Dolby Atmos For Home Theater Explained

[shadyJ]

I really like the idea of Atmos, but the implementation of Home Atmos so far is pretty disappointing. I really want it to succeed, but the worse the implementation, the less likely success will be. The Pioneer speakers raised enough questions as it is, but the Onkyo and Deftech speakers look like travesties. This isn't going how I had hoped.

 

[GranteedEV]

Notice the proposed Atmos speaker diagram attached. See how the driver is recessed into the baffle. We can't help but wonder how they are dealing with diffraction issues caused by this approach so it will be interesting to pull some measurements once review samples become available.

Well, a bit of felt might do wonders for the diffraction. The interesting thing about diffraction is that it's seriously reduced by a beaming driver, which that mid is probably doing. Even the difference in diffraction between a 1" tweeter and 3/4" tweeter in the treble can be notable, all-else equal.

I ain't defending it or anything fwiw. I think it's totally ridiculous too.

But eh, if that's all it takes to get to Atmos, then let's all stock up on scanspeak 10Fs and jerry-rig them in

 

[RichB]

It's hard to stay impartial when you look at how ridiculous this is

Atmos should be targeted at for high-end HT, but to get numbers they need to find an larger market, thus the need to find a value market.

If you have a system with high-end speakers, these add-on and top-firing drivers are a complete mismatch.
I cannot find a way to say that on AVS without sounding like a complete jerk

- Rich

 

[Cos]

Atmos should be targeted at for high-end HT, but to get numbers they need to find an larger market, thus the need to find a value market.

If you have a system with high-end speakers, these add-on and top-firing drivers are a complete mismatch.
I cannot find a way to say that on AVS without sounding like a complete jerk

- Rich

I am way behind on my basement remodel, but it will finally be starting September 1st. Had to push back about 2 months due to design changes, but ready to go.

If I understand Atmos correctly, which I am sure I don't , I need to buy special Atmos Ceiling speakers or can I use standard Ceiling speakers like these

Invisa Series | GoldenEar Technology | A Passion for Sonic Perfection

Invisa MPX

Going to do try 7.2.4 (at least going to wire the ceiling that way since basement is being gutted to the studs)

Do not have the Pre/Pro to do it with yet, but waiting on Marantz 7702 or 8802.
Was able to pick up my Sony 600ES 4k Projector for $7500 and my Golden Ear Triton 1s will be ready for pickup on Saturday. It will be hard leaving them in their respective boxes until end of October when everything should be complete.

 

[RichB]

I am way behind on my basement remodel, but it will finally be starting September 1st. Had to push back about 2 months due to design changes, but ready to go.

If I understand Atmos correctly, which I am sure I don't , I need to buy special Atmos Ceiling speakers or can I use standard Ceiling speakers like these

Invisa Series | GoldenEar Technology | A Passion for Sonic Perfection

Invisa MPX

Going to do try 7.2.4 (at least going to wire the ceiling that way since basement is being gutted to the studs)

Do not have the Pre/Pro to do it with yet, but waiting on Marantz 7702 or 8802.
Was able to pick up my Sony 600ES 4k Projector for $7500 and my Golden Ear Triton 1s will be ready for pickup on Saturday. It will be hard leaving them in their respective boxes until end of October when everything should be complete.

The Atmos speakers discussed are designed to fire up at the heavens and bounce back from above.
If you are going to use ceiling speakers those Golden Ear speakers should be a good match.

- Rich

 

[cpp]

It's hard to stay impartial when you look at how ridiculous this is

I would say, outlandish or on par with a poor B-movie script like 'Rotten Tomatoes' or anything shown on Mystery Science Theater 3000

 

[Steve81]

Atmos should be targeted at for high-end HT

That's my general feel for it. If you've got a dedicated theater room, and the rest of your system is up to snuff, Atmos can make sense. But lets face facts here: the main L/R, center, and subwoofer are still the backbone of any theater system. Take my setup for instance: is it a better use of resources to buy a new Atmos AVR, Atmos speaker modules, and another couple channels of amplification, or to upgrade the L/C/R speakers? I'd just assume have better L/C/R channels personally. Now what about the 0.1 piece of the puzzle? Another sub (or three ) can pay dividends in terms of improving in room response as well as delivering more output for those big ULF scenes. Suffice it to say, I like my bass, so that's next on the list after upgrading the front array. After all that's said and done (five figures later...), we can talk about Atmos.

 

[gene]

That's my general feel for it. If you've got a dedicated theater room, and the rest of your system is up to snuff, Atmos can make sense. But lets face facts here: the main L/R, center, and subwoofer are still the backbone of any theater system. Take my setup for instance: is it a better use of resources to buy a new Atmos AVR, Atmos speaker modules, and another couple channels of amplification, or to upgrade the L/C/R speakers? I'd just assume have better L/C/R channels personally. Now what about the 0.1 piece of the puzzle? Another sub (or three ) can pay dividends in terms of improving in room response as well as delivering more output for those big ULF scenes. Suffice it to say, I like my bass, so that's next on the list after upgrading the front array. After all that's said and done (five figures later...), we can talk about Atmos.

Bass represents over 60% of the experience in home theater. It's ALWAYS a better idea to improve your bass than to add a few whizzer cone Atmos speakers into the mix. I also agree, get a solid 5.1 system going before adding more speakers!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

That's my general feel for it. If you've got a dedicated theater room, and the rest of your system is up to snuff, Atmos can make sense. But lets face facts here: the main L/R, center, and subwoofer are still the backbone of any theater system. Take my setup for instance: is it a better use of resources to buy a new Atmos AVR, Atmos speaker modules, and another couple channels of amplification, or to upgrade the L/C/R speakers? I'd just assume have better L/C/R channels personally. Now what about the 0.1 piece of the puzzle? Another sub (or three ) can pay dividends in terms of improving in room response as well as delivering more output for those big ULF scenes. Suffice it to say, I like my bass, so that's next on the list after upgrading the front array. After all that's said and done (five figures later...), we can talk about Atmos.

Bass represents over 60% of the experience in home theater. It's ALWAYS a better idea to improve your bass than to add a few whizzer cone Atmos speakers into the mix. I also agree, get a solid 5.1 system going before adding more speakers!

Great minds think alike.

That has been my POV since the inception of ATMOS. Get your 5.1 solid first. Quality comes first. Then after that, if you get bored or something, sprinkle on a little ATMOS if you like. Quantity comes second.

But get your 5.1 solid first and foremost.

 

[herbu]

Perhaps in Gen2?

That's the best thought yet.
You know, I seem to remember unpleasant experiences w/ the very first Dolby systems. And I remember when Quadraphonic was the coolest. I was late to the very first actual surround system party, so don't know how it was.

The idea of Atmos is intriguing. So is holographic TV. What a fun time it is to be alive and see this stuff develop, (or fail).

 

[Aov]

Hi, if I have a 7.1 sound system where the 4 surround speakers are already in the ceiling above the seating area and I do not have enough spaces on the floor to place any more speakers, is it possible to add an extra pair of speakers on the ceiling to create the Atmos effect? And where on the ceiling should it be? Toward the front of the room above the tower speaker near the screen or above the seat close to the exiting surround speakers?

The ceiling in this room is quite low, approximately 2.5-2.8 meter.

Thank you.

 

[bogrod]

I can see this working for people who have the luxury of dedicated home theaters. I can see a massive wall though in terms of people being willing to mount ceiling speakers - the WAF being a huge part of it. But for this technology to be implimented in movie theaters - great!

 

[SpenceJT]

Just how "special" are Dolby Atmos speaker modules?

would not a correctly angled pair of small bookshelf speakers suffice? I have read that such speakers are band filtered? Wouldn't the AVR's Atmos feature process any filtering internally?

I have a spare pair of (large-ish) bookshelf speakers, that I had hoped to position atop of my oak entertainment towers with the intent of reflecting the sound to above the MLA. Experimental at best, but I am not in a situation where I could easily cable or install in-ceiling speakers.

Thoughts? Advice?

 

[gene]

would not a correctly angled pair of small bookshelf speakers suffice? I have read that such speakers are band filtered? Wouldn't the AVR's Atmos feature process any filtering internally?

I have a spare pair of (large-ish) bookshelf speakers, that I had hoped to position atop of my oak entertainment towers with the intent of reflecting the sound to above the MLA. Experimental at best, but I am not in a situation where I could easily cable or install in-ceiling speakers.

Thoughts? Advice?

Read my article. There is NO reason why you can't simply use a pair of old bookshelf speakers. All of the processing and filtering is done at the AV receiver end as it should be, NOT at the speaker side.

 

[SpenceJT]

Read my article. There is NO reason why you can't simply use a pair of old bookshelf speakers. All of the processing and filtering is done at the AV receiver end as it should be, NOT at the speaker side.

Thank you Gene! That is exactly what I was thinking, however I had read some information that raised my questions. I intend to plow ahead with my plan, in the hope that I can achieve at the very least "near" Atmos audio effects in my man-cave without tearing apart my ceiling and wall-sized entertainment center to run wires. ...also, I'm unsure if I could even install in-ceiling speakers as I have duct work running in the floor joists above the area. ;-)

Regards,
Spence

 

[gene]

Thank you Gene! That is exactly what I was thinking, however I had read some information that raised my questions. I intend to plow ahead with my plan, in the hope that I can achieve at the very least "near" Atmos audio effects in my man-cave without tearing apart my ceiling and wall-sized entertainment center to run wires. ...also, I'm unsure if I could even install in-ceiling speakers as I have duct work running in the floor joists above the area. ;-)

Regards,
Spence

Awesome please share photos and your experiences when you get it all set up.

 

[SpenceJT]

There is a guy from another forum who landed himself an early Marantz SR7009 for review.

JoeRod's writeup is located here;
MARANTZ-SR-7009-Dolby-Atmos-Receiver-Review

I'm getting the same unit, however I'll be trying to reflect two channels of the Atmos audio. I'll work to document things once I go, however I have yet to receive any shipping notification.

 

[AllThingsPure]

Hello, where is the content coming from?

You guys are only thinking of hardware, hardware.

 

[RichB]

Hello, where is the content coming from?

You guys are only thinking of hardware, hardware.

Apparently, Dolby will have a list of films that will be released with Atmos during the kickoff at IFA.
If there is insufficient content, all of this is moot. But, I expect that Dolby has some decent content at release, even if they had to help fund it.

Related questions:

Is an Atmos soundtracks production costlier, cheaper, or about the same as a 5.1 soundtrack (7.1's are pretty scarce right now).

Do publishers have to pay any additional licensing fees?

If they are more expensive or worse, require additional per title fees, that could limit the number of Atmos titles.

- Rich

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Hello, where is the content coming from?

You guys are only thinking of hardware, hardware.

Actually, I'm in the "who cares about Atmos" camp.