Vizio's Dolby Atmos home theater speakers arrive starting at $500

You have to pay if you want room-shaking Dolby Atmos vertical surround sound, even if you're looking at value brands. Vizio has revealed pricing and availability for its upward-firing home theater systems, and the cheapest is the $500, 36-inch 5.1.2 home theater system. The 46-inch 3.1.2 and 5.1.4 models, meanwhile, will cost you $800 and $1,000 respectively.

The speakers reflect sound off of the ceiling, making for a more faithful and subtle listening experience. You also get the usual benefits of Dolby Atmos, like sounds that seem to come from a specific place in the room. Vizio said while engineered to please audiophiles, the speakers relatively easy to set up compared to other systems, thanks to the built-in amplifiers. They also have Google Chromecast built in, making it a breeze to stream audio on top of video.

While $1,000 might seem a lot for a 5.1.4 surround sound system (it is), it's less than you'd pay for comparable systems from Sony, Samsung and others. The $500 36-inch model is now available at Best Buy, Costco and Sam's Club, while the 46-inch models arrive later this year at Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart.