Since the inception of Dolby Atmos circa 2013/14, I have been sticking to the reflection type of Dolby Atmos speakers because it worked in my listening environment. Thanks to Nakamichi, we’ve learned that Dolby actually has a different certification for Dolby Atmos soundbar which never seen the days of light until this new Dragon series soundbar. This is something unique and may just be the answer for most folks that do not want to see speaker cables, power amps, sheer quantity of speakers and unsightly holes in your ceiling.
Finally the “dragon” is in da house! Looks good in the living room… definitely more WAF. I particularly like the menu and the settings. it seems quite comprehensive for a soundbar.
[quote=“desray, post:6, topic:933, full:true”]…For US$35K, it better sound like a dragon
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35K? oooh… a price of an annual university fee… WAF will easily turns to WOF- Wife Objectionable Factor lo…
the initial Nakamichi Shockwafe 9.2.4 could already be able to pound Sonos to 3rd or 4th place.
it’s the consumers mindset that blurred their ears… thinking that anything that comes with high price tag sure sounds good.
should the 1st Shockwafe 9.2.4 had gained a firm stand in local market with healthy supply for sales, Nakamichi would have gained a firm stand in local HT market… instead of cheaper lower spec’ed stuffs pushed in Popular Bookshops.
The sonos arc paired w subs and surrounds is v v good and no slouch. Just a bit pricey. so far, i have not heard a soundbar that sounds better for bed layer sound. The sound signature is also easy to like.
I am willing to invest in a good soundbar when the time comes for me to downsize due to moving house or no more space for me to put standard-sized speakers w/o tripping. I’m glad Nakamichi Dragon existed and I’m pretty sure it will sound great.
As long as you have a small dedicated room, nearfield monitors placed a few feet away should be very clear and less affected by room modes. I’m sure the Dragon sounds very good for 5.1, but I have my doubts of its ability reflected Atmos sound off the ceiling. It seems to me that to get reflected Atmos sound right, the angles have to be very perfect.
Yes that’s correct. it requires certain height to ceiling ratio to work properly. I have been using reflection type of Dolby Atmos enabled speakers since 2016 until now and I am still amazed how “convincing” it sounds if you have the correct angle and distance right. In addition, the ceiling must be flat with no acoustic panels installed. 10 out of 10 members who visited my place and listen to the reflection speakers thought there were ceiling speakers above.
if “reflection of height channel imaging” doesn’t work for the Naka-Dragon, the same in-effectiveness will affect on majority of soundbars with full range drivers installed as “reflection of height channel” which are mostly tilted in some angle as well… that in-effectiveness, wouldn’t be apply to just the Dragon already… then, those who have doubts should just live happily with 2.1 Virtual Atmos Surround, right?
I was comparing with regular ceiling mounted Atmos/Receiver systems since the Dragon costs USD3,500. No doubt, its the most effective sound bar made, and it has the capability of decent Atmos in certain rooms as @desray mentioned. Reflected Atmos is already a struggle to get right, so I’m not saying that the Dragon won’t be good, but good Atmos may not be that simple to dial in if you don’t have a regular ceiling.
Nakamichi implementation of the Atmos speaker modules allow the driver to e rotated at an angle. Its not so much of the front Atmos modules that will create an impact but rather the modules placement nearest to the MLP that will make a difference. Again, it all boils down to 2 things for it to work.
Height of the Atmos module to the ceiling. Based on my experience of a typical HDB flat height ceiling, the modules need to be as close to the ceiling as possible, approximately two-thirds of the height of the wall is preferred. If you have a very high ceiling, one is better off with a ceiling speakers.
The crossover setting of the modules plays an important role.
Based on what u have tried and proven (which i agree too after listening to your setup, and finally understood why its so hard to get it right), i think its v hard (or impossible) for soundbars to achieve good atmos effects because the placement of the atmos modules is so far away from ceiling.
By the time the atmos sound wave reaches the ceiling to reflect, and travels to the mlp, one probably would have heard other sounds too resulting from dispersions.
Yes, that’s right. Implementing a reflection based Atmos is not as easy as manufacturers make out to be. Does it work? Short answer is yes, it does but be prepared to spend time finding the right angle relative to where you sit (MLP). Till this date, I still advise members to just put speakers in the ceiling for Atmos effects to work it’s wonder. There is simply too much guesswork and patience one need to put in to make it work. Then why I still do do it? That’s because I managed to get it to work in my setting. After visiting several member home with ceiling speakers setup, I found that mine isn’t too shabby when I comes to reproducing Atmos effects. In fact, some effects like wind and rain sounded more natural and enveloping using the reflection type of Atmos enabled speaker modules simply because of its “diffusive” nature.
I always advise members to use my setup as a benchmark to determine if reflection based Atmos is their cup of tea and whether it can be implemented in their home setting. If not, then don’t waste time buying such speaker modules.
is in da house! Looks good in the living room… definitely more WAF. I particularly like the menu and the settings. it seems quite comprehensive for a soundbar.
