Nakamichi - DRAGON (8" Sub Configuration)

I got a Nakamichi and reboxed that shit immediately. Trash. Two sub gimmick bullshit. I'm convinced they bought tons of positive reviews. I'm sure there are paid actors in this thread speaking well on their behalf.

I just returned a Nakamichi Dragon (8" subs) and replaced it with a Samsung Q990D. The difference is night and day. I really wanted to love the Nakamichi, but I was seriously let down. The audio wasn’t clean, the Atmos effects weren’t that great, and the subwoofers started struggling quickly without even reaching a high volume. The Q990D’s atmos effects are just too good. The audio is crystal clear. You can hear everything (music, dialogue, sound effects, etc). And the subwoofer is amazing. I can’t even turn the volume up much because I’m afraid someone will file a noise complaint (I live in an apartment complex). Considering the Q990D only cost me $1,099, I’m really angry with Nakamichi now.

I went the other way, Dragon does need a lot of setup but damn it’s better than any system I’ve had. That includes Arc with 2x300s & Subs Q990D sounds about the same before and after tuning.

Experienced the Dragon in a enclosed sound space, in low to mid volume it very underwhelming you really have to turn it way up to experience it's "effects". The sound stage is wide but really have to be close to max volume to get the real surround Atmospheric feel, it's really intended for large dedicated rooms but in a small apartment where you don't want to disturb the neighbors it's completely incompatible.

Yes Nakamichi outperforms almost everyone even the Ambeo when it comes to a wide soundstage but if you don't have a huge dedicated theater room, it's completely unnecessary because it's very underwhelming on low to mid volume

Nakamichi Dragon is basically a theater quality soundbar that rivals independent dedicated speakers systems, the only downside is the price which range from 4500-5000.

The Dragon has to be really dialed in in order to shine. This requires manual room calibration, proper speaker placement, choosing the right eq settings for each channel as well as setting the proper subwoofer crossover point. When this is all done correctly, it sounds pretty amazing. It was good but not amazing when playing it as-is. Gotta go with what works best for you though

no. it's really good although it's bang for buck isn't the greatest

Nakamichi Dragon is the best right now but I dont have 4000 dollars for that. But yes I had the Q990D and currently have the Q990F and is great.

I have the Nakamichi Dragon and it's just about on par with my old discreet 7.1.4 setup. The only thing that is kind of lacking is height effects, but you're not going to get *good* heights with any soundbar.

There are some great sounding soundbars that *can* rival discreet setups, but they're generally astronomically expensive. I got a very good deal on the Nakamichi Dragon, and I've been loving it. And I only even thought about the thing because Linus said it was about 90% of the quality of his $15,000 setup.

Unfortunately, I don't have the room for a dedicated theater room, so my setup is a series of compromises. I value a larger TV over a better sound system. Simple at that. 90% of the time, it's YouTube or some 5.1 stream on the TV anyway, so I'm really not missing much. The Nakamichi Dragon soundbar I bought is grossly overpriced despite the deal I got on it, but it does do 3.1 very, very well for a soundbar.

I just got the Nakamichi Dragon which will pass through 4K120, but yes, I believe the newer Shockwafe 9.2 Ultra 9.2 SSE (black bezels) supports it as well. Honestly, as long as it has eARC, it should have HDMI 2.1 and should support it. Even my old Nakamichi 7.1 that I had a few years ago supported 4K120.

Just got mine 2 days ago and I love it

I have the dragon with 2 12 inch subwoofers in front and 2 8 inch subwoofers in the back in my basement and it sounds incredible. I have the Nakamichi shockwafe wireless 11.2.6 in my master bedroom and firmware update and it's the best bang for the buck sounds very good.

90% of people who complain about the dragon have literally never even heard it. Of the 10% that have, half of them it wasn't in their room after tuning. That leaves about 5% of owners who don't love the sound. I know 3 people with the dragon that are literally more than over the room with it. The overwhelming majority of user reviews on YouTube/the internet also love it. The price, and the original subs not performing to claimed standards are the only 2 real complaints for a soundbar system. But the subs aren't bad, and the 12s are insane. For the people that just don't like the sound, well sure. Freaking every single thing is subjective. But get over yourself with the baseless "dragon is trash" message. Its not. Its expensive, and at that price I wish it came with 12s instead.

The Nakamichi Dragon is my daily driver. I play Helldivers on the system for the surround sound, games and movies have never sounded better than this. Highly recommend it, as I believe Nakamichi is also running a sale on it right now.

I've had the Nakamichi Dragon for a while now. I always liked how powerful it sounds, especially after I added a 12" sub to it. That thing hits HARD. For some context i purchased Dragon after I decided to downsize from my previous house to a better location. Now living in an apartment, I had to find a setup that worked without driving my partner or my dog crazy. That said, it wasn’t perfect. The bass was a bit strong after integrating the 12” sub to the point that it kinda was overpowering the rest of the system. The soundstage was wide and height/surround effects were solid. Definitely better than other soundbars i’ve heard such as the Q990D and the Sonos Arc but the placement of objects around my listening area didn't feel as precise or sharp as I was expecting. Then this firmware upgrade dropped adding some new ‘AHD Ultra’ mode and yeah… I wasn’t expecting much, but it made a pretty noticeable difference. The update process overall took around 30 minutes, i made some food and i was ready to dive into the update. Thankfully, everything went smoothly…unlike some other recent updates I’ve read about online where people ran into some major and pretty annoying issues. Glad I didn’t have to deal with any of that. Right away, I noticed that the bass finally blends seamlessly with the rest of the system. It felt way more natural and tight, making the experience sound more cohesive. What really amazed me was how much the surround and height effects improved. It went from “eh, sounds are just kinda around me” to “woah, wait, that sound came from there.” Watched Gravity again after the update and damn, the difference was clear. The overhead effects finally felt real, and the airlock scene felt like it was closing in and locking me off instead of just sounding like it was happening around me. I’ve also been enjoying Helldivers 2 recently and thought that this would be the perfect game to test AHD Ultra. I’ve clocked in over 120 hours in the game on Dragon before the update and it was already lit but based on what i heard w Gravity, I was excited to hear the difference. Playing the game, it was like the battlefield replaced my walls. Turrets, grenades and gunshots had a satisfying depth, and the added details made it feel like I was even more connected to the game. Being able to tell where my fellow Helldivers and enemies were with the added surround detailing brought a whole new layer of immersion to the game. Anyway, that's just my two cents as a happy Dragon owner. It was already solid, but now it feels next level. If you're interested in one, I would highly recommend.

The AHD Ultra update has improved the experience of Dragon for me, which I didn’t even realize was possible short of adding more channels/speakers. I’m enjoying gaming, especially FPS and single player story driven games immensely, and swear I can hear details I didn’t catch before the update. Nakamichi should do a better job of publicizing this firmware upgrade, as it really turned the Dragon from a 9.5 to an 11 for me.

youll need a SW5 subwoofer to pair with the quads mate but if its bass what you want and surrounds too, theres the Nakamichi Dragon that rivals the sonos setup for the price, Altough the Nakamichi has dual driver in 2 subs included with the combo, sonos gives you one

No, you should be fine, it’s just whether you get one of the faulty bars that does happen occasionally which sucks to have to deal with. I demoed the Arc Ultra, Sony Quads and Nakamichi dragon by buying them and then kept the Quads, and then rebought the Arc Ultra for another room, but when I sent the dragon back from Amazon I had to pay a few hundred bucks for shipping because it was all in one box weighing at 140-160lbs. Even though it said free 30 day returns. Good luck with the Samsung as it’s highly recommended..

What guy said the soundstage was the weakest? I’m Comparing The new Shockwafe at $2277 vs the dragon at $3999, Obviously that’s with the 8” subs. Basically half price and never enough tech said Atmos is better, immersion is better and the subs are better on the Shockwafe! Maybe I’ll give it a try! I demoed the dragon and I liked things but disliked things more and overall to me it wasn’t worth it. Everyone is different and I’m sure the new subs are good, but only hitting 30hz for a $1500 sub is clearly not a good deal, it’s average at best. Many of the people touting these highly overpriced subs obviously have never heard real subs before, but if it makes you happy do it. I’m obviously not a Nakamichi hater or I wouldn’t consider demoing the new shockwafe, Watching NET say it’s better than the dragon with 8’s and basically half price, gave me a inkling to actually give it a try.

I’d agree with what @djsimmz said. I demoed the dragon and it was good, but I couldn’t get any overhead-spatial effects and the subs would die and bottom out and the noises it would make drove me insane. I myself have the Sony Quads and although their sub is also pretty bad, I still can’t believe how awesome its Atmos effects are. I also tried the arc ultra with era 300s and a gen 4 sub and I’d say that system does everything well. It was close but the Quads just wow me and I was sold. I would look at the Shockwafe with the 2 10” subs that is going for 2299-2499, as with the dragon and it’s chuffy 8” subs, I would need the 12” subs and I’m not paying 6 thousand for 2 12” subs that are not great. People, some of them say the 12”s are great and they are far from great, but this just shows how pitiful the 8”subs are. I would demo my Quads vs the new Shockwafe, but forget the dragon imo

Wait for holidays and then get the Sony Quads. They were $2499, then I got them on one of the big sale days for $1799, but now it’s up to $2600. IMO after demoing the Arc Ultra Ultimate Edition, Nakamichi dragon and Quads, the Quads gave me the best 360 degree sound with excellent Atmos performance for an upfiring system which I thought was a gimmick but damn they work wonders on these. There is the klipsch core300 that allows for a aftermarket sub which is great. The Marshall Heston 120 gets some pretty good reviews. So many different options

Nakamichi Dragon with (2) SVS 1000 Pro subs. And yes, you can modify the Dragon to accept other subs in case you're going to comment.

I have the Dragon, but it is modded with (2) SVS PB-1000 Pros, and let me tell you, whoever comes over and I play Godzilla Minus One, their jaws are on the floor. I originally was going to get the Sony Quads, but opted for the Dragon. The original 8" subs with the Dragon were weak, but the mod allowed me to add the SVS subs, and I never looked back.

Arc ultra is a good one overpriced for what u get but a good one. Sony quads are way overpriced for what u get. Q symphony is definitely not a gimmick you are soo wrong about that

I like the sound on the arc ultra better than the Sony quads it’s much crisper I don’t really know how to describe it. The absolute best deal on soundbar packages is by far Nakamichi right now. The dragon and shockwafe 11.2.6 are soo cheap right now for what u get. $1699 for the new wireless shockwafe is sooo good. The Nakamichi soundbars and bass are on a whole different level. You can get the dragon right now for $2200. If you haven’t heard a Nakamichi you really should I think you would really really like

The arc ultra is a great bar but by the time you get the sub and rear’s it’s pretty expensive. You can add more subs and speakers to the Arc ultra over time so that is awesome but by the time you get them all you could have bought a Nakamichi dragon or shockwafe 11.2.6 wireless system for less money and they will blow the Arc ultra away. You should really check out the shockwafe 11.2.6 right now it’s $1699 and you get 2 10in subs it’s $800 off right now

Nakamichi shockwafe earc. That one is a lot better for music

Nakamichi hands down makes the best systems. The new shockwafe is as good as the dragon also. Even the 9.2.4 earc is badass

1) PLEASE don't get separate discreet speakers and an expensive receiver you'll regret it as it will be over kill and occupy too much space with wires. 2) don't get theater quad or bar 9 I've heard both in an enclosed setting it's not as impressive as 3) second best option and best overall would be Q990F even tho you got a bravia cuz it's just the best 4) finally the best option is nakamichi dragon (any configuration as you choose on their official website)

Dragon is great! I personally don't think there's a soundbar that really does the anything similar to what it does. The Ambeo max is the closest comparison but that doesn't come with any subs or surrounds. Robinson's opinion is just his and his wifes and mine is also just my own. I had a more detailed review on it i posted a while back in this subreddit if you wanted to take a look.

100% Agreed. I have the original 8" system and added two 12"s. System is way above everything else in the soundbar category hands down.

Yeah it's not bad. The Nakamichi DRAGON is blew me away.

You talking about this? https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/nakamichi-dragon-1146 It's 3 times the price of the Samsung and the review isn't exactly glowing. Appreciate it depends on that you are looking for. If bass is your primary consideration agreed the sanding probably isn't the best, but saying that I've tried both klipsch and JBL with 10 inch subs and actually thought the bass output on both was worse than the Sammy and the soundbars that went with them were worlds away from it.

We've reviewed it! And the newer Nakamichi Shockwafe Wireless too.

If you want pure raw power, the Dragon. The AMT tweeters are fantastic. It gets LOUD. The stock subs are something to be desired and the cost to upgrade to the new subs is questionable. But at least its modular and you have that option. I personally wouldn't go with the Dragon. Wait for a V2 refresh. Especially for the cost. Going Shockwafe wireless is the best route. It's very close in sound but not modular and I believe you can only use the stock subs. Here are some positive reviews I found on it: [Nakamichi Shockwafe Wireless 11.2.6 Soundbar System Review](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCg85wOPFvc&ab_channel=HatoraidCowboyCinema) [Nakamichi Shockwafe Wireless 11.2.6 (Full Review)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSvy38wElik&ab_channel=NeverEnoughTech)

Nakamichi released a new update for the Dragon that includes the Adaptive Height Dispersion Ultra which apparently helped a lot with atmos / overhead effects. The Shockwafe wireless already has it built in. I still think the Shockwafe may be the way to go especially if you have no intention on adding the new subs to the Dragon.

Nakamichi Dragon. The last soundbar you'll ever need.

Nakamichi Dragon. Hands down. The last soundbar you'll ever need.

Nakamichi dragon for that good sound with proper bass or Sonos for that cleaner sound. Bro that budget is wild. Are you building a home theater?

If money isn't an issue and you want the best, Nakamishi Dragon is a must. I have the Sonos arc, 2 of 300 era rear speakers, and 2 sonos subwoofers gen 3. I feel like the details come out a little muddy sometimes, the fact that there is no DTS support which is higher bit than Dolby, and only 1 hdmi port is where it's lacking. The subwoofers are great, but a traditional subwoofers will likely hit better at certain frequencies. Don't get me wrong it's a great set up and can turn your whole house into a smart speaker system if you want to add to the sonos collection over time, but I feel like after a few updates they might have changed the sound to be a bit muddy in my opinion to push for their sonos arc ultra and they have deeply discounted the original arc for that reason, but that's just what I believe.

Quads has a better Front sound stage and the Dragon has a better bass any day . But for a all in one set up you might go for Quads , Won't disappoint you for sure .

My brother has the Dragon, and I don't exagerrate when I say listening to it is a mindblowing experience. For what it's worth, Dragon's going for under $3k on Nak's site, and they have a pretty generous return window. Why not give it a whirl and see for yourself, instead of taking some reviewer's word for it?

I second the Dragon. I have the system with 2 8-inch subs and I added one 12-inch sub, and it is in a 12 x 14 room. Unbelievable! Dune, Godzilla x Kong, the Batmobile scene in The Batman all showcase the "sound bubble" with ample bass! It's the best home theater decision I've ever made (I don't have room nor the patience for separates).

Not close! None of those systems has house shattering bass that you can feel reverberating through your chest!!

Have you heard one? Who cares about value? Someone who gets Dragon wants the best htib!! Samsung doesn’t compare, sorry! How’s those bricked 990s doing? Also, you’re lucky if the Samsung gets louder than 90 db, dragon hits 115db easily! You think that Samsung will fill a 30’ x 30’ room?

…who wants the wires and associated headaches of a dedicated system? You missed the point again. Home theater in a box!!! Dragon is next level when compared to any other soundbar you mentioned. Again, you haven’t heard the system, so your opinion is worthless. Thank you!

Dragon 11.4.6 with 12s>shockwave wireless 11.2.6>everything else

Yeah, probably not! This system is lacking surrounds and subwoofers. 5.1.2? You know my dragon has 4 subs? Two of them weigh 90lbs each! It provides a real gut punch that none of the others can ever come close to! Thanks for playing! Edit: dragon gets louder with an output of 115db vs 105 for the contender!!

I guess until you get surrounds, it’s not even close! If you want comparisons, the unit isn’t there yet. The thing is, the subwoofers that are offered by nak are in a different class than cheaper alternatives! It is what it is…as it is…my dragon crushes!!! Me thinks you would agree if you attended a movie night at my house. When dragon goes on sale, the kef isn’t a thought at all! For $2499, you could have the full dragons with 8s. Not a comparison until you can actually do 11.2.6 with the kef. Seems like that isn’t happening till later, not a competitor.

The others don’t compare to Dragon running 12s. The guy that said the soundstage was weakest is full of shit. I don’t know how you call 115db from a sound system weak… lol Since dragon has received the firmware update with the ultra atmos calibration, there really isn’t much that competes with dragon until you get separates which kinda defeats the home theater in a box quest.

Dragon received a firmware update that fixes these issues. Add the 12” subs and nothing compares in that price point. Nothing but chest rattling bass with supreme atmos effects.

lol…. That doesn’t even close the gap! The soundbar and surrounds are 1/2 as loud. You might make up for the lows with the Svs, but you’re still not getting close to dragon with this setup. What else you have in mind?

Nice, I’m assuming you haven’t heard Dragon with the latest firmware and the 2 12” sub combo? Until you hear it yourself, you really don’t know, do you? Do yourself a favor and listen to it. You’ll find with some simple setup, you don’t need the calibrating software. It makes it easier, but are you saying it’s too hard to pull out a 25’ tape measure? Every time someone says Dragon is brash, that tells me that that reviewer wasn’t smart enough to turn the DSP off. lol You say loud doesn’t matter, well I say a solid, clear 115db of volume isn’t something that anything you’ve recommended can produce. There is simply nothing like this level of sound and nothing compares. If you have half a brain cell, you can tune Dragon to your liking. To think you can’t kinda makes your hatred for the system rather obvious. Cheers

I listened to the Dragon in someone's home that was gushing about it and that was basically my experience as well. It was loud and in your face. 98% of people seem to be wowed by loudness or shrillness (treble) and believe it to be an indication of quality or accuracy.

That Nakamishi Dragon soundbar system is freaking incredible. Expensive but you aren't getting a better soundbar setup from any other company.

Not true. Their newer soundbars are excellent. I have two different Shockwafe eARC models and they are a lot better than pretty much all comparable systems from Samsung, LG, Vizio, TCL, and a bunch of others I've been through. I bought and returned probably 7 or 8 soundbars including the highly rated Samsung 990. The only ones I didn't return are the Vizio M512a-h6 which I kept because they were the best out of that bunch. All the rest of them were pieces of crap. Eventually I upgraded from the Vizios to the Nakamichis and never looked back. I still have the Vizios stored in a closet just in case. The most recent ones like the Dragon and the Shockwafe Wireless are incredible. That said, sure, a well matched system of AVR and separate speakers can sound better but they are also more expensive and not always physically possible to place in some rooms.

Not true. Their newer soundbars are excellent. I have two different Shockwafe eARC models and they are a lot better than pretty much all comparable systems from Samsung, LG, Vizio, TCL, and a bunch of others I've been through. I bought and returned probably 7 or 8 soundbars including the highly rated Samsung 990. The only ones I didn't return are the Vizio M512a-h6 which I kept because they were the best out of that bunch. All the rest of them were pieces of crap. Eventually I upgraded from the Vizios to the Nakamichis and never looked back. I still have the Vizios stored in a closet just in case. The most recent ones like the Dragon and the Shockwafe Wireless are incredible. That said, sure, a well matched system of AVR and separate speakers can sound better but they are also more expensive and not always physically possible to place in some rooms.

Absolutely the opposite. The Dragon system calibration is ridiculously detailed. It just needs to be done manually on screen which is fine. In my old HT system which used Audyssey, I still had to fine tune the calibration. The atmos from it is much better than the Samsung 990D that I own.

Also, the level of detail in sound is really good. If people think the soundbar part is in their face, then calibrate it.

They do have three different room size presets. Calibration is easy.

The dragon will immerse very well in a room that size. We have a bigger room and it fully fills it no problem and sounds way better than our q990d. We have 2 dragon 12” subs in the front and the 8s in the rear. The number of best seats in the house is many.

I own both. The dragon is head and shoulders better. Q990 is fine for a small to medium size room. In a large room, the dragon is still solid.

If it’s true what they say that more expensive is more better, then NAKAMICHI DRAGON ALL THE WAY

Don't listen to that guy in specs. In fact, much of it makes me seriously question his expertise with audio. Especially the part where he criticizes the main unit for its crossover choices. All soundbars that are designed to be used in conjunction with a subwoofer out of the box will naturally have a crossover point that's higher (from 150Hz) onwards. The reason for that is because soundbars, in the grand scheme of things, use pretty small drivers. [https://www.svsound.com/blogs/subwoofer-setup-and-tuning/tips-for-setting-the-proper-crossover-frequency-for-a-subwoofer](https://www.svsound.com/blogs/subwoofer-setup-and-tuning/tips-for-setting-the-proper-crossover-frequency-for-a-subwoofer) It is simply much more efficient for the subwoofer to take on what is generally referred to as the midbass frequencies. I have the original DRAGON at home. Recently added the 12" Subwoofer to it, but that's not a must. The dual-opposing subwoofers are weighty and seamlessly integrate with the rest of the soundbar/surround speakers. The AMT tweeters are clearer than anything else i've experienced. Compared to listening to a 990 or Sonos Arc, its almost like taking a wad of tissue out of your ears. The clarity is that spectacular. The 12" Subwoofer is meaty and takes DRAGON to the next level in terms of impact. Way beyond anything else the soundbar category has - including the sonos arc ultra with external subs. Try it within your return window. Then listen to the demos in stores for any of the alternatives.... You'll likely never want to return it. If I would buy again, I would splurge on their dual 12" model. Should be more than enough for 99% of people, really.

Can't speak for the hisense, but for the rest soundbars mentioned, these were designed to be used on their own, with an optional sub purchase. Those use woofers/subwoofers so they can go with a lower crossover. Even that is a debatable solution actually. With that approach, the woofers on the soundbar in effect, are playing both mid bass and mid frequncies. That'll at least, affect the max volume output the soundbar unit is capable of, and at worst, I'd think it'll muddle up the mid frequncies if not tuned with lots of care. Since the small drivers have more power hungry frequencies to take care of. The dragon's soundbar can't be purchased on its own, so nak seems to have gone a different approach, driver choice wise. i'm pretty certain the Samsung 990, LGs, and JBLs which come with an external sub out of the box utilize a higher crossover, since their soundbar driver config doesn't seem to include subwoofers. Yeah the 120-150hz range is where things will sound localized with a single sub. In experience The dragon doesn't have this issue since it always comes with 2 subs. I placed mine on the front left/right, as they recommend, and I used a subwoofer crawl to optimise the positioning against the wall. But yes, this higher crossover approach won't work well for almost any other soundbar in the market, since those only come with a single subwoofer box

Just go with an LG OLED and samsung s990D. You'll get Dolby Vision and have 4k/120 passthrough. Only the Dragon has 2.1 with 4k/120

Nakamichi Dragon - amazing sound system

I have the dragon, and it sounds incredible. It was spendy, but I'm glad I got it. Best out of the box home theater I've ever heard. I've heard great things about the theater quad, too.

The dragons not trash, and it's more than loud. The bubble it creates is wonderful. The pinpoint sound placement is great.

Nakamichi Dragonsound system .. it's expensive, but it's fantastic