HOLY POOP!!!!!
Yep, this is… better. There’s certainly a cumulative impact.
I’m certainly fortunate to have a solid bed layer, which I have always been happy with (5.2 all arendal 1961)… but, I’m curious, and I tinker, and I don’t mind putting in some work.
The addition of the 4 Atmos channels (in ceiling w/angled baffle imaged for MLP), is… well… the whole thing is a completely different beast.
First thing I put on: “Ready player one” race scene. The action over head, left to right/ right to left, front to back/ back to front…. It’s a truly awesome, immersive experience, that I didn’t realize I could have, in my living room.
WILD.
The effort put forth to do all in wall wiring for the in ceiling implementation, was, well… it kinda sucked lol.
It’s hot in the attic in Texas, and balancing on frame studs in blow in insulation isn’t a ton of fun, not to mention ripping up baseboard and notching sheetrock, plus all the measuring & remeasuring, the minor adjustment from aesthetic ideals to avoid studs (luckily I was able to find positions for all 4 that integrate well, and are in-line wit Dolby recommendations), and cutting new holes (luckily in a closet rather than the wall you always look at, patches there would likely draw attention)….
Needless to say, many MANY times I thought to myself: There’s no way it’ll “better enough” to warrant this horse pile.
But, it WAS.
This is awesome!
The level of immersion totally revitalized the entirety of the “AWEsome-ness” of my system and the movie experience. It’s a whole new thing now… it never sucked, but now it’s jus…. Like a whole thing, it’s sick.
All this to say: If you’re considering transitioning from a full bed layer system to an Atmos enabled configuration, and you’re able, DO IT.
Further, for me personally… I like clean, un-cluttered setups. Thus, I’m not a fan of “bouncey house” modules, nor would I want to mount them at the wall/ ceiling joint. I put in the work for in ceiling to enable a pure experience, without any (further) attention drawn to the equipment in my home…. and it was 100% worth it.
Closing notes:
A) I tried the Atmos modules on 2 different speaker lines, sitting atop the front towers.
There is absolutely no comparison to in ceiling.
B) Angled baffle may have a slight placebo affect… HOWEVER, when you take into account the impact of speaker placement and alignment for standard floor and surround speakers, so clearly visible in all the room measurements you take… I think there’s an argument for a in ceiling speaker that you can control the directivity and imaging of. In my mind, these RSL C34E’s are a great pairing for the arendal sound bed layer: angled baffle + a quasi - MTM configuration w/ quasi waveguide for both tweeter and driver, also, the dual 4.5” drivers aren’t far off that of the 1961’s 5.5” mid and bass drivers. Atmos doesn’t need to dig deep… that’s what multi-sub bass management is for.
Apologies for the brain vomit! Just wanted to follow up while it was fresh.
And enjoy whatever system you have… any setup is better than nothing, and home theater is fun!!!