Dolby Atmos speaker..can I use an ordinary one?

[MundyPond]

I have a Pioneer VSX-1130-K A/V receiver. Polk Monitor 65t towers for the front. Polk Rti200 bookshelf speakers for the rear and Polk TSX250 center speaker. There are two height channels on the receiver where, ostensibly, I would connect my Atmos module speakers. My question. Can I connect regular speakers to the height channels and point them toward the ceiling for the Atmos effect or do I HAVE to have Atmos speakers? From what I read, the sound only needs to be reflected off the ceiling for the Atmos effect. Are Atmos speakers that different from regular speakers that they have a special driver to "direct" the sound toward the ceiling. Just want to make sure so I don't buy Atmos module speakers I really do not need. Thanks.

 

[Latent]

There are in fact 3 speaker positions you can choose from for Atmos height channels. Dolby enabled speakers that sit ontop of the speaker and point upwards, top speakers that are mounted on or in the ceiling and front/rear height speakers that are mounted high up on the front or rear walls.

If you already have some speakers it is possible to mount them from the ceiling if you can find a suitable mount and run wires to this position. This may give you the best Atmos experience. Another option is to mount the speaker up high directly above your front speakers as Front Height speakers (your AVR manual should give you placement guidelines for this speaker type). And the final last preferred option is to use a speaker pointed at the ceiling on top of your main speakers.

As to if you can use your existing speaker to act as a dolby bouncy speakers I would be reluctant to trust such a setup as the dolby enabled speakers are designed specifically for this purpose and would have been designed to output more direct sound and less off axis sound than a regular speaker. If your regular speaker produced too much off axis sound towards the listening position when pointed at the ceiling then you would lose much of the height effect. You could always try pointing the speaker at the ceiling and powering them on their own connected to front left/right and play a 2 channel source. If the sound seems to be coming from above you then maybe they would work... But your speakers sure are going to look strange as atmos enabled speakers are designed to hide from view a bit.