Creative Technology came to CES 2016 with a soundbar whose 17 drivers are said to deliver an 11.2.4 Dolby Atmos soundfield via an array of up-firing and side-firing speakers.
The X-Fi Sonic Carrier, expected to be available in September, is priced at a suggested $5,000, but the company is offering lower presale prices starting at $1,750 for the first 100 preorders, with pre-order prices rising to $2,500 when preorders hit 600.
The 55-inch-wide soundbar features 11 front drivers, two side-firing drivers that deliver surround channels, four upward-firing drivers delivering four height channels, and a wireless subwoofer featuring two drivers. The 800-watt soundbar features 192kHz/24-bit high-resolution audio playback, streaming audio and video services, AirPlay, Googlecast, Miracast, Chromecast, DLNA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth, USB, and four HDMI 2.0a inputs.
Two other companies – Samsung and Philips — also came to CES to unveil Atmos soundbars. All will join Yamaha in the market.
