I'm a bit confused about some of the comments that I have read about the Nakamichi Shockwafe DTS:X Ultra 9.2 Soundbar. Firstly, my TV is similar to yours (although I don't know what year yours is - which is important.) I have the OLED55 E6P which is LG's 2016 4K 3D OLED - meaning it does NOT support Dolby Atmos. If you have the following year's model, it DOES support Dolby Atmos.) I also have a PS3, an older Sony 5.1 sound system, and I'm considering getting the Xbox One X to get support for Atmos.
Now, I was overjoyed when I read EVERYTHING about the Nakamichi 9.2 as it had everything in my price range that I wanted/needed - until I saw that it did not support Dolby Atmos. (And I agree with your comment that the Nakamichi 9.2 is more of a surround sound system than a soundbar.) The first quote below is from your review, and the 2nd one is from Tony Leotta's review in audioholics.com of Nov 8, 2017:
"I started testing out the system by playing my Mad Max: Fury Road Bluray. The movie combines the sounds of many engines, vehicles, gunfire, explosions and flying debris into a rich hemisphere of sound. Since it has Dolby Atmos, I was also curious to see how well the system could handle Atmos movies. And I was more than impressed. Despite not having support for Atmos, it actually performed better than my old Yamaha YSP-5600 Atmos soundbar. The Neural:X up-mixing the sound to 9.2ch and the 4 surround speakers more than make up for the lack of Atmos support."
LEOTTA:
"It would be unfortunate if some people just read the highlights when shopping soundbar systems looking for immersive sound labeling and move on to a likely inferior product just because it is labeled Dolby Atmos. We caution consumers not to fall into this trap at the risk of missing some potentially great products like that seem to get the basics right like this one does..."
Here is where my confusion comes in. As I understand it, Dolby Atmos and dts:x are two different ways to engineer or mix sound in a movie coming out of the studio for the theater and/or for the BluRay disc when mass distribution starts. The two different methods are produced by different companies and have different features. Some suggest that a "format war" will emerge over time wherein one will "win" over the other. Personally, I think dts:x is the better format, but the reality is that there are 5x more Atmos discs on the market than there are dts:x discs - so for that reason (& not because I have a 'shopping list' of indiscriminate "immersive sound labels"), I would like BOTH Atmos and dts:x.
As it relates to your quote, the underlined/highlighted part is what confuses me. How could the Nakamichi system "handle" the Atmos part of the Mad Max disc AT ALL when it is not engineered to process it?? I would assume that it would "handle" it the same way that my current system does, i.e., not at all. However, I do not want to miss a superior product because of a misunderstanding on my part. Given that you had what was once considered THE BEST sound bar of all, the Yamaha YSP-5600 Atmos-enabled soundbar (which I almost bought but stopped when I realized it would take up too much room), is what you are really saying is that the Nakamichi out-performs other systems (including those which support both Atmos and dts:x) because, "The Neural:X up-mixing the sound to 9.2ch and the 4 surround speakers more than make up for the lack of Atmos support." In other words, are you saying that the Atmos tracks are completely ignored by Nakamichi's systems but that this is irrelevant because all of the other components of the system more than compensate for that omission? Also, is there any part of you which wished the Nakamichi was enabled for BOTH Atmos and dts:x?
A third consumer reviewer wrote that, "The bass and surround effects this thing gives off make you forget about the occasional Atmos effect. It totally surrounds you with sound and if you place the speakers in the 9.2 configuration and have them high enough you will still get the Atmos effects only better in my opinion." Again, I don't think is just a matter of semantics. How can the listener get "the Atmos effects, only better" when the Nakamichi system is NOT engineered to pick up the Atmos format, and therefore is not capable of utilizing Atmos at all?
I have been sadly holding out for months now for a system just like Nakamichi's, but one that will enable both Atmos and dts:x content. I have even considered going back to an A/V receiver, speaker wire, installing speakers at ceiling level, etc. so that I can truly process a modified version of Dolby Atmos and dts:x (many A/V receivers currently support both). But I truly don't think my room configuration will lend itself to that, and I really don't want all that wire again.
Finally, if I was to buy this system, I am stuck with it since I live in Canada. It's hard enough to find a place that sells the Shockwafe 9.2 here, let alone one which will assist with Warranty issues, possible return issues for malfunctioning parts out-of-the-box, etc. You mentioned being very pleased with your interactions with Tech Support at Nakamichi. Could I bother you for their address or phone number?
If I knew I wasn't "wasting" the engineering of Dolby Atmos on all the the many blu-ray discs, past and future; AND, if I knew that Nakamichi's system can give me as good an immersive experience as those which enable BOTH Atmos and dts:x, I'd buy it tomorrow. I want this system primarily for movies, and what I want most in watching these movies is to feel as immersed in them as possible. In reading your review a third time, I think that's what you are actually saying, i.e., that the Nakamichi compensates for the loss of Atmos sound by adding other components which makes the immersion just as good. Correct?? Also, have you been able to listen to any streaming movies with 3D-enabled SOUND (on Netflix & YouTube), and if so, what was the experience like (and do you have the 2016 or 2017 version of LG's 4K OLED TV?)
Any thoughts from any other readers as to whether I should continue holding out?? Lastly, has anyone heard whether Nakamichi will be adding Atmos in future products? Many thanks!