How you like Atmos? 😋

[quadrifonico]

Well my curiosity strikes again I wanna hear your opinions people! When it comes to Atmos, movies or strictly music, what's your preference? I'll start with mine: I like 5.1.4 or 5.1.2, the first with 4 ON ceiling speakers, the second with 2 upfiring modules. Why? 4 proper heights shows you how the engineer made the mix, you can direct them directly where you're sitting, and you can of course get the best speakers you can, in movies you hear the action (like a thunder) really above your head, and if a chopper is there you will understand where it's headed. Downsides are that you need more cables... And sometimes you hear that certain speaker playing, I mean sometimes the imaging gets a bit spoilt.
On the other hand 2 upfiring modules on top of your front speakers are easier to install and provide you with that particular feeling of a NON directional sound, personally in some cases I even prefer those to real over head channels; though I usually don't hear the sounds come from the ceiling, I hear them coming from "nowhere", of course they sound thinner than ON or IN ceiling units. And then your rear surrounds will play what the rear Atmos should, since your amplifier will down fold... And so on.
This might seem a obvious topic, but I'm sure anyone of you has a personal preference (anybody using headphones ? )

 

[DrKlahn]

I've heard a variety of setups and in my own room I've gone through a few iterations.

To start I've always had 7 bed layer channels. I initially had 2 overhead Atmos channels (2 Elac bookshelves in a custom mount I made for the ceiling). It was effective and opened up a new dimension. I liked it. After hearing some 4/6 ceiling configurations, I decided to add some Elac toppers to the side surround channels (4/5). This was better than just the 2 initial speakers and now I had some directionality with ceiling audio.

Since Atmos had become a lot more prevalent in both my music and movie watching I decided to get more serious with it. I mounted boxes on the ceiling and migrated to B&W CCM 663's. This is where I'm at now and I quite like it. Very convincing 3D space using these vs. the old setup.

As far as 4 vs 6 speakers for the ceiling audio, to me that's kind of like using wide speakers. Does the room need it? In my space 4 is fairly crowded already, so I can't ever see going to 6. The rooms where I have felt that 6 are a good idea are usually a 3 row seating setup. 4 is generally enough in my opinion for 1 or 2 rows.

 

[quadrifonico]

I've heard a variety of setups and in my own room I've gone through a few iterations.

To start I've always had 7 bed layer channels. I initially had 2 overhead Atmos channels (2 Elac bookshelves in a custom mount I made for the ceiling). It was effective and opened up a new dimension. I liked it. After hearing some 4/6 ceiling configurations, I decided to add some Elac toppers to the side surround channels (4/5). This was better than just the 2 initial speakers and now I had some directionality with ceiling audio.

Since Atmos had become a lot more prevalent in both my music and movie watching I decided to get more serious with it. I mounted boxes on the ceiling and migrated to B&W CCM 663's. This is where I'm at now and I quite like it. Very convincing 3D space using these vs. the old setup.

As far as 4 vs 6 speakers for the ceiling audio, to me that's kind of like using wide speakers. Does the room need it? In my space 4 is fairly crowded already, so I can't ever see going to 6. The rooms where I have felt that 6 are a good idea are usually a 3 row seating setup. 4 is generally enough in my opinion for 1 or 2 rows.

I think so. Personally I think always better stick to the minimum required to achieve the sound you like

 

[jimfisheye]

Just the idea that anyone would make a discrete mix for a 12 channel system and make the format official is audacious and I love it! It's so left field in this plastic corporate world. Everything is kind of great!

An unexpected kick in the pants too when I was struggling to stay hungry for new music. And... then I search out old stuff remixed. But anyway.

The thing with not licensing the decoder to software media player apps and using this to strong arm hardware sales should certainly be talked about incessantly until it stops! But we've already won with 7.1.4 being an official format to stay and a decent number of mixes already.

Music focused here. Landed on 7.1.4 because many other notable mix engineers did the same. Dolby calls both 7.1.4 and 9.1.6 reference systems. Clearly movie soundtracks were in mind with some of this. Mainly the ability to "punch in" full surround objects continually as you go. The music side seems like it landed on 7.1.4. I'm only interested in the discrete surround system and mixes for it. The ricochet tech is not really appropriate for music. Hope those movie soundbars don't lead to front heavy faux Atmos mixes!

 

[quadrifonico]

I think so. Personally I think always better stick to the minimum required to achieve the sound you like

Of course in a big room more surround channels help to make the sound everywhere fuller and more realistic, convincing

 

[JimofMaine]

I listen to Atmos in headsets and love, love love it!! I also listen to Atmos in a dedicated professional Atmos mixing studio with 7.2.4 setup. When it's good, it's good. When it's bad, it's bad. I also listen to stereo in a 12.4 setup. I never like it when the process calls attention to itself. For me the aural illusion fails when speakers are able to be localized in the room.

 

[mandrix]

How do I like my Atmos, let me count the ways.
seven point one point 4.
7 speakers at ear level and 4 speakers up top, all aimed directly at the sweet spot.
Calibration with Dirac Live and the Harman -6dB curve added for the low end.
TX-RZ50 for Atmos processing and an old but working well RD6105 to power the surrounds and rear surrounds.
The room is 8.5 ft x 12.5 ft. I had to move the front height speakers several times to get a good balance, and actually run them as mid height in the AVR setup.

 

[madscot]

I’m very happy with my 5.2.2 using overheads but if I won the lottery would go to 7.2.4

 

[Sal1950]

I've been running a 5.2.4 Atmos rig since early 2018 with 4 ceiling mounted speakers
Updated the complete speaker system once since then but have been very pleased with Atmos
since the very beginning. Of course like everything else its very source quality dependent. Some mixes are diamond, some are coal. I really wish I had the room to add the side speakers but
there's just no space in this little park model I live in.

 

[armyjazzer]

How do I like my Atmos, let me count the ways.
seven point one point 4.
7 speakers at ear level and 4 speakers up top, all aimed directly at the sweet spot.
Calibration with Dirac Live and the Harman -6dB curve added for the low end.
TX-RZ50 for Atmos processing and an old but working well RD6105 to power the surrounds and rear surrounds.
The room is 8.5 ft x 12.5 ft. I had to move the front height speakers several times to get a good balance, and actually run them as mid height in the AVR setup.

I'm curious as to how large your speakers are? I am setting up in a larger room (aprox. 20x24 area to use, room is odd shape), but still feel like the speakers may be too close to the listening position even with Quad and 5.1. I'll find out soon, ordering last speaker needed for Quad next week. Then I'll order one more for 5.1. I hope to expand to Atmos if all goes well. Maybe I went too big, I have a tendency to overdo things!

 

[mandrix]

I’m very happy with my 5.2.2 using overheads but if I won the lottery would go to 7.2.4

If I won the lottery I'd buy a new house with a decent sized room separate for audio. ...and of course a whole new system. lol.

 

[mandrix]

I'm curious as to how large your speakers are? I am setting up in a larger room (aprox. 20x24 area to use, room is odd shape), but still feel like the speakers may be too close to the listening position even with Quad and 5.1. I'll find out soon, ordering last speaker needed for Quad next week. Then I'll order one more for 5.1. I hope to expand to Atmos if all goes well. Maybe I went too big, I have a tendency to overdo things!

My corners are matched large bookshelf type I guess you'd say. 6" woofers. deep cabinets & heavy. They go down to 40Hz but I cap them at 60Hz in the crossover's.
The center, which is from the same now defunct company, is a dual 6" woofer model. (really heavy) Also set crossover to 60 Hz.
My 4 top speakers are the also now no longer made Polk Monitor 30's...I want to say 5 1/ 4" woofers but don't remember for sure. I have the crossover set at 100 Hz.
My rear surrounds are a pair of Klipsch refurbs I picked up off the Amazon cheap. Crossovers set at 100 Hz.
The sub is an old Cerwin Vega 12" . Had it for many years.

So sort of low budget hifi. But it sounds good to me and because this room is not ideal, the Dirac Live 13 point mic calibrations help get everything in the groove. I use a UMIK-1 mic for calibrations and the Dirac Live pc app.

 

[mandrix]

I'm curious as to how large your speakers are? I am setting up in a larger room (aprox. 20x24 area to use, room is odd shape), but still feel like the speakers may be too close to the listening position even with Quad and 5.1. I'll find out soon, ordering last speaker needed for Quad next week. Then I'll order one more for 5.1. I hope to expand to Atmos if all goes well. Maybe I went too big, I have a tendency to overdo things!

Also good room calibrations make a lot of difference. Besides, there's no such thing as overkill in audio, is there?

 

[quadrifonico]

Then we're in the same boat I mean regarding the lottery

 

[quadrifonico]

Also good room calibrations make a lot of difference. Besides, there's no such thing as overkill in audio, is there?

Unfortunately there's not

 

[barfle]

I didn’t win the lottery, but I did move from a high cost of living (Washington, DC) area to one where I could afford what I wanted (Boise, ID). One thing that was important to me was a space where I could build my room, and I got a pretty good one (see the build thread in my sig).

While I was building the room, I installed ceiling speakers as close to the Atmos guidelines as the rafters and joists would allow. I have yet to hook them up, but I’m looking forward to it eventually. Right now, the room is 5.1, and I love most of what I hear in there, but I’m looking forward to being amazed. Someday.

 

[mandrix]

I've wondered how in ceiling speakers compare to cabinet speakers mounted on the ceiling/wall. I like the directionality aspect of mounting cabinet speakers aimed at the sweet spot, but never heard any Atmos system but my own. I don't have an opinion on how the in ceiling speakers work out, simply because I've never heard them in an Atmos setup.

 

[beerking]

7.2.4 set up here...from 2018
I use heights placed at opposite ends of the room near the ceiling.
Booka Shade started the Atmos listening experience and I've never looked back since .

In fact I bang the Atmos drum as loud as I can, as I think it's the ultimate in my music listening experience.
Not a film watcher, so I have no use for it there.

 

[DrKlahn]

I've wondered how in ceiling speakers compare to cabinet speakers mounted on the ceiling/wall. I like the directionality aspect of mounting cabinet speakers aimed at the sweet spot, but never heard any Atmos system but my own. I don't have an opinion on how the in ceiling speakers work out, simply because I've never heard them in an Atmos setup.

My experience mounting conventional speakers to the ceiling that they didn't have great imaging and dispersion. I'm sure that's just a byproduct of mounting them in a manner that the engineers weren't designing for. The toppers I added were certainly better than having just the 2 ceiling speakers, but again the result wasn't great. Probably a factor of the room and angles I was restricted to.

The in-wall/ceiling speakers in boxes that angle them towards the listening position, along with having tweeters that you can adjust, produce a much better experience.

I don't want to make that sound like something definitive. A different room better able to aim and accommodate cabinet speakers or toppers may sound a lot better than what mine did. I do feel like an in-wall/ceiling design is likely to be a better solution just on the premise their initial design is geared towards the challenges of this application.

 

[AYanguas]

I came from a miserable 5.1, with the surround speakers located in wrong and asymmetrical positions. It was all I could do in the living room, without moving the furniture...

But my opportunity came when my wife and I decided to completely renovate the house and I designed the living room from the beginning: All the furniture out and putting in the sound system first. New forniture later, after locating all the Home Theater gadgets.

I started with 7.1.4, with the 4 B&W CCM 683 in-ceiling speakers, with angle adjustable tweeter. I also installed bookshelf speakers (same type as surrounds) for Auro-3D in the Height Auro locations: just above the floor fronts and the side surrounds. With speaker switches to switch between formats. Maybe excessive, but as it was my opportunity with an empty living room, I did it.

The bookshelf speakers have better sound than the in-ceiling, and when I tested Atmos using the bookshelf Auro Speakers instead (just a test), the sound I got was better but the Atmos immersion effect was not as good as with the in-ceiling, that are more over your head. The same impression that @DrKlahn comments on in the previous post.

Later, after a period of testing with a couple of old speakers in the Wides locations, I found that they were used with the DSU firmware update and that a few music mixes in Atmos also used them. So I got a new pair of matching bookshelf speakers and upgraded to 9.1.4. I don't regret the effort. There are quite a few mixes in Atmos that take advantage of the Wides.

Since I am the only one who enjoys good Atmos (only a single listening point), I never thought about x.x.6 ceiling speakers, since I was never going to have several rows of listening and when friends or family come, let them sit where they can and that's it.
If I want to make an Atmos Demo to someone, I "force" him to sit in my sweet spot seat.

I still have to do a better calibration with umik/REW, put a Harman curve and cover some room areas with acoustic panels with the insulating material that I left over from the renovation work.
But I'm too lazy to continue tinkering, and I prefer to simply enjoy listening to music in Atmos, which sounds pretty good enough to me.

This is the only Atmos audio reference I have: mine.