is important to understand each connectivity type. i. HDMI vs Optical/Coaxial HDMI is currently the most advanced digital connection available for home audio and video devices. HDMI-connectivity is commonly found in premium soundbars that have multiple inputs for connecting to various media devices. A HDMI cable has a higher bandwidth that allows the transfer of high-definition video formats (4K UHD) as well as high-quality multi-channel audio. In addition, HDMI supports Audio Return Channel (ARC) when connected to a TV, where a 2-way transfer of audio and video signals between the soundbar and TV via a single HDMI ARC connection is possible (see page 14 for more information ii. Bluetooth vs WiFi about different HDMI versions). With at least Bluetooth connectivity found in all soundbars today, they can indeed per- form well as living room speakers. Commonly, they are paired with mobile devices to Optical and Coaxial connections are both play stereo content from platforms such as Spotify, YouTube and iTunes. There are also in digital format for audio transmission. some soundbars that support Bluetooth AptX, a higher bandwidth codec that allows the However, it has lower transmission band- transfer of high-quality audio wirelessly via Bluetooth. width compared to HDMI. Its output is restricted to Dolby Digital and DTS Digital Surround in 5.1 bitstream signal only. The WiFi connectivity is becoming lower bandwidth also restricts the PCM increasingly popular in sound- option in a 2-channel signal only. bars. As compared to Blue- tooth, it allows your soundbar TYPES HDMI OPTICAL/COAXIAL to communicate with other Stereo 2.0 Yes Yes devices within the same network, such that it is possible to Compressed 5.1: Yes Yes stream music from anywhere instead of being constrained to 33ft in Bluetooth. It also pro- Uncompressed 5.1: Yes No vides quicker access to online audio streaming services such Uncompressed 7.1: Yes No as Spotify, Pandora and Tidal, online video streaming services Object-based Audio: Yes No such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Google Chromecast, as Link Discovery: Yes (CEC) No well as the user’s personal net- Volume Control/Mute, Power Control work-connected library. 2-Way Transmission (Video and Audio) Yes (ARC) No

12 BEST SOUNDBAR BUYING GUIDE: TIPS BEST SOUNDBAR BUYING GUIDE: TIPS 13 Source: Dolby website

iv. 4K HDR Standards iii. 4K Compatibility There are multiple HDR standards avail- 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) is the up-and-coming high resolution video standard that is increasingly able along with 4K UHD content to pro- being adopted by streaming services including Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple TV. Therefore, it is es- vide lifelike picture quality with dynamic sential to have 4K compatibility on your soundbar today so that the high-definition video can be passed contrast, high brightness and vibrant co- through to your TV. There are also hardware requirements for soundbars to send and receive 4K content, namely HDMI 2.0 and HDCP2.2 standards, so it is important to look out for them. lour. Streaming services such as Netflix and Apple TV are increasing the number of 4K HDR contents available for viewing. TYPES HDMI 2.0 HDMI 1.4

Connection standard for 4K/60fps video Connection standard for 4K video devices Description devices with higher bandwidth and HDR with lower bandwidth

1. Up to 4K (2160p) @ 50/60 fps 2. Up to 12 bit color depth with HDR 1. Up to 4K (2160p) @ 24 fps 3. Up to 32 audio channels with ob- Key Spec 2. Up to 8 bit color depth HYBRID-LOG ject-based surround GAMMA 3. Up to 8 audio channels 4. Dynamic synchronization of audio and video stream HYBRID-LOG TYPES DOLBY VISION HDR10+ HDR10 HDR Connector HDMI HDMI GAMMA

4K UHD TV, 4K UHD Blu-ray Player, 4K 4K TV, 4K Blu-ray Player, 4K Streaming High Dynamic Hardware Dolby version Streaming Devices, Gaming Consoles Devices, Gaming Consoles Scene by scene HDR with average Range with wide HDR format de- of HDR that is Descrip- approach based brightness range color gamut with signed for cable, encoded scene by tion on HDR10 tech- throughout the lifelike bright- satellite and TV scene or frame- nique entire content ness and contrast broadcasts by-frame TYPES HDCP 2.2 HDCP 2.1/2.0/1.4 levels

Content protection to prevent making ille- Content protection to prevent making ille- Brightness levels Brightest point vs Brightest point vs Equal clarity and Description Designed for OTA gal copy of 4K UHD video gal copy of HD video present at a given darkest point in darkest point in brightness levels broadcast with reference frame a video content is a video content is in between very Key Spec backward com- 1. Create encrypted keys between the or scene rather determined based determined and bright and darker 1. Create encrypted keys between the patibility for SDR source and the display than limited value on scene-by- fixed for the entire elements in the Key Spec source and the display TVs 2. Required to transmit 4K content be- for the entire film scene video same frame 2. Designed for 1080p HD content tween devices Online streaming Online streaming HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort, USB, Wireless contents (Net- Connector HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort Compatible with Compatible with (Netflix and Apple NHK (Japan), BBC (WiFi) Content flix, Amazon, and HDR contents HDR contents TV), Blu-ray Disc, (UK) Vudu), 4K Blu-ray Console Gaming 4K UHD TV, 4K UHD Blu-ray Player, 4K Disc Hardware HD TV, Blu-ray Player, Streaming Devices Streaming Devices, Gaming Consoles Samsung, Pana- Creator Dolby Open Standard Open Standard NHK, BBC sonic, Fox

14 BEST SOUNDBAR BUYING GUIDE: TIPS BEST SOUNDBAR BUYING GUIDE: TIPS 15 Controls iii. HDMI CEC User experience is also an important factor when choosing the right soundbar. The ease Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) is a feature of HDMI designed to allow users to con- of control and navigation are critical for a hassle-free configuration and easy to use ex- trol devices connected via HDMI using only one remote control. For example, with CEC, perience whenever you turn on the soundbar. the TV remote can be used to control the soundbar, set-top boxes and Blu-ray player that are all connected via HDMI. i. On Screen Display On screen display provides visual feedback for more complicat- ed features on TV. This feature is commonly found on the soundbars that come with network connection and built-in online streaming services that require Source: Yamaha user navigation during setup and content selection.

Source: Youtube iv. Remote Control About every home theater device comes with its own remote but soundbars are an exception. There are some ii. LED Display soundbars in the lower price range Typically found on premium soundbars, LED displays provide visual feedback on volume that do not include a remote but in- level, input sources, audio settings, via the LED panel on the soundbar. stead rely on programming the TV settings to enable soundbar control. However, it does not always work in practice, and only basic functions can be operated. If you want to control your feature-rich soundbar seam- lessly, nothing beats having a remote.

Source: Samsung website

16 BEST SOUNDBAR BUYING GUIDE: TIPS BEST SOUNDBAR BUYING GUIDE: TIPS 17

Source: Nakamichi website COMPARISON - TOP 10 RANKED TRUE SURROUND SOUNDBARS BASED ON AMAZON’S AVERAGE REVIEW (BEST SURROUND)

NAKAMICHI NAKAMICHI SONY SONOS NAKAMICHI VIZIO JBL VIZIO LG SAMSUNG MODEL SHOCKWAFE ULTRA SHOCKWAFE ELITE Z9F BUNDLE HOME THEATER SHOCKWAFE PRO 7.1 SB3651-E6 BAR 5.1 SB4451-C0 SK5Y SET HW-K950 9.2 7.2 PRICE & RATING Year 2017 2017 2018 2015 2017 2015 2017 2016 2018 2016 Price* $1,099 $799 $1,196 $1,696 $649 $179 $699 $399 $251 $1,197 Rating* 4.8 4.7 4.6 4.6 4.5 4.2 4.0 3.8 4.0 3.4

AUDIO

Audio Format

Audio Channel 9.2 7.2 5.1 5.1 7.1 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.1.4 Subwoofer 2 x Wireless 10” 2 x Wireless 8” 1 x Wireless 1 x Wireless 10” 1 x Wireless 8” 1 x Wireless 5.2” 1 x Wireless 10” 1 x Wireless 1 x Wireless 1 x Wireless Rear Speaker 4 x Wired 2-Way 2 x Wired 2-Way 2 x Wireless 1-Way 2 x Wireless 2-Way 2 x Wired 2-Way 2 x Wired 1-Way 2 x Wireless 1-Way 2 x Wired 1-Way 2 x Wired 1-Way 2 x Wireless 2-Way Audio Output 1000W (110dB) 800W (106dB) 450W - 600W (105dB) - (101dB) 510W - (103dB) 500W 500W Clear Voice / Night Yes / Yes / Yes Yes / Yes / Yes Yes / Yes / No Yes / Yes / No Yes / Yes / Yes No / No /No No / No /No No / No /No No / No /No Yes / Yes / No Mode / Lip Sync CONNECTIVITY

Resolution

3 x Inputs 3 x Inputs 2 x Inputs 3 x Inputs 1 x Inputs 3 x Inputs 1 x Inputs 1 x Inputs 2 x Inputs HDMI No 1 x Output ARC 1 x Output ARC 1 x Output ARC 1 x Output ARC 1 x Output ARC 1 x Output ARC 1 x Output ARC 1 x Output ARC 1 x Output ARC Optical 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Bluetooth 4.1 (AptX) 4.1 (AptX) 4.2 (AAC, LDAC) No 4.1 (AptX) 4.0 4.1 4.1 Yes Yes Internet No No WiFi, Ethernet WiFi, Ethernet No WiFi, Ethernet No WiFi, Ethernet No WiFi USER EXPERIENCE LED Display Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Remote Control Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Spotify, Google Play, Chromecast, Apple Music, Spoti- Streaming Service No No No Pandora, iHeart No Chromecast No No Spotify, DLNA fy, Deezer, Tidal Radio Multi-Room No No Yes Yes No No No No No Yes Smart Home No No Google Assistant Amazon Alexa No Google Assistant No No No No

* Amazon Data on 04/26/2018 18 BEST SOUNDBAR BUYING GUIDE: COMPARISON BEST SOUNDBAR BUYING GUIDE: COMPARISON 19 COMPARISON - TOP 10 RANKED VIRTUAL SURROUND SOUNDBARS BASED ON AMAZON’S AVERAGE REVIEW (BETTER SURROUND)

VIZIO KLIPSCH VIZIO SONY SONY SONY KLIPSCH SONY KLIPSCH YAMAHA MODEL SB3621N-E8M SB 3 SB2821-D6 Z9F X9000F HT-CT370 R-10B HT-MT300 R-20B YAS-207BL PRICE & RATING Year 2017 2012 2016 2018 2018 2014 2014 2017 2014 2017 Price* $155 $484 $129 $898 $598 $399 $279 $248 $399 $299 Rating* 4.6 4.4 4.4 4.7 4.7 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.1

AUDIO

Audio Format

Audio Channel 2.1 2.1 2.1 3.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 Subwoofer 1 x Wireless 5.4" 1 x Wireless 10" 1 x Wireless 1 x Wireless 1 x Wireless 1 x Wireless 6.3" 1 x Wireless 8" 1 x Wireless 1 x Wireless 10" 1 x Wireless 6.3" Rear Speaker No No No Optional Add On No No No No No No Audio Output - (101dB) 300W - 400W 300W 300W 250W 250W 200W Clear Voice / Night No / No / No No / No / No No / No / No Yes / Yes / No Yes / Yes / No Yes / Yes / No Yes / No / No Yes / No / No Yes / No / No Yes / No / No Mode / Lip Sync CONNECTIVITY

Resolution No No No No No No

2 x Inputs 1 x Input 3 x Inputs 1 x Input HDMI No No No No No No 1 x Output ARC 1 x Output ARC 1 x Output ARC 1 x Output ARC Optical 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Bluetooth 4.0 Yes (AptX) Yes 4.2 (AAC, LDAC) 4.2 (AAC) 4.2 (AAC, LDAC) Yes (AptX) Yes 4.0 (AptX) 4.1 (AAC) Internet No No No WiFi, Ethernet No WiFi No WiFi, Ethernet No WiFi USER EXPERIENCE LED Display No No No Yes No Yes No No No No Remote Control Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Chromecast, Spoti- Streaming Service No No No No No No No No No fy, DLNA Multi-Room No No No No No No No No No No Smart Home No No No Google Assistant No No No No No No

* Amazon Data on 04/26/2018 20 BEST SOUNDBAR BUYING GUIDE: COMPARISON BEST SOUNDBAR BUYING GUIDE: COMPARISON 21 COMPARISON - TOP 10 RANKED SINGLE SOUNDBARS BASED ON AMAZON’S AVERAGE REVIEW (GOOD SURROUND)

ZVOX ZVOX YAMAHA SONOS VIZIO Q ACOUSTICS ZVOX VIZIO YAMAHA SONY MODEL SB380 AV200 YAS-107BL PLAYBAR SB3820-C6 M4 SB700 SB2920-C6 ATS-1060 HT-S100F PRICE & RATING Year 2017 2016 2017 2014 2016 2014 2016 2015 2016 2018 Price* $249 $179 $179 $699 $95 $339 $699 $71 $179 $128 Rating* 4.7 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.0 4.1 4.2

AUDIO

Audio Format No No No No

Audio Channel 2.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 2.0 2.1 2.0 Subwoofer 1 x Built-in 4" No 2 x Built-in 3" No No 1 x Built-in 2 x Built-in 4" No 2 x Built-in 3" No Audio Output 45W 24W 120W - - 100W 140W - 120W 120W Clear Voice / Night Yes / No / No Yes / No / No Yes / No / No Yes / Yes / No No / No / No No / No / No Yes / No / No No / No / No No / No / Yes Yes / Yes / No Mode / Lip Sync CONNECTIVITY

Resolution No No No No No No No No

1 x Input 1 x Input HDMI No No No No No No No 1 x Output ARC 1 x Output ARC 1 x Output ARC Optical 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 Bluetooth No No 4.1 (AAC) No Yes Yes (AptX) Yes (AptX) Yes 4.1 4.2 Internet No No No WiFi, Ethernet No No No No No No USER EXPERIENCE LED Display Yes Yes No No No No Yes No No No Remote Control Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Apple Music, Spoti- Streaming Service No No No No No No No No No fy, Deezer, Tidal Multi-Room No No No Yes No No No No No No Smart Home No No No Amazon Alexa No No No No No No

* Amazon Data on 04/26/2018 22 BEST SOUNDBAR BUYING GUIDE: COMPARISON BEST SOUNDBAR BUYING GUIDE: COMPARISON 23 Subscribe to us for latest soundbar updates: nakamichi-usa.com/soundbar-resource

MORE SOUNDBAR MODELS will be added into the list of complete soundbar comparison. SONY HT-ST5000, HT-Z9F, HT-Z9000F, HT-S200F, HT-S100F, HT-MT300, HT-CT800, HT-CT290, HT-NT5, HT- CT790, HT-CT390, HT-RT3, HT-ST9, HT-NT3, HT-CT780, HT-CT380, HT-ST5, HT-CT770; LG SK10Y, SK9Y, SK8Y, SK6Y, SK5Y, SK1, SJ9, SJ8, SJ7, SJ6B, SJ4R, SJ5Y-S, SJ4Y-S, SJ2, LAS475B, SH7B, SH2; SAMSUNG HW-K950, HW-NW700, HW-N650, HW-N550, HW-N450, HW-N450, HW-K850, HW-MS6500, HW-MS750, HW-MS550, HW-M550, HW-M4500, HW-M450, HW-M360; YAMAHA YSP-5600, YSP-207, YSP-107, YAS-706, YAS-203, YSP-2700, ATS-1070; BOSE SOUNDTOUCH 300, SOLO 5; SONOS PLAYBAR; VIZIO SB362AN-F6, SB4551-D5, SB4531-D5, SB4451-C0, SB4051-D5, SB4031-D5, SB3831-D0, SB3830-D0, SB3821-D6, SB3821-C6, SB3820-C6, SB3651-E6, SB3630-E6, SB3621N-E8, SB3251N-E0, SB2920-D6, SB2821-D6, SB2820N-E0; NAKAMICHI SHOCK- WAFE ULTRA 9.2, SHOCKWAFE ELITE 7.2, SHOCKWAFE PRO 7.1, SHOCKWAFE PRO 7.1 (2016); JBL BAR STU- DIO, BAR 2.1, BAR 3.1, BAR 5,1; POLK AUDIO MAGNIFI MINI, MAGNIHI MAX, MAGNIFI MAX SR, SIGNA S1, SIGNA SOLO; KLIPSCH RSB-3, RSB-6, RSB-8, RSB-11, RSB-14, R-4B; DENON HEOS BAR, HEOS HOMECINEMA HS2; ONKYO SBT-A500; Q ACOUSTICS M4 WITH SUBWOOFER, M3; PIONEER SP-SB23W; CREATIVE X-FI SONIC CARRIER, SOUND BLASTERX KATANA

All product images, lifestyle images, brand names, brand logos, model numbers and technology logos in this guide belong to their respective copyright holders. Dolby, Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Audio, and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Labora- tories. DTS, the Symbol, DTS in combination with the Symbol, DTS:X and the DTS:X logo are registered trademarks of DTS, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. aptX is a trademark of Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd., registered in the United States and other countries. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.