Nakamichi Shockwafe Pro Review: A Powerful 7.1 Channel Home Theater Surround Sound System

Last updated on 2022-09-19
By Yvonne

Nakamichi Shockwafe Pro Review - A powerful 7.1 channel home theater surround sound system. We tested the Nakamichi Shockwafe Pro. It is a huge, powerful, and versatile home theatre surround sound system. This system is one of our favorites, with a subwoofer wireless and rear speakers. It supports many standards including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and more.

Nakamichi Shockwafe Pro 7.1 DTS:X Soundbar

We like this

Amazing surround sound simulation using elevation
Powerful audio output
Uses the most recent sound standards
Does 4K HDR pass-through and DolbyVision
Remote control with backlit display
Three HDMI inputs, and one HDMI output (ARC).
You only need to tweak the preset sound profiles for best results.
Hardware for mounting included

The Things We Hate

To unlock its full capabilities, it requires a firmware upgrade
Firmware upgrade is not possible without a USB stick
Extreme aesthetics can be a little extreme
The subwoofers are really big
There are no apps or automated methods to optimize your sound.
There is no template to mount the rear speakers

Nakamichi Shockwafe Pro, a powerful home theatre audio system with 7.1 channels. The system features a large central speaker, two 2-way speakers at the rear and a subwoofer that creates a stunning aesthetic as well as a truly immersive surround sound. The system's many features make it a great choice for pairing with large TVs and other set-top boxes.

This article explains

Design
Installation
Sound Quality
Prices
Concurrence
Final Verdict
Specifications

The Nakamichi Shockwafe Pro was purchased to allow our expert reviewer to thoroughly evaluate and test it. Continue reading to see our complete product review.

It's difficult to achieve good sound from the built-in speakers due to today's slim profile big screen TVs. Although TV speakers can simulate surround sound, they are limited in their capabilities, especially without the bass-heavy punch that a separate subwoofer provides. A separate surround sound system is a great way to improve sound quality and achieve the same dynamic range as 4K television picture quality.

Even though single-soundbar options are generally cheaper than TVs with built-in speakers for audio, theater-like sound quality is still possible with a system that has discrete rear and front speakers as well as a subwoofer. These setups can make a huge difference in the sound quality, even though they are more expensive.

To find out if the Nakamichi Shockwafe Pro meets home theatre enthusiasts' needs, we tested it.

Design: Big sound, big design

Bold styling makes the Shockwafe Pro a great addition to any room, especially if it has a 55-inch or larger TV. You should aim for at least 9ft between the seat and center soundbar. However, as with any recommendations regarding distance and positioning, tighter spaces will likely yield better results.

It is 45.5 inches in width. The soundbar at the center, meant to be below the TV, has approximately 3 feet clearance on each side. The soundbar's sharp angles and black color remind us of Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter.

Subwoofers are located at the same end as soundbars and should be placed no more than 5 feet from the listener's area. They have a black-colored, all-wood design. The subwoofer is massive at 19 lbs, over 20 inches high, 9.5 inch wide and 12 inch deep. It has a simple design, which is a rectangle on top of an elevated, small and angled base. The superior sound quality and materials of this large design make it clear, although it is important to consider how much room you will need.

These satellite pair speakers should go to your ear, directly in front of you. The silver case accents the black speaker grill and mirrors the look of the soundbar's satellites. These speakers are sure to stand out regardless of where you place them. This is due both to their chunky design as well as the fact they are tall.

The included remote control is as robust and durable as the components of the sound system. The remote control is nearly nine inches in length and has 52 buttons. It also features a button that can be used for almost every feature and function. The button layout of the remote is easy to use, and it is well balanced. The soft, red backlight activates when a key is pressed. It helps to find the correct button even in dark rooms.

Setting up: It is important to plan.

It's obvious that the Shockwafe Pro system is large. The box measures four feet in length. Although one person could probably handle unpacking the Shockwafe Pro, it was much more manageable with two.

You also receive a soundbar and wireless subwoofer as well as two rear speakers. The soundbar power adapter, AC cable and subwoofer power cables are all 5 feet long. There is also a 5-foot long HDMI cable and two 3-2.8-foot long satellite speaker cables. A total of 12 screws and brackets are included. Two soundbar mounting screws are provided, as well as four satellite speaker mounting screw. Six soundbar and satellite mount brackets are available. Also, a user guide and warranty.

It doesn't matter if you don't plan to wall-mount or use any additional cables with the Shockwafe Pro components. However, it is nice that almost everything that you need is provided. This is another example of thoughtful design, which is a hallmark for the whole system.

It's obvious that the Shockwafe Pro system is large. The box measures four feet in length.

Although hooking up your system is simple enough, you will need to carefully plan the connections, especially if there are multiple set-top boxes. The test area, which was a basement rec space, is comprised of a 70-inch TV, several game consoles and various audio and display standards compatible devices.

We used our setup to plug an HDMI cable into the soundbar's HDMI 1 1. Then, we connected the Nvidia Shield TV, Sony PlayStation 4 Pro and Microsoft Xbox One X to the soundbar's HDMI OUT 1, 2, 3 and 4. It ensures high-quality streaming devices and gaming consoles are available to the soundbar's HDMI OUT 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The HDMI switch box was then connected to HDMI 2, which is the HDMI port on our TV. They don't allow for anything other than basic surround sound.

We were ready and able to update Shockwafe Pro firmware with everything connected. Despite everything being included in the package, no USB stick was provided. Although we had a USB stick, it was a good thing to remember that the firmware update (available here with instructions) is the only way you can unlock the most recent features including Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. We were ready to listen after following the steps, which involved disconnecting HDMI cables and resetting soundbar.

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Sound Quality: Immersive, premium audio

Optimizing the Shockwafe Pro for all audio formats and with the need to transmit the highest quality video to the TV could be a challenge. Nakamichi has created an easy reference list that can be used to set the optimal audio-visual settings on a range of devices. The reference list included all the devices that were used in our testing room and every device in our home.

After adjusting the settings, we inserted our Blu-ray Dolby atmos demo disc in our Xbox One X for our primary test. We expected excellent audio, and we already have surround sound systems that we like. However, the Shockwafe Pro's seven demos were so immersive we couldn't believe our ears. It was loud and clear with a deep, rich bass. It is an illusion that creates a surround sound and great demonstration of Dolby Atmos' potential.

Similar results were achieved with our other top-of-the-line boxes. The sound was great whether you were watching Netflix or listening to Spotify music, and there weren't any noticeable drops in volume.

These seven demos were so immersive that we couldn't believe our ears on the Shockwafe Pro.

Nakamichi also provides reference scenes from movies and shows that can be found on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or iTunes Store. This is a nice addition and another example of the way Nakamichi truly supports great customer experiences with their products. These scenes were also a delight to us and we will keep them for future guests.

The system was also relocated to the family room where the rear speakers were wall-mounted. The included hardware made this easy, however, there wasn't a mounting template for the center soundbar. This meant that there had to be more double-checking and measuring.

We found that the Small Room profile worked better than the Large Room profile for our basement den. Although there is no way to automate optimizations, either via the Soundbar or through an app using the Shockwafe Pro. However, the presets are able to do a good job. You can adjust each component's volume manually, but we did not find this necessary except for occasionally decreasing the subwoofer volume.

Clear dialog and rousing music are just a few of the many things Nakamichi did with this Shockwafe Pro.

Price: Great value

The Shockwafe Pro is a great value at $650. This price will be lower than other brands. Although the Nakamichi brand is not as well-known as brands like Bose and Samsung, Klipsch and Klipsch may be more easily recognized, this audio company has audio products that are in an entirely different league. It's worth it if you have the space to accommodate such a large system.

Shockwafe Pro offers an amazing feature-set for a much lower price than other manufacturers.

Competiton: While you can spend more, you don't necessarily get more

Nakamichi Shockwafe Pro 7.7ch 400W: If you live in a small space or don't require as much power, the 400W version of this setup is $200 cheaper.

Samsung W-N950 Soundbar The Samsung HWN950 is a slimmer alternative to Nakamichi’s setup of 512W. There are even some nice app features and Alexa integration with Samsung's Harman/Kardon-powered soundbar, although you do give up some HDMI inputs versus the Shockwafe Pro. The HW-N950 is often available for less than half the price, and it costs $1700.

Nakamichi Shockwafe U 9.2.4ch 1000W If 600W is not sufficient, Nakamichi offers a powerful 1000W version that includes a second subwoofer. This $1300 surround sound system is a powerful and impressive investment.

Final Verdict

A powerful and feature-rich surround sound system, the Nakamichi Shockwafe Pro can be purchased at a fair price.

Shockwafe Pro can be large in both its size and sound quality. While it lacks certain features, Nakamichi simplified the use of their surround sound system without sacrificing quality or features. You won't find any better surround sound system at a lower price point if you're okay with the unique look of these speakers, as well as their subwoofer and rear speakers.

Specifications

Product Name Shockwafe Pro 7.1 DTS:X Soundbar
Nakamichi Product Brand
UPC 087276331065
Prices from $650.00
Weighing 7.3 pounds
Product dimensions 48.2x14.8x17.8in
Soundbar specifications 6 x 2.5 inches Full Range Drive, 2x1 inch High Frequency Speaker
Dimensions of Subwoofer: 9.5x12.0x20.5inches
Subwoofer weight 19.0 lbs
Details for Subwoofers 1 x 8-inch Down-firing Subwoofer
Rear Speakers (each): 5.0x5.4x8.0inches
Total Speaker Drivers 13 Drivers
Loudness: 105dB SPL
Total power 600W
Power Output Soundbar: 330W Rear Surrounds: 90W Subwoofer: 180W
Frequency Response 35Hz - 22kHz
Audio Processor Quad Core Cirrus Logic Chipset With SSE Enhancement Technology
HDMI Out, HDMI (ARC), Out, Optical in, Coaxial Out, 3.5mm Analog, USB Type A
Bluetooth Version 4.1 and aptX
Sound Mode Movie, Music, Game, Sports, News, Clear Voice, Night, DSP Off
Surround Level Controls Side Surround Level, Rear Surround Level, Surround L&R Balance
Remote Control Remote Control 52-key Backlit Remote Controller with AAA Batteries