Nakamichi Shockwafe soundbars, yes or no?

[Zoland2020]

I was thinking about upgrading my soundbar from the Vizio 38 2.0 Soundbar SB3820-C6 to either the Nakamichi Shockwafe Plus 5.2 soundbar or the Nakamichi Shockwafe Pro 7.1 soundbar (the new 2017 model), they have everything I need from HDMI passthrough with 4K & HDR to DTS decoding, even having DTS:X support which is real cool. Should I get one of them or just look elsewhere?

Here's some pictures of both models.
Attachment 189691
Nakamichi Shockwafe Pro 7.1 soundbar

Attachment 189692
Nakamichi Shockwafe Plus 5.2 soundbar

[tppytel]

I have the 2016 Shockwafe 7.1 Pro. Of course I received it literally days before Nakamichi announced the newer models, but I still absolutely love the bar and I think it's an unbeatable value for a clean and relatively inexpensive audio solution. Audio is well-defined, has a decent soundstage, and center channel dialog is clear. Bass feels fine too, though I don't go for overwhelming bass like some people do. However, you're still dealing with small, soundbar-sized drivers, so it might not be a great choice for a very large space. We have it in our 13'x15' family room, which is open on one side to a similar room. I've never had to max the volume completely, but I'm often just a couple clicks away.

Nakamichi occupies the same niche as Vizio's better models - soundbars with discrete rears connected via a wireless sub. I haven't had a Vizio in house to do a comparison, but reviewers have preferred the Nakamichi's audio. And the Vizio bars receive frequent complaints about flaky performance and crappy support. The Nakamichi works reliably and their support is beyond amazing. I know the Nakamichi support guy by name. He responded to an email on Thanksgiving evening within 60 minutes. I sent a more technical design query at one point and received a multi-page reply from the Nakamichi CEO with diagrams, charts, and references. Super impressive.

I think the only other competitor for the form factor is Samsung's HW-K950 Atmos bar, but at $1200 that's a whole different price class.

Do make sure you're looking at the right bar for your setup, as Nakamichi's naming is a little confusing. The old model is the "7.1 Pro", but it's really a 5.1 bar with discrete rears and two extra simulated channels in front. The newer "5.2 Plus" takes 5.1 input but lacks real discrete rears and simulates them instead. That's a big loss IMO. The newer 7.1, 7.2, and 9.2 DTS:X models all take true 7.1 input, but that also means you need space for the rears behind the listening area and not just off to the side like the old 7.1 Pro model. I'm not sure if they can be reconfigured for 5.1 speaker placement.

Hope that helps. I love my Nakamichi bar and am super impressed with the company. Totally recommended.

[Zoland2020]

Thanks @tppytel
It looks like the Nakamichi Shockwafe Pro 7.1 (the DTS:X model) it is, I hope to get my hands on it at least by March or April.

[tppytel]

Cool. If you remember to, post back here with your impressions when you get it. Nakamichi is an old company but only recently returned to higher-end gear and there aren't a ton of user reports out there.

Is this going in your bedroom like it says in your sig? Will you have space for the rear surrounds there?

[Zoland2020]

Originally Posted by tppytel

Cool. If you remember to, post back here with your impressions when you get it. Nakamichi is an old company but only recently returned to higher-end gear and there aren't a ton of user reports out there.

Is this going in your bedroom like it says in your sig? Will you have space for the rear surrounds there?

Yes, cause I'm going to wall mount the satellite speakers.

[atfree]

Been researching soundbars and have finally decided on the Nakamichi 7.1 Pro DTS:X



The biggest selling point for me is the 3 HDMI Inputs with 4k passthrough, HDR, and HDCP 2.2, with HDMI output with ARC. I can easily connect my Directv box and my BD player via HDMI, with ARC from my Vizio TV streaming apps.

It's also compatible with my Logitech Harmony Remote (I checked w/ Logitech and they have updated the software with Nakamichi codes).

It's gets very good reviews on Amazon and other tech sites as well, so I'm pretty confident I'll be happy.

Just got my 5 year anniversary reward at work (10 shares of stock), which I will be sold and paid to me on the 16th. Plan on ordering from Amazon that day.

[twobelowpar]

Originally Posted by atfree

Been researching soundbars and have finally decided on the Nakamichi 7.1 Pro DTS:X



The biggest selling point for me is the 3 HDMI Inputs with 4k passthrough, HDR, and HDCP 2.2, with HDMI output with ARC. I can easily connect my Directv box and my BD player via HDMI, with ARC from my Vizio TV streaming apps.

It's also compatible with my Logitech Harmony Remote (I checked w/ Logitech and they have updated the software with Nakamichi codes).

It's gets very good reviews on Amazon and other tech sites as well, so I'm pretty confident I'll be happy.

Just got my 5 year anniversary reward at work (10 shares of stock), which I will be sold and paid to me on the 16th. Plan on ordering from Amazon that day.

How do you like the soundbar?

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by twobelowpar

How do you like the soundbar?

he said he wasn't ordering it until the 16th.

[twobelowpar]

Don't mind me... derp!
haha

[atfree]

Originally Posted by twobelowpar

How do you like the soundbar?

Love it! Got it last week, have it connected as follows:

HDMI1 (ARC) to Vizio M-Series (used for streaming via Smartcast)
HDMI2 Directv Genie
HDMI3 LG UP875 4kk blu-ray players.

All the codes are in Logitech's database, so getting my Harmony One re-configured to the Nakamichi took literally 10 minutes.

Great sound. The side-firing speakers on the bar itself really gives the illusion of front surrounds. I have the sub next to the couch and the rear surrounds on bookcases behind the couch. The bar is pretty much configured out of the box, just needed to tweak volume on the speakers in the bar (center) and surrounds.

It is a very powerful system and the 4k passthrough is great and works fine. I've viewed several disks (new Silence of the Lambs BD, a couple Bond BD's, and Dunkirk BD), streamed some Netflix, and of course lots of TV programming.

So far, very pleased (Dunkirk BD was awesome on this system). System is powerful, I keep volume on about 35 for normal viewing.

I'd highly recommend it for anyone looking at a soundbar purchase. Just having the multiple HDMI inputs and 4k passthrough w/ HDR beats most soundbars I've seen.

[twobelowpar]

Does anyone familiar with Nakamichi think this model is comparable to the one atfree purchased? It is $150 less.

https://www.amazon.com/Nakamichi-Sho...nakamichi&th=1

[tppytel]

Originally Posted by twobelowpar

Does anyone familiar with Nakamichi think this model is comparable to the one atfree purchased? It is $150 less.

I own that one - I purchased it just before the newer models were announced. It's comparable, but the newer model includes some improvements - slightly beefier sub and sats, better remote, HDR pass-through, DTS-HD decoding, DTS:X upmixing, and an extra HDMI input. Also supposedly redesigned and improved drivers, but I'm not aware of any side-by-side reviews out there that assess the impact of that.

Only you can say how much an extra $150 on top of $500 matters to you. At that price range, it's a meaningful bump. I can say I still find the $500 2016 Pro to be terrific and I haven't felt any urge to upgrade it. Plus my wife would kill me. Given that I was buying it along with a $3000+ OLED at the time, I'd probably have gone ahead and bought the $650 DTS:X model had it been available. But for more modest TV setups, I think the $500 2016 Pro is still a terrific value.

[twobelowpar]

Originally Posted by tppytel

I own that one - I purchased it just before the newer models were announced. It's comparable, but the newer model includes some improvements - slightly beefier sub and sats, better remote, HDR pass-through, DTS-HD decoding, DTS:X upmixing, and an extra HDMI input. Also supposedly redesigned and improved drivers, but I'm not aware of any side-by-side reviews out there that assess the impact of that.

Only you can say how much an extra $150 on top of $500 matters to you. At that price range, it's a meaningful bump. I can say I still find the $500 2016 Pro to be terrific and I haven't felt any urge to upgrade it. Plus my wife would kill me. Given that I was buying it along with a $3000+ OLED at the time, I'd probably have gone ahead and bought the $650 DTS:X model had it been available. But for more modest TV setups, I think the $500 2016 Pro is still a terrific value.

Thank you for the feedback. Yes, the wife factor does play a role!!

[twobelowpar]

I have purchased the 7.1 Pro DTS:X model! Refurbished from Nakamichi.

[atfree]

Just FYI for owners of the 7.1 Pro DTS:x, 7.2 and 9.2 systems:

Nakamichi just announced their 2019 versions of these soundbars will include Dolby Atmos, and will passthrough Dolby Vision as well.

The big news is they will provide free firmware updates to current owners who register on their site so we can receive the updated firmware as well, free of charge.

https://www.nakamichi-usa.com/

[ReGenHar]

The new 2022 Nakamichi Shockwafe SSE Max models are out!


Nakamichi Shockwafe Pro 7.1.4 SSE Max


Nakamichi Shockwafe Elite 7.2.4 SSE Max


Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra 9.2.4 SSE Max


Here are some new features:

Speakers:
- Soundbar upgraded from 330W to 400W
- Rear Surrounds from 90W to 150W
- 4X2-Way Rear Speakers
- Extended range twin cone drivers
- Silk-dome sound effects tweeters
- Upgraded amplifiers

Subs:
- (Pro 7.1 model gets upgraded from the old 8" 180W to a 10" 300W)
- (Elite 7.2 model gets upgraded from two older 8" 370W to two new 8" totaling 450W)
- (Ultra 9.2 model gets upgraded from two older 10" 470W to two new 10" totaling 600W!)

Total Power:
- (Pro 7.1 upgraded from 600W to 850W)
- (Elite 7.2 upgraded from 800W to 1,000W)
- (Ultra 9.2 upgraded from 1,000W to 1,300W)

Connectivity:
- Upgraded support from HDMI ARC to HDMI eARC (allowing full lossless Dolby Atmos support vs compressed)
- HDCP support from 2.2 to 2.3
- Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD
- All matte black finish, removing the silver accents.

Just like their older models, there are three setups to choose from.