JBL Studio 530 and My Grand Atmos Experiment

[Danzilla31]

Check out the vids "Zilla posted on the first page. they're about 30 minutes each, but solid info. The Dolby PDF isn't really 60 pages, but it does have the key info about ideal angles.

I think this is the biggest part in Atmos is getting good coverage. I suspect, for the people that complain about it most, they are not properly set up. In fact the guy gives an example in one of the vids with pink noise off axis from a ceiling Speaker: we know what should happen if we think about it for a second, and this guy puts it out there to hear. By the time you get say three seats off axis of that Speaker, all the highs are gone and you just have the lows.

Ideally I would have my Atmos Speakers Higher, I think, to get the appropriate angles, and they would be narrower if I could do ceiling mounts, bringing them into the room about 2' or so.
Regardless...
Eager to hear Bill and Zilla's thoughts.

Your spot on about getting good coverage I think more people miss out on this then they realize

I think looking at your diagrams your spot on

Since your angling them directly at you you could even get away with bringing them closer and more narrower in from the walls but those loft ceilings are so high I can understand why your going that route your angles are spot on

How far away are those 530s with atmos going to be from your main seating position?

They are a 4 ohm speaker with low sensitivity I found they like some power. Make sure you cross them over higher at like a 100 to 120hz they struggled a bit in my room at 80 hz crossover when doing really demanding scenes in movies and music at distance

That was my one gripe with them is they are so inefficient compared to the 590's I was pairing them with

 

[Danzilla31]

I hope you don't mind me butting in @ryanosaur but what you're doing here is something I could do too so I'm interested.

Here is where I might run into trouble. My side surrounds are pretty high already. Over 6' (head height) off the ground and angled sharply down. I have a tall ceiling so wall mounted atmos speakers would still have some distance between them but probably not enough... I don't have a good solution for that unless I go with in walls for surrounds.

Ideally you'd have to bring then down a bit but that should still work everyone has compromises I'm there room. Instead of putting in in walls what about doing on walls? A lot of good companies are making pretty decent on wall speakers now

 

[Danzilla31]

I hope you don't mind me butting in @ryanosaur but what you're doing here is something I could do too so I'm interested.

Here is where I might run into trouble. My side surrounds are pretty high already. Over 6' (head height) off the ground and angled sharply down. I have a tall ceiling so wall mounted atmos speakers would still have some distance between them but probably not enough... I don't have a good solution for that unless I go with in walls for surrounds.

In walls are just so permanent and you have to run the wiring etc etc you don't like the on walls they just come off the wall

 

[afterlife2]

Where are the damn pics? Head injury is bound to happen, rahaha. Congrats.

 

[ryanosaur]

Where are the damn pics? Head injury is bound to happen, rahaha. Congrats.

There are pics… you just have to follow along!


@Danzilla31 I’m out rolling around… back home in a few, will answer and ask some more.

 

[afterlife2]

There are pics… you just have to follow along!


@Danzilla31 I’m out rolling around… back home in a few, will answer and ask some more.

Did you place them already? Didn't see pics. Timber....

 

[ryanosaur]

Did you place them already? Didn't see pics. Timber....

Patience Grasshopper. They are not up yet. This is why I'm talking to friends 'Zilla and Bill to get their advice.

 

[ryanosaur]

Your spot on about getting good coverage I think more people miss out on this then they realize

I think looking at your diagrams your spot on

Since your angling them directly at you you could even get away with bringing them closer and more narrower in from the walls but those loft ceilings are so high I can understand why your going that route your angles are spot on

How far away are those 530s with atmos going to be from your main seating position?

They are a 4 ohm speaker with low sensitivity I found they like some power. Make sure you cross them over higher at like a 100 to 120hz they struggled a bit in my room at 80 hz crossover when doing really demanding scenes in movies and music at distance

That was my one gripe with them is they are so inefficient compared to the 590's I was pairing them with

OK... gonna bullet point a few tidbits to prevent TLDR type confusion.

• At 35º angle in drawing, TF is ~8'8" away, roughly same distance as Mains
• Sensitivity (86) is mostly in line with my Phils... the 530s may even have 1dB on some of the other Speakers.
• Initial Cross will be at 90, possibly higher pending testing. Not likely lower.
• Closer in (narrower) means more expensive hardware solutions which will roughly triple my installation costs. I did consider the possibility of getting a swager/crimper and hanging from cables but I would lose the ability to change the vertical (Z axis or yaw) angle.

OK...

• Wasn't certain if 45º might be a little better.
• 35º is an easier install, though.

Contingencies:
Dropping the rears was likely pending a later refit of the room.
I had thought I could possibly leave those as the RH position. pending upgrade to .6 Atmos
In that .6 scenario, I would install FH or TF and TM now and use those in .4 Atmos

The main thing Bill has talked about is that he feels TF and TB have the most usefulness in programming, and the TM and the Heights may leave me (if I understand correctly) with some holes.

Your thoughts?

 

[ryanosaur]

@Pogre
While I'm clearly being forgotten, again...


Why did you mount your Surround so high?

 

[Danzilla31]

@Pogre
While I'm clearly being forgotten, again...


Why did you mount your Surround so high?

Remember how you told the grasshopper patience? I was running errands too! And I'm going out to eat with family so I'll be back later this afternoon!

 

[Danzilla31]

Real quick top middle really makes sense with multiple rows but in your situation and setup and your ceiling I don't think they'd work very well. Just mounting them would be a nightmare! I agree with @William Lemmerhirt TF and TB would be the way to go in your setup if it was me in that room

I'll have more later! Gotta run!

 

[Pogre]

@Pogre
While I'm clearly being forgotten, again...


Why did you mount your Surround so high?

Surround right is on a corner wall right smack in a high traffic area.

My son and I need to be able to walk underneath it or you can see it'd create an issue any lower. I do have high ceilings tho.

Surround left I could lower easily, but I have it high up to be on the same plane as surround right.

This is looking up from my seat.

 

[ryanosaur]

Remember how you told the grasshopper patience? I was running errands too! And I'm going out to eat with family so I'll be back later this afternoon!

I know, I know. I kid. <3

 

[Danzilla31]

Real quick that dude on home theater Gurus just finished his new home theater build in his house I think you'll like it good stuff on his build!

Okay I really gotta run!

 

[ryanosaur]

Surround right is on a corner wall right smack in a high traffic area.

I figured it was something like that. Like why my Rears are mounted over a closet.

 

[Pogre]

I figured it was something like that. Like why my Rears are mounted over a closet.

Yup. I noticed you flip your upside down. Next time I feel like playing around I'm gonna try that too and calibrate again. It only makes sense and gets you a few inches closer to ear height.

 

[ryanosaur]

Yup. I noticed you flip your upside down. Next time I feel like playing around I'm gonna try that too and calibrate again. It only makes sense and gets you a few inches closer to ear height.

It helps to know the Vertical directivity of your Speaker if you want to play with that. It is usually always good to have the Tweeter closer to your ears if possible. In the event of a 3rd order crossover, though, you can get some wierd acoustic behavior in that the verical directivity will tilt upwards. With a Raal, I think those are designed specifically for a LR4 slope and should be pretty clean in the forward vertical axis. I know with the BMR you want to be a little below, if not directly on-axis (vertical). Above, things get squirrely pretty quick.

 

[Danzilla31]

OK... gonna bullet point a few tidbits to prevent TLDR type confusion.

• At 35º angle in drawing, TF is ~8'8" away, roughly same distance as Mains
• Sensitivity (86) is mostly in line with my Phils... the 530s may even have 1dB on some of the other Speakers.
• Initial Cross will be at 90, possibly higher pending testing. Not likely lower.
• Closer in (narrower) means more expensive hardware solutions which will roughly triple my installation costs. I did consider the possibility of getting a swager/crimper and hanging from cables but I would lose the ability to change the vertical (Z axis or yaw) angle.

OK...

• Wasn't certain if 45º might be a little better.
• 35º is an easier install, though.

Contingencies:
Dropping the rears was likely pending a later refit of the room.
I had thought I could possibly leave those as the RH position. pending upgrade to .6 Atmos
In that .6 scenario, I would install FH or TF and TM now and use those in .4 Atmos

The main thing Bill has talked about is that he feels TF and TB have the most usefulness in programming, and the TM and the Heights may leave me (if I understand correctly) with some holes.

Your thoughts?

On the middles you might have holes if the angle between front Top and Back Top is too big of a degree of separation angling bookshelves through and providing direct coverage of seats is real advantageous I don't think you'll miss Top middle and if your degrees of separation are big enough between your front 3 and surround you may still think about wides

 

[ryanosaur]

On the middles you might have holes if the angle between front Top and Back Top is too big of a degree of separation angling bookshelves through and providing direct coverage of seats is real advantageous I don't think you'll miss Top middle and if your degrees of separation are big enough between your front 3 and surround you may still think about wides

Hey Bud!
In my room, the distance between TF an TB/RH is about 11'.
If you go back to the Photos, that is the Red to the Blue dots.
And here with some measurements added:

Should I perhpas pull TF back to the 45" location?
A little trickier in execution, but I think I can do it.

 

[ryanosaur]

If I pull TF back to 45º, that makes the possibility of adding FH later if I choose, and makes my possible interest in TM less important since the gap between TF/TB will be closed a bit.
the 45º placement is about 2.75' closer to LP.