Dolby Atmos soundbar with a reasonable price tag: the Panorama 3 from Bowers & Wilkins.
What if you wanted the sound quality of a Bowers & Wilkins speaker system, but without the exorbitant price tag? With the new Panorama 3 Dolby Atmos soundbar in mind, you need look no further.
With a price tag of $999 (£899 in the UK and €999 in Europe), the Panorama 3 is B&W’s most inexpensive soundbar ever. Because of its similar pricing to the Sonos Arc and the Bose Smart Soundbar 900, two of our top picks in our best soundbars list, it might be a wonderful companion to one of the finest televisions.
Despite the price decrease, B&W seems to be delivering significant specifications for movie and music aficionados with the third-generation Panorama, which is expected to cost roughly $2,200.
The Panorama 3 is the company’s first soundbar to incorporate a genuine Dolby Atmos decoder and processor, as well as a Dolby Digital and Dolby TrueHD audio decoder and processor.
Soundbar form has been re-imagined by Bower & Wilkins using forward-firing array of drive units in LCR (left, centre, right) arrangement. Twin 2-inch midrange drivers are paired with titanium-dome tweeters that are completely isolated from one other.
When it comes to bass, the Panorama 3’s dual 4-inch subwoofer drivers benefit from the higher acoustic volume of the cabinet to provide “deep and prolonged bass,” according to Bowers & Wilkins.
Each of the four midrange drive units receives 40W of power, while the two subwoofers each get an additional 40W, bringing the overall output of the amplifier to 400W.
Unlike the Panorama 2, which was panned for its bulk, the Panorama 3 is thin enough to fit on a table top in front of a TV without obscuring the bottom of the screen. Alternatively, the accompanying wall bracket may be used to attach it to the wall.
Simple ‘hidden until illuminated’ capacitive-touch buttons on the top surface of the Panorama 3 provide you quick access to your phone’s controls even if you don’t have your phone nearby. With Alexa integrated in, you can easily manage your listening preferences with only your voice.
The ARC/eARC HDMI that connects the Panorama 3 to a television makes connection straightforward. The sound from any other connected source may be shared, and it can be controlled by the remote control of a TV or satellite/cable box. The Panorama 3 has an optical digital input as well as the ability to learn the most often used TV remote controls.
Apple’s AirPlay 2 and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth, as well as Spotify Connect, are all on board for streaming music from mobile devices. B&W Music App support provides access to streaming services such as Deezer, Last.fm; Qobuz; Soundcloud; Tidal; and TuneIn; the list of services is expected to grow with the addition of B&W’s multi-room ecosystem via future firmware upgrades.
For a limited time, Bowers & Wilkins is offering the Panorama 3 in either black or white at certain retail locations. Until then, you may want to check out our list of the best budget soundbars. Source