Hello all,
Considering the vast attention and Atmos enthusiasts in this thread, maybe I might be able to ask a humble question that is likely to have been asked a mite too many times?
In-Ceiling 6~8" woofers for Atmos or On-Ceiling 5.25~6.5" Bookshelves suspended for Atmos?
Thank you for your thoughts and experience!
I'm super curious about watching Master & Commander, Aquaman and Ready Player One with Atmos!
Very best,
I use 8" woofers for my 4 in-ceiling ATMOS speakers.
Bigger drivers generally have more dynamics, sensitivity, and power handling.
I think it's more important if your ceiling height is over 10FT. The farther away the speakers, the more volume you will need from those in-ceiling speakers to compete with your main speakers, which might be much bigger and more dynamic.
I think the main issue with ATMOS/DTSX and all In-ceiling sound effects is being able to actually HEAR them enough.
I've seen so many Atmos movies in commercial theaters (before COVID-19). And I was NEVER able to actually HEAR much in-ceiling sound from any of those commercial theaters because the other bed speakers are so loud and the in-ceiling speaker levels aren't loud enough.
There is no replacement for displacement. Bigger drivers usually = more dynamics.
However, hypothesis aside, in the real world, it probably doesn't matter significantly.
But personally, I would still always choose 8" woofers for my Atmos speakers, instead of smaller drivers.