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I've become a huge fan of Atmos since the most recent (and major) revision of our 2.1/5.1 dual duty big rig incorporated the addition of 4 overhead Atmos/DTS-X overhead channels a few years ago. I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to the enthusiast pursuits I'm most keen about. So beforehand I sunk a lot of time into both online and in-person research (at high-end AV boutiques) before reaching a decision on how to best implement an overhead 4 speaker Atmos set-up.
Here are a few observations I made and conclusions I arrived at based upon all that research:
1) The reflective ceiling bounce Atmos speaker modules you plop onto the tops of your bed loudspeakers are really disappointing when compared to any decently implemented ceiling mounted speaker setup... And when compared to a truly optimized ceiling mount Atmos speaker setup, those ceiling bounce modules are flat out embarassing!
2) When you do the math (specifically working out the optimal listening axis geometry between overhead channels and the MLP- Main Listener Position), there are a couple of hard truths you discover about what sorts of Atmos ceiling loudspeaker implementations work properly for a given room. When it comes to using flush mount in-ceiling speakers for Atmos overheads, they simply won't work properly for more than a two ceiling speaker setup
unless you have REALLY high ceilings. Once you have 4 overhead channels, each mounted at the Dolby recommended optimal angle and location vs the bed loudspeakers and MLP, the listening seat will be nowhere near the optimal listening axis of those flush mounted in-ceiling speakers. Listeners are far enough off the optimal listening axis that the upper midrange and high frequency output of the in-ceiling speakers will be significantly rolled off. Even those flush mount models with adjustable tweeter angle typically will not have enough range of adjustment to compensate unless you have a REALLY high ceiling. So the moral of this particular story is that either a surface mounted overhead speaker with a significantly angled front baffle or better yet, a conventional box loudspeaker securely hung from the ceiling on highly adjustable brackets is the way to go for 4 or more overhead Atmos channels.
3) Some AV hobbyists and social media/youtube AV pundits claim that having Atmos ceiling channels which are brand matched and voiced to pair well with your bed loudspeakers
totally doesn't matter. I strongly disagree! The recording engineer will seldom place Atmos sound objects directly at/in a particular overhead speaker. Sound objects are typically panned to locate them at place in space between loudspeakers. And that sound object location is just as likely to be a vertical pan between a bed speaker and the nearest overhead speaker as it is to be a horizontal pan between two overhead speakers.
So if the same guy told you, "Just us any old mismatched combination of bed loudspeakers, don't even worry about matched stereo pairs," would you believe him??? Matched pairs of speakers will cast a solid stereo image. Mismatched pairs of speakers will not.
