thanks to Gene and the Audioholics YouTube videos I finally realize I'm not crazy, and Atmos can be very underwhelming compared to other formats like Neural or Dolby Surround. I thought there was something wrong with my system when Atmos content would rarely put sound in my front height speakers, and when it did, it's pretty faint/quick. I would just assume change my Apple 4K TV box streaming format off of "best quality/Atmos" and upmix in my Denon 1600 receiver to Dolby Surround or Neural that makes use of the height speakers. But before I do, is there some other benefit to the Atmos/object based sound format other than a signal occasionally going to the height (or ceiling for those that have those) speakers? As in, are the ground speakers (front L/R, rear surrounds, center) getting a different kind of mix with this object based format vs. just using Dolby Surround, Neural, or other formats? Kinda feeling duped by the Atmos hype, although I know all I have is front height speakers above the front L/R (5.1.2) so perhaps without in-ceiling it's not worth the bother.
Not sure where to begin!
So for me, content is king. Like any format there are great examples, and stinkers too. Also, the people mixing have different schools of thought, so some tread lightly, and some let loose. The aforementioned Hacksaw Ridge is a great example. On the other side, Atomic blonde in DTS-X is great too(although the lfe track has been neutered and is embarrassing). There are actually hundreds of titles. And again, some are better than others, not every title will hit you in the head. That’s also not the point.
So next, what are your speakers, and how are they set up? That’s pretty important, although the format IS pretty forgiving. From reading your post, it sounds like the .2 are up where the ceiling meets the wall. This could be problematic since you might not have a high enough ceiling to separate from the bed layer. The other thing is the .2 might be behind the mains too. IMO, that will make it almost impossible to track objects on XYZ coordinates.(not all films utilize objects very well). So I’m curious as to you setup. One thing that’s easy to do is raise the level of the .2 speakers(if you haven’t yet) to see if they give a more immersive experience.
And, as mark said, the upmixers are really very good. Taking regular 7/5.1 titles and giving them new life. On top of that, one of my favorite things about Atmos is how my room disappears. The bubble of sound can be very seamless with the tiniest little sounds punctuating almost anywhere. To be fair, my system is 7.3.4 with my .4 in the tops positions. Good options put “height speakers at the sides of the room, where the wall meets the ceiling 45° for and aft the LP. To me that’s almost as good as tops. In fact I think even if using only .2, high on the sides is better than the from wall, even though it IS a supported setup. I would recommend that you move yours high and to the sides, roughly a couple feet in front of the couch(depending on ceiling height).
FWIW, every single time my tv goes on, I’m in surround. Judge judy, wheel of fortune, FX, Mad Mad fury road in BD...you name it, it’s in surround. So I’ve spent a LOT of time being critical, and tuning my somewhat pedestrian system. FWIW, not everything is super crazy awesome, but Atmos is definitely something I’m excited about.
Here’s some reading in case you are interested.
PS. I KNOW I’ve forgotten a few points to be made. Maybe they’ll come later.
I hope you can get your setup to deliver for you. IMO it IS worth the bother, but you might just have to get a little dirty to get there.
