My Full Dragon Review after 10 days
Unboxing: A+++
It took me about 10 minutes to pull down my 9.2.4 ARC system with rears all mounted on the walls. I had the Dragon together and powered up in maybe 10 minututes. I used some 38" plant tables to mount the rears because the Dragons ones were too short for my couch. A+++ absolutely the best experience you can have. This system can be installed in any room and immediately provide an ultimate experience.
My Room Configuration: C
My room is 16x16x9 and I live in a townhome with pretty thick walls. I'd rather have a house so I could blast this thing to full power occasionally but for the most part I'll be keeping it under 25 where I live. Since I can't feel comfortable flexing the dragon at any volume I'm rating my Room at a C. However, the dimensions are pretty optimal I believe as the system fits really well
Paired equipment: A
I have a Samsung QN85QN90B 85" TV and 2 media players (old KD links and nVidia Shield Pro) all source material is .mkv files contained on my 3 NAS's. I have an Ameriwood backlit entertainment center that fits the dragon perfectly and also has LED fireplace for mood lighting. I would say a nice bright picture in 85+ TV or larger projector would be highly desired to pair with the Dragon. Media must play things like TRUE HD, Atmos, DTS MA, using 2.1 HDMI.
Setup & Configuration: A-
Initial setup was pretty awesome, the bass seemed weird to me at 1st, but later I came to realize that my previous system was unbalanced and I got used to listening to too much muffly bass and not crisp precise bass coming out of the quad subs. After 20 or so movies, I'm really digging the precise bass that seems to pick up everything. Anyway, I had to tinker anyway, so I setup all my precise speaker distances, experimented with various loudness's on each speaker setup, singling out surround, height, bass, just to see how it altered the system. Ultimately, I'm now pretty close to the default currently. Rating A- as there could be better options for equalizer settings but overall, just about everything you can need is available via OSD and most directly on the remote. A- and hoping that more will be available via the Android app or future updates.
Remote/OSD/App: B
I liked the idea Caleb said with the OSD being an overlay so you could still be watching the picture, but not going to remove points for that, maybe the app will correct. (at time of this writing I'm still waiting on Android to be released). The rest of the OSD is a piece of cake, you really don't need the manual as each option tends to explain what it does right in the setup. The remote is nice, heavy and feels well-constructed. It has just about all the options you may want right at your fingertips and the presets work very well. I saw others complain about the remote not lighting until after you press a button. I agree that would be nice, but not a major flaw. Rating a B for now.
Media Experience in order of use.
Movies: A+
This was going to be the real meat and potatoes of the Dragon where it shines unlike any other system. As many others have mention ed the clarity of the dragon is 2nd to none. Every sound is reproduced with precise clarity on the Dragon, the bass will do whatever you ask it too (vibrate everything in your house or can be turned down to wherever you like) I saw a lot of threads on placement, and I have followed the advice but haven't really noticed much difference. I currently have the bass turned down a couple points in the OSD (this is not the same setting as on the remote) and that lets me crank it on the remote to the proper highs or lows I'm looking for. Content is definitely key and that just doesn't mean having a great track, it depends on how the movie was filmed/produced. Movies like Van Helsing and Tenet while having loads of sound and being great movies didn't really strike me as much as say Tron Legacy (sound everywhere and amazing bass), The Great Wall (the whooshing arrows and dragons running around tihought they were coming through the walls and ceiling), Dr Sleep (amazing parts when the spoke via telepathy, it really came from everywhere). The Boogeyman 2023 and Evil Dead Rise (great immersive sound effects ok movies).
TV shows: A
I've only been watching 1 show so far (Star Trek Strange New Worlds) and like movies I think the Dragon is remarkable with reproducing every sound with perfect clarity, booming bass, and very immersive effects. Depending on the source material the Dragon will do wonders. As I watch more shows I expect the Dragon to perform the same on TV as it does for movies. One caveat is that I usually watch TV shows later at night at lower volume and the immersiveness is much less at volume of 10 then when watching a movie at 15, 20 25... I tried to calibrate differently to adjust to this but really night mode (which I'm not usually a fan of) seems to be the best option. Kind of neat how you can do night mode 100% and 50%, I've never seen that before.
Music: B
I have 2 sources of music, a YouTube premium subscription (primary). I have to play with the settings more but traditional music (Metal, Rock, live concerts, pop) are plenty loud but I haven't found the right balance yet and actually enjoyed my muffly bass on my previously inferior system better. Now my current favorite type of music is EDM hardstyles. I listen to a lot of Q-dance, Sefa, Ran-D and this stuff was made for the dragon. I've pushed it to 80 so far and absolutely clarity, precision bass, the feeling like something in my house is gonna get broken if I don't turn it down. So since this is the type of music I listen to the most I'm giving the Dragon an B for this category, but I really need to do further investigating on more traditional music. I honestly don't listen to that much anymore.
GAMES
I haven't gamed in 20 years so can't review this
Overall Thoughts A-
This is pretty much what Nakamichi has advertised it as an "Enthusiast Home Surround System" That offers very simple ease of use and puts a powerhouse high end system in the hands of any consumer without the need to research components, compatibility, to put together a great AVR system. I think it's a waste of time comparing the Dragon to any current "sound bar" as they do not and cannot compete except at low volume, but I can't see any other sound bar out performing a movie theater or competing with a descent AVR system like the Dragon does. If you don't like it loud, and don't or can't (due to living in an apartment) turn the dragon up, then I would highly recommend getting a sound bar or something much less powerful. If you can't afford the now $3900 + tax of the dragon, but want something pretty good I'll look at the Nakamichi 9.2.4 EARC (check eBay for direct from manufacturer open box deals as low as $1100). If you want better individualized system with better effects the I'd do what people have been doing and buy your own components to setup an AVR system. The Dragon is for lazy people like me that was a simplified super performing surround system and don't mind paying for it. I got what I paid for, but the annoying 5 months waiting and shipping issues I give it an A-