15+ Best Dolby Atmos Speakers for Home Theatre

---

Having recently come into the possession of a 9.2 Denon AVR-x4500h (read our Denon 4500h review here) has opened up the door to getting Dolby Atmos speakers added on.

Dolby Atmos has been used in cinemas for a long time so I’ve been pretty keen to get it set up at home. These are referred to as height speakers or up-firing speakers.

Especially in winter, it makes so much sense to have a great indoor home theatre set up to enjoy with your family and friends. Dolby Atmos speakers just level up your movie-watching experience.

I’ve also updated this list to include not only height Dolby Atmos speakers but also ceiling, floor standing and we have our Dolby Atmos soundbars article that highlights those soundbars that support Atmos.

Here’s all you need to know.

---

---

What are Dolby Atmos height speakers?

These Atmos height speakers or Atmos modules as some people call them can be added on to an existing system and are generally placed on top of your existing floor standing speakers. If you don’t have floor standing speakers you can fix them to the wall.

It is possible to buy Dolby Atmos speakers with height modules built-in but for most of us, we already have a set up that we just need to add the Atmos height speakers too.

Hopefully, my journey through this process will be useful for you so read on!

Dolby Atmos Speakers Comparison Table

	Name	Price	Size (H/W/D)	Multiple Finish Options	Power / Watts
1	ELAC Debut 2.0 A4.2 Dolby Atmos Modules	$$	4.92 x 7.09 x 9.21 inches	No	80 watts
2	Sony SSCSE Dolby Atmos Enabled Speakers	$	14.16 x 11.56 x 40.12 inches	No	100 watts
3	Pioneer SP-T22A-LR Add-on Speaker Modules	$	12.4 x 11.8 x 10.2 inches	No	80 watts
4	NHT Atmos Mini Add-On Speaker for Dolby Atmos (Single)	$	5 x 5.5 x 4.5 inches	No	100 watts
5	Klipsch RP-140SA Dolby Atmos Speaker (Pair)	$$	11.3 x 6 x 7 inches	No	200 watts
6	Onkyo SKH-410 Dolby Atmos-Enabled Speaker	$	5.9 x 4.8 x 5.7 inches	No	100 watts
7	POLK Reserve R900 Height Speaker Modules	$$$	TBA	No	100 watts
8	SVS Prime Elevation Speaker	$$	17.9 x 12.3 x 9.3 inches	Piano Black, Gloss Black, Gloss White	150 watts
9	Definitive Technology A90 High-Performance Height Speaker Module	$$	13 x 6 x 3.8 inches	No	100 watts
10	Klipsch RP-500SA Dolby Atmos Surround Sound Speakers	$$$	6.8 x 11.2 x 7.4 inches	Walnut / Ebony	300 watts
11	Atlantic Technology Dolby Atmos Speakers 44-DA-P-BLK	$$$	5.5 x 9.5 x 8.4 in	Gloss Black / Satin Black	100 watts
12	PRESTIGE FACET 6ATM	$$$	7.1 x 8.15 x 11.4	Yes	70 watts
13	ONKYO Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers (2 units) D-309H	$$	9.5 x 5.6 x 5.4 inches	No	80 watts
14	KEF Q50a Dolby Atmos Speaker	$$$	10.1 x 7.1 x 6.9 inches	White / Black	100 watts
15	Klipsch R-41SA Dobly Atmos Speaker	$$	13 x 5.8 x 7.5 inches	No	100 watts
16	Monitor Audio Bronze AMS Dolby Atmos® enabled Speaker	$$	6 x 69/16 x 91/2 Inches	White / Black	60 watts
17	DALI ALTECO C-1	$$	10.4 x 6.3 x 7.9 inches	No	100 watts
18	MartinLogan AFX Dolby Atmos Speaker	$$$	7.7 inches x 6.8 inches x 10 inches	No	20-200 watts
	See full details of each dolby speaker below

Are Dolby Atmos speakers worth it?

The first thing to say is that most of the Dolby Atmos speakers have not been updated much since they all flooded the market around 2015-2016.

Some newer units have been released or updated but for most, they’ve retained the same range. This list includes most all of the available Atmos add-on speakers available in 2021 even if they were produced before this year.

I’ve also spoken directly to this question in this post.

One of the complaints from home theatre fans is that for a long time there were limited options for Dolby movie titles. Fortunately, this is changing with most new blockbusters being released with Atmos soundtracks.

There’s always a fear that you’re jumping on a dying technology but for all intents and purposes, it seems like Atmos will be with us for a long time. And if Atmos was to pass on, there’s still DTS:X format and Auro-3D® which will also utilize the same speakers you’ve invested in.

This list of Dolby Atmos soundtracks from IMDB (link below) is encouraging enough to make you feel like investing in a set of Atmos up-firing height speakers is a great idea.

https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?sound_mixes=dolby_atmos

So, are Dolby Atmos speakers worth it? It’s a personal thing but I think they add another dimension to Home Theatre and movie/audio soundtracks.

For the discerning listener, it’s a small investment allows you to level-up your home movie experiences and HiFi music (if it’s been mixed for Atmos like these ones). And you’re serious about sound which is why you’re here.

What do all the numbers, such as 5.1 and 7.2, mean?

When looking at the numbers for a multi-channel home theatre system it’s quite easy to understand how it works. The Atmos set up means they add a couple more numbers to the end. This will be dependent on what your home theatre amplifier can handle.

This usually looks like this:

A common 5.1 system would include 5 main speakers.

• 2 front speakers
• 1 centre speaker
• 2 surround sound speakers

This adds up to 5 with:

• 1 subwoofer (which is the .1 in 5.1)

A 5.1.2 would include all of the above but also maybe have 2 Atmos height speakers. That is the .2 at the end of 5.1.2

It is possible to have 5.1.2 or 5.2.2 or 7.2.2 or 7.2.4 etc. Once you get this it helps to understand how it all works.

If you go to a Dolby Atmos movie cinema there might be up to 36 speakers in the space to create the maximum effect, this is obviously not possible at home.

There are two basic types of Dolby Atmos speakers for home theatre set up. 

1: Ceiling mounted Dolby Atmos speakers

The first is a ceiling-mounted down-firing speaker that is placed in the ceiling in one of two main positions. Generally, the ceiling-mounted speakers are placed slightly in front of the listening position and firing straight down above you.

Depending on how many channels you have will also indicate how many ceiling options you have. There’s no doubt that this is the ideal set up for Dolby Atmos height speakers 

2: Reflective up-firing Dolby Atmos speakers, or add on Atmos speakers.

Most of us can’t just cut holes in the ceiling or get out partners approval to screw speakers into the ceiling. Fortunately, there is a middle ground that, while sacrificing some audio quality, is an acceptable workaround.

These are up-firing Atmos speakers which work by shooting height sounds (rain, aircraft overpasses, birds in trees etc) from the front speakers up against the roof which then reflects down to the listener’s ear. 

It ideally works with a 12-14” ceiling height and to date one of the best ways to put Dolby atmos speakers into a vaulted ceiling is to suspend a front-firing unit suspended from the ceiling with cables and angle it to shoot straight down. The benefit of this is that is is a closed box unit.

Are Dolby Speakers different? Can I just use bookshelf or surround speakers for Atmos height channels?

We tried using bookshelf speakers to test the Atmos channel and see if this Atmos stuff even works. We thought ‘surely you could use any small speaker to project the Atmos height channel, right?’.

In theory, yes, you could use a different speaker to shoot the sound of the ceiling and down to the listener but after some research (re: audioholics) it turns out that Dolby licensed speakers (yes, you have to be licensed to build Atmos specific speakers) have a very complex crossover configuration.

As a purist, this leads me to believe that there’s some benefit to buying a legitimate license Atmos speaker for my home theatre. There are two reasons for this:

1. It’s more foolproof – less need to fuss with setting frequency crossovers etc. Plug and play.

2. These things are designed to sit nicely on your existing floor standing speakers or mounted to the wall. Putting our bookshelf speakers on our floor standing speakers was a ridiculous idea. It looks stupid, was probably dangerous for small beings, and we’d prefer to use our these speakers elsewhere.

How do Dolby Atmos speakers work?

Dolby Atmos soundtracks are different from regular old 5.1 mixed soundtracks.

Atmos is about the position of the sound object in the room and the Atmos-enabled amp just places the sound there with the speakers adjusting almost as if they were acting as one. 5.1 required sound engineers to select which sounds travelled down to which speaker.

You’d think Atmos would be easier for audio engineers to mix but this is not the case – it’s actually quite expensive and time-intensive. 

Dolby Atmos height speakers take these high ‘objects’ (think bird noise, train track clanking, plane up high) from the soundtrack and play them from an elevated position.

If you have ceiling speakers the sounds come down from the roof – like rain falling, a plane flying overhead, ambient noise, a bird flying overhead etc.

If you have up-firing atmos speakers they drive the sound at the roof and it bounces off and comes down to the seated position. As this is mostly ambient noises only it doesn’t need to be as clear and distinct as a direct sound like voice track.

Do Dolby Atmos speakers work? Are they any good?

Yes – ceiling mounted work best but in our experience, up-firing units work too. If you have a sound room set up a system like audessy (Denon et al) or YPAO (Yamaha) on your home theatre unit you can trust it to configure these correctly. You might want to play with the angle of the speaker depending on how far your listening position is.

Which Dolby Atmos speakers should you choose?

Atmos height speakers are fundamentally quite similar. They focus on a key frequency range, have Dolby approved crossovers and circuitry and are designed to fill the room with noise. Using the recommended Denon Atmos testing tracks are good fun to play with when you have it all set up. This includes the Dolby leaf trailer and the Dolby amaze trailer. This will heighten the impact of any Dolby atmos set.

If you want to impress your friends and family once your home theatre is booming then definitely go for the amaze testing track and turn it up loud.

https://www.dolby.com/experience/

Where to Buy Dolby Atmos Speakers

Your local HiFi store should stock a version of Atmos speakers but due to their limited audience (mostly as people don’t have Atmos-enabled HiFi amplifiers), you might find slim pickings. Amazon has the widest range available to review. Both on Atmos speakers Amazon US and Atmos speakers Amazon UK. We’ll detail these more below.

Best Dolby Atmos speakers for Home

Here is a list of Atmos Dolby speakers available for home – designed to be added to your existing setups to support a height channel. 

I’ve included links for pricing in US and UK where possible to make it easier to check prices and availability. The UK has less selection available so UK prices are marked where there is a price to show.

Any prices I post now will change too often. I’ve also ranked these in order of best based on my extensive research. Best meaning sound quality, reviews and price. 

Something worth noting is the coverage area for up-firing speakers differs so if you have a large space to cover it’s worth noting what might not work for you.

---

15 Best Dolby Atmos Speakers List

1: ELAC Debut 2.0 A4.2 Dolby Atmos Modules

Our pick of the bunch. There is no doubt the Klipsch has some tasty models but price + looks + sound makes these a good overall great pick. A nice slimline profile that isn’t too flashy. The angle might require a small tweak depending on where you are sitting in the room i.e how far from the TV. A little shiv (just kidding, a fat coin or anything small might be enough) at the back will lift the angle slightly.

The ELAC also have a good coverage area. This is the overall area the speaker sound covers when bouncing off the roof. Our lounge is a little bigger and longer than most so the more sound coverage the better.

See more about the Elac Debut 2.0 A4.2

2: Sony SSCSE Dolby Atmos Enabled Speakers

Serious Contender: Coming through strong for a mainstream manufacturer. The Sony SSCSE win a lot of fans, being well priced and not unattractive at all. They are part of a complementary system from Sony but make a perfect stand-alone.

They are a similar size to the ELAC but have a slightly higher profile and slightly smaller coverage area. Personally, I’d like a lower profile but the angle of these is good.

See more about the Sony SSCSE Dolby Atmos Enabled Speakers

3: Pioneer SP-T22A-LR Add-on Speaker Modules

Designed for use with the  SP-FS52 and SP-BS22-LR but can be used anywhere. Might look odd on ill-fitting speakers and the rounded edges are a personal taste choice. These have quite a flat top so angle to taste, depending on the size of your room.

See more about the Pioneer SP-T22A-LR Add-on Speaker – by Andrew Jones

4: NHT Atmos Mini Add-On Speaker for Dolby Atmos

Be careful as this NHT Atmos Mini is a single unit item so you need to buy 2 unless otherwise stated. These have really great reviews so if NHT can just start selling 2 at a time, for a little less money, they’ll sell a hell of a lot more units I expect. They are surprisingly small but pack a punch.

The coverage area isn’t huge but as big as the Sony and many others on this list which is impressive. NHT have quite a bit of street cred and these are a popular unit.

These would be perfect for the top of my Concept 40 Q Acoustic speakers so it’s likely if the ELAC don’t sing, these will be next in line.

They also have wall mounting options which is great. Can be suspended up the wall above your floor standing speakers rather than on, and because of their smaller profile it is not an unattractive look.

See more here

5: Klipsch RP-140SA Dolby Atmos Speaker (Pair)

We’ve got these in our Home Theatre set up now so you can read the full review here

It’s Klipsch, it’s skinny but as you’ll see from this list, Klipsch has done a lot more in the Dolby atmos up-firing speaker line than most.

They sit at the top end overall for the category but as many audiophiles have a love of Klipsch for home theatre, these are an affordable luxury.

These are in that mid-range of not too expensive and not too cheap but still packing a solid punch.

See more about the Klipsch RP-140SA Dolby Atmos Speaker  

6: Onkyo SKH-410 Dolby Atmos-enabled Speaker

One of the first and most widely purchased units. These could be considered the cheap and cheerful but when you consider these are ambient speakers and not driving hardcore audiophile bliss, they are a great value!

A smaller box with a high stance, they will make a good choice for most floor standing partnerships. Personally, I’m looking for something that doesn’t stand so tall on top of my already tall floor standing speakers but on a budget, these are an absolutely winning choice.

See more about the Onkyo SKH-410 Dolby Atmos-Enabled Speaker

7: POLK Reserve R900 Height Speaker Modules

New for 2021 Polk are entering the Dolby Atmos space with a full 9 speaker line up that is the Polk Reserve range. Some very cool options in this line up and your spoiled for choice. Lightroom Presets Mod Apk

This is a premium range and the R900 height modules are designed to either be used on the wall or on the top of a tower speaker (or similar). These are Dolby Atmos licensed / DTS:X and have a cool switch on the back of the height speakers that allows you to choose whether you are using them on a wall (down firing) or on a tower speaker top.

These sit in the expensive range for sure. Polk obviously decided if they were going to do it, they were going to do it right.

See more about the Polk Reserve R900 Dolby Atmos Height Speakers

8: SVS Prime Elevation Speaker

SVS doesn’t take prisoners so if you like a full sounding smack in your face experience, even with your Dolby height speakers, then these might be your happy place. In fact, the whole Prime range of speakers from SVS are sublime.

These are without a doubt the most versatile Atmos, DTS:X®, Auro-3D® speaker in the range. They can be used as up-firing or down-firing speakers depending on where you place them in the room.

It’s important to note that these are not technically licensed Atmos Dolby speakers but they are still a great height speaker choice for Atmos and worth being in the list, in my opinion.

Two examples below:

If you buy a pair and wire them correctly then the SVS Prime Elevation can also be bipole or dipole speakers.

See more about the SVS Prime Elevation Speaker (Pair)

9: Definitive Technology A90 High-Performance Height Speaker Module

Getting more expensive here but a serious contender with Klipsch at the price point they sit at. The A90 have a different form factor and have a faithful following and a good choice for speakers for Atmos.

See more about the Definitive Technology A90 High-Performance Atmos Height Speaker

10: Klipsch RP-500SA Dolby Atmos Surround Sound Speakers

You only have to see the copper coil finish on the speaker cones to know they are Klipsch and know they are going to cost you a considerable amount of money. It’s hard to deny such attractive, impactful sound so if you have the budget – have at ’em.

See more about the Klipsch RP-500SA Dolby Atmos Surround Sound Speakers

11: Atlantic Technology Dolby Atmos Speakers

The price on these is for a pair of the 44-DA-P-BLK. This is a square unit, odd right? Atlantic has bucked the trend and gone with a square casing which houses a 5.25″ woofer and 1″ silk dome tweeter. Lots of fans for silk dome tweeters out there.

These things are not cheap but they certainly stand out as a great option for people who want to add the Atmos height speakers without having a triangle shape on their existing speakers. These units match better with most floor-standing speakers which are all rectangle or square. See image below:

12: PRESTIGE FACET 6ATM Dolby Atmos-enabled Speakers

Elipson is a French company who have a full Dolby Atmos 7.2.4 speaker set up in this Prestige Facet collection. The Facet 6ATM is the Dolby Height speaker in the collection and can be purchased separately.

The 6ATM can handle up to 70W and have a frequency response of 65Hz-25kHz.

The build quality and sound quality of the Elipson is really impressive and the package for the price is excellent. While not new the Elipson Prestige was originally released in 1970 and updated in 2016 it is still a strong choice especially if you are in the EU or UK.

You can purchase them direct from Elipson and they come in three finishes. Black lacquered, White and Walnut finish.

13: ONKYO Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers (2 units) D-309H

Another older unit with mixed feedback. The Onkyo SKH-410 seems to outsell this unit or has done over the past couple of years at least since launch. 6 Ohm with 80 watts of power, the price isn’t cheap enough currently to warrant a fresh look. Worth noting the price is for a pair.

The piano black high gloss finish is attractive and it has a 10cm driver and 1.2cm balance tweeter. I think these are a great looking unit weighing about 2.2kg. Would match my Concept 40 Q Acoustics nicely with the gloss.

See more about the ONKYO Dolby Atmos-enabled D-309H

14: KEF Q50a Dolby Atmos Speaker

This is the newest model from KEF that is definitely worth a look. The best part? They come in BLACK and WHITE. There are very few White Dolby Atmos speakers so these will definitely strike a chord with many audiophiles. Price is a little higher than some others but we love how these look. The price includes a pair.

Similar in core design to the KEF R50 but without all the shiny bits. While the Q50a is sonically matched to KEF speakers but as these are an ambient speaker they will pair with anything well enough. If the design of these isn’t enough to woo you, the sound will.

See more about the KEF Q50a Dolby Atmos Speaker

15: Klipsch R-41SA Dolby Atmos Speakers

A replacement for the R-14SA model this newer unit (released 2017) is current the choice for Klipsch Atmos upfiring sales. It’s currently top pick for Klipsch Atmos so that is usually a sign sales are going well.

The R-41SA has a 4″ driver, in spun copper as Klipsch is so known for. It also has a 1″ tweeter which is made from Aluminum and connected into a 90 x 90 horn. Handles a generous 100W of power and is fully Dolby certified, of course.

See more about the Klipsch R-41SA Dolby Atmos Speakers

16: Monitor Audio Bronze AMS Dolby Atmos® enabled Speaker 

New in 2020, the Monitor Audio Bronze AMS Atmos® enabled speaker comes in an attractive White and Black colour option. With a 60 watts rms power rating and a crossover at 2,500 Hz this is subtle enough and sharp enough to give you the Dolby height or upfiring audio you need.

While the Monitor Audio Bronze AMS atmos speaker is designed to pair nicely with the monitor audio bronze and silver range, it can also make a great partner with other floorstanding or bookshelf combinations.

I personally enjoyed the audio signal of the Silver 200 series (not as much as my Concept 40’s) and so you can expect these will provide similar speed and efficiency typical of Monitor Audio gear.

See more about the Monitor Audio Bronze Atmos height speaker

17: DALI ALTECO C-1 Height Speakers

Similar to the SVS Prime Elevation speakers the DALI ALTECO C-1 are not technically licensed but they have built a great height speaker with flexible options that are perfect for Atmos use. They are a little of a cross between an SVS Prime Elevation and a Klipsch RP-500 as it can be used as an up-firing speaker sitting on your existing front floorstanding units or on your back surrounds facing up.

The little switch on the front lets you switch between usage modes. If you want to use the speakers up high, positioned facing down just a switch change and you can mount them on the wall as front/back down-firing or back surrounds.

Your ATMOS enable amp will do all the pre-work and send these the signal they need. Also great for DTS-X and Auro-3D audio.

See more about the DALI ALTECO C-1

18: MartinLogan AFX Dolby Atmos Speakers

If you’re a MartinLogan fan then the AFX is where you might start when you’re looking for Atmos speakers. At first look, they seem huge like a subwoofer size, but they are still designed to sit on the top of your floor standing speakers at the front and/or back.

While designed for use with the Motion series (20, 40 etc) from MartinLogan you can use them as you like on other systems. They include a 4″ woofer and .75″ high end. I think these would also look OK on my Q Acoustic Concept 40’s as they have gloss black finish.

This AFX atmos height speaker is sold in pairs.

See more about the MartinLogan AFX Dolby Atmos Speaker

Dolby Atmos Floorstanding Speaker List

In addition to up-firing and ceiling atmos speakers there are more floorstanding Dolby atmos speakers coming to market and we expect 2021 to bring more of these to market.

• Klipsch R-625FA Atmos Floorstanding Speakers
• NHT Media Series Dolby Atmos Tower Speaker
• Pioneer Elite SP-EFS73 Andrew Jones Floor Standing Atmos Speaker
• Klipsch RP-8060 FA Dolby Atmos Floorstanding Speaker
• Focal Chora 826-D Dolby Atmos Floorstanding Speaker

Best Ceiling Speakers for Atmos

Ceiling speakers are great because can transmit high-quality sound from above. They can also enhance the surround sound for a more immersive audio experience.

However, they can be tricky to install because it would involve cutting holes in your ceiling.

If you own your house or you have permission to cut some holes in your ceiling, then here’s a list of ceiling speakers that will suit Atmos use.

• OSD 6.5 Angled Ceiling Dolby Atmos Speaker
• Micca M-8C 8 Inch 2-Way in-Ceiling in-Wall Speaker
• Klipsch R-1650-C In-Ceiling Speaker
• Polk Audio MC60 2-Way In-Ceiling 6.5″ Speaker

Dolby Atmos Speaker Set-Up

Once you have your add-on speakers and are ready to set them up then visit the Dolby Atmos set up page at Dolby.com, sit back and feel impressed by the ambient all-encompassing sounds.

https://www.dolby.com/us/en/speaker-setup-guides/index.html

FAQ

Conclusion

Quite a few choices but when you look at them a few stand out based on either form factor and size, or power output and area coverage.

We’ve chosen the ELAC 2.0 as our best of the bunch but as the Dolby Atmos speakers are mostly there to highlight ambient height sounds, it might really come down to what looks best on your floor standing speakers, or what is going to look best on your wall.

Questions? Fire them at us below in the comments.

Former Dobly Atmos speakers retired from this list

The KEF R50 seem to have passed quietly in to the night and been replaced with the better reviewed KEF Q50a Dolby Atmos speaker. It has been retired from the list now.

This post was last updated on 2024-11-14 / Some images from Amazon Product API & some links may be affiliate links which may earn us a commission from purchases.