I tried to do some basic channel calibration with my new 7.1 bar (3.3 firmware) tonight using an inexpensive sound meter and I wasn't thrilled.
I had time to test a variety of content today. While I'm still not thrilled with the center running +5 dBA over the other channels on test tones (on the lowest center setting), it doesn't sound objectionable in actual content. (For reference, this is the 7.1 on 3.3 firmware in an approximately 12' x 15' room with the screen on the long wall, open on one side... so sort of small/medium.) Testing with the included Atmos demo disc and some modern action movies (e.g. Mad Max in TrueHD/Atmos) sounded great with Room Size = Medium, SSE=2, and Dolby or NeuralX upmixing. Quieter, more dialogue-oriented movies (e.g. BlacKkKlansman) also sounded fine and natural with those settings. Somewhat older (80's/90's) films (e.g. Blade Runner) felt a bit too expansive/active on SSE=2. SSE=1 felt more appropriate to the film's era. Older, pre-surround films I usually prefer to hear in stereo or mono as appropriate, so I switched to Native there. Stereo films sounded fine, while old mono films sounded a bit blown out - perhaps due to the high center channel? But taking the volume down a few notches helped. Volume = 54 put the levels in my room around 75 dBA (80 dBA center), with mono films sounding better at Vol = 50.
I still have the sub set to the default 07. That doesn't sound objectionable, though I may still drop it a notch. The single sub fills up our modest room rather well. I'm happy not spending an extra $300 for another sub in the 7.2, but it depends on your tastes in movies - we don't watch a ton of action films here. I can see how an extra sub could be more immersive.
Overall, it's awfully hard to complain about the system's sound quality for less than $600 out the door and the general convenience of the form factor. I very much doubt I could build a 5.1 AVR system that would sound so good, not to mention the hassle of wiring and adding another remote control or CEC annoyance. Compared to the old 2016 7.1 bar, there's a notable increase in detail and sound stage that I don't *think* is just confirmation bias. It sounds great and I didn't observe any distortions/bugs/glitches. That being said, I was really only testing with my Oppo and Plex on my Shield - we don't stream a lot on our main TV, so there may be some problems with streaming services as others describe.
Question
#1 - Does SSE do anything if you're not upmixing? For example, if I'm playing 5.1 DD/DTS on Native, does it matter what SSE setting I pick? I tested a little bit but couldn't hear anything obvious. It would make sense if this setting only mattered on upmixed content that would really use all the speakers.
Question
#2 - Does Dynamic Range Compression (Night Mode) operate independently of the other upmixing/SSE settings? And, if I understand the manual correctly, it only applies to AC3/EAC3/TrueHD/DTS:X content, not PCM or DTS? I vaguely remember there are some DRC controls built in to the Dolby codecs natively, but it would be nice if the bar could at least do something similar with PCM.
(I'll ask the above questions to Naka as well.)
Complaint - I like that the bar includes two user-customizable "favorites" presets (I wish our family car had those), but it's really stupid how few settings those apply to. They basically only save the volume and speaker balance settings - the former of which is easy to change with the TV remote and the latter of which probably don't need to change at all. I had hoped to have one setting for modern surround movies with upmixing and SSE and another one for old-school movies with Native mode and no SSE. But the upmixing mode and SSE aren't saved in the user favorites. That seems really dumb and easily fixable.